Trait stacking in modern agriculture: application of genome editing tools

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-160
Author(s):  
Sandeep Kumar ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Stephen Novak
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Complex Traits ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Transgenic Technology ◽  
Modern Agriculture

Advances in plant transgenic technology in the 20th century overcame the major hurdle for transfer of genetic material between species. This not only enabled fundamental insights into plant biology, but also revolutionized commercial agriculture. Adoption of transgenic plants in industrial agriculture has reduced pesticide application, while bringing significant increase in crop yields and farmers' profits. The progress made in transgenic technology over the last three decades paved the way mainly for simple single-gene insect and herbicide tolerance (HT) trait products. Modern agriculture demands stacking and pyramiding of complex traits that provide broad-spectrum insect and HT with other agronomic traits. In addition, more recent developments in genome editing provide unique opportunities to create precise on-demand genome modifications to enhance crop productivity. The major challenge for the plant biotech industry therefore remains to combine multiple forms of traits needed to create commercially viable stacked product. This review provides a historical perspective of conventional breeding stacks, current status of molecular stacks and future developments needed to enable genome-editing technology for trait stacking.

Transgenic technologies for enhanced molecular breeding of white clover (Trifolium repens L.)

2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Forster ◽  
S. Panter ◽  
A. Mouradov ◽  
J. Mason ◽  
G. C. Spangenberg
Keyword(s):  
White Clover ◽  
Molecular Breeding ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Aluminium Tolerance ◽  
Transgenic Technology ◽  
Environmental Benefit ◽  
Pasture Grass ◽  
Transgenic Technologies

White clover is an important pasture legume of temperate regions, generally through co-cultivation with a pasture grass in a mixed-sward setting. White clover provides herbage with high nutritional quality to grazing animals, along with the environmental benefit of biological nitrogen fixation. Several key agronomic traits are amenable to modification in white clover through use of transgenic technology. Efficient methods for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of white clover have been developed. The current status of transgenic research is reviewed for the following traits: resistance to viruses and insect pests; aluminium tolerance and phosphorus acquisition efficiency; control of leaf senescence and seed yield; biosynthesis of flavonoids and rumen bypass proteins for bloat safety and enhanced ruminant nutrition; cyanogenesis; and drought tolerance. Future prospects for transgenic technology in molecular breeding in white clover are also discussed.

scholarly journals Physiological and Molecular Characterization of Crop Resistance to Abiotic Stresses

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1308
Author(s):  
Monica Boscaiu ◽  
Ana Fita
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Stress ◽  
Stress Tolerance ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Abiotic Stress Tolerance ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Stress Factors ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Heat And Cold Stress

Abiotic stress represents a main constraint for agriculture, affecting plant growth and productivity. Drought and soil salinity, especially, are major causes of reduction of crop yields and food production worldwide. It is not unexpected, therefore, that the study of plant responses to abiotic stress and stress tolerance mechanisms is one of the most active research fields in plant biology. This Special Issue compiles 22 research papers and 4 reviews covering different aspects of these responses and mechanisms, addressing environmental stress factors such as drought, salinity, flooding, heat and cold stress, deficiency or toxicity of compounds in the soil (e.g., macro and micronutrients), and combination of different stresses. The approaches used are also diverse, including, among others, the analysis of agronomic traits based on morphological characteristics, physiological and biochemical studies, and transcriptomics or transgenics. Despite its complexity, we believe that this Special Issue provides a useful overview of the topic, including basic information on the mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance as well as practical aspects such as the alleviation of the deleterious effects of stress by different means, or the use of local landraces as a source of genetic material adapted to combined stresses. This knowledge should help to develop the agriculture of the (near) future, sustainable and better adapted to the conditions ahead, in a scenario of global warming and environmental pollution.

Unraveling the impact of plant-density genetic architecture on agronomic traits in canola

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yesica C Menendez ◽  
Diego H Sanchez ◽  
Rod J Snowdon ◽  
Deborah P Rondanini ◽  
Javier F Botto
Keyword(s):  
Complex Traits ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Yield Traits ◽  
Density Dependent ◽  
High Plant Density ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Plant density defines vegetative architecture and competition for light between individuals. Brassica napus (canola), as a model system of indeterminate growth, presents a radically different plant architecture compared to traditional crops commonly cultivated at high density. Using a panel of 152 spring-type canola accessions and a double haploid (DH) population of 99 lines from a cross between Lynx and Monty, we performed Genome-Wide-Analysis-Studies (GWAS) and Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) mapping for 12 growth and yield traits at two contrasting plant densities (15 and 60 plants m -2). We revealed mostly novel associations by GWAS (19) and QTLs (11) for growth and yield traits being the most significant for flowering, biomass, rosette height, silique and seed number, and grain yield; often representing density-independent signals although we also uncovered some density-dependent associations typically mapping at low density. Further RNA-seq transcriptomics revealed distinctive latent gene regulatory responses to simulated shade between Lynx and Monty. Given the phylogenetic relatedness, we additionally used Arabidopsis thaliana aiming at testing genes to validate density effects of homologous counterparts mapping into relevant rapeseed QTLs. Our results suggest that TCP1 may promote the growth independently of plant neighbors, while HY5 could increase biomass and seed yield specifically at high plant density. For flowering time, the observations in tested mutants suggested that the corresponding genes may plausibly contribute to promote flowering in plant-density dependent (i.e., PIN) and independent (i.e., FT, HY5 and TCP1) manner. This work underscores the advantages of using agronomic field experiments together with genetic and transcriptomic approaches to decipher quantitative complex traits that potentially mediate superior crop productivity.

