New genotyping services launched across CGIAR and partners

The Low Density SNP Genotyping Services (LDSG) provide breeders with streamlined and centralized services, along with training and mentoring. The services offer various applications with the potential to accelerate the production of improved varieties and create efficiencies in crop breeding programs. Breeders can access services to help them with technical tasks such as trait specific selection, background recovery, varietal characterization, diversity, and quality assurance (QA) and control (QC).

Advances in genomics provide new opportunities to accelerate gene and trait discovery – and enhance breeding outputs. Genotyping can accelerate the rate of genetic gain and reduces the cost per unit gained. This has been long demonstrated by multi-national breeding companies. But public breeding programs and national agricultural research services (NARS) have not always had access to the best services in the most efficient ways. And smaller breeding programs may not have the know-how or sufficient demand for genotyping to be beneficial and economical.

The LDSG reaches those breeding programs by aggregating their demand to negotiate competitive genotyping prices with vendors, using one efficient, centralized administrative and contracting process.