"Smart" breeding, where science and farmers' knowledge meet

Plant breeding is the key to providing us with varied and better quality foods. Although conventional plant breeding has existed for hundreds of years, it was often time-consuming and labour-intensive. But, breeding methods have come a long way – it's becoming faster and more effective.

MAS, or marker-assisted selection, is a biotechnology that uses a traditional breeding approach. It's about finding genetic markers that are linked to the qualities you want; like disease resistance or climate adaptation which then enables plant breeders to breed plants with these desired traits. Through this approach, MAS is an excellent tool for accelerating conventional breeding efforts by increasing speed and accuracy. Smart Breeding: The Next Generation (authored by Benno Vogel, an independent scientist) is a new report that reviews the growing list of traits produced by MAS in an increasingly diverse array of crops across continents.

Dr. Janet Cotter - 28 October, 2014


TO READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE:

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/smart-breeding/blog/51100/