Quote:
Originally Posted by Fusion_power
Selecting in the F2, then doing the cross with the best F2 plant(s) is usually the best choice. There is a factor of how much chromosome fragmentation occurs from cross-over. Doing a backcross using an F2 allows for more effective selection as the fragments become smaller.
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If you select from the F2s before doing the backcross, you'll be at risk of losing one of the recessive traits being looked for.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fusion_power
With modern DNA tools to assist selection, it is possible to dramatically reduce the number of generations to stabilize a given set of genes. As the cost of a dna profile goes down, we should see tools available that backyard breeders have not previously had access to. I'm still waiting for that $35 tomato DNA test. We may not see it for a few more years, but we will eventually see it.
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Once we know which gene is associated with which trait, we can definitely speed things up dramatically. Yes, eventually we'll have a simple test that will tell you which important alleles are found in any given plant... but it may never be all that cheap, because there are relatively few people who will be interested in buying the product.