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Author: Emily Elizabeth Delorean
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Wheat accounts for 20% of daily caloric intake of the world population and has one of the widest cultivation distributions of any crop. With increasing demand for both quantity and quality, wheat yields must increase while also maintaining acceptable end-use quality. However, measuring end-use quality is complex, requires large volumes grain and significant effort. The overarching goal of this dissertation research was to develop genetic and genomic tools to facilitate breeding for end-use quality in wheat. Building on initial work with genomic prediction of wheat quality, we continued application of genomic prediction models to the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) wheat breeding program. For practical application in the breeding program to advance selection, we focused on forward prediction in each cycle of the bread wheat program. Models were built on 12 years of past data including over 18,000 entries with quality data. Predictions for 10,000 yield trial lines were generated each year for selection, with forward prediction accuracies of 0.40 to 0.73, and approached heritability. This is one of the largest scale applications of genomic selection. We also studied the interaction of climate change and the important quality genes, high-molecular weight glutenins (HMW-GS) and low-molecular weight glutenins (HMW-GS). A diverse panel of 54 CIMMYT wheat varieties were grown in 2 levels of drought stress, heat stress and optimal growth conditions. Quality traits, HMW-GS and LMW-GS alleles were measured. We fit a mixed linear model for each quality trait with HMW-GS, LMW-GS, environment, and the interactions of those as predictors. Overall, the superior glutenin alleles either maintained or increased quality in stressful environments. This work confirmed that superior alleles should always be selected for, regardless of target environment. To increase the genetic diversity for wheat quality, we analyzed Glu-D1 gene diversity on the wheat D genome donor, Aegilops tauschii. We constructed Glu-D1 molecular haplotypes from sequence data of 234 Ae. tauschii accessions and found 15 subclades and over 45 haplotypes, representing immense gene diversity. We found evidence that the 5+10 allele originated from a newly described Lineage 3 of Ae. tauschii, further supporting that this unique lineage contributed to modern bread wheat. We also observed rare recombinant haplotypes between the x and y subunits of any HMW-GS locus. This work will facilitate incorporation of Ae. tauschii Glu-D1 alleles into modern wheat. Given that certain HMW-GS alleles are highly desirable, we set out to develop a high-throughput, high resolution genotyping method for HMW-GS alleles that would fit within genotyping already done for genomic prediction models. This 'sequence based genotyping' approach uses diagnostic k-mers developed to predict alleles in skim-sequenced breeding material. Prediction accuracies for Glu-D1 and Glu-A1 were very good, but lower for the Glu-B1 alleles where many alleles are highly related. Overall, SBG offers a high throughput method to call alleles from existing data. These genetic and genomic tools developed and implemented for end-use quality selection in wheat offer promising resources for continued improvement of both yield and quality in wheat breeding.
Author: Emily Elizabeth Delorean
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Wheat accounts for 20% of daily caloric intake of the world population and has one of the widest cultivation distributions of any crop. With increasing demand for both quantity and quality, wheat yields must increase while also maintaining acceptable end-use quality. However, measuring end-use quality is complex, requires large volumes grain and significant effort. The overarching goal of this dissertation research was to develop genetic and genomic tools to facilitate breeding for end-use quality in wheat. Building on initial work with genomic prediction of wheat quality, we continued application of genomic prediction models to the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) wheat breeding program. For practical application in the breeding program to advance selection, we focused on forward prediction in each cycle of the bread wheat program. Models were built on 12 years of past data including over 18,000 entries with quality data. Predictions for 10,000 yield trial lines were generated each year for selection, with forward prediction accuracies of 0.40 to 0.73, and approached heritability. This is one of the largest scale applications of genomic selection. We also studied the interaction of climate change and the important quality genes, high-molecular weight glutenins (HMW-GS) and low-molecular weight glutenins (HMW-GS). A diverse panel of 54 CIMMYT wheat varieties were grown in 2 levels of drought stress, heat stress and optimal growth conditions. Quality traits, HMW-GS and LMW-GS alleles were measured. We fit a mixed linear model for each quality trait with HMW-GS, LMW-GS, environment, and the interactions of those as predictors. Overall, the superior glutenin alleles either maintained or increased quality in stressful environments. This work confirmed that superior alleles should always be selected for, regardless of target environment. To increase the genetic diversity for wheat quality, we analyzed Glu-D1 gene diversity on the wheat D genome donor, Aegilops tauschii. We constructed Glu-D1 molecular haplotypes from sequence data of 234 Ae. tauschii accessions and found 15 subclades and over 45 haplotypes, representing immense gene diversity. We found evidence that the 5+10 allele originated from a newly described Lineage 3 of