India's agriculture sector is heading to embrace the world of genomics where plants and animals are examined and assessed at their DNA or genetic level, K. Ramasamy, Vice-Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, has said.

This would catalyse the process of developing crops and livestock with promising agronomic traits much faster than conventional methods, he said, after inaugurating the operations of Kerala’s first genomics lab for agriculture and animal sciences -- AgriGenome Labs – at Smart City, Kochi.

According to George Thomas, Chief Operating Officer, AgriGenome Labs, the lab would provide the necessary impetus to enhance the quality standards and yield of agriculture and livestock in the country to meet the growing demand for food, address concerns on health and food safety and ensure sustainable development.

The services offered at the lab include trait mapping, diversity analysis, population genetics, parentage verification, DNA fingerprinting, genetic purity assessment, hybrid purity analysis, mapping of complex traits, marker assisted selection and immunodiagnostics.

Outlining the emergence and development of agricultural genomics, next generation sequencing and bio-informatics tools, he said biotechnology has unveiled a world of whole-genome analysis of plants and animals.

Now there is no need to conduct innumerable trials and grow the breed till maturity to find out the purity of the breed. Molecular breeding technology has eliminated long drawn out conventional breeding programmes with knowledge-based faster breeding, he said.

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