Published 06-02-22
Submitted by Bayer
The carrot on your plate might seem like the most simple thing in the world a hardy root that has nourished humans, from kings to peasants, for generations. But as humble as it seems, the common carrot long, orange and crunchy is actually just one result of a genetic engineering project that has been going on for the last ten thousand years. In the wild, carrots are small, pale and have thin, forked roots with a strong flavor. Only centuries of selective breeding for desirable traits has given us the carrot we see today.
The fact is, a huge amount of the fruit and vegetables we take for granted never looked that way to begin with. These are the results of the great story of human agriculture, a story in which our prehistoric ancestors methodically identified plants with desirable traits the biggest, most flavorsome, or most disease resistant and cross bred them.
While individually, the changes can be minor, over time, that process has radically reshaped what we put on our plates. Consider the brassica this single plant, carefully cultivated over centuries has given us kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage and turnips.
But as remarkable as all this is, the story is far from over.
Modern Problems...
Prehistoric agriculturists made the breeding decisions they did to cope with their environment. When food was scarce, making that ear of corn more nutritious and more weather resistant could be the difference between life and death over a long and cold winter. Of course, these farmers didnt have a scientific understanding of the genetics underlying this process. Crop improvement was slow and produced random results, as genes interacted in unpredictable ways at the molecular level. Civilization and science have come a long way since then, but we face our own set of challenges.
"The world population is growing, and climate zones are changing constantly; with this there is more pressure on plants from diseases, and insects. We need scientific answers to these problems."Jonathan Jenkinson, Head of Product Design at Bayer
Theres also the small matter of commercial imperatives. It doesn't take a crop scientist to point out that we like to buy things that taste better, look edible and stay fresh on the shelf for longer, whatever the season. Probably the biggest thing that has happened to impact what's on your plate is the ability to grow and ship fruits and vegetables year round, says Tom Osborn, Head of Vegetable Analytics and Pipeline Design at Bayer.
In response, agricultural scientists and plant breeders continue to innovate, creating crop varieties adapted to different growing conditions around the world that are more nutritious, more resistant to drought, disease and other forms of environmental stress as well as prettier and tastier.
Need Modern Solutions
But unlike farmers of the past, todays plant scientists have a vastly expanded set of tools available to them, which they are using to transform how we practice plant breeding to improve the food supply.
Every year, Bayer deploys over 500 new hybrids and varieties across corn, cotton soybeans and vegetables
Phenotyping
Traditionally, the process by which farmers have bred plants has been phenotyping. Phenotyping means assessing a plant's expressed traits and then selecting the desired plants and seeds. In practical terms this means visually identifying differences within plants for example, selecting for desirable colors, sizes, or number of fruits.
Plants reproduce by pollinating themselves or each other, so all the traditional agriculturist needed was to plant the seeds of the healthiest of their crop, and then they would grow, and fertilize each other, leading to a new generation of plants with the range of inherited traits contained in the parents. Though an imprecise science selective breeding could often produce random results as breeders had limited knowledge of the genetic mechanisms at work over time it led to significantly improved products. However, traditional plant breeding has seen significant changes over the last 15 years due to the introduction of genetic sequencing.
Genotyping
Now rather than just being able to see the results of breeding through phenotyping, we can see what happens to the structure of DNA and know why these changes occur in the plant at a genetic level this is called genotyping. And thanks to recent developments in genetic science (three decades of rapid improvement in genetic technologies in order to understand human genetics and health), mapping out the DNA of humans, animals, plants and all living organisms is quicker and cheaper than ever.
This means that scientists are now using technology to identify individual genes within plants, giving them a deep understanding of exactly what clusters of DNA are responsible for certain traits and characteristics. This gives scientists an unprecedented ability to develop seed varieties for specific environments and markets.
Want a strain of corn that is specifically resistant to your drought? Thanks to genotyping, a plant breeder could go in and identify which parts of the DNA strand can give resistance to that, and only breed seeds with those genetics. Breeders can then select those seeds, and distribute them as a standalone or product.
Gene Editing
Gene editing has the potential to solve real challenges for farmers and the planet, like reducing the need for pesticides and the use of energy, land, and water. In agriculture, this process typically looks to improve a beneficial trait within an organism, or to remove an undesirable trait. For years, gene editing was done through selective breeding in plants. But now we can make changes with more precision than ever before.
