Göttingen University Research Team Develops Method to Complete Genetic Data

An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Göttingen has developed a new methodological approach to complete genetic data and fill in the gaps in sequencing.

Genetic information is indispensable for modern plant breeding. In previous years, DNA sequencing has become much cheaper, but collecting full genetic information still accounts for a large part of the costs in animal and plant breeding. One trick that many scientists use to reduce these costs is to sequence only a very small and randomly selected part of the genome and to complete the remaining gaps using mathematical and statistical techniques.

Dr. Torsten Pook from the Center for Integrated Breeding Research at Göttingen University said, "In breeding populations, the sequences completed using this new method have quality comparable to collecting a hundred times as much information from the DNA strand." The researchers aim to develop maize plants with low susceptibility to frost and drought damage. KWS Saat SE, a partner in the project, is already using the method in breeding programs because of its cost efficiency.

For more details, read the article on the University of Göttingen website.