DEFINING AND EXPLOITING MARKER-TRAIT ASSOCIATIONS IN A QUINOA DIPLOID MODEL SYSTEM.

The project goal is to develop the ancestral B genome diploid, Chenopodium ficifolium, as a model system for a quinoa pre-breeding initiative aimed at promoting marker-assisted breeding and facilitating future gene editing in quinoa. The project objectives are to: 1) Construct a high-resolution linkage map and anchored genome assembly for C. ficifolium; 2) Identify marker/gene/trait associations in C. ficifolium of relevance to quinoa improvement; 3) Survey allelic diversity at trait-associated loci, including FTL1, in quinoa, C. ficifolium, and other "chenopod" germplasm; and 4) Establish effective in vitro protocols as needed for gene editing in quinoa and C. ficifolium.