Agriculture is an essential pillar that sustains global populations, yet it faces threats such as climate change and pests that can adversely affect crop health and yield. To address these blocks, agrigenomics emerges as a cutting-edge technology that uses genetic insights to overcome challenges in agriculture. In this blog, we will learn how this innovative technology improves crop productivity, and health and fuels other innovations in the agriculture field.
Let’s get started!
What is Agrigenomics?
Agrigenomics, also known as agricultural genomics, refers to the application of genomics in agriculture to improve crop and livestock productivity. It also offers sustainability and ensures food security. It involves the use of modern technologies and genomic tools to identify genetic characteristics associated with desirable traits in plants and animals. With information on the genetic makeup of agricultural species, researchers, breeders, and farmers can make informed decisions about cultivation, breeding, and selection processes.
7 Major Benefits of Agrigenomics
Agriculture genomics offers several benefits for improving the food supply and agricultural practices. Seven key benefits include:
- It helps plant and animal breeders identify desirable traits and achieve healthier and more productive crops and livestock.
- It accelerates the development of crops with promising agronomic traits, such as increased yield, drought or heat tolerance, and reduced pesticide use.
- It can boost sustainable production in agriculture by addressing the challenges of feeding the growing global population and adapting to changing climates.
- This technology allows farmers, breeders, and researchers to quickly find genetic markers, enabling informed cultivation and breeding decisions.
- It contributes to the improvement of food quality by enhancing the nutritional content and other desirable characteristics of crops and livestock.
- It helps develop crops and livestock with improved disease resistance, reducing the need for chemical interventions.
- It helps enhance the productivity of livestock and crop production, leading to higher yields and more efficient resource utilization.
Where is Agrigenomics Used?
Agricultural genomics is used in various areas of agriculture and animal sciences. Take a look at some key applications below:
● Trait Screening
Agrigenome technologies are used to screen and identify desirable traits in plants and animals, such as disease resistance, yield potential, and nutritional content.
● Marker-Assisted Breeding
Genomics in agriculture enables breeders to use genetic markers to guide the selection of desirable traits in plants and animals, accelerating the breeding process.
● Parentage Testing
Agricultural genomics is used to determine the parentage of plants and animals to ensure accurate pedigree records and facilitate breeding programs.
● Increasing Agricultural Yields
By understanding the genetic makeup of plants and animals, agrigenomics can aid in developing high-yielding varieties and breeds.
● Enhancing Food Quality
Genomics in agriculture contributes to improving the quality of food by identifying genetic markers associated with desirable characteristics, such as taste, texture, and nutritional value.
● Crop and Livestock Health
Genomics helps safeguard the health of crops and livestock by identifying genetic markers associated with disease resistance and susceptibility and enabling targeted breeding and management strategies.
Can NGS Predict True Genetic Merit in Agrigenomics?
The Agrigenomics market has greatly benefited from the advancements in next-generation sequencing technology. NGS is a sequencing technology that provides high throughput, speed, and scalability. It allows researchers to ascertain the order of nucleotides in entire genomes or specific regions of RNA or DNA.
Notably, NGS helps researchers and breeders analyze agricultural species and understand the genetic variation influencing phenotypes. It also evaluates and predicts the genetic merit of plants and animals, enabling informed decisions about selection and health. In this field, AgriGenome Labs offers a comprehensive range of NGS services utilizing multiple sequencing platforms. Its PacBio Sequel, MiSeq, Illumina HiSeq, and Oxford Nanopore Technology are popular in agriculture. It also provides end-to-end solutions for NGS projects in agricultural genomics, working with scientists and bioinformaticians to deliver reliable, high-quality results.
Can Gene-edited Crops Make Livestock Disease Free?
Gene-edited crops have emerged as a significant advancement in agrigenomics. Gene editing technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas9, allow scientists to make precise modifications to the DNA of plants, resulting in targeted changes to specific genes or traits. They hold the potential to address various challenges in agriculture, such as climate change, food security, nutrition, and crop and livestock diseases.
Gene-edited crops can introduce disease resistance in crops, addressing challenges like reduced allergenicity and longer shelf life. The best examples of gene-edited crops are high oleic soybeans and high fiber wheat by Calyxt, Inc. The company has collaborated with Cibus to develop the Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS®), a new class of productivity traits in seeds to address the sustainability of farming.
In Conclusion
Agrigenomics represents a novel field that combines genomics, agriculture, and advanced technology to change the way we approach crop improvement and livestock breeding. It helps researchers and breeders gain deeper insights into the genetic makeup of plants and animals and facilitates the development of more resilient and productive varieties.
With advancements in next-generation sequencing and gene-edited crops, agrigenomics is poised to boost sustainable agriculture, food security, and overall agricultural yields. The use of genetics in agriculture addresses global challenges and paves the way for a more efficient and resilient agricultural future.