Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative (AG2PI) focuses on collaborative science engagement that intends to develop a community of researchers across both crops and animals that will lay the foundation for expanding knowledge concerning genomes and phenomes of importance to the agriculture sector of the United States. Success of the initiative will inform approaches to understanding how variable weather, environments, and production systems interact with genetic diversity present in crops and animals to impact growth and productivity.  This will provide greater accuracy in predicting crop and animal performance under variable conditions and more efficient selection of well-adapted, superior genotypes that farmers and ranchers can produce. 

These goals require interdisciplinary approaches that combine technologies such as advanced computing, automated high throughput phenotyping and genotyping as well as climatic modelling to be successful.  The initiative seeks to build on efforts such as the Plant Genome Research Project, the National Animal Genome Research Program, and other public initiatives. Key criteria include promoting fair access to data, software, germplasm, and other biological materials through open data sources, standards, and exchange of research materials. The initiative also seeks to connect animal sciences (e.g. animal physiology, meat science, animal nutrition, and veterinary science), plant sciences (e.g. agronomy, crop modeling, and plant physiology) and allied fields including genetics, genomics, artificial intelligence, informatics, statistics and engineering.