The impact zone: genomics and breeding for durable disease resistance

Durable disease resistance is a major but elusive goal of many crop improvement programs. Genomic approaches will have a significant impact on efforts to ameliorate plant diseases by increasing the definition of and access to genepools available for crop improvement. This approach will involve the detailed characterization of the many genes that confer resistance, as well as technologies for the precise manipulation and deployment of resistance genes. Genomic studies on pathogens are providing an understanding of the molecular basis of specificity and the opportunity to select targets for more durable resistance. There are, however, several biological and societal issues that will have to be resolved before the full impact of genomics on breeding for disease resistance is realized.