Genetic mapping and detection of quantitative trait loci

Olive tree is a long-living woody species with similar genomic and phenotypic constraints to other perennial fruit crops. However, compared to apple, grape, and peach, genomic investigations for designing innovative breeding strategies are still limited to only preliminary research in this species. In this chapter, we aim to describe the studies on genetic mapping and underline the most promising investigations and initiatives to build a Mediterranean network suitable for establishing robust marker-trait associations through QTL mapping and association studies. These tools should serve to finally implement new breeding programs driven by marker-assisted breeding.