Omics Technologies and Crop Improvement

In view of ever-growing population and decreasing natural resources, there is need to enhance food production that can possibly be achieved by improving upon qualitative and quantitative traits of crop plants by adopting new analytical tools and technologies. During the last decade or so rapid progress has been made in plant biology, especially with the introduction of high throughput omics' technologies. The three main omics technologies genomics, proteomics and metabolomics involve quantification and characterization of genome, proteome and metabolome, respectively, with extremely rapid, miniaturized and automated methods. These technologies are aimed at unraveling the overall expression of genes, proteins and metabolites in a functionally relevant context, and provide insights into the molecular basis of various fundamental processes involved in growth and development of plants and their environment.