0:00
Hello.
My name's Graham King
and I'm director of Southern
Cross Plant Science at Southern
Cross University in Australia.
Today I'm going to talk to you
about the relevance and impact
on epigenetics on agriculture.
0:17
In this presentation, I shall
be covering a number of topics.
These range from general issues
relevant to the whole planet
and the needs of a
growing human population
down to the molecular
mechanisms that
mediate signals from the environment
and so affect crop performance.
I shall discuss how
climate change has created
a global challenge for agriculture.
I shall describe
plant plasticity
and how this mediates
the interaction
with the growing environment.
In some detail, I shall describe
the molecular basis of epigenetics.
This includes the mapping
of epigenetic marks
and the discovery of epi-alleles.
This background information
will be placed in the context
of understanding in more
detail the modulation
of crop development and physiology.
Finally, I will discuss the
opportunities now available
for epigenetic intervention
as new approaches
to crop improvement and breeding.
1:19
Rapid climate change is creating
a global challenge for agriculture
and all those who
depend on its outputs.
In particular, there's a need
to maintain crop production
and increase it to feed a
growing world population.
The issues that are
particularly relevant
are increased climate variability
with more frequent extremes
of temperature, water availability,
and the consequent effects
on crop production.
There's also, at the same
time, reduced availability
of fertile land, both
because of rising sea
levels and the encroachment
of cities and urbanization,
and all of this, of course,
set against continuing
increases in world population.