scholarly journals From Traditional Breeding to Genome Editing for Boosting Productivity of the Ancient Grain Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter]

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 628
Author(s):  
Muhammad Numan ◽  
Abdul Latif Khan ◽  
Sajjad Asaf ◽  
Mohammad Salehin ◽  
Getu Beyene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Eragrostis Tef ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Stress Resilience ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
Traditional Breeding

Tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) is a staple food crop for 70% of the Ethiopian population and is currently cultivated in several countries for grain and forage production. It is one of the most nutritious grains, and is also more resilient to marginal soil and climate conditions than major cereals such as maize, wheat and rice. However, tef is an extremely low-yielding crop, mainly due to lodging, which is when stalks fall on the ground irreversibly, and prolonged drought during the growing season. Climate change is triggering several biotic and abiotic stresses which are expected to cause severe food shortages in the foreseeable future. This has necessitated an alternative and robust approach in order to improve resilience to diverse types of stresses and increase crop yields. Traditional breeding has been extensively implemented to develop crop varieties with traits of interest, although the technique has several limitations. Currently, genome editing technologies are receiving increased interest among plant biologists as a means of improving key agronomic traits. In this review, the potential application of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated proteins (CRISPR-Cas) technology in improving stress resilience in tef is discussed. Several putative abiotic stress-resilient genes of the related monocot plant species have been discussed and proposed as target genes for editing in tef through the CRISPR-Cas system. This is expected to improve stress resilience and boost productivity, thereby ensuring food and nutrition security in the region where it is needed the most.

scholarly journals Current Status of Research, Regulations, and Future Challenges for CRISPR Gene-Editing in Crop Improvement

EDIS ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (4) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Sadikshya Sharma ◽  
Seonghee Lee ◽  
Heqiang Huo
Keyword(s):  
Gene Editing ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Food Ingredients ◽  
Modern Agriculture ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Research Regulations ◽  
Quality Of Food

Recently, new plant-breeding technology such as CRISPR gene editing has provided the potential to substantially improve crop breeding in agriculture. Considerable efforts have been devoted to apply this gene-editing technology in modern agriculture to increase crop yields and improve the quality of food ingredients, especially by many of the major agronomic seed-producing companies. In this new 4-page article, we outline the recent research updates and regulations on gene editing in crop improvement. Written by Sadikshya Sharma, Heqiang Huo, and Seonghee Lee and published by the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1334

Dynamics of Farm Power Sources and their Availability in Bihar

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (03) ◽  
Author(s):  
PREM K. SUNDARAM ◽  
BIKAS SARKAR ◽  
PAWAN JEET ◽  
SANJAY KUMAR PATEL ◽  
ANUKUL P ANURAG ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yields ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
National Average ◽  
Social Constraints ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Power Sources ◽  
The North ◽  
Farm Mechanization ◽  
Production Technologies ◽  
North Western

The production levels of agriculture have remained low in eastern region of India mainly due to lack of location-specific production technologies, natural calamities like floods, water logging, drought, inadequate timely supply of critical inputs and social constraints. Bihar is one of the important agrarian states of Eastern India. The crop yields are low and almost stagnating in Bihar compared to the north-western and other parts of the country. To improve the productivity in this region mechanization of farms is of critical importance. The farm power availability in Bihar in 2017 is 2.80 kW/ha and is more than the national average of 2.03 kW/ha. Still there are 14 districts in Bihar which is below national average. The number of marginal farmers has increased from 84.18 to 91.21 during 2014-17, an increase of 7.03 percent. Increase in Small and fragmented land will further hindrance the farm mechanization process. The present study was conducted to understand dynamics of farm power availability in Bihar, so as to take substantial measures for improved mechanization and in turn crop productivity in the region.

scholarly journals Effects of exogenous silicon on maize seed germination and seedling growth

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yankun Sun ◽  
Jiaqi Xu ◽  
Xiangyang Miao ◽  
Xuesong Lin ◽  
Wanzhen Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Seedling Growth ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Membrane System ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Antioxidant Enzyme Activities ◽  
Chlorophyll Contents ◽  
Antioxidant Defence System

