scholarly journals Targeted plant improvement through genome editing: from laboratory to field

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dragana Miladinovic ◽  
Dulce Antunes ◽  
Kubilay Yildirim ◽  
Allah Bakhsh ◽  
Sandra Cvejić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Genome Editing ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Breeding Strategy ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Current Time ◽  
Sustainable Crop Production

Abstract Key message This review illustrates how far we have come since the emergence of GE technologies and how they could be applied to obtain superior and sustainable crop production. Abstract The main challenges of today’s agriculture are maintaining and raising productivity, reducing its negative impact on the environment, and adapting to climate change. Efficient plant breeding can generate elite varieties that will rapidly replace obsolete ones and address ongoing challenges in an efficient and sustainable manner. Site-specific genome editing in plants is a rapidly evolving field with tangible results. The technology is equipped with a powerful toolbox of molecular scissors to cut DNA at a pre-determined site with different efficiencies for designing an approach that best suits the objectives of each plant breeding strategy. Genome editing (GE) not only revolutionizes plant biology, but provides the means to solve challenges related to plant architecture, food security, nutrient content, adaptation to the environment, resistance to diseases and production of plant-based materials. This review illustrates how far we have come since the emergence of these technologies and how these technologies could be applied to obtain superior, safe and sustainable crop production. Synergies of genome editing with other technological platforms that are gaining significance in plants lead to an exciting new, post-genomic era for plant research and production. In previous months, we have seen what global changes might arise from one new virus, reminding us of what drastic effects such events could have on food production. This demonstrates how important science, technology, and tools are to meet the current time and the future. Plant GE can make a real difference to future sustainable food production to the benefit of both mankind and our environment.

scholarly journals Edible Energy Production and Energy Return on Investment—Long-Term Analysis of Global Changes

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1011
Author(s):  
Bartłomiej Bajan ◽  
Joanna Łukasiewicz ◽  
Agnieszka Poczta-Wajda ◽  
Walenty Poczta
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Energy Return On Investment

The projected increase in the world’s population requires an increase in the production of edible energy that would meet the associated increased demand for food. However, food production is strongly dependent on the use of energy, mainly from fossil fuels, the extraction of which requires increasing input due to the depletion of the most easily accessible deposits. According to numerous estimations, the world’s energy production will be dependent on fossil fuels at least to 2050. Therefore, it is vital to increase the energy efficiency of production, including food production. One method to measure energy efficiency is the energy return on investment (EROI), which is the ratio of the amount of energy produced to the amount of energy consumed in the production process. The literature lacks comparable EROI calculations concerning global food production and the existing studies only include crop production. The aim of this study was to calculate the EROI of edible crop and animal production in the long term worldwide and to indicate the relationships resulting from its changes. The research takes into account edible crop and animal production in agriculture and the direct consumption of fossil fuels and electricity. The analysis showed that although the most underdeveloped regions have the highest EROI, the production of edible energy there is usually insufficient to meet the food needs of the population. On the other hand, the lowest EROI was observed in highly developed regions, where production ensures food self-sufficiency. However, the changes that have taken place in Europe since the 1990s indicate an opportunity to simultaneously reduce the direct use of energy in agriculture and increase the production of edible energy, thus improving the EROI.

scholarly journals Scientific support to plant breeding and seed production in Siberia in the XXI century

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-459
Author(s):  
N. P. Goncharov
Keyword(s):  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Breeding Strategy ◽  
Agricultural Science ◽  
Agricultural Area ◽  
Natural Soil ◽  
Economic Sector ◽  
The Russian Federation

