Harnessing Genomic Resources and Molecular Breeding Techniques for Advancing Crop Resilience and Productivity
Ravikant Soni
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University of Social Sciences, Mhow Indore, M.P., India.
Mohd Ashaq *
Department of Botany, Govt Degree College Thannamandi, District Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir -185212, India.
P. Manjunath
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Iroisemba, Central Agricultural University, Imphal, Manipur – 795004, India.
Ashoka, P.
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture (UASD) Hanumanmatti(p) Ranebennur(tq), Haveri (District)– 581 115, Karanataka State, India.
Shivam Kumar Pandey
Rashtriya Raksha University, India.
Suraj R. Hosur
College of Forestry, Sirsi UAS Dharwad, Karnataka, India.
Reemashree Das
Department of Horticulture, Assam Agricultural University, India.
Juman Das
Department of Fruit Science, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Central Agricultural University, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, India.
Ritik Raj
Department of Botany, Plant Physiology and Biochemistry (BPP&BC), Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar Pincode:848125, India.
Bal veer Singh
Department of Agronomy, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology Kanpur, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Crop improvement and adaptation are critical to ensure global food security in the face of climate change, population growth, and resource limitations. Exploiting genomic resources and molecular breeding techniques offers immense potential to accelerate the development of resilient, high-yielding crop varieties. This review provides an overview of the current state and future prospects of leveraging genomics and molecular breeding for crop improvement, with a focus on major food crops. We discuss key genomic resources such as reference genomes, transcriptomes, and pan-genomes, as well as powerful molecular breeding approaches like marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, and genome editing. Integrating these tools into crop breeding pipelines can greatly enhance the precision and efficiency of developing improved varieties with desirable traits such as abiotic stress tolerance, disease resistance, and enhanced nutritional quality. We also highlight successful examples of applying these techniques in crops like rice, wheat, maize, and legumes. Furthermore, we explore the role of big data, machine learning, and systems biology in extracting actionable insights from the vast genomic data being generated. Finally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities in translating genomic discoveries into improved crop varieties, emphasizing the need for multidisciplinary collaborations, capacity building, and public-private partnerships. Harnessing the power of genomics and molecular breeding will be pivotal in developing climate-resilient crops to feed the growing global population sustainably.
Keywords: Crop improvement, genomic resources, molecular breeding, climate resilience, food security