Summary

Molecular marker technologies have become an intrinsic component of modern plant breeding and are routinely used in wheat and barley breeding programs, public and private. Not the same can be said about molecular markers for oat breeding, where the development of molecular tools has just started in Australia and overseas. Here, we propose to build on the advances made in wheat and barley where molecular markers and genes linked to agronomically important traits have been identified as a result of large national and international investments.
Targets for marker development in oats are traits of agronomical importance where tools can be realistically established within a three-year time frame and proposed funding. The traits Boron tolerance, water-soluble carbohydrate content and plant maturity address performance under the harsh Australian environment and a major hay quality attribute. Interestingly all three, B tolerance, WSC and maturity are traits involved in drought tolerance (see Lit. review) and thus timely to facilitate efforts of the National Oat Breeding Program in the release of varieties better adapted to our difficult-to-predict climate.

Program

Export Fodder

Research Organisation

Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development acting through the South Australian Research and Development Institute

Objective Summary

Aims in this project are the establishment of molecular markers as the fastest approach to develop better adapted oat varieties with improved hay quality.