06 Jun 2011Cornell researchers will use genomics to help smallholder farmers in at-risk areas in Africa, Asia and Latin America, thanks to a million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The researchers say one of the best long-term solutions to increasing productivity is to improve the crop varieties that smallholder farmers grow. They will use the state-of-the-art plant breeding method known as genomic selection to boost the rate of variety improvements in maize and wheat by two- to threefold. It will be the largest scale test to date of the efficacy of genomic selection.
http://greenbio.checkbiotech.org/news/plant_breeders_use_genomic_selection_improve_crops_developing_countries
