Genomic Designing for Biotic Stress Resistance in Coconut

Abstract

Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is an economically important plantation crop grown widely in tropical and sub-tropical regions and coastal ecosystems worldwide. The impact of global warming on agriculture, in general, and perennials such as plantation crops, in particular, warrants the application of novel genomics-based approaches to safeguard the crops against abiotic and biotic stressors. Unlike the seasonal or annual crops, the damage of pests and diseases in coconut plantations is a serious threat to the coconut-based economy owing to the perennial nature of the crop. Against this backdrop, adopting genomic approaches for designing biotic stress tolerant coconut genotypes is inevitable. Coconut molecular breeding has witnessed the application of DNA markers in genetic diversity analysis and mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Further advancements in genome sequencing and transcriptome profiling have opened enormous avenues for utilising coconut-derived ‘big data’ in developing biotic stress-tolerant cultivars. This chapter discusses the important diseases and pests of coconut, genetic resources of coconut, approaches in conventional breeding to develop resistant genotypes, molecular mapping of resistance genes, QTLs and marker-assisted breeding, association mapping, glimpses of genome assemblies, and RNA-Seq approaches to develop disease and pest resistant genotypes.