Applying The Breeding Technology Revolution To The Acceleration Of Genetic Gains For Major Food Crops In The Developing World

Systems assaying thousands of DNA polymorphisms per individual at low cost, algorithms  integrating field and genetic data, mechanization of field trial management and automation of data collection, are revolutionizing commercial plant breeding in temperate regions, dramatically increasing throughput, making selection more accurate, and shortening breeding cycles.  Together, these elements constitute a revolution that is rapidly accelerating the rate of genetic improvement of major crops, particularly corn and soybeans, in the developed world. The next phase of this revolution, rapid-cycle genomic selection, has the potential to double current rates of gain.  Because of their complexity and the substantial up-front investments needed, these new crop improvement systems are being applied much more slowly or not at all by the small public and private sector programs serving the food crops on which the poor depend in Africa and South Asia. Delivering the benefits of the breeding technology revolution to the poorest smallholders and consumers will require support for the adoption of low-cost, high density genotyping systems, the development of new collaborative platforms for breeding informatics and statistical analysis, backstopping for the scaling up and automation of phenotyping and field data  collection, and the education of a new cadre of highly skilled plant breeding professionals in developing countries who can independently adapt and apply the new tools to their local conditions. Models wherein a centralized service manages genotyping, prediction, and rapid-cycle population improvement, with regional partners manage phenotyping and commercialization, appear suited to the delivery of the breeding technology revolution to the developing world.