WILD RELATIVES OF MANY OF OUR ECOMICALLY-VALUABLE PLANTS POSSESS MANY USEFUL TRAITS, BUT INTRODUCTION OF THESE TRAITSINTO OUR MODERN CULTIVARS IS CURRENTLY HAMPERED BY THE FACT THAT MANY OF THESE TRAITS ARE BOTH QUANTATIVE AND MULTIGENIC.

WILD RELATIVES OF MANY OF OUR ECOMICALLY-VALUABLE PLANTS POSSESS MANY USEFUL TRAITS, BUT INTRODUCTION OF THESE TRAITSINTO OUR MODERN CULTIVARS IS CURRENTLY HAMPERED BY THE FACT THAT MANY OF THESE TRAITS ARE BOTH QUANTATIVE AND MULTIGENIC. OUR PROPOSAL WILL EXAMINCE THE FEASIBILITY OF UTILIZING DNA RESTRICTION FRAGMENT POLYMORPHISMS TO GENETICALLY ANALYZE BOTH QUANTATTIVE AND MULTIGENIC TRAITS IN UNDEVELOPED ISOLATES. DNA POLYMORPHISMS REPRESENT A METHOD WHEREBY ONE CAN DISTINGUISH DNA SEQUENCE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ISOLATES AND UTILIZE THESE DIFFERENCES AS GENETIC MARKERS. BY ACCUMULATING ENOUGH OF THESE MARKERS, ONE CAN TAG ALL OF THE CHROMOSOMAL SEGMENTS IN A SPECIES AND DISSECTTHOSE INVOVLVED IN EVEN FAIRLY COMPLEX TRAITS. FOR OUR PROJECT, WE HAVE SELECTED SALT TOLERANCE, COLD TOLERANCE, AND HIGH SOLUBLE SOLIDS IN THE TOMATO BECAUSE OF THE EXCELLENT TRADITIONAL GENETICS AVAILABLE, THE OCCURENCE OF THESE TRAITS IN WILD RELATIVES AS WELL FOR THE ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE TRAITS. THE PHASE I RESEARCH GOALS WILL BE TO ACCUMULATE THOSE INTOGRESSIONS AND LINES NECESSARY FOR ANALYSIS AND TO PREPARE A PARTIAL CDNA LIBRARY FROM TOMATO TO CHECK THE LEVEL OF POLYMORPHISM. IN PHASE II WE WILL PREPARE ENOUGH DNA MARKERS TO COMPLETELY COVER THE TOMATO GENOME AND MAP THEM BY BOTH TRISOMIC AND CONSEGRATION ANALYSES. THESE WILL THEN BE USED TO COMPLETELYDISSECT THE GENETIC MAKEUP OF INTROGRESSIONS OF THE WILD RELATIVES.