34 / SEEDWORLD.COM FEBRUARY 2018 IT’S NO SECRET that a rapidly growing population that may reach nearly 10 billion people by 2050 is expected to put a strain on the world’s food supply. And not only will we need more food, but it will have to be grown in areas that haven’t traditionally grown crops or that are dealing with the effects of a changing global climate. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) expects advances in plant breeding to play a significant role in addressing those needs. Parag Chitnis, deputy director of NIFA, outlined the agency’s vision in a presen- tation to the National Association of Plant Breeders, emphasizing the importance of data utilization, genomics, technology-ena- bled phenotyping, and cutting-edge gene-editing technology. “It’s really an exciting time because new ways of breeding crops are coming into place,” Chitnis says. “Bringing new crop varieties to the producers in a shorter time frame is something these technologies will help breeders do.” In addition to speeding the process from initial crosses to farmable crops and increasing yield, Chitnis says breeders will be diversifying the types of foods people eat and improving their nutritional content. “Even though we are talking about needing more food in the future, it’s not just the quantity; it’s the complexity of the demand that is changing,” Chitnis says. “Agriculture is changing. People are changing. Places where food is grown are changing. The types of food we grow are changing. Breeders need to be thinking about producing different varieties that will grow under different conditions.” Geoff Graham, vice president of global plant breeding for DowDuPont Agricultural Division, says his company is focused on delivering on many of those needs. “Those are the types of things where you can use plant breeding to select for these growing areas,” Graham says. “What always amazes me is that the power of selection to make prod- ucts better and expand their regions of adaptation.” He points to selection for corn hybrids adapted to short grow- ing seasons like Western Canada that mature in approximately 70 days, far quicker than 110 day hybrids for the Central Corn Belt. Greg Doonan, head of novel algorithm advancement at Syngenta, says the ability to utilize data and push the envelope of technology are key to making big gains in crop production. “In order to improve the output of the major crops in the world, there needs to be this focus on data analytics and novel focused research,” Doonan says. “We need to accelerate that. We need to improve our genetic gain.” While there is agreement on the role data and technology will play in improving crops, Wayne Smith, a professor at Texas A&M University and president of the National Association of Plant Breeders, believes expanding the types of crops is a larger chal- lenge, mostly because of money. “If we cannot find continuous funding for a wheat program or a peanut program or an apple program, how are we going to find consistent enough funding for an amaranth program?” he says. “That’s a steep hill to climb. You’re not going to go find some plant that our ancestors decided not to carry forward as a food source thousands of years ago, and in a short timeframe make it a food source.” Smith does see a significant opportunity for breeders in developed countries to make major strides in nutrition. While many countries are still working to significantly improve yield, he sees places like the United States poised to take advantage of lower costs associated with testing for nutritional values in foods. “You don’t have to go back too many years before it was a major expense and slow, slow process to determine protein con- tent in food or the fatty acid profile of an oilseed, for example,” Smith says. “We’re going to have the opportunity to develop Technology will be key to improving crops more quickly to feed a growing world. Brian Wallheimer brian.wallheimer@gmail.com NIFA LAYS OUT VISION FOR FUTURE PLANT BREEDING