Bioscience Method 2024, Vol.15, No.1, 8-19 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/bm 8 Review and Progress Open Access The Role and Challenges of Genome-wide Association Studies in Revealing Crop Genetic Diversity Danyan Ding Institute of Life Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, China Corresponding email: kendrading@hotmail.com Bioscience Method, 2024, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/bm.2024.15.0002 Received: 17 Dec., 2023 Accepted: 27 Jan., 2024 Published: 11 Feb., 2024 Copyright © 2024 Ding, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Ding D.Y., 2024, The role and challenges of genome-wide association studies in revealing crop genetic diversity, Bioscience Method, 14(1): 8-19 (doi: 10.5376/bm.2024.15.0002) Abstract Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have shown remarkable achievements in the study of crop genetic diversity, providing a powerful tool for crop improvement by identifying genetic markers and genes related to key agronomic traits. However, GWAS faces challenges such as the complexity of population structure, the difficulty of detecting rare variants and small-effect variants, and the complexity of result interpretation. This study aims to combine new technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and GWAS results. Integrating multi-omics data (such as transcriptomics, proteomics) and GWAS will improve the ability to analyze traits, deeply understand the complex mechanisms of trait formation, and accelerate crop production. Character improvement. This study also emphasizes the importance of protecting and rationally utilizing crop genetic resources, hoping that GWAS will exert greater potential in crop genetic research and improvement in the future, with a view to contributing to the sustainable development of agriculture. Keywords Genome-wide association studies (GWAS); Crop improvement; Genetic diversity; Gene editing; Multi-omics integration Genome -wide association studies (GWAS) are powerful genetic tools that allow scientists to identify genetic markers across the entire genome that are associated with specific traits. This approach is based on a basic assumption: that specific genetic variants, or allele frequencies, are distributed differently in populations with different trait expressions. By comparing genomic data from thousands of individuals, GWAS can reveal which genetic variants are associated with disease, physiological traits, or specific traits in agriculture (such as yield, disease resistance, etc.). The importance of this approach lies in its ability to reveal the genetic basis behind complex traits-those that may be influenced by multiple genes as well as environmental factors. Crop genetic diversity refers to the genetic variation within crop populations, including genetic differences between different species, varieties, varieties and cultivars. This diversity is the result of biological evolution and the basis of agricultural production. Genetic diversity enables crops to adapt to environmental changes, resist pests and diseases, and improve the stability and sustainability of agricultural systems (Abdelraheem et al., 2021). In crop improvement, genetic diversity can be used to develop new varieties with high yield, high quality, stress resistance and other characteristics to meet the growing demand for food and cope with the challenges posed by climate change. The background and motivation for the application of GWAS in crop genetic diversity research stems from the urgent need for crop trait improvement. With the growth of population and limited resources, how to increase crop yields, improve crop quality, and enhance crop resistance to adversity has become a global challenge. Although traditional breeding methods have achieved great success in the past few centuries, with the development of genetics and molecular biology, people have begun to seek more precise and efficient methods to explore the genetic potential of crops. GWAS provides a solution that not only rapidly identifies genes associated with key traits across a broad range of genetic backgrounds, but also reveals the genetic mechanisms underlying these traits. This is of great significance for guiding molecular-assisted breeding and achieving precise improvement of crop traits (Peng et al., 2022).
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