Most Desired Plant Improvements for Agricultural Productivity

To meet the needs of an ever increasing population, plant breeders have made a list of the most important crop traits that researchers need to develop to achieve higher productivy and sustainable agriculture. Agricultural companies are starting to depend on robotics and other creative breeding techniques to achieve those goals. This was forwarded by Elizabeth Pennisi in Sowing the seeds for the ideal crop published in Science.

Among the major crop improvements identified are the development of the nutrient content of seeds and also its edible plant parts; production of hybrid seeds that can reproduce asexually; activation of warning lights when the plant is under stress; advancement in water-use and nitrogen efficiency; extension of shelf life; and mechanizing stronger pest defenses. Researchers are trying to use artificial chromosomes, RNA interference, targeted gene replacement, and robotics to achieve the ideal crop traits.

To read the full article, visit http://scienceonline.org/cgi/content/full/327/5967/802. http://scienceonline.org/cgi/content/full/327/5967/802.