Development and deployment of more rapid and robust, less expensive, and denser molecular markers is a continuing area of development and attracts great interest both for basic research, pre-competitive but applied work, and in practical breeding and germplasm management. There is an ongoing need to access the genetic diversity of the genome and have the ability to recognize specific allelic forms.

Cereal genetic diversity-availability and accessibility of data sets and genotypes -this will necessitate establishing IP and FTO position.

For each strategic target area, mapping populations need to be available. WG1 will develop an inventory of existing populations and will define which ones are of strategic importance and need to be extended, as well as defining the need be extensively phenotyped and genotyped. This will provide the foundation for efficient map-based cloning projects of key genes for crop improvement. In parallel, a database of target traits and populations will help in defining haplotypes (chromosomes and chromosome segments) that carry the traits of major importance and that can be primary targets for establishing physical maps and locus sequencing.