Genomic innovation for crop improvement

Abstract

Crop production needs to increase to secure future food supplies, while reducing its impact on ecosystems. Detailed characterization of plant genome structure and genetic diversity is crucial for meeting these challenges. Advances in genome sequencing and assembly are being used to access to the large and complex genomes of crops and their wild relatives. Sequencing of wild crop relatives is identifying a wide spectrum of genetic variation, permitting the association of genetic diversity with diverse agronomic phenotypes. In combination with improved and automated phenotyping assays and functional genomic studies, genomics is providing new foundations for crop-breeding systems. In the twentieth century, famines caused by political crises, mismanagement of food production or genocide killed an estimated 70 million people and were second only to war as the greatest manmade cause of death 1 . The father of the Green Revolution, Norman Borlaug, summarized the importance of crops: "Without food, people perish, social and political organizations disintegrate, and civilizations collapse. " For thousands of years, people have dedicated considerable resources to securing food supplies; for example, grain supplies to ancient Rome were secured through an extensive network of long-distance transport, and the distribution of grain was coordinated and subsidized by the cura annonae ('care for the grain supply'), an important figure who contributed to the maintenance of political unity and power.During the past 10,000 years, a period known as the Holocene, Earth's environment has been unusually stable. This probably facilitated the domestication of crops from wild species, resulting in steadily improved yields and adaptation to new agricultural areas. The production of food is now carried out on a vast scale, with 38% of Earth's surface dedicated to agriculture 2 . This increased production is having a pervasive influence on ecosystems worldwide: nitrogen production for agriculture accounts for 1.2% of global energy consumption 3 ; photosynthesis can no longer maintain stable levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide; and food production consumes around 70% of freshwater supplies. The modelling of crop responses to increases in temperature predicts that there will be a considerable reduction in the yield of rice, an important crop around the world 4 . Climate change could also alter the dynamics of crop pathogenic agents by altering the range of vectors and by compromising the immune response of crops 5 .Crop production must therefore adapt to more variable environments and the substantial impact it has on the environment needs to be reduced. Productivity must also increase at a much greater rate than in the past to meet the needs of Earth's growing population 6 . Genetic improvements in crop performance continue to be crucial for increasing crop productivity, but current rates of improvement are unable to meet the demands of sustainability and food security 7 . Plant genomics has a central role in the improvement of crops, includi...

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