Addressing Research Bottlenecks to Crop Productivity

Abstract

Asymmetry of investment in crop research leads to knowledge gaps and lost opportunities to accelerate genetic gain through identifying new sources and combinations of traits and alleles. On the basis of consultation with scientists from most major seed companies, we identified several research areas with three common features: (i) relatively underrepresented in the literature; (ii) high probability of boosting productivity in a wide range of crops and environments; and (iii) could be researched in 'precompetitive' space, leveraging previous knowledge, and thereby improving models that guide crop breeding and management decisions. Areas identified included research into hormones, recombination, respiration, roots, and source-sink, which, along with new opportunities in phenomics, genomics, and bioinformatics, make it more feasible to explore crop genetic resources and improve breeding strategies. Asymmetry in Crop ResearchResearch into crop growth and adaptation under diverse cultivation scenarios has underpinned global food security, especially since the Green Revolution, during which time the global population has more than doubled. During the same time, the global area of cultivated cereals, which account for more than 70% of total calories consumed by humans, has barely changed while yields have tripled. i These two statistics alone clearly support the impact of crop research on breeding and agronomy as well as effective policy decisions and the agility of farmers to adopt new technologies [1,2]. Nonetheless, the challenges that global agriculture now faces are not just to feed 10+ billion people within a generation, but to do so under a harsher and less predictable climate, and in many cases with less water and declining soil quality [1]. Clearly, research, breeding, and agronomy must be even more effective. HighlightsMore symmetrical investment in crop research will create opportunities to improve crop models, combine new alleles through prebreeding, and suggest novel crop management practices.Consensus among public and private sectors is that more investment is needed to improve understanding of hormone crosstalk, recombination rate, maintenance respiration, root structure and function, and source-sink balance.Greater investment in these areas is expected to benefit a wide range of crops across most environments.

OMICs, Epigenetics, and Genome Editing Techniques for Food and Nutritional Security

“…Moreover, their integration into practical plant breeding programs deserves a separate consideration. At the same time, it should be emphasized that only in integration with scientific discoveries in many areas of crop production and if additional efforts are made to fill the knowledge gaps [ 396 ] can new opportunities in phenomics, genomics, and bioinformatics make effective use of genetic resources of agricultural crops and the improvement of breeding strategies more feasible.…”

Improving Photosynthetic Metabolism for Crop Yields: What Is Going to Work?

“…Source-sink modifications for cereals could work where photosynthesis is maximized around grain set before anthesis to establish a large sink through floret initiation and retention. This large sink may then sustain photosynthesis during grain filling (Reynolds et al, 2021). Optimizing canopy structures such as upright leaves to allow more light interception is an approach shown to work to increase wheat photosynthesis to maximize grain set (Richards et al, 2019).…”

“…The focus on photosynthesis has been controversial given longstanding evidence with well-reasoned arguments going back to the 1970s that carbon input is not limiting for crop growth and yield (Sinclair et al, 2019). Failure to produce tangible benefits in crops so far from the photosynthetic research effort is attracting gathering criticism (Araus et al, 2021) with arguments for a more balanced approach (Reynolds et al, 2021). However, a recent study overexpresses Rubisco in paddy rice which increases yield in the field under good nitrogen supply by 17-28% (Yoon et al, 2020).…”

Efficient CRISPR/Cas-Mediated Targeted Mutagenesis in Spring and Winter Wheat Varieties

“…Common wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) is one of the most important staple food crops in the world. The challenges that global agriculture currently faces, such as growth of the world’s population and climate change, dictate demand for technologies with a potential to accelerate crop breeding [ 1 ]. During the last decade, genome editing emerged as a powerful new breeding technique (NBT) [ 2 ] that enables targeted changes in crop genomes.…”