Agriculture in the Russian Federation is fundamental to the country’s economic performance, living standards, the wellbeing of people and state safety. Considerations relating to food security, prospects of and challenges before plant breeding in the Siberian Federal District (SFD), the largest agricultural area of the Russian Federation, are provided in the article. The agricultural area used in the SFD is about 50 million hectares and accounts for 13 % of the country’s gross grain production. The need for the introduction of modern molecular biological methods, bioengineering and IT technology is demonstrated and discussed. As Russia as a whole, Siberia is largely engaged in unpromising extensive farming practices, which rely on natural soil fertility, and this factor should be taken into account. Another issue is noncompliance with intensive farming technologies used for cultivating new-generation commercial cultivars. Although capital investments in plant breeding are the most cost effective investments in crop production, breeders’ efforts remain underfunded. The article explains the need for fundamental reform in this economic sector: the recognition of plant breeding as being a fundamental science; a fair increase in its funding; the development of a breeding strategy, nationally and regionally; the further expansion of the network of the Breeding Centers; the re-establishment and improvement of the universities’ departments specialized in plant breeding and seed production; having more state-funded places in the universities for training plant breeders to be able to maintain and cement the country’s advanced position in plant breeding and to develop new globally competitive next-generation cultivars of main crops. Should these issues be ignored, all the problems that have accumulated to date will lead to risks of long-term instability in this economic sector. The need for the careful preservation of continuity in plant breeders and plants being bred is stated. The regulatory functions of the state and agricultural science in plant breeding, plant industry and seed production are considered.

scholarly journals Вiotechnological approaches to reduce biogenic risks in crop production: potato case

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-422
Author(s):  
Svetlana Mikhailovna Lenivko ◽  
Vladimir Ivanovich Boyko
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Breeding Strategy ◽  
Genetically Engineered ◽  
Cell Engineering ◽  
Potato Beetle ◽  
Leptinotarsa Decemlineata Say ◽  
Important Approach ◽  
Environmentally Sound ◽  
Introgressive Breeding

The article presents an overview of the biogenic agro-ecological risks in crop production, to reduce which it is possible to use biotechnological approaches. Ways to reduce the negative impact of the two most common harmful objects, the сolorado potato beetle ( Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say) and phytophthoras ( Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) De Bary), which lead to significant losses of potato yield, are considered. It is shown that the currently used methods of plant cell engineering (somatic hybridization and microclonal reproduction) are environmentally sound biotechnological methods of controlling black eye rot potato. The need to develop genetically engineered methods is associated with an exacerbation of biogenic agroecological risks, the reduction of which is an important approach is a proactive introgressive breeding strategy based on cell engineering and molecular methods.

scholarly journals Micronutrients in Food Production: What Can We Learn from Natural Ecosystems?

Soil Systems ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Sarah M. Denton-Thompson ◽  
Emma J. Sayer
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Organic Fertilizers ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Nutrient Mobilization ◽  
Widespread Application ◽  
Effective Manner

Soil micronutrients limit crop productivity in many regions worldwide, and micronutrient deficiencies affect over two billion people globally. Microbial biofertilizers could combat these issues by inoculating arable soils with microorganisms that mobilize micronutrients, increasing their availability to crop plants in an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective manner. However, the widespread application of biofertilizers is limited by complex micronutrient–microbe–plant interactions, which reduce their effectiveness under field conditions. Here, we review the current state of seven micronutrients in food production. We examine the mechanisms underpinning microbial micronutrient mobilization in natural ecosystems and synthesize the state-of-knowledge to improve our overall understanding of biofertilizers in food crop production. We demonstrate that, although soil micronutrient concentrations are strongly influenced by soil conditions, land management practices can also substantially affect micronutrient availability and uptake by plants. The effectiveness of biofertilizers varies, but several lines of evidence indicate substantial benefits in co-applying biofertilizers with conventional inorganic or organic fertilizers. Studies of micronutrient cycling in natural ecosystems provide examples of microbial taxa capable of mobilizing multiple micronutrients whilst withstanding harsh environmental conditions. Research into the mechanisms of microbial nutrient mobilization in natural ecosystems could, therefore, yield effective biofertilizers to improve crop nutrition under global changes.

scholarly journals An Overview on Agroecology and Organic Agriculture Strategies for Sustainable Crop Production

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 223
Author(s):  
Mariangela Diacono ◽  
Alessandra Trinchera ◽  
Francesco Montemurro
Keyword(s):  
European Commission ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Sustainable Crop Production

Within the new “European Green Deal”, the European Commission defined crucial challenges for the agriculture of future decades, such as making food production more sustainable by considering the local pedo-climatic and socio-economic specificities [...]