Gene editing tools, like CRISPR, are already helping researchers to make improvements within plant DNA. These tools have the potential to offer unmatched precision to farmers, allowing them to grow enough food while confidently reducing their use of natural resources. Its important to note, as well, that although plant breeding is a form of genetic engineering, it is not the same as genetic modification, or GM.
Data Analytics
And its not just about the seeds themselves. Coupled with broader technological improvements into data gathering and analysis, the process by which genes are selected and new crops make it into fields and onto your table is more efficient than ever before. If we can use data to make a better decision today about which corn hybrids to produce over the winter, that can get us to a new commercial product much faster, says Jonathan Jenkinson.
For him, who spent years working on-site in plant breeding programs, the result is significant. When I started researching in the field, I had to save all the seed from every plot and put it in a bag, and then take it back to the building where our facilities were. That meant moving about 30 tons of seed by hand, in the form of little bags that weighed three kilograms each. And that, of course, slowed the time-to-market right down.
Thanks to the development of modern data capture and analytics techniques, today its a very different story and thats good news for global farmers who are looking for solutions. In the last 30 years, it's probably gone from a time to market of 11 to 13 years, down to 6 or 7 years, says Jonathan.
As communities continue to fight poverty, hunger and malnutrition, its our responsibility to expand the reach and impact of Bayers global breeding resources. We approach this in a number of ways, but chief among them are the ways that we work outside of our walls to improve the seeds available to global farmers including partnerships aimed at knowledge-sharing, and germplasm and data contributions.
Why Collaboration is Key
Innovations in plant breeding have advanced the prosperity of civilizations for centuries. Continuously improving seeds to grow more resilient and high-yielding, more nutritious crops remains one of agricultures strongest tools in fighting hunger and supporting the farmers who feed communities around the world. Bayer develops crops using cutting edge breeding technologies and an expansive library of germplasm. And even with the resources of a market leader, the challenges facing agriculture cant be tackled by a single player alone. Having diverse germplasm living genetic resources such as seeds or plant tissues that are maintained for the purpose of plant breeding and preservation to tap into when developing new seed varieties makes plant breeders more successful in solving the problems facing global farmers and thats where collaboration comes in.
And thats why Bayer contributes germplasm and genetic characterization data to other research programs around the world. The donation is intended to facilitate the incorporation of underutilized genetic diversity into modern maize breeding programs including organizations that help improve regional crops for smallholders based on regional needs.
Donating germplasm isnt the only way that Bayer collaborates. Since 2020, Bayer has partnered with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture to launch the Modern Breeding Project, focused on realizing crop resilience and yield potential for cassava, maize, cowpea, banana, yam, and soybean to support crop productivity, economic growth, and poverty reduction for African agriculture.
The project builds capacity and scale by leveraging insights from Bayers breeding program models and best practices. Our shared goals in leveraging research and product development are providing new solutions towards food security and empowering African scientists and farmers, supporting Africa rising to achieve the grand challenges in the face of climate change while developing new ways of working in a dynamic food system, says Stella Salvo, Head of Breeding Partnerships for Smallholder Farming at Bayer. Our Bayer breeding teams engage in sharing best practices in breeding program management, design and use of digital tools that will support the IITAs research priorities and product outputs.
The Breeding Story Continues
And thats not all. Crop scientists currently consider themselves to be moving from the third generation of breeding, powered by genomic knowhow, and into a fourth generation. The goal is to build more flavorful, sustainable, and high yielding crops, which are more resilient against climate change from the ground up. And scientists they will do this for example by harnessing the targeted abilities of gene editing techniques.
I would say the fourth era of breeding will be what were calling precision breeding at Bayer, says Jonathan. Weve become really good at knowing how to find the best traits; that's what we perfected over the last 30 years. But precision breeding seeks to fundamentally change that entire approach. Instead of selecting the best traits, we are moving to an era where can actually design what's going to be the best from the very beginning.
View original content here
Bayer: Science For A Better Life
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2015, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of EUR 46.3 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.6 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.3billion. These figures include those for the high-tech polymers business, which was floated on the stock market as an independent company named Covestro on October 6, 2015. For more information, go to http://www.bayer.com.
