Genomic Studies Reviewed

The availability of high throughput approaches combined with automation, the rapid increase in sequence data in the public domain, and good expertise and tools in the area of bioinformatics has made it possible for genomics to increase the efficiency of breeding. Large-scale application of genomics to breeding will result from new technologies that reduce the costs and increase the throughput of the assays. The newly developed genetic and genomics tools will however not entirely replace the conventional breeding process. This was the conclusion of Dr. Rajeev K. Varshney, senior scientist of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), and colleagues in a cover article published in the journal Trends in Biotechnology.

Varshney and colleagues critically reviewed studies using powerful tools of molecular biology particularly in cereal research. They noted that integration of genetic and genomic approaches together with modern biotechnology and bioinformatics tools is essential for an effective use of genomics in breeding. However, there are several challenges for successful exploitation of genomics-assisted breeding (GAB) which needs to be considered or tackled.

A PDF copy of the article can be obtained from Rajeev Varshney at r.k.varshney@cgiar.org.