| Popis: |
The biomass demand to fuel a growing global bio-based economy is expected totremendously increase over the next decades, and projections indicate that dedicatedbiomass crops will satisfy a large portion of it. The establishment of dedicated biomasscropsraises huge concerns, as they can subtract land that is required for foodproduction, undermining food security. In this context,perennial biomass crops suitablefor cultivation on marginal lands (MALs) raise attraction, as they could supply biomasswithoutcompeting for land with food supply. While these crops withstand marginalconditions well, their biomass yield and quality do not ensure acceptable economicreturns to farmers and cost-effective biomass conversion into bio-based products,claiming geneticimprovement. However, this is constrained by the lack of geneticresources for most of these crops. Here we first review the advantages of cultivatingnovel perennial biomass crops on MALs, highlighting management practices to enhance the environmental and economic sustainability of these agro-systems. Subsequently, wediscuss the preeminent breeding targets to improve the yield and quality of the biomassobtainable from these crops, as well as the stability of biomass production underMALs conditions. These targets include crop architecture and phenology, efficiency inthe use of resources, lignocellulose composition in relation to bio-based applications,and tolerance to abiotic stresses. For each target trait, we outline optimal ideotypes,discuss theavailable breeding resources in the context of (orphan) biomass crops,and provide meaningful examples of genetic improvement. Finally, we discuss theavailable tools to breed novel perennial biomass crops. These comprise conventionalbreeding methods(recurrent selection and hybridization), molecular techniques todissect the genetics of complex traits, speed up selection, and perform transgenicmodification (genetic mapping, QTL and GWAS analysis, marker-assisted selection,genomic selection, transformation protocols), and novel high-throughput phenotypingplatforms. Furthermore, novel tools to transfer genetic knowledge from model toorphan crops (i.e., universal markers) are also conceptualized, with the belief that theirdevelopment will enhance the efficiency of plant breeding in orphan biomass crops,enabling a sustainable use of MALs for biomass provision. |
