Plant genomics – a way forward?

Summary in the original language of the document

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. Diseases of plants cause significant losses in crop yield and quality. Plants contain a battery of genes whose role is to prevent pathogens invading. Their effective use in crop plants is very important in crop production and especially in chemical free cropping systems. Such genes are introduced into crop varieties by plant breeding. The new science of genomics may enable scientists to recognise all the resistance genes present in a plant. This will eventually allow plant breeders to more precisely and rapidly select useful resistant plants in their breeding programmes. Furthermore, genomics could enable effective deployment of these genes in cropping systems, so providing more durable resistance.