Molecular Breeding of Forage and Turf: Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium, Molecular Breeding of Forage and Turf, Dallas, Texas, and Ardmore, Oklahoma, U. S. A. , May, 18-22 2003

Forage and turf are the backbone of sustainable agriculture and contribute extensively to the world economy. The fast-paced advancement of cellular and molecular biology provides novel methods to accelerate or complement conventional breeding efforts. This book contains the most comprehensive reviews on the latest development in applications of molecular techniques for the improvement of forage grasses, forage legumes and turf grasses. Detailed accounts and future opportunities in molecular breeding of forage and turf, from gene discovery to development of improved cultivars, are described in the book. Almost all relevant areas are explored in detail, including tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses; flowering control; plant-symbiont relations; breeding for animal, human and environmental welfare; molecular markers; transgenics; bioinformatics; population genetics; genomics of the model legume __M. truncatula__; field testing and risk assessment as well as intellectual property rights. This book will be of interest to researchers in both academia and industry who are involved in forage and turf improvement. It will be especially important to breeders, molecular biologists, geneticists, physiologists and agronomists. Molecular Improvement of Forages — from Genomics to GMOs....Pages 1-19 Molecular Breeding and Functional Genomics for Tolerance to Biotic Stress....Pages 21-35 QTL Mapping of Gray Leaf Spot Resistance in Ryegrass, and Synteny-based Comparison with Rice Blast Resistance Genes in Rice....Pages 37-46 Differential Gene Expression in Bermudagrass Associated with Resistance to a Fungal Pathogen....Pages 47-52 Genetic Diversity and Pathogenicity of the Grass Pathogen Xanthomonas translucens pv. graminis ....Pages 53-59 Molecular Breeding and Functional Genomics for Tolerance to Abiotic Stress....Pages 61-80 Application of AFLP and GISH Techniques for Identification of Festuca Chromosome Segments Conferring Winter Hardiness in a Lolium perenne × Festuca pratensis Population....Pages 81-86 A Functional Genomics Approach for Identification of Heat Tolerance Genes in Tall Fescue....Pages 87-96 Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping of Winter Hardiness Metabolites in Autotetraploid Alfalfa ( M. sativa )....Pages 97-104 Molecular Genetics and Modification of Flowering and Reproductive Development....Pages 105-126 Identification and Mapping of Self-incompatibility Related Genes in Lolium perenne ....Pages 127-131 Functional Analysis of the Perennial Ryegrass — Epichloë Endophyte Interaction....Pages 133-144 Gene Discovery and Microarray-Based Transcriptome Analysis in Grass Endophytes....Pages 145-153 Genetic Diversity in the Perennial Ryegrass Fungal Endophyte Neotyphodium lolii ....Pages 155-164 Molecular Breeding for Animal, Human and Environmental Welfare....Pages 165-180 Improving Forage Quality of Tall Fescue ( Festuca arundinacea ) by Genetic Manipulation of Lignin Biosynthesis....Pages 181-188 Cloning of Red Clover and Alfalfa Polyphenol Oxidase Genes and Expression of Active Enzymes in Transgenic Alfalfa....Pages 189-195 Molecular Marker-Based Genetic Analysis of Pasture and Turf Grasses....Pages 197-238 EST-SSRs for Genetic Mapping in Alfalfa....Pages 239-243 Controlling Transgene Escape in Genetically Modified Grasses....Pages 245-254 Comparison of Transgene Expression Stability after Agrobacterium -mediated or Biolistic Gene Transfer into Perennial Ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L.)....Pages 255-260 Bioinformatics: Bringing Data to a Usable Form for Breeders....Pages 261-274 Data Integration and Target Selection for Medicago Genomics....Pages 275-288 Population and Quantitative Genetic Aspects of Molecular Breeding....Pages 289-302 AFLP-marker Analyses of Genetic Structure in Nordic Meadow Fescue ( Festuca pratensis Huds.) — Tracing the Origin of Norwegian Cultivars and Local Populations....Pages 303-308 Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis of Genetic Structure Within White Clover Populations....Pages 309-314 Dissection of Heterosis in Alfalfa Hybrids....Pages 315-324 From Models to Crops: Integrated Medicago Genomics for Alfalfa Improvement....Pages 325-332 Sequencing Gene Rich Regions of Medicago truncatula , a Model Legume....Pages 333-344 Agricultural Biotechnology and Environmental Risks: A Program Perspective....Pages 345-358 Field Evaluation of Transgenic White Clover with AMV Immunity and Development of Elite Transgenic Germplasm....Pages 359-366 Field Evaluation and Risk Assessment of Transgenic Tall Fescue ( Festuca arundinacea ) Plants....Pages 367-379 Protecting Plant Inventions....Pages 381-395 Most of the research funding for plant improvement in the United States has, historically, gone to the major commodity crops such as corn, wheat and soybean.