ABSTRACT
Advances in biology augur a third agricultural revolution. The beginnings of inquiries into gene structure can be traced to the 1860s. The resolution of the structure of DNA was followed by a race that unraveled the genetic code and the discovery of restriction endonucleases that snip gene sequences and plasmid vectors that transfer them across barriers considered unbridgeable by even the most credulous imaginations.
Tissue culture for breeding application was developed in the 1950s and became popular in the 1960s. Today, micropropagation and in vitro conservation are standard techniques, especially those with vegetative propagation. Embryo rescue, cell fusion, and somatic hybridization provide new intergeneric hybrids. Micropropagation is used to multiply noble plants such as those that have been genetically modified (GM) or bred through conventional plant breeding methods.
That era of genetic engineering began in the early 1980s with the production of transgenic plants using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. By 1996, the commercialization of transgenic crops demonstrated the successful integration of biotechnology into plant-breeding and crop-improvement programs. The recent impacts of GM crops are increase yield by about 20%, reduced pesticide quantity and or costs by about 40%, and farmer profit by about 65%. The latest genome editing technologies comprise a set of molecular tools that lead to the targeted modification of a specific DNA sequence within the genome of interest. Homologous recombination is error-free and can be used to precisely edit DNA sequences or to insert DNA fragments in a given genomic position. The almost limitless number of sophisticated molecular markers contributed decisively to the acceleration of breeding processes. “Omics” aim at the collective characterization and quantification of pools of biological molecules that translate into the structure, function, and dynamics of an organism. Functional genomics aims at identifying the functions of as many genes as possible of a given organism. The application of new biotechniques, in addition to conventional plant breeding, boost yields of crops that feed the world.
