marker-assisted selection in wheat

Chapter 8 – Marker-assisted selection in maize 143to the germplasm and environments of targetareas, this genetic information could beused to select efficiently for specific traitsthrough MAS. Second, private companiescould provide access to some of their genotypingor nursery platforms. Genotypingsamples for MAS projects in developingcountries would not substantially disruptprivate companies’ own research if conductedin periods of lower activity, andwould provide these MAS projects withmarker data points for as low a cost as possible.Third and probably most critically,private companies could train scientistsfrom developing countries on the principles,mechanics and logistics of applyingand implementing MAS in maize. Scientistsin private maize breeding groups havealready identified many of the pitfalls andovercome many of the hurdles linked withthe implementation of MAS. Transfer ofthis knowledge to scientists from developingcountries would help them immenselyto design marker-based breeding schemesadapted to their sets of constraints.Beyond their contribution to the implementationof MAS in maize in developingcountries, private companies could, in verysimilar ways, contribute to MAS programmesin other species of importance todeveloping countries but remote from theircore interests. Synteny and gene conservationacross species should allow some of themaize genetic information to be transferableto other species. Technology platforms andbreeding approaches developed for MASin maize should be good models for othercrops and some might be directly usable.Mechanisms or organizations need to beput in place for these transfers of knowledgeand technologies to occur from privatemaize MAS programmes to other crops indeveloping countries. Private programmeswill likely not drive these transfers butmight be very willing to contribute or bedirectly involved in specific projects providedadequate frameworks exist.Public–private partnerships will needto be established to manage intellectualproperty issues related to the transfers ofinformation, material or technologies fromprivate companies to developing countries(Naylor et al., 2004). The AfricanAgricultural Technology Foundation(AATF) is one initiative that has beenestablished to deal with such issues. Severalprivate corporations with major investmentsin MAS in maize have agreed toprovide access to germplasm and knowledgefor African countries (Naylor et al.,2004; Delmer, 2005).As with the private sector in Europeand North America, it will be necessaryto provide regular and easy access to educationand training in maize MAS as thephenotypes and population structures arelikely to differ from those encountered byprogrammes in the private sector in relativelyhigh-input production environments.Also, and in common with the changes inthe private sector, some reorganization orrestructuring of public sector programmesmay be warranted with the advent of morespecialized roles for some personnel.Understanding the genetic basis of traitsand cloning and sequencing the underlyinggenes will not have an impact on poorfarmers unless translated into varietiesthrough breeding. Implementing MASrequires significant investments in bothpeople and infrastructures. Some of themost promising marker-based breedingschemes (e.g. MARS), take about as longas conventional breeding schemes todevelop improved varieties and thereforerequire long-term funding commitments.Funding of practical crop improvementhas declined for several years, particularly