Speed Breeding Systems For Food


Book Description

Speed breeding systems for sustainable food production offer a promising solution to address food security and environmental sustainability. Speed breeding technologies allow accelerating generation of new plant varieties with desired traits in a short period. These systems include genetic selection, vertical hydroponics and data-driven smart sensor applications. Quick generation of plant varieties is achieved by manipulating photoperiods of a native plant with extended light periods in a controlled environment to fasten the crop cycle. This allows for multiple plant generations to be grown and harvested in a single year rather than the typical one to two generations in traditional field-based breeding. The application of molecular markers in the analysis of crop genomes enables the identification and characterization of genetic variation within a crop species. This, in turn, helps breeders in identifying and selecting plants with desirable traits, such as resistance to pests or diseases, or improved yield. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) and genomic selection (GS) are two recent methods that revolutionized plant breeding to improve the efficiency and accuracy of selecting desirable traits. MAS allows breeders to identify desirable traits earlier in the breeding process, without having to wait for the traits to be phenotypically expressed. On the other hand, GS allows breeders to predict the performance of a plant before it is even grown and can help speed up the breeding process by allowing breeders to select plants with desirable traits much earlier in the breeding process.




Plant Speed Breeding and High-throughput Technologies


Book Description

The research field of “plant speed breeding" is promising to meet the future demand for crop improvement in an efficient and effective manner. The process accelerates breeding and research programs through the shortening of the generation time of crops. Plant Speed Breeding and High-Throughput Technologies explores and analyzes a range of innovations from CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing to state-of-the-art controlled-environment growth chambers. The book integrates achievements of plant speed breeding technologies with an emphasis on the fundamental and advanced systems for genome editing, functional genomics, controlled-environment growth chambers, genomic and phenotypic selection methods, and high-throughput technologies. It examines the applications of technologies across major model plants and key crops such as cereals, vegetables, and fruit trees. The book explores high-throughput genotyping using next-generation sequencing systems, enabling precise single nucleotide polymorphism markers, quantitative trait loci mapping, and genome-wide association studies . These tools are used in identifying candidate genes that will revolutionize crop breeding, as they are capable of tolerating complex abiotic and biotic stresses induced by global climate change. Serving as an ideal reference on plant speed breeding technologies, this book is for graduate students, teachers, researchers, and experts in the fields of plant sciences and plant breeding as well as agronomy and agriculture.




Accelerated Plant Breeding, Volume 1


Book Description

Plant improvement has shifted its focus from yield, quality and disease resistance to factors that will enhance commerical export, such as early maturity, shelf life and better processing quality. Conventional plant breeding methods aiming at the improvement of a self-pollinating crop, such as wheat, usually take 10-12 years to develop and release of the new variety. During the past 10 years, significant advances have been made and accelerated methods have been developed for precision breeding and early release of crop varieties. This work summarizes concepts dealing with germplasm enhancement and development of improved varieties based on innovative methodologies that include doubled haploidy, marker assisted selection, marker assisted background selection, genetic mapping, genomic selection, high-throughput genotyping, high-throughput phenotyping, mutation breeding, reverse breeding, transgenic breeding, shuttle breeding, speed breeding, low cost high-throughput field phenotyping, etc. It is an important reference with special focus on accelerated development of improved crop varieties.




