Biological reality and parsimony in crop models—why we need both in crop improvement!

Polyploidy and Crop Improvement

All crop plants are polyploid and some genomes have been duplicated more recently than others. Advancements in cytogenetic and molecular tools, including high-density genetic mapping, fl orescent in situ hybridization, and genome and EST sequencing, have enabled new insights into genome composition and the history of genome duplications in crop plants. We review this evidence and discuss the re...

Emerging Paradigms in Genomics-Based Crop Improvement

Next generation sequencing platforms and high-throughput genotyping assays have remarkably expedited the pace of development of genomic tools and resources for several crops. Complementing the technological developments, conceptual shifts have also been witnessed in designing experimental populations. Availability of second generation mapping populations encompassing multiple alleles, multiple ...

Can improvement in photosynthesis increase crop yields?

The yield potential (Yp) of a grain crop is the seed mass per unit ground area obtained under optimum growing conditions without weeds, pests and diseases. It is determined by the product of the available light energy and by the genetically determined properties: efficiency of light capture (epsilon i), the efficiency of conversion of the intercepted light into biomass (epsilon c) and the propo...

Crop Improvement (The "Gene" Revolution)

Transgenic approaches to crop improvement.

Transgenic crops are now grown commercially on several million hectares, principally in North America. To date, the predominant crops are maize (corn), soybean, cotton, and potatoes. In addition, there have been field trials of transgenics from at least 52 species including all the major field crops, vegetables, and several herbaceous and woody species. This review summarizes recent data relati...