Independent and Joint-GWAS for growth traits in Eucalyptus by assembling genome-wide data for 3373 individuals across four breeding populations.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in plants typically suffer from limited statistical power. An alternative to the logistical and cost challenge of increasing sample sizes is to gain power by meta-analysis using information from independent studies. We carried out GWAS for growth traits with six single-marker models and regional heritability mapping (RHM) in four Eucalyptus breeding populations independently and by Joint-GWAS, using gene and segment-based models, with data for 3373 individuals genotyped with a communal EUChip60KSNP platform.

Genomic selection for growth and wood quality in Eucalyptus: capturing the missing heritability and accelerating breeding for complex traits in forest trees.

• Genomic selection (GS) is expected to cause a paradigm shift in tree breeding by improving its speed and efficiency. By fitting all the genome-wide markers concurrently, GS can capture most of the 'missing heritability' of complex traits that quantitative trait locus (QTL) and association mapping classically fail to explain. Experimental support of GS is now required.

Plant microsatellite genotyping with 4-color fluorescent detection using multiple-tailed primers.

We extended the concept of fluorescent microsatellite genotyping with a single-universal tailed primer to the simultaneous use of three different tailed primers to allow multiplexed 4-color detection for medium throughput genotyping of plant species. The method was tested on Eucalyptus DNA samples using three forward primer sequences of human microsatellite markers labeled with different fluorescent dyes. The robustness of the method was tested for the simultaneous detection and genetic analysis of microsatellites in a genetic mapping experiment.