Current challenges and future perspectives of plant and agricultural biotechnology

Arie Altman

Current challenges and future perspectives of plant and agricultural biotechnology

Arie Altman

Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

: J Plant Physiol Pathol

Abstract

While plant agricultural biotechnologies have come to fruition due to the implementation of novel molecular markerassisted crop breeding and genetic engineering, it is important to distinguish the many considerable achievements from several remaining R&D needs. At the genotype level, the use of genome mapping and omics markers resulted in impressive advances and became routine in breeding of many agricultural plants.At the phenotype level, improved agricultural techniques are continuously being developed resulting in enhanced yields and quality traits. Future directions should be aimed at solving the current major hurdles to agricultural biotechnology: Bridging the genotype-phenotype gap by improving novel highthroughput quantitative and automated selection and screening methods that focus on whole-plant physiology and quality traits. These will enhance the release of newly bred varieties to farmers and avoid long development phases and large-scale field studies; Bridging the genome-environment gap: Many desired plant traits especially stress tolerance depend on the interaction of many genes and metabolic pathways with changing environments and thus enhanced adoption of translational and Interactome research at all R&D stages should be developed; More attention should be given to epigenetic molecular events that are evolutionarily most relevant to plant adaptation to changing environments and to regeneration processes; Improving the biotechnological procedures of novel biomaterial production; Promoting transparent dialog between molecular biologists, plant physiologists, farmers, breeding companiesand the public to solve jointly the economic, sociological, legal and ethical hurdles. We thus urge the adoption of a system-bio-agriculture integrated approach to achieve substantial progress in plant biotechnology and agriculture in the 21st century.