Agricultural input traits: past, present and future

Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2006 Apr;17(2):105-12. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2006.01.011. Epub 2006 Feb 17.

Abstract

For thousands of years farm practices have evolved as new innovations have become available. Farmers want more value per unit of land, clean fields, and high yields with less input. Plants with incorporated pest resistance and herbicide resistance help meet these needs through increased yield, reduced chemical use, and reduced soil impacts. Although researchers have developed useful traits for a wide variety of plant species, only a few traits are available commercially; however, global adoption of these traits has and continues to increase rapidly. Availability of future traits will be dependent on input not only from researchers, but from governments, interest groups, processors, distributors and ultimately consumers, in addition to the farmers that drive demand for transgenic seed.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biotechnology / trends*
  • Crops, Agricultural / drug effects*
  • Crops, Agricultural / genetics*
  • Crops, Agricultural / microbiology
  • Crops, Agricultural / virology
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple / genetics*
  • Forecasting
  • Herbicides / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Herbicides