More from Bayer
See the rest here:
Survival of the Best: The Past, Present and Future of Plants - CSRwire.com
- 1st draft of a human 'pangenome' published, adding millions of ... - May 17th, 2023
- A Brief Guide to Genomics - National Human Genome Research Institute - May 17th, 2023
- Human genetics - Immunogenetics | Britannica - April 23rd, 2023
- A Troublesome Inheritance - Wikipedia - April 23rd, 2023
- Human - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - January 29th, 2023
- Human Genetics and Genomics Training Program - Hopkins Medicine - January 4th, 2023
- Genetics vs. Genomics Fact Sheet - Genome.gov - December 18th, 2022
- Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, PhD - Johns Hopkins University - December 18th, 2022
- Race (human categorization) - Wikipedia - December 2nd, 2022
- Human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup - Wikipedia - November 24th, 2022
- Abstracts | International Congress of Human Genetics 2023 - November 24th, 2022
- Human genetic variation - Wikipedia - November 6th, 2022
- Genetics | The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program - October 29th, 2022
- Fluent BioSciences showcasing breakthrough solutions to enable unprecedented scale, cost-efficiency and access for single-cell RNA sequencing at the... - October 29th, 2022
- Researchers seek to unravel the mystery of susceptibility to drug addiction - Newswise - October 4th, 2022
- NIH initiative to systematically investigate and establish function of every human gene - National Institutes of Health (.gov) - October 4th, 2022
- ANGPTL7, a therapeutic target for increased intraocular pressure and glaucoma | Communications Biology - Nature.com - October 4th, 2022
- Does obesity have more to do with the brain than we initially thought? - Medical News Today - October 4th, 2022
- Who will get the call from Stockholm? It's time for STAT's 2022 Nobel Prize predictions - STAT - October 4th, 2022
- Solving medical mysteries: Physicians and researchers collaborate to study the most challenging cases - AAMC - October 4th, 2022
- Mystery gene matures the skeleton of the cell - EurekAlert - October 4th, 2022
- What Is The Most Important factor Driving The Global Human Genetics Market? - PharmiWeb.com - September 25th, 2022
- How Africa's genetic diversity can be harnessed to close the continent's 'drug and treatment gap' - Genetic Literacy Project - September 25th, 2022
- Ability to move to the pulse of music has genetic link - DTNEXT - September 25th, 2022
- Is the Spike Protein Changing Our Gene Expression? - The Epoch Times - September 25th, 2022
- How prehistoric DNA is helping to unlock the secrets of human evolution - EL PAS USA - September 25th, 2022
- Personalised medicine and the advantages of big data and AI-based diagnostics - Medical Device Network - September 25th, 2022
- Viewpoint: In the post Roe v Wade world, what changes should a biology textbook writer make to address the medical repercussions of Dobbs? - Genetic... - September 25th, 2022
- Bears' ability to regulate insulin narrowed down to eight proteins WSU Insider - WSU News - September 25th, 2022
- Sex, Selection and Biodiversity - Syracuse.edu - Syracuse University - September 25th, 2022
- Was the Russian Flu the first coronavirus pandemic? Find out at next Science Caf - University of Nebraska at Kearney - September 25th, 2022
- University of Chicago South Side Science Fest created to show off the fun, myriad pathways into field. - Chicago Tribune - September 25th, 2022
- The genetics of human personality - PubMed - August 14th, 2022
- Genetics - The Harvey Institute for Human Genetics - GBMC HealthCare in ... - August 14th, 2022
- Degrees of the Future 2022: Genetics - Gizmodo - August 14th, 2022
- U of U Health-Led Research Awarded $28 Million to Explore HIV's Inner Workings and Vulnerabilities - University of Utah Health Care - August 14th, 2022
- Revisiting Companies That Had Their IPO in 2018 - Investment U - August 14th, 2022
- Monkeypox Myth Busting: Here's What You Need to Know - The Mighty - August 14th, 2022
- Relay Therapeutics Reports Second Quarter 2022 Financial Results and Corporate Highlights - Yahoo Finance - August 5th, 2022
- Baylor receives NCI grant to study liver cancer risk and prevention - Baylor College of Medicine News - August 5th, 2022