AbstractAs the global population continues to increase, global food production needs to double by 2050 to meet the demand. Given the current status of the not expansion of cultivated land area, agronomic seedlings are complete, well-formed and strong, which is the basis of high crop yields. The aim of this experiment was to study the effects of seed germination and seedling growth in response to silicon (from water-soluble Si fertilizer). The effects of Si on the maize germination, seedling growth, chlorophyll contents, osmoprotectant contents, antioxidant enzyme activities, non-enzymatic antioxidant contents and stomatal characteristics were studied by soaking Xianyu 335 in solutions of different concentrations of Si (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 g·L−1). In this study, Si treatments significantly increased the seed germination and per-plant dry weight of seedlings (P < 0.05), and the optimal concentration was 15 g·L−1. As a result of the Si treatment of the seeds, the chlorophyll content, osmotic material accumulation and antioxidant defence system activity increased, reducing membrane system damage, reactive oxygen species contents, and stomatal aperture. The results suggested that 15 g·L−1 Si significantly stimulated seed germination and promoted the growth of maize seedlings, laying a solid foundation for subsequent maize growth.

scholarly journals Meta-QTL analysis and identification of candidate genes for quality, abiotic and biotic stress in durum wheat

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Miguel Soriano ◽  
Pasqualina Colasuonno ◽  
Ilaria Marcotuli ◽  
Agata Gadaleta
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Markers ◽  
Abiotic Stress ◽  
Durum Wheat ◽  
Candidate Genes ◽  
Biotic Stress ◽  
Qtl Analysis ◽  
Complex Traits ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Plant Performance

AbstractThe genetic improvement of durum wheat and enhancement of plant performance often depend on the identification of stable quantitative trait loci (QTL) and closely linked molecular markers. This is essential for better understanding the genetic basis of important agronomic traits and identifying an effective method for improving selection efficiency in breeding programmes. Meta-QTL analysis is a useful approach for dissecting the genetic basis of complex traits, providing broader allelic coverage and higher mapping resolution for the identification of putative molecular markers to be used in marker-assisted selection. In the present study, extensive QTL meta-analysis was conducted on 45 traits of durum wheat, including quality and biotic and abiotic stress-related traits. A total of 368 QTL distributed on all 14 chromosomes of genomes A and B were projected: 171 corresponded to quality-related traits, 127 to abiotic stress and 71 to biotic stress, of which 318 were grouped in 85 meta-QTL (MQTL), 24 remained as single QTL and 26 were not assigned to any MQTL. The number of MQTL per chromosome ranged from 4 in chromosomes 1A and 6A to 9 in chromosome 7B; chromosomes 3A and 7A showed the highest number of individual QTL (4), and chromosome 7B the highest number of undefined QTL (4). The recently published genome sequence of durum wheat was used to search for candidate genes within the MQTL peaks. This work will facilitate cloning and pyramiding of QTL to develop new cultivars with specific quantitative traits and speed up breeding programs.

scholarly journals Recent advances in CRISPR/Cas9 and applications for wheat functional genomics and breeding

aBIOTECH ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Li ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Ligeng Ma
Keyword(s):  
Functional Genomics ◽  
Genome Editing ◽  
Functional Annotation ◽  
Genome Engineering ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Wheat Breeding ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Base Editing ◽  
The World ◽  
World Food Security

AbstractCommon wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the three major food crops in the world; thus, wheat breeding programs are important for world food security. Characterizing the genes that control important agronomic traits and finding new ways to alter them are necessary to improve wheat breeding. Functional genomics and breeding in polyploid wheat has been greatly accelerated by the advent of several powerful tools, especially CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology, which allows multiplex genome engineering. Here, we describe the development of CRISPR/Cas9, which has revolutionized the field of genome editing. In addition, we emphasize technological breakthroughs (e.g., base editing and prime editing) based on CRISPR/Cas9. We also summarize recent applications and advances in the functional annotation and breeding of wheat, and we introduce the production of CRISPR-edited DNA-free wheat. Combined with other achievements, CRISPR and CRISPR-based genome editing will speed progress in wheat biology and promote sustainable agriculture.

scholarly journals Liquid Biopsy in Pancreatic Cancer: Are We Ready to Apply It in the Clinical Practice?

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1986
Author(s):  
Victoria Heredia-Soto ◽  
Nuria Rodríguez-Salas ◽  
Jaime Feliu
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Minimally Invasive ◽  
Liquid Biopsy ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Disease Monitoring ◽  
Global Status

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) exhibits the poorest prognosis of all solid tumors, with a 5-year survival of less than 10%. To improve the prognosis, it is necessary to advance in the development of tools that help us in the early diagnosis, treatment selection, disease monitoring, evaluation of the response and prognosis. Liquid biopsy (LB), in its different modalities, represents a particularly interesting tool for these purposes, since it is a minimally invasive and risk-free procedure that can detect both the presence of genetic material from the tumor and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood and therefore distantly reflect the global status of the disease. In this work we review the current status of the main LB modalities (ctDNA, exosomes, CTCs and cfRNAs) for detecting and monitoring PDAC.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document