Details for Extending the repertoire of microsatellite markers for genetic linkage mapping and germplasm screening in chickpea

Varshney RK, Horres R, Molina C, Nayak S, Jungmann R, Swamy P, Winter P, Jayashree B, Kahl G and Hoisington DA (2007). Extending the repertoire of microsatellite markers for genetic linkage mapping and germplasm screening in chickpea. Journal of SAT Agricultural Research 5(1):3pp.

Molecular markers and genetic linkage maps are the prerequisites for undertaking molecular breeding activities. However, the progress towards development of a reasonable number of molecular markers has been very slow in cultivated species of chickpea (Cicer arietinum). One of the main reasons for this may be attributed to the low level of genetic diversity present in the cultivated gene pools of these species, at least with the detection tools that are currently available. Among various molecular markers currently available, microsatellite or SSR (simple sequence repeat) markers are often chosen as the preferred markers for a variety of applications in breeding because of their multi-allelic nature, co-dominant inheritance, relative abundance and extensive genome coverage (Gupta and Varshney 2000).