The wheat Diverse MAGIC platform: Community Access to Resources, Protocols and Tools

上下文小麦是英国最重要的作物，占地160万公顷，年收成16亿英磅。在全球范围内，对小麦的需求正在迅速上升：据估计，到2050年，产量必须增加60%。实现小麦育种重点目标的最佳途径是培育良种。小麦育种中正在进行的遗传和分子工具革命将带来小麦遗传收益的阶段性变化。然而，相对较少的投资集中于开发适当的生物资源，以最大限度地利用这些工具。这个项目建立在之前由公共资金投资的最先进的小麦生物平台上：多亲高级世代间杂交(魔术)群体(称为“多样化魔术”)。由16个英国小麦品种经过多个世代杂交创造的四年时间里，产生的600多个品系代表着英国国内和世界范围内的独特资源。通过捕获大量的遗传变异(来自16个亲本)，并在多个世代的杂交中有效地重新洗牌，该种群处于有利地位，成为广泛的英国小麦生物科学界的中心资源。目的和目标该项目汇集了植物和动物魔法部门的专业知识，将多样化的魔法发展成为小麦遗传和育种的综合社区平台。这将通过开发多样化的魔法资源、工具和社区参与计划来实现，这些资源、工具和社区参与计划将使英国社区能够有效地使用多样化的魔法。具体地说，它将：1)将多样化的魔术种群扩大到800个品系。2)提供获得多样化魔术种子的途径。3)建立在16个魔术亲本中存在的遗传和表型变异的目录。4)提供关于整个群体的基线田间表型和高密度基因型数据。5)开发为小麦MAGIC量身定做的生物信息学和软件工具。6)提供传播和培训活动，以促进小麦对魔术的吸收。7)建立和促进多样化的魔术‘群落表型’事件。8)整理产生的小麦魔术资源，该项目产生的生物资源和支持资源将刺激新的研究，扩大现有小麦项目的产量，并帮助将科学发现转化为育种者、农民和加工者。多样化的神奇资源是对现有英国小麦资源的补充，用于基因验证，并将有助于促进作物遗传学部门的合作研究。

ContextWheat is the UK's most important crop, covering 1.6 million hectares and with an annual harvest worth £1.6 billion. Globally, demand for wheat is rising rapidly: it is estimated that by 2050, yield must rise by 60%. The best way to achieve gains in the key wheat breeding targets is to develop improved varieties. The ongoing revolution in genetic and molecular tools for wheat breeding is poised to deliver step changes in wheat genetic gain. However, comparatively little investment has been focused on the development of suitable biological resources to best take advantage of these tools. This project builds on previous publicly-funded investment in a state-of-the-art wheat biological platform: the Multiparent Advanced Generation Inter-Cross (MAGIC) population (termed, 'Diverse MAGIC'). Created over four years by inter-crossing 16 UK wheat varieties over multiple generations, the resulting population of over 600 lines represents a unique resource within the UK and worldwide. By capturing large amounts of genetic variation (from the 16 parents) and efficiently reshuffling these over multiple generations of crossing, the population is well placed to serve as a central resource for a broad spectrum of the UK wheat bioscience community.Aims and objectivesThis project brings together expertise from the plant and animal MAGIC sectors, to develop Diverse MAGIC into an integrated community platform for wheat genetics and breeding. This will be achieved by developing Diverse MAGIC resources, tools and community engagement programs that will enable effective use of Diverse MAGIC within the UK community. Specifically, it will:1) Enlarge the Diverse MAGIC population to 800 lines.2) Provide access to Diverse MAGIC seed.3) Establish a catalogue of genetic and phenotypic variation present in the 16 MAGIC parents.4) Provide baseline field phenotype and high-density genotype data on the whole population.5) Develop bioinformatic and software tools tailored to wheat MAGIC.6) Provide dissemination and training events to promote uptake of MAGIC in wheat.7) Establish and promote Diverse MAGIC 'community phenotyping' events.8) Collate the wheat MAGIC resources generated, and make freely accessible via the project website.Applications and benefitsThe biological and supporting resources generated by this project will stimulate new research, amplify output from existing wheat programs, and aid the translation of scientific discoveries to breeders, farmers and processors. The Diverse MAGIC resource complements existing UK wheat resources for gene validation, and will help promote collaborative research within the crop genetics sector.