Note from the editor - nota del editor

Elsa L. Camadro 

ARTICLE 2 - research

THE IMPORTANCE OF DEEP GENOTYPING IN CROP BREEDING
LA IMPORTANCIA DEL GENOTIPADO PROFUNDO EN EL MEJORAMIENTO GENÉTICO

Zambelli A.

One of the greatest challenges facing humanity is the development of sustainable strategies to ensure food availability in response to population growth and climate change. One approach that can contribute to increase food security is to close yield gaps and enhancing genetic gain; to such end, what is known as “molecular breeding” plays a fundamental role. Since a crop breeding program is mainly based on the quality of the germplasm, its detailed genetic characterization is mandatory to ensure the efficient use of genetic resources and accelerating development of superior varieties. Deep genotyping is an essential tool for a comprehensive characterization of the germplasm of interest and, fortunately, the technology is now accessible at a reasonable cost. What must be ensured is the correct interpretation of the genotypic information and on that basis develop efficient practical molecular crop breeding strategies that respond to the real needs of the breeding program.

Key words: breeding population, genetic resources, marker assisted selection, Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP)
Language: English

ARTICLE 3 - research

EXPANSION OF THE BASIC KNOWLEDGE ON THE INHERITANCE OF CHARACTERS THAT ALLOW THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW MAIZE BREEDING TECHNIQUES
EXPANSIÓN DE LOS CONOCIMIENTOS BÁSICOS DE LA HERENCIA DE CARACTERES QUE POSIBILITEN DESARROLLAR NUEVAS TÉCNICAS DE MEJORAMIENTO EN MAÍZ

Salerno J.C., Kandús M.V., Prada A., Almorza D.

In order to increase the efficiency of maize hybrid seed production it is necessary to achieve a high grain yield to reduce production costs. This goal requires an expansion of the basic knowledge of the inheritance of characters in order to develop new breeding techniques to improve experimental materials with hard endosperm (flint). The balanced lethal system allows to study the relative contribution of different chromosome segments to hybrid vigour due to the heterozygosity of certain chromosome segments while the rest of the genome becomes homocygotic through continuous selfing. In this way, these segments can be transferred to inbred lines in order to increase grain yield or tassel size (to increase pollen production). The goal of this study was to transfer a heterotic segment by using a balanced lethal system regulated line (BLS14), through crosses and backcrosses, to S₅ flint lines derived from two commercial hybrids, ACA 2000 and Cóndor with closed pedigree, with the objective of increase grain yield or tassel size for pollen production. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal components analysis (PCA) showed a significant improvement in grain yield and tassel size in the S₅ flint lines of both commercial hybrids, carrying the heterotic segment of the BLS14 line.

Key words: maize, heterotic segments, grain yield, inbred lines
Language: Spanish