TY - JOUR

T1 - Food security

T2 - increasing yield and improving resource use efficiency

AU - Parry, Martin A J

AU - Hawkesford, Malcolm J.

PY - 2010/11/1

Y1 - 2010/11/1

N2 - Food production and security will be a major issue for supplying an increasing world population. The problem will almost certainly be exacerbated by climate change. There is a projected need to double food production by 2050. In recent times, the trend has been for incremental modest yield increases for most crops. There is an urgent need to develop integrated and sustainable approaches that will significantly increase both production per unit land area and the resource use efficiency of crops. This review considers some key processes involved in plant growth and development with some examples of ways in which molecular technology, plant breeding and genetics may increase the yield and resource use efficiency of wheat. The successful application of biotechnology to breeding is essential to provide the major increases in production required. However, each crop and each specific agricultural situation presents specific requirements and targets for optimisation. Some increases in production will come about as new varieties are developed which are able to produce satisfactory crops on marginal land presently not considered appropriate for arable crops. Other new varieties will be developed to increase both yield and resource use efficiency on the best land.

AB - Food production and security will be a major issue for supplying an increasing world population. The problem will almost certainly be exacerbated by climate change. There is a projected need to double food production by 2050. In recent times, the trend has been for incremental modest yield increases for most crops. There is an urgent need to develop integrated and sustainable approaches that will significantly increase both production per unit land area and the resource use efficiency of crops. This review considers some key processes involved in plant growth and development with some examples of ways in which molecular technology, plant breeding and genetics may increase the yield and resource use efficiency of wheat. The successful application of biotechnology to breeding is essential to provide the major increases in production required. However, each crop and each specific agricultural situation presents specific requirements and targets for optimisation. Some increases in production will come about as new varieties are developed which are able to produce satisfactory crops on marginal land presently not considered appropriate for arable crops. Other new varieties will be developed to increase both yield and resource use efficiency on the best land.

KW - Biotechnology

KW - Drought

KW - Nutrition

KW - Photosynthesis

KW - Salinity

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79951947370&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1017/S0029665110003836

DO - 10.1017/S0029665110003836

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 20860858

AN - SCOPUS:79951947370

VL - 69

SP - 592

EP - 600

JO - Proceedings of the Nutrition Society

JF - Proceedings of the Nutrition Society

SN - 0029-6651

IS - 4

ER -