Ae. tauschii, further supporting that this unique lineage contributed to modern bread wheat. We also observed rare recombinant haplotypes between the x and y subunits of any HMW-GS locus. This work will facilitate incorporation of Ae. tauschii Glu-D1 alleles into modern wheat. Given that certain HMW-GS alleles are highly desirable, we set out to develop a high-throughput, high resolution genotyping method for HMW-GS alleles that would fit within genotyping already done for genomic prediction models. This 'sequence based genotyping' approach uses diagnostic k-mers developed to predict alleles in skim-sequenced breeding material. Prediction accuracies for Glu-D1 and Glu-A1 were very good, but lower for the Glu-B1 alleles where many alleles are highly related. Overall, SBG offers a high throughput method to call alleles from existing data. These genetic and genomic tools developed and implemented for end-use quality selection in wheat offer promising resources for continued improvement of both yield and quality in wheat breeding.
Author: Gilberto Igrejas
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030341631
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 557
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Book Description
Wheat Quality for Improving Processing and Human Health brings together an international group of leading wheat scientists to outline highly relevant and diverse aspects and the latest advances in understanding of the world’s most consumed cereal. Topics covered include LMW glutenins, starch-related proteins, and the impact of processing on composition and consumer health. Individual chapters focus on important factors such as FODMAPs, protein structure, dough viscoelasticity and fumonisins. The environmental effects on allergen content are comprehensively covered, as are phenolic compounds and molecular markers. The major quality screening tools and genetic resources are reviewed in depth. Gluten is a major focus of this work with chapters dedicated to health effects, analytical methods and standards, proteomics and mutant proteins. Starting in 2015, wheat quality scientists from across the globe have united to develop the Expert Working Group for Improving Wheat Quality for Processing and Health under the umbrella of the Wheat Initiative. This joint effort provides a framework to establish strategic research and organisation priorities for wheat research at the international level in both developed and developing countries. This Expert Working Group aims to maintain and improve wheat quality for processing and health under varying environmental conditions. The Group focuses on a broad range of wheat quality issues including seed proteins, carbohydrates, nutrition quality and micronutrient content, grain processing and food safety. Bioactive compounds are also considered, both those with negative effects such as allergens and mycotoxins, and those with positive effects such as antioxidants and fibre. The Group also works in the development of germplasm sets and other tools that promote wheat quality research. Wheat quality specialists working on the wheat value chain, and nutritionists will find this book a useful resource to increase and update their knowledge of wheat quality, nutrition and health issues.
Author: Shabir H Wani
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030595773
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 296
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Book Description
World population is growing at an alarming rate and may exceed 9.7 billion by 2050, whereas agricultural productivity has been negatively affected due to yield limiting factors such as biotic and abiotic stresses as a result of global climate change. Wheat is a staple crop for ~20% of the world population and its yield needs be augmented correspondingly in order to satisfy the demands of our increasing world population. “Green revolution”, the introduction of semi-dwarf, high yielding wheat varieties along with improved agronomic management practices, gave rise to a substantial increase in wheat production and self-sufficiency in developing countries that include Mexico, India and other south Asian countries. Since the late 1980’s, however, wheat yield is at a standoff with little fluctuation. The current trend is thus insufficient to meet the demands of an increasing world population. Therefore, while conventional breeding has had a great impact on wheat yield, with climate change becoming a reality, newer molecular breeding and management tools are needed to meet the goal of improving wheat yield for the future. With the advance in our understanding of the wheat genome and more importantly, the role of environmental interactions on productivity, the idea of genomic selection has been proposed to select for multi-genic quantitative traits early in the breeding cycle. Accordingly genomic selection may remodel wheat breeding with gain that is predicted to be 3 to 5 times that of crossbreeding. Phenomics (high-throughput phenotyping) is another fairly recent advancement using contemporary sensors for wheat germplasm screening and as a selection tool. Lastly, CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein mediated genome editing technology has been successfully utilized for efficient and specific genome editing of hexaploid bread wheat. In summary, there has been exciting progresses in the development of non-GM wheat plants resistant to biotic and abiotic stress and/or wheat with improved nutritional quality. We believe it is important to highlight these novel research accomplishments for a broader audience, with the hope that our readers will ultimately adopt these powerful technologies for crops improvement in order to meet the demands of an expanding world population.
