b"How Gregor Mendels Discoveries Paved the Way for Modern Plant BreedingA long, rich history sets the future of plant breeding.Ally RodenAS THE GLOBALpopulation grows, high- the genetic basis and now to a computer-based yielding harvests and healthy crops are essen- approach. You're going from the field to the labo-tial to feed mouths across the world. An answerratory to a computer to actually do the breeding to this pressing call came a little over 200 yearsselections. But all of it is based upon some of the ago in the form of the Father of Geneticsalsofundamentals that Mendel laid forth around traits, known as Gregor Mendel. quantification and scale.Born in 1822, Mendel conducted his famous crossing experiments with 34 different varie- Mendels Teachings Live Onties of peas as he set out to determine if heMendels teachings are still extremely relevant could create a new variety with these crossings.in the classroom and lab today, as shown by the Through his extensive research, Mendel deductedwork of Michael Mazourek, Calvin Knoyes Keeney three different laws: the Law of Segregation, theassociate professor of vegetable breeding atJohn Purcell has a Law of Independent Assortment and the Law ofCornell University. Mazourek is currently work- passion for plant Dominance. His discoveries opened up a wholeing on some of Mendels genesonly half arebreeding and a focus for new world for not only plant breeding, but also theknown, yet Michael is still able to use them in hisseeing how indoor research into the genetics of animals and humans. work, which is an astonishing fact that doesnt goagriculture can support When you want to make progress in plantunnoticed. conventional agriculture.breeding, you have to know the inheritance ofThat's one of the fantastic things about plant the genes of the traits that you're studying, or thebreedingwe're able to use things while they're genes for the target traits in your breeding pro- still in the unknown stage. I don't know exactly gram, explains Marcel Bruins, editor of Seed Worldwhat the gene is, but I'm still looking at the same Europe and founder of Bruins Seed Consultancy,phenotype Mendel looked at. We have some on an episode of Seed Speaks. Without Mendelmodern tools to look at it, and its very much a time and that knowledge, breeders would just betransport for me too. Its been 150 years, and we're making random crosses, selecting for the biggeststill working on some of this, he shares.ears or the nicest plants without really knowingAs Mazourek works on breeding peppers in his what they're doing. lab, he relies heavily on the contrasting character Plant breeding transitioned from a phenotypicstates that Mendel stressed upon.modea mode in which breeders took plants,As I'm making a cross between peppers thatMichael Mazourek keeps made crosses and then determined what theare spicy or not spicy, Mendel was working with hisGregor Mendels legacy products of the crosses were, noting their pheno- contrasting states. For me, not spicy is zero heat.alive by using genetics typesto the utilization of molecular tools andZero pungency. For spicy, the question everyonefrom the peas Mendel markers. This modern biology allowed breeders tohas is, How hot is it? So, you have this quantitative,conducted experiments predict traits based on the molecular composition,continuous variation. This whole spectrum of howwith. completing the transition from a phenotypic tothat character can exist. As I'm tackling that, that's molecular selection. Now, breeders have evolveddefinitely building off of what Mendel was working ON THE WEBto thinking about the combination of traits for aon, he says. WHERE predictive genome, according to John Purcell, chiefWhile the most obvious benefit Mendel gifted strategy officer at Unfold. the world were his three laws, he also taught theMake sure to watch the full As I think about how plant breeding hascommunity an important lesson: perseverance.conversation about Gregor Mendels evolved, all of it is based upon some of the prin- After analyzing tens of thousands of plants forlegacy at seedworld.com/how-ciples that Mendel put in place, he says. Weveeight years, he still never received recognition forgregor-mendels-discoveries-moved from where we're taking everything athis work until after his passing.SW paved-the-way-for-modern-plant-the whole plant level, to the molecular level atbreeding/.34/ SEEDWORLD.COMLATAM"