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Agricultural Genomics
Until recently, agricultural scientists have strictly used conventional and hybrid plant breeding to continually improve performance by selecting plants according to yield, adversity, disease-resistance and pest-resistance. Results have been outstanding. However, the world population is predicted to reach a point in which the tradition of using plant breeding to select desirable plants will no longer be efficient. A new breakthrough will be needed in order to produce high quantities and to provide new varieties of food. The use of genomics is a proposed solution.
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Many innovative technologies are
used in agricultural genomics.
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By using genomics to improve plant efficiency, the plant genes will be singled-out and their function discovered. In essence, the genetic make-up of the plant will be explored and mapped. Scientists could then use the gene map to increase yields, develop disease- and pest-resistance or even make the plant more nutritious.
The goal of genomics in agribusiness is to increase crop productivity, elevate the quality of agricultural products, and to sustain and enhance the environment. Sustainable development, advanced through genomics, is helping to build more robust and plentiful crops with a reduced effect on the environment. The application of sustainable development can significantly enhance yields, consolidate land dedicated to farming, increase economic wealth through reduced production costs, and help feed the ever-growing population.
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This colorful computer display is of DNA sequencing. Novartis Scientist Makoto Ono Reviews the four "building blocks" of life. Each is given a different color to ease identification.
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Gene technology is a principal means by which value-added traits are created. Genomics will accelerate the discovery of genes that confer new or improved traits. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were among the first widely practiced genomics technologies, and provide a cost-effective and rapid approach to describing the collection of genes that define an organism.
Click here for descriptions of several technologies used in agricultural genomics.
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