The 2009 ASHS Annual Conference

Objective(s):
1) Describe phenotyping efforts in diverse horticultural disciplines 2) Relate advantages for using standardized phenotyping for broad applicability in research and breeding programs 3) Emphasize the importance of standardization for genomic applications 4) Give an update on standardized ontology for horticultural crops

New and emerging DNA sequencing technologies have recently accelerated the pace of gene discovery. Phenotypic information is not keeping pace with the explosion in available genomic information and statistical methods of associating phenotypic and genotypic data, thus hindering our understanding of biological processes. Analyses of whole-genome sequences and preliminary comparative studies indicate a surprising amount of genome synteny and conservation of gene function, order and content among plants. Putative function of a novel gene is based on its reported function in other plants and in some instances, other organisms. Nevertheless, these inferences must be validated by experimental genetic analysis. The ‘phenotype gap’ must be filled by developing a coordinated effort to standardize phenotyping protocols and apply uniform phenomic nomenclature to facilitate database searches, comparisons and extrapolations. Such a system of comparative phenomics would facilitate the progression of knowledge throughout model biological systems in plants and from other well-studied organisms.