Transcriptome-Based Prediction Breeding

TranscriptomeTranscriptome analysis using RNA-sequencing holds a substantial importance in perspective of accelerating marker-assisted breeding and genetic transformationGenetic transformation in plants. It not only assists in establishing better marker-trait associations but also helps in identification of functionally relevant molecular markers that modulate significant agronomic traitsTraits. Moreover, the use of transcript information can contribute to develop functional SNPSingle nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) markers for a single quantitative trait, which can subsequently be employed to improve the quantitative traitTraits predictionPrediction analysis accuracy and phenotypic expressions in plant breeding initiatives. The application of these SNPsSingle nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) makes it possible to evaluate genetic diversity, predict hybridHybrid performance, germplasmGermplasm variations, test seed purity and finally solve the challenges of biological epistasis, all of which contribute to an advancement in molecular breedingMolecular breeding. Although transcription profiles appear to be a potential alternative to traditional markers in prediction breedingPrediction breeding, additional study with larger data sets is required to determine both the performance of the predictive models and their application in agricultural systems.