USDA to invest $180 mln in sequencing more than 600 thsd plant accessions

The US Department of Agriculture will invest $180 mln in a new Seed Sovereignty Initiative aimed at studying and using plant genetic resources. The program is intended to strengthen US agricultural and food security and accelerate the development of new crop varieties.

The funding will support USDA’s National Plant Germplasm System, which holds more than 600 thsd accessions representing over 16 thsd species. A significant share of these collections has not yet been fully genetically sequenced.

Over the next two years, USDA plans to sequence and characterize collections of major crops and use advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, to identify valuable genetic traits. This could help researchers detect resistance to pests and diseases and other characteristics important for crop breeding.

USDA expects a deeper understanding of domestic genetic resources to reduce reliance on foreign sources of plant material and improve the use of existing collections in breeding programs. The initiative is also expected to speed up the development of new varieties for US farmers.

At the same time, USDA is expanding cooperation with the US Department of Justice on competition in agricultural input markets, particularly seeds. The goal is to improve market transparency, strengthen competition and provide farmers with more choices.

Tags: USDA, plant, genetic, sequencing, plant accessions