Author: Karansher Singh Sandhu
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Wheat
Languages : en
Pages : 292
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Book Description
Classical plant breeding has evolved considerably during the last century. However, the rate of genetic gain is insufficient to cope with a 2% annual increase in the human population, which is expected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. Plant breeders and scientists are under pressure to develop new varieties and crops having higher yield, higher nutritional value, climate resilience, and disease and insect resistance. The solution requires the merging of new techniques like next-generation sequencing, genome-wide association studies, genomic selection, high throughput phenotyping, speed breeding, machine and deep learning, and CRISPR mediating gene editing with previously used tools and breeder's skills. The main goal of this research was to explore the potential of genomics, phenomics, machine and deep learning tools in a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) breeding program. Grain yield and grain protein content (GPC) are two traits very important in hard red spring wheat breeding, yet difficult to select for due to their well-known negative correlation. A nested association mapping population was used to map the regions controlling the stability of grain protein content. This study also demonstrated that genome-wide prediction of GPC with ridge regression best linear unbiased (rrBLUP) estimates reached up to r = 0.69. Genomic selection (GS) is transforming the field of plant breeding and implementing models that improve prediction accuracy for complex traits is needed. Analytical methods for complex datasets traditionally used in other disciplines represent an opportunity for improving prediction accuracy. We predicted five different quantitative traits with varying genetic architecture using cross-validations, independent validations, and different sets of SNP markers. Deep learning models gave 0 to 5% higher prediction accuracy than rrBLUP model under both cross and independent validations for all five traits used in this study. Screening for end-use quality traits is usually secondary to grain yield due to high labor needs, cost of testing, and large seed requirements for phenotyping. Genomic selection provides an alternative to predict performance using genome-wide markers under forward and across location predictions, where previous years dataset can be used to build the models. Nine different models, including two machine learning and two deep learning models, were explored for cross-validation, forward, and across locations predictions. The prediction accuracies for different traits varied from 0.45 - 0.81, 0.29 - 0.55, and 0.27 - 0.50 under cross-validation, forward, and across location predictions. Genomics and phenomics have the potential to revolutionize the field of plant breeding. Incorporation of secondary correlated traits in GS models has been demonstrated to improve accuracy. In another study, ability to predict GPC and grain yield was assessed using secondary traits, univariate, covariate, and multivariate GS models for within and across cycle predictions. Our results indicate that GS accuracy increased by an average of 12 for GPC and 20% for grain yield by including secondary traits in the models. An increased prediction ability for GPC and grain yield with the inclusion of secondary traits demonstrates the potential to improve the genetic gain per unit time and cost in wheat breeding.
Author: Yasunari Ogihara
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 4431556753
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 421
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Book Description
This proceedings is a collection of 46 selected papers that were presented at the 12th International Wheat Genetics Symposium (IWGS). Since the launch of the wheat genome sequencing project in 2005, the arrival of draft genome sequences has marked a new era in wheat genetics and genomics, catalyzing rapid advancement in the field. This book provides a comprehensive review of the forefront of wheat research, across various important topics such as germplasm and genetic diversity, cytogenetics and allopolyploid evolution, genome sequencing, structural and functional genomics, gene function and molecular biology, biotic stress, abiotic stress, grain quality, and classical and molecular breeding. Following an introduction, 9 parts of the book are dedicated to each of these topics. A final, 11th part entitled “Toward Sustainable Wheat Production” contains 7 excellent papers that were presented in the 12th IWGS Special Session supported by the OECD. With rapid population growth and radical climate changes, the world faces a global food crisis and is in need of another Green Revolution to boost yields of wheat and other widely grown staple crops. Although this book focuses on wheat, many of the newly developed techniques and results presented here can be applied to other plant species with large and complex genomes. As such, this volume is highly recommended for all students and researchers in wheat sciences and related plant sciences and for those who are interested in stable food production and food security.
