Project Number: 3640-21000-026-01
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Apr 27, 2004
End Date: Apr 26, 2009

Objective:
The long-term goal of this project is to develop improved wildrice cultivars through conventional breeding and marker-assisted selection for key traits affecting production efficiency. New genetic knowledge about these key traits is sought to develop cultivars more effectively and efficiently.

Approach:
Conduct the following research at the University of Minnesota, North Central Research and Outreach Center, Grand Rapids, MN: 1) apply conventional breeding methods to develop wildrice cultivars with resistance to seed shattering, resistance to diseases and pests, increased harvestable yield, and other traits; 2) further develop and refine molecular genetic markers and use them for marker-assisted selection of associated traits; 3) characterize wildrice genetic resources for these and other traits and for genetic diversity using molecular genetic markers; 4) develop and refine protocols for cataloging and long-term preservation of wildrice genetic resources through collaborative efforts with the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation; 5) develop breeding lines with distinct sets of traits for breeding and other research; and 6) determine isolation distances necessary to minimize the effect of gene flow between populations due to pollen travel.