Genomics-Assisted Breeding

Abstract

Since the Arabidopsis genome was sequenced, hundreds of plant genomes have either been sequenced or are in sequencing progress. Reference genome sequences and large-scale genome sequencing technologies have initiated a new era in molecular breeding. The fi eld of genomics is progressing rapidly and has already provided invaluable practical products for plant molecular breeding. Here, we review progress in genome sequencing technology and its application to plant breeding. We introduce various genomics tools and discuss how next-generation genome sequenc-ing and genotyping technologies have been applied to high-throughput molecular breeding. We also describe the use of epigenome analysis to interpret phenotypic variations that cannot be explained by simple genetics based on the underlying DNA sequence alone, but rather by epigenetically-controlled mechanisms.