Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) Analysis 2

In addition to the quiz available as part of this lesson, look up a plant QTL article in a scientific journal (try Crop Science, Euphytica, Genome, Plant Breeding, or Theoretical and Applied Genetics, or do a bibliographic search for QTL and your favorite crop). See how much of the article you can understand based on what you’ve learned in this lesson. Although it may be difficult to comprehend the entire article, at least the major points and analysis methods should be clear.

Final note

QTL analysis is an increasingly complex topic, as new methods are developed and creative applications are investigated (e.g., Mauricio, 2001; Paterson, 2002; Tanksley and Nelson, 1996). The intention of this lesson has been to provide a basic understanding of QTL detection, rather than a comprehensive coverage of the subject. For example, the lesson has not covered such important topics as epistasis, QTL x environment interaction, multi-trait QTL analysis, or the permutation approach to determining threshold significance levels. However, it is our hope that the lesson has provided a solid foundation for your further exploration and comprehension of QTL analysis. Good luck!