Advancements in Plant Breeding Techniques

Sep 3, 2024

Plant Breeding and Genetic Variation

Overview

  • Plant breeding has played a significant role over the last 150 years in increasing food production to meet the needs of the growing global population.
  • The process involves crossing parental varieties and identifying superior offspring that combine the best gene variants (alleles).

Mechanism of Breeding

  • Meiosis and Recombination:
    • Special cell division process called meiosis allows for the combination of alleles from different genes.
    • Recombination shuffles genetic variation present in the parents through controlled breaking and rejoining of chromosomes.

Challenges in Cereal Crop Breeding

  • Major cereal crops (e.g., wheat, barley) often have large genomes.
  • Recombination mainly occurs at the ends of chromosomes, leading to:
    • 20-30% of alleles being trapped in regions of chromosomes that rarely recombine.
    • Inaccessible genetic variation that hinders breeding progress.

The Shuffle Project

  • A team of eight researchers is working on the ERC-funded project "Shuffle" to develop breakthrough technologies to improve recombination distribution along chromosomes.
  • Goal: Access currently inaccessible genetic variation to create new plant varieties with desirable alleles.

Research Approach

  • Understanding Recombination Proteins:
    • Shuffle utilizes naturally or newly created disruptive gene variants to study the functions of various proteins involved in recombination.
    • Assessing the impact of these variants on recombination frequency and patterns.

Potential Outcomes

  • Success in the Shuffle project could:
    • Allow breeders to reach inaccessible genetic variation.
    • Accelerate plant breeding progress and develop improved, resilient crops.
    • Transfer knowledge to other crops, contributing to sustainable increases in global food production.

Benefits

  • Enhancements in food production will benefit:
    • Human consumption.
    • Biodiversity.
    • Habitation.