Ag science: Chapter 10: Applied plant genetics

Created by

James R

Cards (13)

Applied genetics 
The manipulation of hereditary characteristics in order to improve or produce desirable characteristics in offspring
Natural selection 
Favours traits that are beneficial. It acts within heritable traits
Progeny testing 
1. Comparison of a plant's offspring with another plant's offspring kept under the same conditions
2. In crop production, progeny with the most desirable traits are chosen and allowed to pollinate and further selections are made from the resulting progeny
3. This process is repeated until a desirable species is developed
Performance testing
Compares 2 plants kept under the same conditions
Genotyping 
Measurement of genetic variations (SNPs) between members of a species
Genomic selection
Uses thousands of genetic markers associated with genes, along with performance tests, to assess the genetic merit of a plant or animal
Selective breeding 
Choosing plants with desirable characteristics in crop production
Developments in biotechnology such as SNP genotyping have allowed farmers and plant breeders to speed up development of new varieties and to select plants for specific traits
Genome editing 
The use of any technology that allows a change to an organism's DNA, including adding, removing or altering genetic material at specific locations in the genome
Tissue culture 
1. A method of genetic engineering in which disease-free plants are produced in a laboratory in sterile conditions from pieces of plant tissue on a nutrient culture medium
2. The plant tissue cultures are used to produce clones of a plant species
Genetic resistance to disease in plants 
Results from a plant's ability to produce a gene (R-gene) that is resistant to a specific disease, which targets the specific disease-causing Avirulent gene (Avr gene) in the pathogen
Advantages of genetically modifying crops
Disease resistance, increased yields, reduced food waste
Genome 
An organism’s complete set of DNA including all of its genes.