Author: A.B. Blakeney
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780977502943
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 40
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Book Description
Author: Meng Lin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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Wheat pre-harvest sprouting (PHS), germination of physiologically matured grains in a wheat spike before harvesting, can cause significant reduction in grain yield and end-use quality. Many quantitative trait loci (QTL) for PHS resistance have been reported in different sources. To determine the genetic architecture of PHS resistance and its relationship with grain color (GC) in US hard winter wheat, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on both PHS resistance and GC was conducted using in a panel of 185 U.S. elite breeding lines and cultivars and 90K wheat SNP arrrays. PHS resistance was assessed by evaluating sprouting rates in wheat spikes harvested from both greenhouse and field experiments. Thirteen QTLs for PHS resistance were identified on 11 chromosomes in at least two experiments, and the effects of these QTLs varied among different environments. The common QTLs for PHS resistance and GC were identified on the long arms of the chromosome 3A and 3D, indicating pleiotropic effect of the two QTLs. Significant QTLs were also detected on chromosome arms 3AS and 4AL, which were not related to GC, suggesting that it is possible to improve PHS resistance in white wheat. To identify markers closely linked to the 4AL QTL, genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technology was used to analyze a population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) developed from a cross between two parents, "Tutoumai A" and "Siyang 936", contrasting in 4AL QTL. Several closely linked GBS SNP markers to the 4AL QTL were identified and some of them were coverted to KASP for marker-assisted breeding. To investigate effects of the two non-GC related QTLs on 3AS and 4AL, both QTLs were transferered from "Tutoumai A" and "AUS1408" into a susceptible US hard winter wheat breeding line, NW97S186, through marker-assisted backcrossing using the gene marker TaPHS1 for 3AS QTL and a tightly linked KASP marker we developed for 4AL QTL. The 3AS QTL (TaPHS1) significantly interacted with environments and genetic backgrounds, whereas 4AL QTL (TaMKK3-A) interacted with environments only. The two QTLs showed additive effects on PHS resistance, indicating pyramiding these two QTLs can increase PHS resistance. To improve breeding selection efficiency, genomic prediction using genome-wide markers and marker-based prediction (MBP) using selected trait-linked markers were conducted in the association panel. Among the four genomic prediction methods evaluated, the ridge regression best linear unbiased prediction (rrBLUP) provides the best prediction among the tested methods (rrBLUP, BayesB, BayesC and BayesC0). However, MBP using 11 significant SNPs identified in the association study provides a better prediction than genomic prediction. Therefore, for traits that are controlled by a few major QTLs, MBP may be more effective than genomic selection.
Author: Rudi Appels
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031382943
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 328
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Book Description
This open access book provides the first comprehensive coverage of the wheat genome sequence since the publication of the draft and reference sequences for bread wheat and durum wheat. It presents an overview and all aspects of the gold standard sequence of the bread wheat genome, IWGSC RefSeq v1.0 and its subsequent improvements through 2022 (IWGSC RefSeq v2.1), as well as the sequencing of multiple elite wheat varieties, durum wheat, and ancient wheat. The book provides a broad and extensive review of the resources, tools, and methodologies available for exploiting the wheat genome sequence for crop improvement and studying fundamental questions related to the structure, function, and evolution of the wheat genome. Wheat (Tritcum aestivum L.) is the most widely grown crop in the world, contributing approximately 20 percent of total calories and more protein in human diets than any other single source. This book is useful to students, teachers, and scientists in academia and industry interested in gaining an understanding of the wheat genome and its application as well as plant scientists generally interested in polyploid plant species.
