Plant Science Technologies to Improve Agriculture

Over the last 10,000 years, we have altered the genetic make-up of plants to produce food, fibres and other materials we need (1). For most of that time we have relied on fairly primitive selective breeding, with farmers selecting plants by the usefulness or desirability of their obvious traits, for example grain size, taste or colour. In the last 300 years, our expanding knowledge of plant science has provided more sophisticated technologies for improving crops. Here are some of the major ones:

Increase Tress Biomass Production

By modifying the gene expressions responsible for the branch growth during the first year of woody species, researchers of the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP UPM-INIA), a joint centre of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and the The National Institute for Agricultural Research and Experimentation (INIA), have found a way of increasing biomass production of a forest plantation without altering its growth, composition or the wood anatomy. These results have an important market value for the bioenergy sector, thus this study was protected by patent.

Plant Variants to Improved Biofuel Production

Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have discovered variant straw plants whose cell walls are more easily broken down to make biofuels, but which are not significantly smaller or weaker than regular plants.

No Sign of Health or Nutrition Problems from GMO Livestock Feed

A new scientific review from the University of California, Davis, reports that the performance and health of food-producing animals consuming genetically engineered feed, first introduced 18 years ago, has been comparable to that of animals consuming non-GE feed. The review study also found that scientific studies have detected no differences in the nutritional makeup of the meat, milk or other food products derived from animals that ate genetically engineered feed.

Improving Heat Tolerance in Plants

A research group of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), led by Luis Gómez, a professor of the Forestry School and the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP), is studying the tolerance of trees using molecular and biotechnological tools. The research work was published in the last issue of the journal Plant Physiology.

Concepts of QTL Analysis and Genomic Selection

The use of molecular genetic markers for selection and genetic improvement is based on genetic linkage between these markers and a quantitative trait locus (QTL) of interest. Thus, linkage analyses between markers and QTLs and between the proper multiple markers are essential for genetic selection from genomic information. It must be made clear that by definition, a QTL refers only to the statistical association between a genomic region and a trait.

Biometrics Applied to Molecular Analysis in Genetic Diversity

Studies about genetic diversity have been of great importance for the purposes of genetic improvement and to evaluate the impact of human activity on biodiversity. They are equally important in the understanding of the microevolutionary and macroevolutionary mechanisms that act in the diversification of the species, involving population studies, as well as in the optimization of the conservation of genetic diversity. They are also fundamental in understanding how natural populations are structured in time and space and the effects of anthropogenic activities on this structure and, consequently, on their chances of survival and/or extinction. This information provides an aid in finding the genetic losses generated by the isolation of the populations and of the individuals, which will be reflected in future generations, allowing for the establishment of better strategies to increase and preserve species diversity and diversity within the species.

How to Choice The Best Molecular Marker for Plant Breeding

The choice of the most appropriate molecular marker for genetic and plant breeding studies must be made on the basis of the ease of developing a useful technique coupled with the efficiency of data evaluation, interpretation, and analysis. The chosen marker must provide easy access and availability, rapid response and high reproducibility, and allow information exchange between laboratories and between populations and/or different species; it must also permit automation of data generation and subsequent analysis. Other desirable characteristics include a highly polymorphic nature, codominant inheritance (permitting the identification of homozygous and heterozygous individuals), frequent occurrence in the genome, and neutral selection (selection free from interference by management practices and environmental conditions). In addition to the characteristics of the marker, the goals of the project, the availability of financial, structural, and personal resources, convenience, and the availability of facilities for the development of the assay, as well as the genetic trait of the species under study, should all be considered.

Evolution of Genetics and Plant Breeding

Since the beginning of agriculture in approximately 10,000 BC, people have consciously or unconsciously selected plants with superior characteristics for the cultivation of future generations. However, there is controversy regarding the time when breeding became a science. Some believe that this occurred after Mendel’s findings, while others argue that it occurred even before the “era of genetics.”