With the global environmental challenge and the expanding human populations, breeding more new varieties with enhanced and sustainable yield, high level of resistance and high quality are needed to fulfill the food demand of 9.8 billion world population by 2050.
Diverse germplasm resources are essential for crop breeding. Due to the intensive production methods of modern agriculture, a large number of local varieties of crops have been replaced by a few improved elite varieties, resulting in decreased genetic diversity of crops. Therefore, it is urgent to strengthen the collection, creation, evaluation, preservation, and utilization of germplasm resources.
Recently, the molecular breeding approach has been widely used for improving the yield, quality, and disease resistance of several crops. Compared to conventional breeding, molecular breeding is more attractive to shorten the breeding process and improve breeding efficiency. For molecular breeding, the genes, QTLs or tightly linked molecular markers are essential to deploy genomics-assisted breeding. The germplasm resources, especially the wild species and mutants, are valuable resources for gene cloning, QTL mapping, which are required for molecular breeding. Moreover, mutagenesis and genome editing could be used for validation of the target genes and creation of new germplasms which can help to widen the genetic base.
Germplasm resources are the material basis for breeding new varieties, especially for wild-related species and mutants. This Research Topic will focus on progress on the collection and evaluation of germplasm resources, creation of new germplasms, utilization of germplasms for gene cloning, and breeding new cultivars for sustainable food and nutrition security.
1. Genetic diversity and evolution study of crop germplasm resources including wild relatives, landraces, and main varieties in different historical periods. Identification of important genetic loci (gene alleles) related to crop evolution, domestication and some valuable agronomic traits.
2. Screen, phenotyping of the germplasm resources with important variation, such as ideotype, high yield, tolerance to biological/abiotic stresses, high nutrition and other interesting traits.
3. Identification of valuable genes/QTLs from the germplasm resources through genetic mapping, GWAS, next-generation sequencing and other approaches. Functional validation of target genes through genome editing or mutagenesis. Develop new DNA markers for marker-assisted selection (MAS).
4. Creation of new germplasms by mutagenesis, introgression of foreign DNAs, or chromosome fragments.
5. Mechanism study of the valuable traits in the germplasm resources and find key genes or pathways which could be used for modifying agronomic traits in future crop breeding.
With the global environmental challenge and the expanding human populations, breeding more new varieties with enhanced and sustainable yield, high level of resistance and high quality are needed to fulfill the food demand of 9.8 billion world population by 2050.
Diverse germplasm resources are essential for crop breeding. Due to the intensive production methods of modern agriculture, a large number of local varieties of crops have been replaced by a few improved elite varieties, resulting in decreased genetic diversity of crops. Therefore, it is urgent to strengthen the collection, creation, evaluation, preservation, and utilization of germplasm resources.
Recently, the molecular breeding approach has been widely used for improving the yield, quality, and disease resistance of several crops. Compared to conventional breeding, molecular breeding is more attractive to shorten the breeding process and improve breeding efficiency. For molecular breeding, the genes, QTLs or tightly linked molecular markers are essential to deploy genomics-assisted breeding. The germplasm resources, especially the wild species and mutants, are valuable resources for gene cloning, QTL mapping, which are required for molecular breeding. Moreover, mutagenesis and genome editing could be used for validation of the target genes and creation of new germplasms which can help to widen the genetic base.
Germplasm resources are the material basis for breeding new varieties, especially for wild-related species and mutants. This Research Topic will focus on progress on the collection and evaluation of germplasm resources, creation of new germplasms, utilization of germplasms for gene cloning, and breeding new cultivars for sustainable food and nutrition security.
1. Genetic diversity and evolution study of crop germplasm resources including wild relatives, landraces, and main varieties in different historical periods. Identification of important genetic loci (gene alleles) related to crop evolution, domestication and some valuable agronomic traits.
2. Screen, phenotyping of the germplasm resources with important variation, such as ideotype, high yield, tolerance to biological/abiotic stresses, high nutrition and other interesting traits.
3. Identification of valuable genes/QTLs from the germplasm resources through genetic mapping, GWAS, next-generation sequencing and other approaches. Functional validation of target genes through genome editing or mutagenesis. Develop new DNA markers for marker-assisted selection (MAS).
4. Creation of new germplasms by mutagenesis, introgression of foreign DNAs, or chromosome fragments.
5. Mechanism study of the valuable traits in the germplasm resources and find key genes or pathways which could be used for modifying agronomic traits in future crop breeding.