Translational Genomics in Crop Breeding for Biotic Stress Resistance: An Introduction

Biotic stresses pose a major threat to crop productivity. Crops are challenged by a plethora of biotic stresses, but only a limited number of key pests and diseases cause the vast majority of economic losses in a particular crop. Plant protection measures such as application of pesticides and deployment of resistant gene(s)/quantitative trait loci (QTLs) into cultivars have so far been quite successful in curtailing the losses; however, these measures have also led to the constant evolution of new biotypes/pathotypes/strains/races of pest and disease organisms. Hence, there is a continuous need to identify genomic regions that can impart resistance against these variants. The availability of large-scale genomic resources in many crop species has enhanced our understanding on the path to developing host-plant resistance. As a result, numerous race-specific gene(s) and QTLs have now been identified and cloned with the help of molecular markers. It is quite exciting that these genomic regions are being introgressed into breeding programs of many crops. The objective of this book is to critically review the current availability and utilization of genomic tools for major biotic stresses in important cereals, legumes, vegetables, and tuber and oilseed crop. The book also summarizes the success stories achieved through application of genomics-assisted breeding (GAB), as well as the scope for deployment of modem breeding methods such as marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) and genomic selection in the era of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, which have the potential to advance the genetic gains for enhancing resilience against biotic stress. This chapter summarizes highlights of different chapters included in the book that is expected to be a resource for young researchers, GAB practitioners, and policy makers for employing better strategies toward achieving food security.