CRISPR and RNAi Systems


Book Description

Plants are vulnerable to pathogens including fungi, bacteria, and viruses, which cause critical problems and deficits. Crop protection by plant breeding delivers a promising solution with no obvious effect on human health or the local ecosystem. Crop improvement has been the most powerful approach for producing unique crop cultivars since domestication occurred, making possible the main innovations in feeding the globe and community development. Genome editing is one of the genetic devices that can be implemented, and disease resistance is frequently cited as the most encouraging application of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in agriculture. Nanobiotechnology has harnessed the power of genome editing to develop agricultural crops. Nanosized DNA or RNA nanotechnology approaches could contribute to raising the stability and performance of CRISPR guide RNAs. This book brings together the latest research in these areas. CRISPR and RNAi Systems: Nanobiotechnology Approaches to Plant Breeding and Protection presents a complete understanding of the RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9 techniques for controlling mycotoxins, fighting plant nematodes, and detecting plant pathogens. CRISPR/Cas genome editing enables efficient targeted modification in most crops, thus promising to accelerate crop improvement. CRISPR/Cas9 can be used for management of plant insects, and various plant pathogens. The book is an important reference source for both plant scientists and environmental scientists who want to understand how nano biotechnologically based approaches are being used to create more efficient plant protection and plant breeding systems. - Shows how nanotechnology is being used as the basis for new solutions for more efficient plant breeding and plant protection - Outlines the major techniques and applications of both CRISPR and RNAi technologies - Assesses the major challenges of escalating these technologies on a mass scale




Transition to Agro-Ecology


Book Description

Our global agricultural and food system is broken and needs to transition to one that is more sustainable and beneficial to the worlds population. This seems hard in the face of the linked challenges of climate change, natural resource depletion, and worldwide economic and social upheaval. At the same time, farmer-led social movements are growing, and there is increasing recognition that agroecology and food sovereignty are key solutions for both nutritious food security and climate change adaptation. This book takes you along in the transition to agroecology, which is already happening, worldwide! The author shows us the as of yet dispersed but growing movement of many smallholder farmers, projects, programs, research, and policy agendas that are making the change. Since the daily news prevents us from noticing, Jelleke shows us the most beautiful and intriguing examples of ground-breaking people and projects. She gives you the keys for transition. She makes us look back from 2030. What have we done by thenyou and I, your friends and colleagues, investors and politiciansto have arrived in a changed food-secure world where agroecology is the new normal? This book is a must-read for researchers, politicians, students, and consumers alike.




Legume Breeding in Transition: Innovation and Outlook


Book Description

Legumes (family Fabaceae) comprise a diverse range of crops grown worldwide, which are important constituents of sustainable agriculture and harbour a role in improving human and livestock health. Legumes serve as a rich source of plant-based proteins, rank second in nutrition value after cereals, and are ideal to supplement a protein-deficient cereal-based human diet. Legumes also provide other essential services to agriculture through their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, recycle nutrients, enhance soil carbon content, and diversify cropping systems. Legume production and seed quality are affected by a range of biotic (pests, insect diseases, and weeds) and abiotic stresses (drought, heat, frost, and salinity). In addition to this, rapidly changing climate, shrinking arable land, erratic rainfalls, and depleting water and other natural resources impact legume production and threaten food and nutrition security worldwide. Persistent demand for legume crops is existing to fulfil the food requirements of an ever-growing human population. Therefore, legume breeders and geneticists have employed different conventional and modern breeding strategies to improve yield, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, grain quality, and nutritional and nutraceutical properties. Conventional breeding strategies are laborious, time consuming, expensive, and inefficient to achieve the desired goals. However, advanced breeding techniques such as alien gene introgression, genomics-assisted breeding, transgenic technology, speed breeding, association and mapping studies, genome editing, and omics will contribute to sustainable agriculture and food security.




OMICs-based Techniques for Global Food Security


Book Description

OMICs-based Techniques for Global Food Security Forward-thinking resource discussing how to integrate OMICs and novel genome editing technologies for sustainable crop production OMICS-based Techniques for Global Food Security provides an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of OMICs techniques for crop improvement, details how OMICs techniques can contribute to identifying genes and traits with economic benefits, and explains how to develop crop plants with improved yield, quality, and resistance to stresses through genome editing technologies, providing evidence on the developments of climate resilient crops via applications of genome editing techniques throughout. The text covers the application of OMICs in crop plants, the integration of bioinformatics and multi-OMICs for precision breeding, de-novo domestication, CRISPR/Cas system for crop improvement, hybrid seed production, transgene free breeding, regulation for genome edit crops, bioinformatics and genome editing, and other topics related to OMICs and genome editing. The text also includes a chapter on global regulations for genome edited crops, and explains how these regulations influence novel plant breeding techniques in their adopted countries. Edited by two highly qualified academics, OMICs-based Techniques for Global Food Security covers topics such as: Crops genome sequencing and their application for crop improvement, and functional characterization of cereal genome The role of OMICs-based technologies in plant sciences and utilization of different multi-OMICs approaches for crop improvement Genomic database and genetic resource of cereals, speed breeding for rapid crop improvement, and evolution of genome editing technologies CRISPR system discovery, history, and future perspective, and CRISPR/Cas system for biotic and abiotic stress resistance in cereals Providing a collection of recent literature focusing on developments and applications of OMICs-based technologies for crop improvement, OMICs-based Techniques for Global Food Security is an important read for plant breeders, molecular biologists, researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and students in disciplines for developing crops with high yield and nutritional potential.




