Trends in plant research using molecular markers

Abstract

The evolution of the improvement in the feld of agronomy is fundamental for its adaptation to the new exigencies that the current world context raises. In addition, within these improvements, this article focuses on those related to the biotechnology sector. More specifcally, the use of DNA markers that allow the researcher to know the set of genes associated with a particular quantitative trait or QTL. The use of molecular markers is widely extended, including: restriction fragment length polymorphism, random-amplifed polymorphic DNA, amplifed fragment length polymorphism, microsatellites, and singlenucleotide polymorphisms. In addition to classical methodology, new approaches based on the next generation sequencing are proving to be fundamental. In this article, a historical review of the molecular markers traditionally used in plants, since its birth and how the new molecular tools facilitate the work of plant breeders is carried out. The evolution of the most studied cultures from the point of view of molecular markers is also reviewed and other parameters whose prior knowledge can facilitate the approach of researchers to this feld of research are analyzed. The bibliometric analysis of molecular markers in plants shows that top fve countries in this research are: US, China, India, France, and Germany, and from 2013, this research is led by China. On the other hand, the basic research using Arabidopsis is deeper in France and Germany, while other countries focused its eforts in their main crops as the US for wheat or maize, while China and India for wheat and rice.