Synteny between homologous loci among evolutionarily related species: The case of forage legumes

Diversity in plants and their complex genomes as a result of polyploidy and sequence duplications make gene annotation for functional genomics and their use in breeding difficult. Dense genetic linkage maps are available for many crop and pasture species particularly for model species with small genome size, short life cycle (annual) and a self-fertilizing breeding system. The power of experimental crosses, specifically in these model species, lies in their potential to generate mapping populations for the dissection of quantitative traits into discrete genetic factors. The species Medicago truncatula and Lotus japanicus are used as lab or model species for legume biological studies primarily because of their small size, reproducibility, and low maintenance cost.