Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard
I've noticed that the general public thinks we can just take any life-form, submit it to genetic analysis and determine what species it is. Readers should be warned that at present this is not true: there is no "genetic bar-coding".
Example: if we have a genetic sample that is known to be from citrus, we can determine what citrus species it is derived from, and maybe tell you if it is lemon or grapefruit. We cannot tell you what cultivated variety it is; i.e., distinguish Washington Navel from Robertson Navel.
Worse yet, if we have a genetic sample which we know is from citrus but we give it to a team of experts and don't tell them what it is from (blind study), then many of them will probably decide it is a plant but beyond that there will be a lot of disagreement.
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richard, have you really read the genetic markers that has been for some citrus cultivars? There are genetic samples that delineate some characteristics of a particular sport mutation. The work can be simplified if you know where to look. Many genetic databases are not the same, thus there is still a lot of work to be done.
But you are taking this out of context, for what reason? But let me clarify. What I meant was, if somebody claims that they developed a new cultivar, it can be checked if it is indeed a new cultivar via genetic analysis, and these are on targeted markers.