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Breeding of Disease- and Pest-resistant Alfalfa

INQUIRY

Introduction

Alfalfa is an important perennial legume forage grass with great yield, wide adaptability, high nutritional value and good palatability. The cultivation and utilization of alfalfa is particularly important to promote the development of agriculture and livestock and improve the ecosystem. Alfalfa is susceptible to diseases or pests that can cause poor growth and affect forage yield, quality and seed quality. Common diseases that occur in alfalfa include bacterial wilt, verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, anthracnose, phytophthora and aphanomyces root rots, while common pests aphids and thrips, weevils, etc. Molecular breeding for pest and disease resistance in alfalfa is one of the strategies to address these challenges. Molecular breeding enables the selection of alfalfa varieties that show a certain level of resistance to these diseases and pests, which is important for alfalfa pest control and quality forage production.

Service

Alfalfa has a long growth cycle, many important traits are controlled by multiple genes, and is susceptible to environmental conditions. Therefore, the use of traditional breeding methods can be limited, and molecular biology techniques have become an important strategy for alfalfa breeding. The introduction of resistance genes through genetic engineering techniques can improve the resistance of crops to insects and pathogens. Lifeasible offers several strategies to accelerate the breeding process of pest and disease resistant alfalfa.

  • Genetic transformation of alfalfa: Obtain transgenic plants of alfalfa by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.
  • Genome-wide association study: Identification of disease and insect resistance genes in alfalfa and combining with gene editing technology for resistance breeding.
  • Gene editing: Modification of alfalfa resistance-related genes by gene editing technology with a view to obtaining broad-spectrum and durable disease resistance.
  • Analysis of resistance genetic mechanism: To understand the genetic mechanism of resistance in alfalfa through proteomic analysis.
  • Molecular markers: Screening resistance-related molecular markers, constructing molecular marker profiles, and characterizing genetic diversity.

Resistance to Aphanomyces root rot in alfalfa is associated with a hypersensitive response.Figure 1. Resistance to Aphanomyces root rot in alfalfa is associated with a hypersensitive response. (Samac, D. A.; et al. 2021)

Technology Platforms

  • High-throughput sequencing technology platform: DNA-level sequencing, RNA-level sequencing, single cell level sequencing, epigenetics level sequencing, proteomics and metabolomics services.
  • Genetic engineering technology platform: CRISPR / Cas9, transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), RNA Interference (RNAi), gene overexpression, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS).
  • Plant SNP Analysis: KASP, direct sequencing, TaqMan probe, SNPSHOT, MassARRAY.

Advantages

  • Multiple advanced molecular biology platforms to support your molecular breeding research
  • Standardized management system and optimized experimental procedures to ensure efficient and accurate test results
  • Customized strategy to meet different customer's research needs
  • Timely feedback and communication to ensure accurate execution and reorientation of protocols
  • One-stop service to accelerate the research process

As an expert in botany and agronomy, Lifeasible is committed to accelerating plant breeding researches through molecular biology technology platforms. If you have a related research need or would like more information about our services, please feel free to contact us.

Reference

  1. Samac, D.A.; et al. (2021). Identification and Characterization of Disease Resistance Genes in Alfalfa and Medicago truncatula for Breeding Improved Cultivars. In: Yu, LX., Kole, C. (eds) The Alfalfa Genome . Compendium of Plant Genomes. Springer, Cham.

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