Author: Kendra Lyn Gregory Jernigan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 158
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Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is used in diverse baked products that require specific end use quality traits. Kernel texture, flour water absorption capacity, gluten strength, starch composition, and other flour constituents all influence overall flour functionality and dough rheology, specifying both wheat market class and intended end product. Wheat breeders need to develop cultivars with superior end-use quality traits, while also optimizing important agronomic traits. Our first objective was to use a genetic linkage map and 207 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) from a soft white 'Coda' by 'Brundage' cross to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for grain, milling, and baking traits. The linkage map was developed using 570 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and 136 simple sequence repeat markers. The RILs were grown in five locations in Idaho and Washington from 2006 to 2013. We detected three QTL on chromosomes 2D, 4B, and 6B that were consistently associated with multiple end-use quality traits. Our second objective was to use a genetic linkage map and 131 RILs from a soft white 'Louise' by 'Alpowa' cross to identify QTL associated with arabinoxylan content and milling traits. The linkage map consisted of 924 SNPs and 41 linkage groups. This population was grown in three Washington locations from 2011 to 2012. We detected 28 QTL associated with seven arabinoxylan content and milling traits. Our third objective was to use 480 advanced breeding lines and Pacific Northwest cultivars to identify molecular markers associated with 21 end-use quality traits. Genotypic data from the iSelect 90K SNP chip was combined with best linear unbiased predictions of historic phenotypic data from the USDA-ARS Western Wheat Quality Laboratory. Genome-wide association mapping in the R package, genome association and prediction integrated tool (GAPIT), detected significant markers for multiple end-use quality traits on chromosomes1B, 1D, 2D, 5A, 5B, and 7A. An improved understanding of the genetic architecture underlying end-use quality traits in wheat may assist breeders with cultivar development for superior end-use quality, particularly by increasing frequencies of favorable alleles in breeding populations. Cultivars with superior end-use quality will allow US wheat producers to maintain domestic and international markets.
Author: Catherine Feuillet
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0387774890
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 774
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Book Description
Sequencing of the model plant genomes such as those of A. thaliana and rice has revolutionized our understanding of plant biology but it has yet to translate into the improvement of major crop species such as maize, wheat, or barley. Moreover, the comparative genomic studies in cereals that have been performed in the past decade have revealed the limits of conservation between rice and the other cereal genomes. This has necessitated the development of genomic resources and programs for maize, sorghum, wheat, and barley to serve as the foundation for future genome sequencing and the acceleration of genomic based improvement of these critically important crops. Cereals constitute over 50% of total crop production worldwide (http://www.fao.org/) and cereal seeds are one of the most important renewable resources for food, feed, and industrial raw materials. Crop species of the Triticeae tribe that comprise wheat, barley, and rye are essential components of human and domestic animal nutrition. With 17% of all crop area, wheat is the staple food for 40% of the world’s population, while barley ranks fifth in the world production. Their domestication in the Fertile Crescent 10,000 years ago ushered in the beginning of agriculture and signified an important breakthrough in the advancement of civilization. Rye is second after wheat among grains most commonly used in the production of bread and is also very important for mixed animal feeds. It can be cultivated in poor soils and climates that are generally not suitable for other cereals. Extensive genetics and cytogenetics studies performed in the Triticeae species over the last 50 years have led to the characterization of their chromosomal composition and origins and have supported intensive work to create new genetic resources. Cytogenetic studies in wheat have allowed the identification and characterization of the different homoeologous genomes and have demonstrated the utility of studying wheat genome evolution as a model for the analysis of polyploidization, a major force in the evolution of the eukaryotic genomes. Barley with its diploid genome shows high collinearity with the other Triticeae genomes and therefore serves as a good template for supporting genomic analyses in the wheat and rye genomes. The knowledge gained from genetic studies in the Triticeae has also been used to produce Triticale, the first human made hybrid crop that results from a cross between wheat and rye and combines the nutrition quality and productivity of wheat with the ruggedness of rye. Despite the economic importance of the Triticeae species and the need for accelerated crop improvement based on genomics studies, the size (1.7 Gb for the bread wheat genome, i.e., 5x the human genome and 40 times the rice