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Abstract
The National
Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI) program was initiated in May, 1997
with the long-term objective to understand the structure and function
of genes in plants important to agriculture, environmental management,
energy, and health. This report highlights the progress made since
the NPGI plan was implemented in FY1998, and describes future plans
to achieve the six initiative goals. New projects to develop research
resources for elucidating the sequence, structure, and organization
of complex plant genomes have been initiated, including individual
efforts and collaborations between universities, research institutes,
private industry, and international research communities. Results
from these efforts will provide a solid foundation and a springboard
for plant biologists to extend traditional gene discovery and expression
analyses to an integrated functional genomics approach. Through relating
the function of individual genes to their impacts on plant production
and productivity, new opportunities will exist for fundamental plant
biology researchers as well for scientists with an interest in the
transfer of genomics information into practical applications for plant-based
industries. To maintain the momentum of the NPGI program, it is recommended
that additional investments be made across all participating agencies
at the level, for the next three-year period, of a total of $500 million.
For further
information, contact:
National
Science and Technology Council Executive Secretariat at (202) 456-6120
(voice) or (202) 456-6026 (fax).
Also available
on the NSTC Home Page via link from the OSTP Home Page at:
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