scholarly journals Phytonanotechnology applications in modern agriculture

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Jiang ◽  
Yue Song ◽  
Mukesh Kumar Kanwar ◽  
Golam Jalal Ahammed ◽  
Shujun Shao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Edible Coatings ◽  
Food Spoilage ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
Modern Agriculture ◽  
Sustainable Crop Production

AbstractWith the rapidly changing global climate, the agricultural systems are confronted with more unpredictable and harsh environmental conditions than before which lead to compromised food production. Thus, to ensure safer and sustainable crop production, the use of advanced nanotechnological approaches in plants (phytonanotechnology) is of great significance. In this review, we summarize recent advances in phytonanotechnology in agricultural systems that can assist to meet ever-growing demands of food sustainability. The application of phytonanotechnology can change traditional agricultural systems, allowing the target-specific delivery of biomolecules (such as nucleotides and proteins) and cater the organized release of agrochemicals (such as pesticides and fertilizers). An amended comprehension of the communications between crops and nanoparticles (NPs) can improve the production of crops by enhancing tolerance towards environmental stresses and optimizing the utilization of nutrients. Besides, approaches like nanoliposomes, nanoemulsions, edible coatings, and other kinds of NPs offer numerous selections in the postharvest preservation of crops for minimizing food spoilage and thus establishing phtonanotechnology as a sustainable tool to architect modern agricultural practices. Graphical Abstract

scholarly journals Saline water and bovine biofertilizer chemically enriched on jackfruit seedlings var. soft

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco de Oliveira Mesquita ◽  
Lourival Ferreira Cavalcante ◽  
Jean Télvio Andrade Ferreira ◽  
Antônio Gustavo de Luna Souto ◽  
Reynaldo Teodoro de Fátima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Saline Water ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Cow’S Milk ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Cow's Milk

Water scarcity and water quality is a subject of constant debate around the world, with the accumulation of salts in water and on soils causing a negative impact on food production, man and herds, especially in the arid and semi-arid regions. The use of bovine manure biofertilizers that potentiate the use of brackish water, normally restricted in agriculture due to its salinity, has been suggested for seedling formation and crop production, including jackfruit plants. An experiment was carried out from October/2012 to February/2013, in a protected environment, at Agrarian Sciences Center, Federal University of Paraíba, Areia county, Paraíba State, Brazil, to evaluate the effects of saline water and bovine biofertilizer chemically enriched with gypsum, cow's milk and molasses. The experimental design was completely randomized, with five replications of a plant, in a factorial scheme 5 × 2, corresponding   at values of electrical conductivity of the water of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 dS m-1 substrate with and without bovine biofertilizer. Measurements were made of substrate salinity, height of growth, stem diameter, length mean root, leaf area, leaf area ratio, and total dry mass (root, shoots and leaves). The biofertilizer enriched with cow's milk, sugar cane molasses and agricultural gypsum increased the salinity of the soil; however, it attenuated the negative effects of the salts during establishment of jackfruit seedlings, to 95 days after emergence. All the growth variables studied were higher for seedlings developed in substrate with bovine biofertilizer chemically enriched.

scholarly journals CONCEPT AND RATIONALE OF EVOLUTIONARY BARLEY BREEDING UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE IN JORDAN

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 150-167
Author(s):  
Nawal Al‐Hajaj ◽  
Omar Kafawin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Food System ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Breeding Strategy ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Individual Selection ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
The Impact

In this study, we reviewed the climate changing and the impact on crop production, and evolutionary breeding as adaptation key to crop resilience. The increasing climate change impact on the agriculture system has renewed interest to the broadest possible germplasm base for a resilient and sustainable food system. Heterogeneous populations developed through evolutionary plant breeding could be the ideal solution to reduce the effects of environment variability on cereal crop planted under low-input conditions.The study assessed the genetic basis of adaptation of a barley population which evolved in different rainfed locations and years in Jordan without any human selection as suggests model of plant breeding strategy to improve food security, nutrition, income and resilience of smallholder farmers in the dryland regions in the climate change scenarios. The study suggests that the breeder can shift the undesirable traits in evolutionary populations by practicing individual selection for specific adaptations, or individual selection from populations showing wide adaptations and high stability. On the other hand, the breeder can overcome the undesirable traits by keeping the highest variations within the population by seed sieving to remove small seed and plant mowing for tallest head.

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