J Integr Plant Biol. ›› 2012, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (4): 250-259.DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7909.2012.01109.x

• Invited Expert Reviews • Previous Articles     Next Articles

An Integrated Approach to Crop Genetic Improvement

Martin A. J. Parry* and Malcolm J. Hawkesford   

  1. Rothamsted Research, Plant Science Department, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK
  • Received:2012-01-17 Accepted:2012-02-07 Published:2012-04-01
  • About author:*Corresponding author Tel: +44 15 8276 3133; Fax: +44 15 8276 3010; E-mail: martin.parry@rothamsted.ac.uk

Abstract:

The balance between the supply and demand of the major food crops is fragile, fueling concerns for long-term global food security. The rising population, increasing wealth and a proliferation of non-food uses (e.g. bioenergy) has led to growing demands on agriculture, while increased production is limited by greater urbanization, and the degradation of land. Furthermore, global climate change with increasing temperatures and lower, more erratic rainfall is projected to decrease agricultural yields. There is a predicted need to increase food production by at least 70% by 2050 and therefore an urgent need to develop novel and integrated approaches, incorporating high-throughput phenotyping that will both increase production per unit area and simultaneously improve the resource use efficiency of crops. Yield potential, yield stability, nutrient and water use are all complex multigenic traits and while there is genetic variability, their complexity makes such traits difficult to breed for directly. Nevertheless molecular plant breeding has the potential to deliver substantial improvements, once the component traits and the genes underlying these traits have been identified. In addition, interactions between the individual traits must also be taken into account, a demand that is difficult to fulfill with traditional screening approaches. Identified traits will be incorporated into new cultivars using conventional or biotechnological tools. In order to better understand the relationship between genotype, component traits, and environment over time, a multidisciplinary approach must be adopted to both understand the underlying processes and identify candidate genes, QTLs and traits that can be used to develop improved crops.

Parry MAJ, Hawkesford MJ (2012) An integrated approach to crop genetic improvement. J. Integr. Plant Biol. 54(4), 250–259.

Key words: Germplasm variation, nitrogen, TILLING, transformation, trait, water, wheat, yield

Editorial Office, Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, Institute of Botany, CAS
No. 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing 100093, China
Tel: +86 10 6283 6133 Fax: +86 10 8259 2636 E-mail: jipb@ibcas.ac.cn
Copyright © 2022 by the Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Online ISSN: 1744-7909 Print ISSN: 1672-9072 CN: 11-5067/Q
备案号:京ICP备16067583号-22