- Whole Exome Sequencing Market reach a valuation of US$ 4,256.30 Mn, at a CAGR of 19.24% in the Forecast 2030 - BioSpace - August 5th, 2022
- Mendels Genetic Revolution and the Legacy of Scientific Racism - NewsClick - August 5th, 2022
- AMGEN TO ACQUIRE CHEMOCENTRYX FOR $4 BILLION IN CASH - BioSpace - August 5th, 2022
- Cotton Buds Market Value Is Estimated to Reach USD 747.16 BN By 2028, With 3.2% CAGR Credence Research - Digital Journal - August 5th, 2022
- Verve Therapeutics Shares Up 84%; ARKG Offers Exposure - ETFdb.com - July 27th, 2022
- Double up on the guac? Those avocados are good for your heart health - American Heart Association - July 27th, 2022
- Extending the PAX1 spectrum: a dominantly inherited variant causes oculo-auriculo-vertebral syndrome | European Journal of Human Genetics - Nature.com - July 27th, 2022
- Scientists Unravel the Mystery of Junk Genes That Are Key to Brain Development - SciTechDaily - July 27th, 2022
- COVID-19 Can Make the Brain Age by 2 Decades; Here's 1 Way to Reverse Aging - The Epoch Times - July 27th, 2022
- Mice Model Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Type, Service, Technology, Indication, End User, Application, and Mode -... - July 27th, 2022
- Master's Degree in Human Genetics | Human Genetics | Michigan Medicine ... - July 11th, 2022
- Here's how the $100 Human Genome will Change Medicine - BioSpace - July 11th, 2022
- Genomic medicine: the role of the nursing workforce - Nursing Times - July 11th, 2022
- AbbVie Half Breaks Up with Alector on Alzheimer's - BioSpace - July 11th, 2022
- The human identification market size is projected to reach - GlobeNewswire - July 11th, 2022
- Global wheat production can be doubled to feed millions and save land, say scientists - Sky News - July 11th, 2022
- Huntsville native among TIMEs 100 most influential people - WHNT News 19 - July 3rd, 2022
- New hope for IVF patients as global study published in Human Reproduction shows AI can effectively assess genetic integrity of embryos - Yahoo Finance - July 3rd, 2022
- A Week At The Most Secretive Conference On Aging - Forbes - July 3rd, 2022
- Human genetics shape the gut microbiome - PMC - June 13th, 2022
- expert reaction to a conference abstract on retinal screening predicting risk of myocardial infarction - Science Media Centre - June 13th, 2022
- New Comprehensive Map Ties Every Human Gene to Its Function - SciTechDaily - June 13th, 2022
- Buffalo shooters manifesto quoted a university researcher. Thats raising questions about racism in academia - Yahoo News - June 13th, 2022
- Thalidomide could be used as a therapeutic for AVMs - Cosmos - June 13th, 2022
- How Electric Fish Were Able to Evolve Electric Organs - UT News - University of Texas - June 4th, 2022
- AMGEN ANNOUNCES WEBCAST OF 2022 JEFFERIES HEALTHCARE CONFERENCE | News | wfmz.com - 69News WFMZ-TV - June 4th, 2022
- Experts Discover New Disease Caused by Faulty Genes Affecting the Kidney and Liver: Newcastle University Study - Nature World News - June 4th, 2022
- At-Home Colorectal Cancer Testing and Follow-Up Vary by Ethnicity - Medscape - June 4th, 2022
- Who is your real parent? Our Father on Netflix depicts the dark side of 'secret serial sperm donation'. My birth has a similar origin but with a more... - June 4th, 2022
- Autism and the complete human genome: Q&A with Evan Eichler | Spectrum - Spectrum - May 15th, 2022
- Increased Mutations in Children Can Be Traced Back to Mistakes in Father's Sperm - Neuroscience News - May 15th, 2022
- Not All Is Rosy For The Pink Pigeon - Eurasia Review - May 15th, 2022
- Why haven't we cloned a human yet? - Livescience.com - May 15th, 2022
- Study probes the relationship between genetics, proteins, and disease risk - The Hub at Johns Hopkins - May 15th, 2022
- Singular Genomics Announces Formation of Scientific Advisory Board - BioSpace - May 15th, 2022
- COVID Resistance Might Be Tied To Genetics: Experts - Medical Daily - May 15th, 2022
- Letter: Why no to Roe and abortion - INFORUM - May 15th, 2022
- Gut Microbiome Composition Predictive of Patient Response to Statins - Business Wire - May 15th, 2022
- Finding A Place In Science - Texas A&M Today - Texas A&M University Today - May 15th, 2022
- Parag Agrawals wife Vineeta linked with Musks Twitter takeover - The Siasat Daily - May 15th, 2022