Molecular Breeding in Wheat, Maize and Sorghum: Strategies for Improving Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Yield

Abiotic stresses such as climate change and yield losses affect wheat, maize, and sorghum production. Molecular breeding technologies offer hope for improving crop yields, but there is still a need to bridge the gap between favorable and stressful conditions. This book provides valuable information for scientists and plant breeders working on these crops.

Format: Hardback
Length: 552 pages
Publication date: 02 July 2021
Publisher: CABI Publishing

The world's population is expected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, resulting in a significant increase in the demand for food and feed. To meet this demand, the production of wheat, maize, and sorghum, three key cereals that provide nutrition for a large portion of the global population, will need to increase by 70%. However, the production of these crops is faced with numerous abiotic stresses, including drought, heat, and pests, which cause significant yield losses. Additionally, the effects of climate change are exacerbating these stresses, leading to more frequent and severe occurrences.

In response to these challenges, molecular breeding technologies offer a promising solution for improving crop yields. These technologies involve the manipulation of genes to enhance crop traits such as stress tolerance and yield. While significant progress has been made in this field in recent years, there is still a significant gap between yields in favorable and stressful conditions.

This book serves as a valuable resource for scientists working in the areas of wheat, maize, and sorghum breeding, molecular biology, physiology, and biotechnology. It presents the latest in-depth research in abiotic stress tolerance and yield improvements, providing valuable information for plant breeders to develop new varieties of these crops that are more resilient to environmental stresses.

The book is organized into five chapters, covering various aspects of abiotic stress tolerance and yield improvements. The first chapter provides an overview of the challenges faced by wheat, maize, and sorghum production, including the effects of abiotic stresses and climate change. The second chapter discusses the molecular mechanisms underlying abiotic stress tolerance and yield improvements in these crops. The third chapter explores the application of molecular breeding technologies in improving crop yields, including marker-assisted selection, gene editing, and transgenesis. The fourth chapter discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with the commercialization of molecular-bred crops. The fifth chapter provides a summary of the key findings and recommendations from the book.

Overall, this book is a valuable resource for plant breeders and crop scientists working on the challenges of enhanced crop productivity and climate change adaptability. It provides a consolidated reference for these fields, covering the latest research and technologies in abiotic stress tolerance and yield improvements. By leveraging the power of molecular breeding, we can develop crops that are more resilient to environmental stresses, ensuring food security for a growing global population.

Weight: 1480g
Dimension: 178 x 249 x 33 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789245431