Washington, DC
January 9, 2008
Source:
The National Academy
The first 10 years of the National
Plant Genome Initiative have seen revolutionary breakthroughs in
genome sequencing for various plants and their pathogens, but
this is only the first step to understanding how plants work and
ultimately producing plants that can overcome environmental
limitations, says a new report by the National Research Council.
Achievements of the National
Plant Genome Initiative and New Horizons in Plant Biology
Plant genome sciences, and plant
biology as a whole, contribute significantly to human health,
energy security, and environmental stewardship. The National
Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI) has been funding and coordinating
plant genome research among agencies successfully for nine years
to understand how plants function and how to
develop desirable plant characteristics. Research breakthroughs
from NPGI and the National Science Foundation’s (NSF)
Arabidopsis 2010 Project, such as how the plant immune system
controls pathogen defense, demonstrate that the plant genome
science community is vibrant and capable of driving
technological advancement. Therefore, these programs should
continue in order to increase the contribution of plant science
to vital areas of national interest.
Report in brief:
http://dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/plant_genome.pdf
To purchase the full report:
http://www.nas.edu/morenews/20080109.html
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