Greetings from the new Editor-in-Chief of Breeding Science

Last April, I was appointed to succeed Dr. Masahiro Yano as Editor-in-Chief of Breeding Science. First of all, I would like to commend and thank Dr. Yano for his notable contributions as Editor-in-Chief. During his tenure, Breeding Science became a leading international journal in the academic field of breeding science with an impact factor of over 1.8. I have accepted this important position, and I am ready to work with you to lead Breeding Science into the future.

The United Nations World Food Program was awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. It is very gratifying to know that the steady work of this organization over the years to feed people on the world’s margins, such as those affected by prolonged conflicts, disasters caused by climate change, and the global COVID-19 pandemic, has been appreciated and recognized. This news also reminds me that in the last century, the Green Revolution was successful in enabling enough food to be produced to support the growing world population. In this century we will have to produce even more food to feed an ever higher global population. But this time, in this critical century in human history, we must also take account of the impacts of climate change on crop production, the depletion of freshwater and fertilizer resources, and greenhouse gas emissions from farmlands. In these endeavors, the role of breeding science is more crucial than ever.

In other news, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, who developed the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing method. The influence of this technique on breeding science is likely to be particularly large. Since the sequencing of the Arabidopsis genome in 2000, the genomes of many crop species have been sequenced and analyzed, and that knowledge has been put to use in numerous practical breeding programs. The availability of whole genome sequences and genome-wide molecular markers has led to genome-wide association studies to discover useful genes and to applications of genomic selection to build designed genotypes. Now, this new molecular tool gives us the ability to understand the diversity represented in the vast numbers of accessions available in gene banks, and to efficiently exploit this scientific treasure. Moreover, recent innovations in the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and data fusion technologies will make novel phenotyping schemes possible and breathe new vigor into the field of breeding science. I also believe that the incorporation of these new techniques and areas of investigation will enable breeding science to make significant contributions toward solving the many issues of responsible food production in this century. Furthermore, by helping people to achieve food security, breeding science will contribute to the prevention of conflicts and sustainable social development, goals which we all must work very hard to realize.

In the long history of our journal since it was established in 1951 as the Japanese Journal of Breeding, it has served as an open forum for the exchange of ideas, techniques, and research, and we have all experienced and understand the importance of this function of the journal. It is my desire that Breeding Science will continue to be an open forum, where scientists employing all types of breeding technologies, both classic and novel, can interact and collaborate, thereby generating powerful new technologies and progress.

Finally, I want to imagine that future generations of humans will have access to nutritious foods in sufficient amounts, that they will be able to enjoy delicious fruits while surrounded by beautiful flowers, and that they will live out their lives in good health.