CAPS markers in breeding of oil crops

Abstract

Oil crops include highly diverse and world-wide distributed group of species that are grown for oil production. Apart from the use in human nutrition and animal feed, oil crops have a broad commercial application in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Genetic improvements of oil crops have mostly been accomplished by the conventional breeding methods. However, the application of wide variety of molecular tools that have become available in the last two decades have made the process of detecting and introducing genes for desirable traits easier, faster and more reliable. Due to their locus specificity and co-dominant nature, CAPS markers are useful for genotyping, positional and map-based cloning of genes in oil crops. In this chapter we review the utilization of CAPS markers in breeding of major oil crops, i.e., in marker assisted selection (MAS) and backcrossing programs. Achievements in the application of CAPS markers in the mapping of genes that control oil yield, oil quality, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as some other agronomical traits, are summarized. Additional overview of advantages and disadvantages of CAPS markers in oil crops breeding is given. Furthermore, markers are analyzed from a practical standpoint, and finally prospectives of CAPS markers in molecular breeding of oil crops are addressed.