SEEDS
A 21st Century seeds
industry
Meeting the demands of agriculture
for high-quality seeds will require
a combination of approaches which
exploits technologies such as genomics,
metabolomics, bioinformatics,
biochemistry and physiology alongside
conventional breeding and GM to shape
the future of the seeds industry,
says Dr Martin Battersby
S
ustainable agricultural productivity has Technologies of the future represent a relatively narrow genetic base,
become something of a hot topic. In the It seems clear that the adoption of new science derived from breeding lines selected in the last
last year commodity prices have surged. and technologies, and their integration into plant century over many generations on the basis of
Crop acreages are up but grain reserves breeding, will be vital to meet the challenge phenotype – particularly those characteristics
are at their lowest level for a generation, with (see Figure 1). Crop genetic manipulation (GM) related to yield. Much potentially useful genetic
US wheat stocks at a 59-year low, according to is certainly an important potential solution and, diversity has been left behind, unnoticed during
the USDA. Increasing affluence, particularly in despite its detractors, it has already delivered the process.
rapidly developing countries like China, is driving much. Step changes in crop self-protection through
unprecedented demand for high calorie diverse traits such as insect resistance could never have Yet, these desirable alleles (different versions
diets with the associated implications for more been achieved by conventional plant breeding and of a gene or trait) still exist in older ‘heirloom’
resource-intensive farming. If we factor in climate these have transformed the way that crops like varieties and wild relatives of the high-performing
change, the desire for biofuels and competition corn and soya are grown. modern cultivars but are often hidden or difficult
for scarce land and water resources arising for a breeder to use. Again, technology comes to
from demographic shifts, it’s easy to see why However, the extent of the technical challenge, our aid. Modern science-driven seeds businesses
agricultural productivity is in the news. Then, we combined with enormous expense and long- are exploiting the opportunities opened up
need to plan for a predicted global population timescales, mean that GM must be seen as by the understanding which state-of-the-art
growth of at least two billion by 2050. just one of several useful technologies. While biotechnology delivers. In particular, genomics,
new generations of GM crops with stacked metabolomics, bioinformatics, biochemistry and
Consider also that wealthier consumers want more (multiple) traits and, increasingly, quality traits for physiology are enabling us to bring these lost
choice, higher quality and greater convenience processors and consumers will continue to make a genetic treasures into the mainstream breeding
across the produce range and it’s clear that the contribution, GM approaches cannot and will not programme.
21st Century presents as many opportunities as it provide all the answers.
does challenges to our industry. Better, faster, smarter
So where are breeders focusing in the 21st To exploit such approaches, the skilled breeder
How then will seeds businesses like Syngenta’s Century? As ever, the key ‘raw material’ is today is likely to be part of a large global project
respond? genetics - yet many modern crop varieties team. Scientists in a range of disciplines seek to
www.agrow.com  •   January 2008 
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