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Crop biotechnology: prospects and opportunities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 November 2010

J. M. DUNWELL
J. M. DUNWELL*
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
*
To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: [email protected]
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Summary

This paper is a brief review summarizing some of the important areas of activity in crop biotechnology likely to be exploited over the medium term (10–20 years), with an emphasis on agronomic traits. It provides details on various approaches to improving the tolerance of crops to abiotic and to biotic stresses. Additionally, it describes recent advances in understanding the factors that affect the intrinsic performance of plants, for example, in terms of their photosynthetic efficiency and their genetic composition. The review also provides a short selection of recently granted patents and patent applications, as this information often identifies those subjects that might be commercially exploited over this period. Finally, it provides a summary of the various predictions of the commercial development pipeline based upon a range of transgenes in major crop species.

Type
Foresight Project on Global Food and Farming Futures
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 149 , Issue S1: FORESIGHT PROJECT ON GLOBAL FOOD AND FARMING FUTURES , February 2011 , pp. 17 - 27
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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