Selection For Lodging Resistance In Early Generations Of Field Pea By Molecular Markers

Lodging resistance is a key objective in pea breeding programs. Implementation of marker-assisted selection (MAS) in early genera. tions could significantly enhance the efficiency of the breeding process compared with conventional selection in the F-3 or later generations. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of MAS for lodging resistance using a combination of a coupling-phase linked marker A001 and a repulsion-phase linked marker A004 in F-2 generation field pea (Pisum sativum L.). Eight F-2 populations consisting of 680 plants were scored for the markers. A total of 402 F-3 families derived from MAS and 187 F-3 families from unselected populations were evaluated for lodging reaction under field conditions. The lowest lodging scores for each population were obtained from plants with the combination of A001 marker presence and A004 marker absence. A higher proportion of lodging resistant F3 families was obtained from this marker combination as compared with phenotypic selection in the F-3 generation. MAS was less expensive than phenotypic selection in the field. Thus, A001 and A004 are useful for MAS for lodging resistance in early generation pea breeding populations.