ABSTRACT. Mandarins are characterized, among the Citrus genus, by a large diversity of species and varieties. Genetic evidences indicate that mandarin is one of the ancestral Citrus species, originated from Asiatic regions, and also an ancient parental of orange. This genetic diversity originates the nutritional and nutraceutical properties of mandarin fruits to vary largely among the different species and varieties.

ABSTRACT. Although deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) markers have provided useful information on genes with moderate to major effect on carcass and meat quality, early approaches for marker-assisted selection did not have the expected impact on breeding programs. Current DNA sequencing and high-throughput genomic technologies enable the implementation of genomic selection and genome-wide association studies, which offer advantages for the genetic improvement of carcass and meat quality. New insights into gene networks underlying the traits of interest are also possible.