Box 6-7. Plant and animal breeding targets to contribute to development and sustainability goals

For crops AKST could contribute to the following:
•   Focus on characters and functions involved in plant sus­ceptibility and resistance to pests, diseases, weeds (weed control in one of the largest input costs in agriculture) and environmental stress (expected climate changes may in­crease the diversity and spread of pathogens and impose additional heat, cold and drought stresses on plants);
•   Develop crops that require less fertilizer and other agro-chemicals, and that also require fewer water resources, based on a fuller understanding of factors regulating ni­trate and phosphate utilization, water-use efficiency and impact on natural resources;
•   Develop crops for different types of agriculture: intensive, but also extensive and organic;
•   Understand the genetic and physiological determinants of genetic and phenotypic "plasticity" and develop crops that have capabilities to adapt to environmental change;
•   Understand plant metabolism in order to develop plants containing higher levels of important macro- and micronu-trients (essential fatty acids, oils, vitamins, amino acids, an-tioxidants, fibers, etc.) and reduced allergen levels, reduced anti-feedants; and better understand plant carbohydrate metabolism, especially control of source-sink relationships. Use this knowledge to breed healthier, better tasting crops, as well as better food, feed, and biofuel crops;
•   Enhance breeding efforts enabling the use of a wide range of species, particularly under-utilized species of medicinal and aromatic plants possessing high health and economic potential; and
•   Ascertain how to do the above while maintaining yields at levels that will not require putting more land under the plow.

For livestock, to improve the efficiency and sustainability of pro­duction in terms of food quality and safety, the environment,

zoonoses and animal welfare concerns, AKST should contribute to the following:
•   Identify genes and gene networks that control immuno-resistance in livestock, including pigs, poultry and fish, leading to improved disease prevention strategies for per­sistent and costly diseases;
•   Revisit gut physiology (for improved efficiency and de­creased pollution and disease), understand the function­ing of the rumen ecosystem to underpin the development of improved animal nutrition strategies and technologies for the production of health-enhancing milk and meat, and the reduction of gaseous emissions, especially methane production by cattle;
•   Identify genes and gene networks relevant for fertility in all species and reduce the growing infertility problem of high-yield dairy cows;
•   Adapt animals to less intensive production systems (plant-based feed and saline water for fish, high digestibility ce­real grains for nonruminant animals and poultry);
•   Improve nutrition and hygiene in intensive productions to reduce pollution and to control diseases;
•   Improve animal welfare: upgrade existing minimum stan­dards; promote research and alternative approaches to animal testing; introduce standardized animal welfare in­dicators; develop new tools enabling breeders to handle welfare traits more objectively than at present (new biolog­ical insights into brain function, the genetics of behavior and physiological indicators of stress and wellbeing); de­velop efficient information management systems for health monitoring, health detection, etc.; inform animal handlers and the general public on animal welfare issues; support international initiatives for the protection of animals (FAO 2004b; FABRE, 2006; Plants for the Future, 2005).