title: Fortune telling: metabolic markers of plant performance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the last decade, metabolomics has emerged as a powerful diagnostic and predictive tool in many branches of science. Researchers in microbes, animal, food, medical and plant science have generated a large number of targeted or non-targeted metabolic profiles by using a vast array of analytical methods (GC-MS, LC-MS,1H-NMR….). Comprehensive analysis of such profiles using adapted statistical methods and modeling has opened up the possibility of using single or combinations of metabolites as markers. Metabolic markers have been proposed as proxy, diagnostic or predictors of key traits in a range of model species and accurate predictions of disease outbreak frequency, developmental stages, food sensory evaluation and crop yield have been obtained.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  (i) To provide a definition of plant performance and metabolic markers, (ii) to highlight recent key applications involving metabolic markers as tools for monitoring or predicting plant performance, and (iii) to propose a workable and cost-efficient pipeline to generate and use metabolic markers with a special focus on plant breeding.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using examples in other models and domains, the review proposes that metabolic markers are tending to complement and possibly replace traditional molecular markers in plant science as efficient estimators of performance.
authors.affiliation: UMR 1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, INRA, Centre INRA de Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140 Villenave d'Ornon, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4432-976X
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.affiliation: UMR 1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, INRA, Centre INRA de Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140 Villenave d'Ornon, France.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Urrutia
authors.affiliation: UMR 1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, INRA, Centre INRA de Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140 Villenave d'Ornon, France ; Plateforme Métabolome Bordeaux, CGFB, MetaboHUB-PHENOME, 33140 Villenave d'Ornon, France.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bernillon
authors.affiliation: UMR AgroImpact, INRA, Estrées-Mons, 80203 Péronne, France.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giauffret
authors.affiliation: UMR LEPSE, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro, 34000 Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tardieu
authors.affiliation: UMR GDEC, INRA, UBP, 63039 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Le Gouis
authors.affiliation: UMR LIPM, INRA, CNRS, Université de Toulouse, 31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Langlade
authors.affiliation: UMR GQE, INRA, CNRS, Université Paris Sud, AgroParisTech, Ferme du Moulon, 91190 Gif-Sur-Yvette, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Charcosset
authors.affiliation: UMR 1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, INRA, Centre INRA de Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140 Villenave d'Ornon, France ; Plateforme Métabolome Bordeaux, CGFB, MetaboHUB-PHENOME, 33140 Villenave d'Ornon, France.
authors.forename: Annick
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moing
authors.affiliation: UMR 1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, INRA, Centre INRA de Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140 Villenave d'Ornon, France ; Plateforme Métabolome Bordeaux, CGFB, MetaboHUB-PHENOME, 33140 Villenave d'Ornon, France.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gibon
keywords: Breeding; Metabolic marker; Metabolomics; Plant performance; Prediction