Plant genome sequencing - applications for crop improvement

It is over 10 years since the genome sequence of the first crop was published. Since then, the number of crop genomes sequenced each year has increased steadily. The amazing pace at which genome sequences are becoming available is largely due to the improvement in sequencing technologies both in terms of cost and speed. Modern sequencing technologies allow the sequencing of multiple cultivars of smaller crop genomes at a reasonable cost. Though many of the published genomes are considered incomplete, they nevertheless have proved a valuable tool to understand important crop traits such as fruit ripening, grain traits and flowering time adaptation.