Plant Genomics for Sustainable Agriculture


Book Description

This book collates the basic and advanced concepts of plant biotechnology and genomics along with the future trends. It discusses the combination of conventional breeding techniques with genomic tools and approaches leading to a new genomics-based plant breeding technology supporting crop plants that respond better to biotic and abiotic stress, and pathogen attacks. Plant genomics play an important role in developing more efficient plant cultivars which are essential for the neo green revolution needed to feed the world’s rapidly growing population. Plant genomic data is being utilized in genetic engineering to ensure that better and resilient varieties of crops are available ensuring food security. This book is of immense interest to teachers, researchers, crop scientists, capacity builders, and policy makers. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, biotechnology, genomics, soil science, and environmental sciences. National and International agricultural scientists and policy makers will also find this to be a useful read.




The Earth’s Human Carrying Capacity


Book Description

This book focuses on the Earth’s carrying capacity to service the needs of its human populations as well as preserve the ecosystems that provide natural resources that sustain life and support human activities in 2020 and later in the century (2050 and beyond). It addresses the two principal factors that challenge the limits of the carrying capacity: growing populations/demographic moves and global warming/climate change. It also covers the effects that these factors have on water availability, food security, sanitation and natural resources. The status of these basic needs that sustain life and societal activities with respect to population increases and global warming driven climate changes are discussed on two time frames. One with respect to the 2020 and the other with measured and computer guided projected future impacts later as the century progresses to 2050 and later, Attention is given to Africa, Asia, and somewhat for South America because of their projected increases in population. The purpose of the book is to provide those in decision-making roles and those that advise them with a sound set of facts and figures to think about to support their decisions/actions. A secondary purpose is to present data that stresses the need to act now, firmly and with investment to plan to adapt to changing conditions rather than wait until forced to do so. The book also discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world’s societies and how they have reacted. The book will be of use to students in first/second year of college/university programs in Environmental Sciences/Studies, demographics, and ancillary fields such as agriculture science, urban/land use planners, political science, public health, and consultants at academic and professional levels.




Orphan Crops: Breeding and Biotechnology for Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Nutrition


Book Description

Orphan crops play an important role in food and nutrition security especially in growing economies where small-holder farmers produce the majority of food. Despite their importance in global agriculture and their often remarkable nutrient content and adaptation to challenging environmental conditions, orphan crops have received limited attention by the scientific community and industry. However, the diversity of neglected plant species provides a large genetic resource that could significantly contribute to broadening the biodiversity of trait-desired crops for novel value chains, sustainable development and food security. The uptake of new plant breeding techniques, notably genome editing, as well as ‘omic’ tools, are now accelerating translation of basic research and facilitating the exploration of orphan crops. These advancements also give rise to public and politic engagement discussions to maximize socio-economic impact. Given that the greatest need for food and nutritional security is in growing economies, issues of food sovereignty and sustainability of their food systems become front-and-centre. There is now an exceptional opportunity to tackle some of the major current challenges in agriculture, including climate change, sustainable cropping systems, food quality, and nutritional security through broadening research in wild relatives of crops and on orphan species. This Research Topic seeks to showcase research on neglected plants using advanced molecular technologies (e.g. genome sequencing, 'omics', etc) and new plant breeding approaches, methods, and tools. This Research Topic will also discuss the challenges and opportunities arising when modern breeding techniques are applied for translational research.