Development of a molecular marker linked to late maturity a-amylase (LMA) in wheat

Late maturity α−amylase (LMA) refers to the synthesis of α−amylase activity, which occurs under particular environmental conditions during the later stages of grain ripening in some genotypes in the absence of rain or sprouting. Grain affected by LMA may have a sound appearance, but because of the high α−amylase activity can be unsuitable for a range of end-product applications. Screening for LMA in wheat cultivars is difficult due to the influence of the environment on the expression of this trait. Therefore, the development of a molecular marker to .tag. this trait for marker assisted selection in wheat breeding programs would be a definite advantage. Bulked segregant analysis (BSA) and fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technologies were used to identify loci linked to LMA in a doubled haploid population derived from wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em. Thell) cultivars Cleo-Inia (LMA source) and Janz (non-LMA). Markers linked to LMA were identified in bulks developed from 10 LMA and 10 non-LMA plants, converted to PCR based markers using radioactive AFLP and validated on other cultivars with known LMA phenotype