China
November 18, 2008
Source:
Chinese
Academy of Sciences
Botanists advocate more support to
the studies of chromosomal engineering in plants at a recent
session of the Xiangshan Science Conferences (XSSC). Under the
theme of chromosome engineering of plants and molecular breeding
of crops, the 330th session of XSSC convened from 14 to 16
October, 2008 in Beijing, bringing together senior researchers
in chromosome engineering and young scientists in the fields of
molecular biology and molecular breeding.
Distant hybridization and chromosomal engineering in plants have
a unique role to play, Prof. WANG Daowen, a research professor
at the CAS Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology
(IGDB) and one of the co-chairs of the meeting, was quoted as
saying. "Their values in the fundamental and applied research
into crop genetic improvement cannot be replaced by molecular
biotechnology."
Over the past 15 years, however, there is a lack of systematic
support to the studies of chromosome engineering in this
country, leading to drastic decreases in the numbers of both
research professionals and graduate students in this field. As a
result, Chinese studies in this aspect have failed to make key
achievements in recent years, according to experts.
Generally speaking, about 30% of the grain-yielding increase is
contributed by genetic improvement, pointed out Prof. LI
Zhensheng, a well-known Chinese geneticist and another co-chair
of the meeting. During the latest decade, the increase of crop
yields per unit area has seen a slower speed. Therefore, it is
necessary to adopt measures to speed up the grain quality
improvement, to keep on backup to the conventional
cultivar-breeding studies. At the same time, the government
should launch new research programs for the nurture of new
cultivars of GM plants.
Of the wide scope of applications of the plant chromosomal
engineering, the most significant one is gene mapping and gene
transfer among species with closer relationships, stressed
participants. Via chromosomal engineering, elite genes of wild
species could be transferred to the related cultivated species,
creating valuable germplasm resources. With the continuous
development of the technology that produces germplasm resources
for wheat breeding by combining distant hybridization and
chromosomal engineering, theories, techniques and genetic
materials have becomes available for improving the qualities of
wheat through exogenous genes.
Along with the progress of science and technology, and in light
of the demands for new crop cultivars through molecular design,
new research breakthroughs are bound to make debut in chromosome
engineering, predict scholars. |
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