genome), high repeat content (>80%), and complexity (polyploidy in wheat) of their genomes often have been considered too challenging for efficient molecular analysis and genetic improvement in these species. Consequently, Triticeae genomics has lagged behind the genomic advances of other cereal crops for many years. Recently, however, the situation has changed dramatically and robust genomic programs can be established in the Triticeae as a result of the convergence of several technology developments that have led to new, more efficient scientific capabilities and resources such as whole-genome and chromosome-specific BAC libraries, extensive EST collections, transformation systems, wild germplasm and mutant collections, as well as DNA chips. Currently, the Triticeae genomics "toolbox" is comprised of: - 9 publicly available BAC libraries from diploid (5), tetraploid (1) and hexaploid (3) wheat; 3 publicly available BAC libraries from barley and one BAC library from rye; - 3 wheat chromosome specific BAC libraries; - DNA chips including commercially available first generation chips from AFFYMETRIX containing 55’000 wheat and 22,000 barley genes; - A large number of wheat and barley genetic maps that are saturated by a significant number of markers; - The largest plant EST collection with 870’000 wheat ESTs, 440’000 barley ESTs and about 10’000 rye ESTs; - Established protocols for stable transformation by biolistic and agrobacterium as well as a transient expression system using VIGS in wheat and barley; and - Large collections of well characterized cultivated and wild genetic resources. International consortia, such as the International Triticeae Mapping Initiative (ITMI), have advanced synergies in the Triticeae genetics community in the development of additional mapping populations and markers that have led to a dramatic improvement in the resolution of the genetic maps and the amount of molecular markers in the three species resulting in the accelerated utilization of molecular markers in selection programs. Together, with the development of the genomic resources, the isolation of the first genes of agronomic interest by map-based cloning has been enabled and has proven the feasibility of forging the link between genotype and phenotype in the Triticeae species. Moreover, the first analyses of BAC sequences from wheat and barley have allowed preliminary characterizations of their genome organization and composition as well as the first inter- and intra-specific comparative genomic studies. These later have revealed important evolutionary mechanisms (e.g. unequal crossing over, illegitimate recombination) that have shaped the wheat and barley genomes during their evolution. These breakthroughs have demonstrated the feasibility of developing efficient genomic studies in the Triticeae and have led to the recent establishment of the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) (http//:www.wheatgenome.org) and the International Barley Sequencing Consortium (www.isbc.org) that aim to sequence, respectively, the hexaploid wheat and barley genomes to accelerate gene discovery and crop improvement in the next decade. Large projects aiming at the establishment of the physical maps as well as a better characterization of their composition and organization through large scale random sequencing projects have been initiated already. Concurrently, a number of projects have been launched to develop high throughput functional genomics in wheat and barley. Transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics analyses of traits of agronomic importance, such as quality, disease resistance, drought, and salt tolerance, are underway in both species. Combined with the development of physical maps, efficient gene isolation will be enabled and improved sequencing technologies and reduced sequencing costs will permit ultimately genome sequencing and access to the entire wheat and barley gene regulatory elements repertoire. Because rye is closely related to wheat and barley in Triticeae evolution, the latest developments in wheat and barley genomics will be of great use for developing rye genomics and for providing tools for rye improvement. Finally, a new model for temperate grasses has emerged in the past year with the development of the genetics and genomics (including a 8x whole genome shotgun sequencing project) of Brachypodium, a member of the Poeae family that is more closely related to the Triticeae than rice and can provide valuable information for supporting Triticeae genomics in the near future. These recent breakthroughs have yet to be reviewed in a single source of literature and current handbooks on wheat, barley, or rye are dedicated mainly to progress in genetics. In "Genetics and Genomics of the Triticeae", we will aim to comprehensively review the recent progress in the development of structural and functional genomics tools in the Triticeae species and review the understanding of wheat, barley, and rye biology that has resulted from these new resources as well as to illuminate how this new found knowledge can be applied for the improvement of these essential species. The book will be the seventh volume in the ambitious series of books, Plant Genetics and Genomics (Richard A. Jorgensen, series editor) that will attempt to bring the field up-to-date on the genetics and genomics of important crop plants and genetic models. It is our hope that the publication will be a useful and timely tool for researchers and students alike working with the Triticeae.
