The need to accelerate breeding for increased yield potential and better adaptation to drought and other abiotic stresses is an issue of increasing urgency. As the population continues to grow rapidly, the pressure on resources (mainly untouched land and water) is also increasing, and potential climate change poses further challenges. We discuss ways to improve the efficiency of crop breeding through a better physiological understanding by both conventional and molecular methods. Thus the review highlights the physiological basis of crop yield and its response to stresses, with special emphasis on drought. This is not just because physiology forms the basis of proper phenotyping, one of the pillars of breeding, but because a full understanding of physiology is also needed, for example, to design the traits targeted by molecular breeding approaches such as marker-assisted selection (MAS) or plant transformation or the way these traits are evaluated. Most of the information in this review deals with cereals...

Breeding for Yield Potential and Stress Adaptation in Cereals

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) starch synthase II, which is also known as starch granule protein 1 (SGP-1), plays a major role in endosperm starch synthesis. The three SGP-1 proteins, SGP-A1, B1 and D1, are produced by three homoeologous SSII genes, wSSII-A, B, and D. Lines carrying null alleles for each SGP-1 protein have previously been identified. In this report, the mutations occurring in each wSSII gene were characterized, and PCR-based DNA markers capable of detecting the mutations were developed. In the null wSSII-A allele, a 289 bp deletion accompanied by 8 bp of filler DNA was present near the initiation codon. A 175 bp insertion occurred in exon 8 of the null wSSII-B allele. The insertion represented a recently discovered miniature inverted-repeat transposable element (MITE) named Hikkoshi that was first found in a wheat waxy gene. A 63 bp deletion was found at the region surrounding the junction of the fifth exon and intron of the null wSSII-D allele. Based on this information, we designed primer sets to enable us to conduct allele-specific amplifications for each locus. The applicability of these primer sets for breeding programs was demonstrated by reconstructing a line lacking all three SGP-1 proteins using marker-assisted selection. These markers will also be useful in breeding programs aimed at obtaining partial mutants missing one or two SGP-1 proteins.

Mutations in wheat starch synthase II genes and PCR-based selection of a SGP-1 null line.

Current GM crops may not appeal to Africa because of relevance, proprietary issues, and a negative reaction towards GM foods in Europe. Nonetheless, Bt cotton may hold a promise if fair access to the technology is ensured and biosafety structures are put in place. However, Africans may continue raising the biosafety flag in order to avoid being cornered by unfair trade rules. Africans should not overstretch biosafety and socio-economic concerns to the extent of putting barriers against biotechnology adoption than the circumstances on the ground merit. African countries should build domestic capacity through formation of linkages with advanced research institutes and international organizations to make use of biotechnology. However, constraints to coordinating the existent but fragmented domestic capacity across organizational barriers ought to be overcome. In Africa, presence of vocal scientists that articulate the merits of biotechnology and experience with the private sector are positive signals and a strong political clout of the Ministry of Environment a negative signal for a GM-friendly national policy. A transparent dialogue among stakeholders should result in a shared vision required to balance GM regulation with the need to adopt available technologies and develop technological capability. Biotechnology-proficient countries may need to understand the concerns of the poor and may put the trade magic behind to reassure Africans to see biotechnology through biosafety lenses only.

The fate of politically modified crops in Africa

Genomics and plant breeding : the experience of the initiative for future agricultural and food systems. Symposium discussion and summary

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Genomics and plant breeding : the experience of the initiative for future agricultural and food systems. Symposium discussion and summary