Quantitative Genomics in Agriculture

Arnold M. Saxton
Professor, Dept. of Animal Science
University of Tennessee
Knoxville,    TN   37996-4500
Phone 865-974-2887   Fax 865-974-7297   Email asaxton@utk.edu

An overview of genetic activity in the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is provided.  A Research Team has been formed with the goal of using molecular genetic data for improving agriculturally important species.  Almost all characteristics of interest in agriculture are "complex traits", produced from the interaction of many genes with the environment.  Such traits are becoming of interest in human medicine, as the genetic basis for "complex diseases" is discovered. 

Looking beyond QTL mapping, and marker assisted selection, in which genetic markers are used to indirectly select for a few component loci of the complex trait, the question is asked, what happens when genomic technology allows us to track all loci involved in a trait?  A simulation shows that current selection methods used in agriculture may be relatively ineffective.

Collaborations with others interested in the genetics of complex traits are welcomed.