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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Produce Safety and Microbiology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #294177
Title: The need for agriculture phenotyping: “Moving from genotype to phenotype”

Author
item Boggess, Mark
item Lippolis, John
item Hurkman Ii, William
item Fagerquist, Clifton - Keith
item BRIGGS, STEVE - University Of California
item GOMES, ALDRIN - University Of California
item RIGHETTI, PIER GIORGIO - University Of Milano
item BALA, KUMAR - National Institute Of Food And Agriculture (NIFA)

Submitted to: Journal of Proteomics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/19/2013
Publication Date: 4/2/2013
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/61353
Citation: Boggess, M.V., Lippolis, J.D., Hurkman II, W.J., Fagerquist, C.K., Briggs, S.P., Gomes, A.V., Righetti, P., Bala, K. 2013. The need for agriculture phenotyping: “Moving from genotype to phenotype”. Journal of Proteomics. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jptot.2013.3.021.

Interpretive Summary: This review focuses on the global demand for increased agricultural productivity arising from population growth and how we can address this challenge using biotechnology. With a population well above seven million humans, in a very unbalanced nutritional state (20% overwieght, 20% risking starvation) drastic measures have to be taken at the political,infrastructure and scientific levels. While we cannot influence politics, it is our duty as scientists to see what can be done to feed humanity. Hence we highlight the transformational change in the use of biotechnology tools over traditional methods to increase agricultural productivity (plant and animal). Specifically, this review deals at length on a how a three-pronged attach, namely combined genomics, proteomics and metabolomics, can help ensure global food security and safety.

Technical Abstract: Increase in the world population has called for the increased demand for agricultural productivity. Traditional methods to augment crop and animal production are facing exacerbating pressures in keeping up with population growth. This challenge has in turn led to the transformational change in the use of biotechnology tools to meet increased productivity for both plant and animal systems. Although many challenges exist, the use of proteomic techniques to understand agricultural problems is steadily increasing. This review discusses the impact of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and phenotypes on plant, animal and bacterial systems to achieve global food security and safety and we highlight examples of intra- and extramural research work that is currently being done to increase agricultural productivity. This review focuses on the global demand for increased agricultural productivity arising from population growth and how we can address this challenge using biotechnology. With a population well above seven billion humans, in a very unbalanced nutritional state (20% overweight, 20% risking starvation) drastic measures have to be taken at the political, infrastructure and scientific levels. While we cannot influence politics, it is our duty as scientists to see what can be done to feed humanity. Hence we highlight the transformational change in the use of biotechnology tools over traditional methods to increase agricultural productivity (plant and animal). Specifically, this review deals at length on how a three-pronged attack, namely combined genomics, proteomics and metabolomics, can help to ensure global food security and safety.