Category:	Science and technology
Domain:	Biology and Biotechnology
Keywords:	genetics, health, ethnobotany, genotyping, plant breeding
Outlook:	The ability to rapidly genotype plants is expected to contribute to improvements in human and ecoystem health in the next decade.
Analysis:	Plants in various ecological niches -- from forest, savannah, and wetlands species to food plants for different climate zones -- are important parts, along with air, water, soil, and animal life, of the global ecosystem. Understanding on the genetic level not only of each plant species' identity but also of how it interacts with others in its immediate ecological neighbourhood and how others in turn affect it (invasive or alien species, for example, introduce new genetic material) will prove to be essential to understanding the effects of human activity on the ecosphere. Genetic understanding will also aid in the quest to improve human nutrition and health. Products already on the market enable fast, cheap genotyping of plants. For example, Sigma-Aldrich's automated plant DNA sequencer can process 96 leaf samples in 30 minutes, and Qiagen's BioRobot Plant Science System can sequence plant DNA from 96 samples in 55 minutes. This ability promises to find applications in several areas in the next decade: High-throughput methods for screening plant tissues will enable collection of genomic data that will enhance understanding of how to breed food crops for higher yields and better disease resistance. Rapid genotyping of indigenous plant species in fast-disappearing tropical forests may allow pharmaceutical companies to determine which species have direct benefits for human health. A parallel project developing complex ecosystem modeling and simulation to determine which other species are interdependent with the one of interest would have the side benefit of management of complex and fragile ecosystems.

	Implications:	Improved yields and disease resistance in agriculture Better guidelines for harvesting medicinal pharmaceuticals Improved human health Rescue or restoration of ecosystems
	Early Indicators:	Substantial increase in the number of companies offering plant genotyping services
	What to Watch:	Genotyping of plants with suspected medical benefits-- such as Echinacea purpurea, Panax ginseng, Ginko biloba, and Hypericum perforatum-- allows commercial standardisation and synthesis of active ingredients. Massive computing initiatives are applied to plant ecologies as part of the response to global climate change.
	Parallels/Precedents:	Breeding of transgenic food crops with specific qualities (such as herbicide resistance and increased protein content)
	Enablers/drivers:	Availability of cheap, effective, and portable sequencing equipment, enabling on-the-spot sequencing of new plant discoveries in the field Easy and inexpensive access to massive plant DNA data banks Fast-track commercialisation of nutraceuticals Further development of complexity theory leading to exploitable laws in ecology
	Leaders:	EraNet Plant Genomics (ERA PG) (11-country, European, plant genomics funding initiative) [link] [link] EU-funded plant genomics programmes [link] UK CropNet (John Innes Centre, University of Nottingham, Scottish Crop Research Institute, Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research) [link] Beijing Genomics Institute, China [link] International Rice Research Institute, Philippines [link] Department of Biotechnology and Indian Council of Agricultural Research, India [link] Center for the Application of Molecular Biology to International Agriculture (CAMBIA), Australia [link] Planet (a network of European plant databases) [link] Global Partnership for Cassava Genetic Improvement [link] DNA LandMarks, Inc. (development of plant DNA marker and mapping technology; 2003 purchase of Paragen, a North Carolina plant genotyping company) BioForge (online community providing support for biological innovation) [link]
	Figures:
	Sources:	The Rice Genome: Implications for Breeding Rice and Other Cereals. [link] DNA Fingerprinting in the Standardization of Herbs and Nutraceuticals. [link] "Feeding the 600 Million: the Next Step for Genomics?" Science. January 30 2006 [link] "Chinese scientists complete rice gene map." December 16 2002. SciDev.Net [link] van der Meer I. et al., Plant Research International, The Netherlands. "Plant-based raw material: improved food quality for better nutrition via plant genomics." Current Opinion in Biotechnology. 2001 12:488-492 [link]

	At A Glance:	When:	3-10 years
		Where:	Global
		How Fast:	Years
		Likelihood:	Likely
		Impact:	Medium-Low
		Controversy:	Medium-Low

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