Plant & Animal Genome VI Conference

W70

COMPARATIVE GENOMICS: COMMON GROUND

Department of Plant Breeding, 252 Emerson Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

The emergence of a National Corn Genome Initiative (NCGI) proposing to unify public and private research programs was a catalyst for initiating scientific and political discussion of plant genome research as evidenced by the National Academy of Sciences' meeting "Protecting Our Food Supply: The Value of Plant Genome Initiatives". This meeting was unique because it was focused on the need for plant genomic research in the US as well as discussion of a scientifically sound strategy for accumulating information about genes, especially for grain crops. Comparative genomics research will strengthen the NCGI proposal by allowing the cross-referencing of the genetics of biochemical, physiological, and agronomic traits. The unique opportunities for complementary genomic research in other cereal crops should be accommodated in any US national effort. Corn may be the best model cereal for two disparate reasons: corn has incomparable genetics and gene tagging advantages, and the corn industry is the most powerful crop lobby. However, maize can benefit from comparative genetics research in related species. It is also clear that each crop has unique characteristics and agricultural research needs, such as, microsatellite markers and expressed sequence tags (ESTs). An integrated funding program should (1) emphasize basic genomic sciences in corn as well as other cereals, (2) provide for the development of genetic resources and methodologies specific to each crop, such as microsatellites, BAC libraries, ESTs, and sequencing and transformation technologies, and (3) provide for the application of genomic tools to solve agricultural and consumer-based problems.