Premium
Utilization of molecular markers for improving the phosphorus efficiency in crop plants
Author(s) -
Maharajan Theivanayagam,
Ceasar Stanislaus Antony,
Ajeesh krishna Thumadath Palayullaparambil,
Ramakrishnan Muthusamy,
Duraipandiyan Veeramuthu,
Naif Abdulla AlDhabi,
Ignacimuthu Savarimuthu
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plant breeding
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.583
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1439-0523
pISSN - 0179-9541
DOI - 10.1111/pbr.12537
Subject(s) - crop , biology , quantitative trait locus , agronomy , microbiology and biotechnology , crop yield , trait , phosphorus , limiting , marker assisted selection , chemistry , gene , mechanical engineering , biochemistry , organic chemistry , computer science , programming language , engineering
Phosphorus (P) is the second most growth limiting macronutrient after nitrogen and plays several important roles in all organisms including plants. In soil, P is available in both organic and inorganic forms. P deficiency reduces the growth and yield of several crop plants. Plants respond to P deficiency by the phenotypic changes especially by the modification of root architecture. Molecular marker‐assisted breeding ( MAB ) has been proposed as an important tool to identify and develop improved varieties of crop plants with efficient P‐use efficiency ( PUE ). Identification of quantitative trait loci ( QTL s) for traits related to PUE has been considered as the first step in marker‐assisted selection ( MAS ) and improvement of crop yield programmes. In this review, we describe in detail on architectural changes of roots under P deficiency that are reported in various crops and discuss the efforts made to improve PUE using molecular marker tools. Details on QTL s identified for low P‐stress tolerance in various crop plants are presented. These QTL s can be used to improve PUE in crop plants through MAS and breeding, which may be beneficial to improve the yields under P‐deficient soil. Development of new and improved varieties using MAB will limit the use of non‐renewable fertilizers and improve PUE of key crop plants in low input agriculture.