DNA of Sustainability: Genomic Insights Into Food Security Challenges

This book discusses the critical role of genomics in transforming agriculture. It then extends the discussion to the concept of pan-genomes and super-pangenomes, which represent the expansive genetic diversity within entire species, crucial for uncovering new genes for crop improvement. This book presents a series of innovative case studies that illustrate the significant impact of genomic selection and trait mapping in advancing crop resilience and enhancing productivity. It showcases how next-generation sequencing has revolutionized trait discovery, allowing for the precise identification and utilization of traits that bolster plant productivity. The integration of various omics technologies, including single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, is also explored. The book also examines how big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are revolutionizing agriculture, offering new ways to glean predictive insights and refine breeding techniques.

Dr. Vanika Garg is a postdoctoral research fellow in computational genomics at the Centre for Crop and Food Innovation in the Food Futures Institute at Murdoch University, Australia. She earned her PhD degree in 2019 from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, India, where she studied the stress responses in legume species using multi-omics approaches. With a decade of experience analyzing high-throughput datasets, her research has resulted in the production of significant genetic resources, including reference genomes, pangenomes, markers, superior haplotypes, and candidate genes, which have had a significant impact on both fundamental and applied research. As an early career researcher, she has an impressive publication record with over 45 articles in leading international journals.

Dr. Robert Henry is currently working as a professor at Innovation in Agriculture, The University of Queensland, Australia. Dr. Henry’s research area is focused on the study of agricultural crops using molecular tools. His current research targets plant genome sequencing for the capture of novel genetic resources for diversification of food crops to deliver improved food products. He is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. He is a highly cited scientist (ISI) in agriculture.

Dr. Rajeev Kumar Varshney is an agricultural scientist with over two decades of experience in genomics and molecular breeding. Currently, he holds multiple prestigious positions at Murdoch University in Australia, including Director of the Centre for Crop and Food Innovation, Director of the State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre, and International Chair in Agriculture and Food Security with the Food Futures Institute. Dr. Varshney has made a significant impact on global food security by creating genomic resources for major ＂orphan＂ tropical crops, and using these resources to identify genetic loci and candidate genes for drought and pest tolerance in staple crops in sub-saharan Africa and India. He is spearheading international programs that deliver superior crop varieties tosome of theworld’s most impoverished farmers. Dr. Varshney is an accomplished author, with more than 600 publications to his name, and has been recognized as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher for ten consecutive years (2014-2023).