Triticeae Genomics and Genetics, 2025, Vol.16, No.6, 254-261 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/tgg 254 Research Insight Open Access Marker-Assisted Selection for Lodging Resistance in Rye Breeding Programs Jin Zhou, Shujuan Wang Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding email: shujuan.wang@hitar.org Triticeae Genomics and Genetics, 2025, Vol.16, No.6 doi: 10.5376/tgg.2025.16.0028 Received: 28 Sep., 2025 Accepted: 15 Nov., 2025 Published: 30 Nov., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Zhou and Wang, 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: Zhou J., and Wang S.H., 2025, Marker-assisted selection for lodging resistance in rye breeding programs, Triticeae Genomics and Genetics, 16(6): 254-261 (doi: 10.5376/tgg.2025.16.0028) Abstract Lodging is an important limiting factor in the production of rye (Secale cereale L.), especially in high-input planting systems, which seriously affects yield stability and grain quality. Improving lodging resistance has become an important goal in the genetic improvement of rye. This study systematically analyzed common molecular marker types, such as SSR, SNP and AFLP, as well as their applications in the mapping of anti-lodging related QTLS and candidate genes. The combination of MAS with QTL mapping and genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) provides strong support for analyzing the key genetic loci that affect stem structure and lignin synthesis. It also explores the feasibility of integrating MAS with early generation selection, multi-trait joint breeding and other strategies. Through breeding cases in Germany, Poland and northern China, It demonstrated the successful application of MAS technology in the improvement of rye varieties resistant to lodging. Although it still faces challenges such as group background dependence and environmental interaction at present, MAS remains an important direction for precision breeding. This study aims to enhance the integrated application of genomic selection (GS), high-throughput phenotypic analysis and molecular design breeding to improve breeding efficiency and the accuracy of resistance expression. Keywords Rye; Anti-lodging; Marker-assisted selection; Quantitative trait loci; Molecular breeding 1 Introduction Crops like rye (Secale cereale L.) are actually not picky about the environment. They can tolerate poor soil and withstand cold. In many temperate regions, they are an important source of food and feed, and sometimes they are also used as biomass energy. Its genetic diversity not only benefits its own breeding but also provides many useful genetic resources for related crops such as wheat, for instance, introducing disease-resistant or stress-tolerant traits. Techniques such as molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) have been used in rye breeding to accelerate the introduction efficiency of these superior traits (Han et al., 2020; Zhu et al., 2022). However, there are still problems. Lodging is a major problem in rye cultivation - once the stems bend or break, not only will the yield drop, but harvesting will also become more difficult. There are many factors influencing lodging, and plant height is one of the more crucial ones. Some studies have found that introducing some dwarfing genes (such as Ddw1) can improve anti-lodging performance. But it's not that simple. The environment varies greatly, and since these genes are dominant, screening for these traits with the naked eye often yields unstable results. Therefore, to truly control the problem of lodging, more precise molecular methods still need to be relied on (Wang et al., 2014; Litvinov et al., 2020). This study will review and develop molecular marker-assisted selection strategies for the lodging resistance of rye, with a focus on the identification and application of molecular markers related to plant height control and lodging resistance genes. It will integrate genetic, physiological and molecular biological methods to improve selection accuracy and breeding efficiency. This study aims to enhance the yield stability and grain quality of rye under different environmental conditions, thereby supporting temperate sustainable agriculture and crop improvement efforts.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==