Short- and long-term challenges in crop breeding.

Abstract

In the longer term, climate change could be the sword of Damocles in agriculture. The increased CO2 concentration, the greenhouse effect and the elevated temperature not only limit crop production by directly affecting growth and development, but also bring more frequent extreme weather conditions, such as extreme heat, typhoons, forest fires, ice-sheet loss and sea level rise that seriously affect farming. Moreover, although climate changes seem to be minor every year, the pattern may change drastically when an unpredicted threshold is reached and major crops may fail to adapt. To face this scenario, we need to breed so-called ‘smart crops’ that are highly resistant to extreme weather conditions and capable of rapid adaptation to climate changes, in addition to their high yield and superior quality. This requires extensive exploration of elite genetic resources and a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying plants’ response to biotic and abiotic environmental changes. Smart crops represent novel crop varieties or even non-existing species, beyond the improved varieties of existing crops.To face these challenges, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has set three goals of crop breeding: (i) to build the capability for decoding precise genetic information, (ii) to develop tools to utilize and rewrite genetic information, and (iii) to achieve smart design and breeding of various crops. A Strategic Priority Research Program ‘Precision seed design and breeding’ has been launched and implemented by the Innovative Academy of Seed Design. This program includes the elucidation of molecular basis and development of innovative technologies for precision seed design, creation of new elite varieties by molecular design, and building-up of their platforms; all aim to meet short-term agricultural challenges and prepare for long-term ones. These challenges are enormous, requiring the continuous efforts of and collaborations among global science communities, farming companies, media, governments and all people living on the Earth.