Agrigenomics is the use of genomics in agriculture, and it has continued to provide sustainable products and more solutions to the growing demands of feeding the global population. Researchers and farmers can pinpoint the genetic elements associated with desirable traits to inform breeding and cultivation decisions thanks to breeding technologies.
Identifying crops, livestock, and past genomes has improved crop productivity and disease resistance. Here are some of the applications of agrigenomics.
Crops and animal genomics
Scientists utilize genotyping and next-generation sequencing technologies to research more about agricultural species, which helps them better understand the genetic variation impacting phenotypes. Thankfully, today’s researchers have a wide range of modern technology at their disposal for studying animal and plant genomics. An accurate study of the genetic impact on traits and diseases is crucial whether you are interested in livestock or plants.
For instance, microarray and next-generation sequencing are useful technologies in agricultural genomics. They are used to study different traits of plants and animals, including gene expression, genotype, epigenetics, and regulation. They provide the much-needed throughput, sensitivity, and precision for evaluating genetic markets to discover the ones associated with specific traits or diseases.
Commercial agriculture
The power of agrigenomics is also seen in applications for commercial agriculture like parentage testing, trait screening, and marker-assisted backcrossing. The technology helps scientists and breeders assess and predict genetic merit. For instance, next-generation sequencing and genotyping technologies are some of the applications revolutionizing animal breeding.
In the modern sector of commercial agriculture, genetic information has replaced physical screening in different applications like selective breeding. Researchers use genetic markers associated with certain value traits to screen large numbers of progeny to pinpoint those with desirable characteristics. For instance, iterative population screening simplifies progeny’s segregation with desired traits for use in breeding stock.
Trait screening is handy for multigenic traits that are challenging to handle using traditional propagation and breeding techniques or challenging to identify phenotypically.
The importance of agrigenomics
Agrigenomics is a crucial driver of sustainable agricultural practices and helps improve food production to solve the challenges of feeding the global population. In other words, genomic technologies have revolutionized the breeding of crops and animals.
Genotyping and next-generation sequencing technologies allow researchers to study more agricultural species. That helps them better understand the genetic variations influencing phenotypes and the genetic markets of desirable traits to inform breeding and cultivation practices.
For example, applying genomics to study plants grown in Subsaharan Africa and Asia can result in game-changing breakthroughs that support more resilient crops to feed the residents of these areas. Agrigenomics also comes in handy in applications like food safety to accurately trace beef, poultry, pork, and seafood products right from the fork to farms.
Summing up
Considering the changing environment, increasing populations, and the evolving demands for nutrition, the need to optimize agricultural genomics increases. Applying agrigenomics to the management and breeding of crops and livestock enables researchers to discover new opportunities for developing sustainable food production practices and addressing the existing challenges.