Setaria As A Model Genetic System To Accelerate Yield Increases In Cereals Forage Crops And Bioenergy Grasses

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Genetics and Breeding for Productivity Traits in Forage and Bioenergy Grasses" that was published in Agronomy

Setaria viridis and S.italica make up a model grass system to investigate C4 photosynthesis, cell wall biosynthesis, responses to drought, herbicide, and other environmental stressors, genome dynamics, developmental genetics and morphology, and interactions with microorganisms. Setaria viridis (green foxtail) is one of the world’s most widespread weeds, and its small size, native variation, rapidly burgeoning genetic and genomic resources, and transformability are making it the system of choice for both basic research and its translation into crop improvement. Its domesticated variant, S. italica (foxtail millet), is a drought-hardy cereal grown in China, India and Africa, and new breeding techniques show great potential for improving yields and nutrition for drought-prone regions. This book brings together for the first time evolutionary, genomic, genetic, and morphological analyses, together with protocols for growing and transforming Setaria, and approaches to high throughput genotyping and candidate gene analysis. Authors include major Setaria researchers from both the USA and overseas.

Feeding Asia in the 21st century will require a second Green Revolution. However, unlike in the first generation, future yield increases will have to be grown using less water and nitrogen in a world of unfavorable climate change ? this can only be done by increasing the efficiency of the photosynthetic system, i.e. developing a C4 rice plant. If and when achieved, it would be the first nonevolutionary example of reconstructing the primary metabolism of a plant. The impact of such a scientific achievement would be undeniable, but it requires either a superb feat of genetic engineering or forced evolution.This book describes the alternative ways of achieving C4 photosynthesis in rice. Featuring contributions from leading experts, case studies are used to present views on how C4 rice might be constructed and applied, along with the socioeconomic implications that it entails. Ultimately, readers will be better informed about this highly relevant and timely topic of improving rice yield in a global environment grappling with unpredictable climate change.