Marker aided selection (MAS) in plant breeding
If a molecular marker locus is tightly linked with a gene of interest, indirect selection for the gene can be exercised by selecting for a particular marker phenotype, which is linked with the desired phenotype for the economic trait. Such an indirect selection has several advantages including the following: (i) during backcrossing, selection for a recessive gene can be exercised even in a heterozygous plant, if co-dominant makers like RFLPs are used; this will eliminate the need of selfing after each backcross as required in conventional backcrossing; (ii) during backcrossing, indirect selection may also be desirable for dominant genes in some cases, because selection can be exercised at the seedling stage and the plants not carrying the desirable allele can be weeded out early, thus saving space and expense;