Characterising genetic diversity of Wild Rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia (L.) DC) and developing a pipeline for marker assisted breeding

在最近粮食价格飙升以及人们认为对未来供应的威胁日益增加之后，粮食安全已上升到国际议程的首位（见，例如，“八国集团粮食安全和营养行动”（http：//www.state.gov/s/globalfoodsecurity/190282.htm）。沿着高效的分配系统和最大限度地减少浪费，提供充足的粮食供应是确保粮食供应的关键因素。在人口不断增加、肥沃土地和农业用水日益减少的情况下，要在未来维持这种状况将非常困难。预计的气候变化使这一挑战变得更加困难。为了迎接这一挑战，需要新的创新战略和新型生物学家。这是利物浦、JIC和CN种子有限公司之间的一个联合项目，结合了植物病理学、性状遗传学和植物育种方面的培训。该项目将寻求确定在独特的野生火箭收集中捕获的遗传变异的新来源，这些遗传变异可用于改善产量，抗病性和改善质量属性等性状，这些性状可转移到新的育种材料中。

Food Security has risen to the top of the international agenda following recent spikes in the price of food and the perceived growing threat to future supplies (see, e.g., the "G8 Action on Food Security and Nutrition" http://www.state.gov/s/globalfoodsecurity/190282.htm). Along with an efficient distribution system and minimising waste, providing an adequate supply of food is a key contributor to securing food supply. Sustaining this into the future will be very difficult in the face of a steadily increasing population and diminishing availability of fertile land and water for agriculture. The challenge is made even more difficult by projected changes to climate. To meet this challenge is going to require new and innovative strategies and a new type of biologist. This is a joint project between Liverpool, JIC and CN Seeds Ltd combining training in plant pathology, trait genetics, and plant breeding. This project will seek to identify novel sources of genetic variation captured in a unique wild rocket collection, that can be used to improve traits such as yield, disease resistance, and improved quality attributes, that can be transferred into novel breeding material.