The concept of omics technologies in the agriculture sector is gaining importance nowadays due to its diverse applications like genomics which is based on genome sequences, transcriptomic which is based on gene expression and profiling, proteomics which is based on protein content, and metabolomics which involves the study of the metabolism of an organism. A revolutionary transformation in the last decade in the domain of omics has made analytical and scientific procedures cost-effective, easier, and faster and has increased accuracy. With the introduction of technologies involving omics in the field of agriculture, it has now become easier to identify and recognize the presence of different genes and genomic sequences liable for various agronomic traits like genes responsible for increasing yield, and genes for inducing resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses. Utilization of such technologies has resulted in obtaining accurate gene interpretation and identifying gene markers, thus acting as a guiding hand in the development of new crop varieties with some desirable traits.
TopIntroduction
In order to supply the increasing global population with the food they need, crop plants must urgently increase their yield and nutritional value. The ability to enhance the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of crops has been made feasible by the development of high-capacity omics technologies. Omics technologies refer to a comprehensive method for characterizing and quantifying a biological organism's genes, transcripts, proteins, and metabolites, which are respectively known to be genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. (Varshney et al., 2013)
Most crop characteristics are complicated computable traits that are managed by various genes (Core et al., 2008). The economic characteristics of crop plants have been effectively studied and modified using omics technologies to increase yield and nutritional value. New genes have been found and gene expression profiles have been studied thanks to the evolution of next-generation sequencing technologies (NGS Technologies) and the availability of genetic data of ideal agricultural plants (Mochida and Shinozaki, 2010). It takes a lot of decoding and analysis of gene expression to find the important genes that connect to the required phenotypic traits. The discovery of marked loci connected with some phenotypic features has permitted to investigate of various intricate natural biological processes and phases such as plant growth, development, ability to tolerate biotic and abiotic stresses, etc.
The need to develop agricultural approaches that are environmentally friendly and considerate of the environment's assets (water, soil, and biodiversity) is growing in the face of climate change and an expanding world population. This is necessary to ensure that future generations' survival is not jeopardised and to increase productivity so that the current population's food needs can be met. Therefore, sustainable agriculture can be seen as a way to build the resilience of regions and communities.
Sustainable agriculture aims to increase productivity while using fewer resources such as energy and water, to protect the ecosystem by reducing the underlying causes of soil deterioration and environmental damage, and to preserve natural ecosystems. More crucially, we require an agricultural system that can meet social demands and support long-term growth at the same time. Since the Green Revolution of the 1960s, agriculture has become incredibly reliant on nitrogen and pesticide input. Environmental pollution results from this, which is not sustainable on a long-term basis.
Despite the difficulties we face, there are many opportunities as well, particularly in light of the rapidly advancing omics technologies. Thousands of species now have access to high-quality reference genomes, and some species even have multiple reference genomes. The recognition of core- and pan-genomes is made possible by genome-wide resequencing of many kinds. Our knowledge of the domestication of crops and advancement is increased by this. Genomes, epigenomes, transcriptomes, epi transcriptomes, and proteomes are only a few of the layers at which omics data are produced. (Salgotra et al., 2014)
At this time, it is possible to produce omics information regarding any animal at a fair price. It is significant to highlight that numerous informatics methods for matching data are being created quickly in order to extract biological significance from omics data.
Novel technologies like targeted gene editing and the knowledge gathered from omics data can be used to develop novel types and plants for sustainable agriculture. There are currently enormous volumes of omics knowledge. The combined collection of omics knowledge will allow for the quick and high quantities identification of multiple genes in succession for the right attribute. This will significantly alter how this is done in which we do what we're currently studying by moving from analysis of networks or specific genes to networks. Upcoming plants can be developed utilizing an approach with three stages that combines the deep understanding of hybridization and modification gained from omics data with cutting-edge gene editing strategies.