DNA Markers Unlock Hidden Plant Biodiversity

At present, the molecular genetic characterization of plant bioresources has become essential to improve the conservation and utilization of species and varieties, promote breeding programs, and support origin traceability [1–5]. Molecular markers are discrete DNA sequence regions, revealed through molecular biology techniques, currently used for the analysis of DNA variations and genome architecture. Molecular marker technology (MMT) have greatly enhanced both our capacity to characterize plant genetic variation and to innovate plant breeding. MMT can indeed allow for the identification of specific chromosomal regions associated with genes for traits of interest to transfer to improved vari eties via marker-assisted selection (MAS) programs. MMT also has broad potential for detecting plant evolutionary and genetic relationships. Moreover, they can prove useful in the conservation of the biodiversity of natural and domesticated plant populations. Biodiversity plays an essential function in sustainable productions and ecosystem services, strengthening the capacity to adapt to climate change and to biotic stresses, ultimately ensuring food security [6,7]. Moreover, MMT allows the molecular characterization of natural populations and germplasm collections to properly protect them from genetic erosion for future generations and to identify potentially useful genes, new allele combinations, and rare/endangered genotypes. Therefore, DNA polymorphism analysis is of paramount significance for understanding natural variation and conducting breeding in plants.