De Novo Domestication in the Multi-Omics Era

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Genetics
• Plant Breeding

Background:

• Cereal crops, domesticated over the last 12,000 years, are vital for global food security and human health.
• Future agricultural sustainability faces significant challenges, necessitating innovative approaches.
• Wild germplasm represents a crucial, underutilized resource for crop improvement.

Approach:

• This review focuses on de novo domestication as a strategy to introduce desirable traits into wild plants.
• It emphasizes manipulating domestication-related genes with known functions.
• Understanding the genetic basis of crop evolution and causal variations is key.

Key Points:

• De novo domestication allows targeted introduction of traits into wild relatives.
• Knowledge of genetic variations and pathways aids in understanding crop evolution.
• This strategy facilitates the development of novel crop varieties.

Conclusions:

• Knowledge-driven de novo domestication holds great potential for creating sustainable new crops.
• These crops will exhibit climate resilience, high yield, and low resource requirements.
• Addressing current opportunities and barriers is essential for advancing this field.