Gene	A DNA sequence that determines the appearance of hereditary characteristics in living organisms
Allele	Each alternative form of a gene, occupying the same position in each pair of homologous chromosomes
Fst (fixation index)	Measure of population differentiation due to the genetic structure
Phenotype	A set of inherited characteristics that is dependent on both the genes and the environment
Genotype	A set of genes that are characteristic of each organism or individual
QTL (quantitative trait locus)	A locus on the chromosome that is associated with the quantitative variation of a trait
Association mapping	A germplasm-based approach to characterize QTLs or variations by exploiting the historic linkage disequilibrium to associate phenotypes with the underlying genotypes
Joint-linkage association mapping	A family-based approach to characterize QTLs or variations that are shared across families. It differs in power and scope from the characterization of QTLs based on bi-parental populations.
Marker-assisted selection	A set of tools that use gene markers to select, in a precise manner, the plants with the genetic potential to produce the desired trait for breeding
Genomics-assisted breeding	A set of genomics tools (using high-throughput approaches) to select in a targeted manner the plants with the genetic potential to produce the desired trait for breeding
Introgression	The gene flow from one genetic background (individual) to another gene pool (individual) by backcrossing with one of its parent
Backcross	Crossing of offspring lines with one of the original parental line
Linkage drag	Offspring with undesirable genetic background inherited from one of the parental lines
SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism)	Single-nucleotide variations on the DNA sequence within a population or between paired chromosomes