Review of basic genetics, inheritance of unlinked and linked traits, and recombination, genetic recombination as a tool for genetic map construction, theory and application of DNA markers for mapping and selection, including pros, cons, and their special characteristics, DNA markers (RFLP, RAPD, AFLP, SSR, EST, STS, SNP), marker assisted selection in various breeding systems , and quantitative trait loci (QTL) concept and its application in plant breeding programs.