Genotyping with Arrays and Targeted GBS – Doing More with Less Expense

Rapid access to affordable genotype information is a cornerstone of increased revenue through managing genetics.  This applies to all species: cattle, goats, sheep, fish, poultry, soy, wheat, oil palm, blueberries, etc.  The number of markers of genotype information needed depends on the application.  While parentage assignment or seed lot verification require tens to hundreds of markers, marker assisted management or marker assisted breeding requires a few thousand markers and full characterization requires tens to hundreds of thousands of markers.  Example technologies to obtain genotype information include low to mid marker plex Eureka™ Genotyping and mid to high plex Axiom® arrays.  When sires can be accurately assigned based on a few hundred markers, multi-sire mating may be practical.  As the genetic diversity of a species becomes well characterized, new marker discovery saturates, and there is dense genotype information on high influence individuals (plants or animals).  In this scenario the genotype of a few thousand well-chosen markers on a single sample can be used to create the imputed dense genotype of that sample.  Breeding and /or management decisions may be informed by imputed dense genotypes obtained at the cost of the genotypes of a few thousand markers.  It is expected that increasing the number of samples being tested decreases the per sample cost of obtaining the genotype, especially when tens to hundreds of thousands of samples are committed by an organization or association.  The access to rapid affordable genotype information will allow agriculture to do more with less expense.