Generating solutions

Selective breeding improves plant and animal products by identifying desirable traits such as quality, yield, and ability to grow in difficult conditions, ensuring that there is sufficient production for food, fuel and raw materials. Factors like climate change and population growth are making selective breeding more important than ever. The genomic composition of each organism is such that it is either well- or poorly- adapted to their environment. Predicting the genetic value of an individual organism has become one of the largest challenges facing the plant genetics research community. Drs. Lewis Lukens and Cortland Griswold are using bioinformatics tools to understand how organisms that adapt well to their environments can be selected to accelerate the development of new plant varieties.