Toward improving multiomic research in understudied cereals

Abstract

With the looming challenges of climate change and population pressure, understudied cereals hold notably untapped potential for future global food security and sustainable agriculture due to their unique nutritional profiles and notable stress resilience. Multiomics holds great promise in realizing the value of understudied cereals by understanding the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms regulating their unique traits; however, multiomic studies of understudied cereals still lag behind those of major cereals, hindering their genetic improvement and wide adoption in modern agriculture. Here, we discuss the limitations and challenges in multiomic studies of understudied cereals and how they can be overcome to enhance utilization of the traits unique to understudied cereals in improving both themselves and major cereals. We also offer a database specific to understudied cereals, including multiomics data from 12 understudied cereals and wild relatives for some of these, to serve the community.