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Recent technological advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have dramatically reduced the cost of DNA sequencing, allowing species with large and complex genomes to be sequenced. Although bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the world’s most important food crops, efficient exploitation of molecular marker-assisted breeding approaches has lagged behind that achieved in other crop species, due to its large polyploid genome. However, an international public–private effort spanning 9 years reported over 65% draft genome of bread wheat in 2014, and finally, after more than a decade culminated in the release of a gold-standard, fully annotated reference wheat-genome assembly in 2018. Shortly thereafter, in 2020, the genome of assemblies of additional 15 global wheat accessions was released. As a result, wheat has now entered into the pan-genomic era, where basic resources can be efficiently exploited. Wheat genotyping with a few hundred markers has been replaced by genotyping arrays, capable of characterizing hundreds of wheat lines, using thousands of markers, providing fast, relatively inexpensive, and reliable data for exploitation in wheat breeding. These advances have opened up new opportunities for marker-assisted selection (MAS) and genomic selection (GS) in wheat. Herein, we review the advances and perspectives in wheat genetics and genomics, with a focus on key traits, including grain yield, yield-related traits, end-use quality, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. We also focus on reported candidate genes cloned and linked to traits of interest. Furthermore, we report on the improvement in the aforementioned quantitative traits, through the use of (i) clustered regularly interspaced short-palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9)-mediated gene-editing and (ii) positional cloning methods, and of genomic selection. Finally, we examine the utilization of genomics for the next-generation wheat breeding, provi

Wälder sind von großer Bedeutung für den Naturhaushalt und erbringen vielfältige Ökosystemleistungen. Vor allem die Folgen des Klimawandels lassen diese Fähigkeiten jedoch zunehmend schwinden und stellen damit auch bisherige Bewirtschaftungskonzepte und Wertschöpfungsketten infrage. Vor diesem Hintergrund hat eine Expert:innengruppe im Auftrag der Bundesministerien für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (BMEL) sowie für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) Vorschläge erarbeitet, um die nationale Forschung im Bereich Wald und Holz neu auszurichten und zu strukturieren. Unter anderem wird die Gründung eines nationalen Zentrums für Wald- und Holzforschung empfohlen. Das Konzept wurde heute durch die Leiter der Expert:innengruppe, Prof. Folkhard Isermeyer (Thünen-Institut) und Prof. Georg Teutsch (UFZ), an die zuständigen Bundesministerien übergeben. Anlass für die Einsetzung der Expert:innengruppe waren vor allem die Folgen des Klimawandels, die in vielen Wäldern deutlich sichtbar sind und die Wirtschaft, Gesellschaft und Politik vor neue Herausforderungen stellen. Um wissensbasiert darauf reagieren zu können, etwa bei der Abschätzung von Risiken oder der Entwicklung von Strategien für den Schutz und die nachhaltige Nutzung von Wäldern, ist Forschung gefragt.  Die Gruppe identifizierte vier Themenbereiche, in denen es mit Blick auf die Folgen des Klimawandels besonders wichtig erscheint, die Forschung zu stärken und gemeinsame Strategien für die Wald- und Holzwirtschaft in Deutschland zu entwickeln: (1) Zukunftskonzepte für die Waldbewirtschaftung, (2) Extremereignisse und Krisenmanagement, (3) Holzbasierte Bioökonomie und (4) Holz im Bauwesen.  Um konkrete, wissensbasierte Lösungsoptionen für die Wald- und Holzwirtschaft der Zukunft zu liefern, sollten die Forschungseinrichtungen neue Maßstäbe in der Kooperation untereinander setzen und dabei wissenschaftliche Exzellenz mit höchster praktischer Relevanz verbinden. Die Expert:innengruppe schlägt daher vor, ein nati

Legumes are important components of sustainable agricultural production, food, nutrition and income systems of developing countries. In spite of their importance, legume crop production is challenged by a number of biotic (diseases and pests) and abiotic stresses (heat, frost, drought and salinity), edaphic factors (associated with soil nutrient deficits) and policy issues (where less emphasis is put on legumes compared to priority starchy staples). Significant research and development work have been done in the past decade on important grain legumes through collaborative bilateral and multilateral projects as well as the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes (CRP‐GL). Through these initiatives, genomic resources and genomic tools such as draft genome sequence, resequencing data, large‐scale genomewide markers, dense genetic maps, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and diagnostic markers have been developed for further use in multiple genetic and breeding applications. Also, these mega‐initiatives facilitated release of a number of new varieties and also dissemination of on‐the‐shelf varieties to the farmers. More efforts are needed to enhance genetic gains by reducing the time required in cultivar development through integration of genomics‐assisted breeding approaches and rapid generation advancement.

In the past five decades, constant research has been directed towards yield improvement in pigeonpea resulting in the deployment of several commercially acceptable cultivars in India. Though, the genesis of hybrid technology, the biggest breakthrough, enigma of stagnant productivity still remains unsolved. To sort this productivity disparity, genomic research along with conventional breeding was successfully initiated at ICRISAT. It endowed ample genomic resource providing insight in the pigeonpea genome combating production constraints in a precise and speedy manner. The availability of the draft genome sequence with a large‐scale marker resource, oriented the research towards trait mapping for flowering time, determinacy, fertility restoration, yield attributing traits and photo‐insensitivity. Defined core and mini‐core collection, still eased the pigeonpea breeding being accessible for existing genetic diversity and developing stress resistance. Modern genomic tools like next‐generation sequencing, genome‐wide selection helping in the appraisal of selection efficiency is leading towards next‐generation breeding, an awaited milestone in pigeonpea genetic enhancement. This paper emphasizes the ongoing genetic improvement in pigeonpea with an amalgam of conventional breeding as well as genomic research.