title: Breeding and Domesticating Crops Adapted to Drought and Salinity: A New Paradigm for Increasing Food Production.
abstract: World population is expected to reach 9.2 × 10(9) people by 2050. Feeding them will require a boost in crop productivity using innovative approaches. Current agricultural production is very dependent on large amounts of inputs and water availability is a major limiting factor. In addition, the loss of genetic diversity and the threat of climate change make a change of paradigm in plant breeding and agricultural practices necessary. Average yields in all major crops are only a small fraction of record yields, and drought and soil salinity are the main factors responsible for yield reduction. Therefore there is the need to enhance crop productivity by improving crop adaptation. Here we review the present situation and propose the development of crops tolerant to drought and salt stress for addressing the challenge of dramatically increasing food production in the near future. The success in the development of crops adapted to drought and salt depends on the efficient and combined use of genetic engineering and traditional breeding tools. Moreover, we propose the domestication of new halophilic crops to create a 'saline agriculture' which will not compete in terms of resources with conventional agriculture.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana, Universitat Politècnica de València Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fita
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana, Universitat Politècnica de València Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Adrián
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Burruezo
authors.affiliation: Mediterranean Agroforestal Institute, Universitat Politècnica de València Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boscaiu
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana, Universitat Politècnica de València Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prohens
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, Universitat Politècnica de València - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vicente
keywords: abiotic stress; biotech crops; biotechnology; breeding methods; drought tolerance; food security; salt tolerance