Abstract
Mutation breeding can be enhanced by genetic selection for novel alleles. Through targeted mutation breeding, genotypes with induced or natural mutations in candidate genes are identified for cultivar development. For most horticultural plants, targeted mutation breeding may be a more economically feasible approach to trait development than through transgenic technology. Substantial progress has been made in applying targeted mutation breeding to horticulture and this review summarizes recently published work in this area. To date, at least 16 horticultural crops have been screened for natural or induced allelic diversity in over 100 candidate genes. This approach has resulted in traits of commercial use, such as longer shelf-life (tomato, melon), improved starch quality (potato), and virus-resistance (peppers, tomato). Advances in genome sequencing and genetic screening will facilitate the development of cultivars with value-added traits derived from candidate gene polymorphisms.
Highlights
Targeted mutation breeding uses genomics to increase the efficiency of mutation breeding
An advantage of mutation breeding is that cultivars developed through this approach generally do not face the regulatory, intellectual property, and economic challenges that limit the cultivation of transgenic horticultural plants (Alston, 2004; Dobres, 2008)
The unregulated status of cultivars derived from induced mutations is warranted, given that many traditionally bred traits in horticultural plants are due to natural mutations (Janick, 2004)
Summary
Targeted mutation breeding uses genomics to increase the efficiency of mutation breeding. Mutation breeding has been an effective approach to producing horticultural varieties with improved traits (Ahloowalia et al, 2004), but it requires the phenotypic analysis of a large number of plants. Targeted mutation breeding requires candidate gene sequence data, screening populations, and mutation screening techniques and these topics will be covered in the context of their application to horticulture. Examples are presented of value-added traits of horticultural crops that have been developed through the targeted mutation breeding. These genes encode regulatory proteins (e.g. AGAMOUS), key biosynthetic enzymes (e.g. polygalacturonidase), and pathogen-required proteins (e.g. translation initiation factor 4E)
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