Agrigenomics, the application of genomics in modern agriculture, utilizes cutting edge technologies for the analysis of plant and livestock genetic makeup. It is a rapidly evolving industry that has become more available due to the technological advances and the reduction of sequencing costs. Agrigenomics can shape the future of agriculture and provide novel insights to farmers, breeders, the industry, and scientists, leading to authentic and safer products, healthier crops, and livestock.
Advantages of Agrigenomics for Agriculture & Food Industry:
- Establishment of a unique DNA identity for food and agricultural products
- More effective control of food fraud at multiple stages of the supply and processing chain
- Rapid identification of pathogens and beneficial microorganisms in biological samples
- Enable marker-assisted breeding (MAS) to select desirable characteristics, which is a faster approach compared to conventional breeding (7-15 years)
Prospects of Agrigenomics for the near future:
- Protection of genetic resources
- Assist production, reproduction, and health of crops and livestock
- Even lower costs and more user-friendly genetic analyses
- Improved food security and sustainability
- Evaluate beneficial microbial interactions for the reduction of agrochemical and fertilizer use
- Analysis of complex genomic datasets through sophisticated bioinformatic tools
- Gene mining in domesticated and wild relatives (pan-genomes)
