Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark.
Trends Plant Sci. 2019 Oct;24(10):927-933. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2019.07.001. Epub 2019 Jul 26.
A misunderstanding of evolution via natural selection has led many plant physiologists and genetic engineers to look in the wrong direction for higher-yielding crop genotypes. Large investments in attempts to make 'better' plants by improving basic physiological processes are not likely to succeed because natural selection has been optimizing these for millions of years. Increases in yield from plant breeding have usually resulted from decreases, not increases, in plant fitness. Examples include reduced plant height and more vertical root growth in cereals. Plant scientists and breeders should generate hypotheses based on what evolutionary biologists call 'group selection', looking for attributes that increase yield in ways that decrease fitness, rather than attempting to improve upon the achievements of natural selection.
对自然选择进化的误解导致许多植物生理学家和遗传工程师在寻找更高产作物基因型的方向上误入歧途。通过改善基本生理过程来使“更好”的植物的大量投资不太可能成功，因为自然选择已经优化了这些过程数百万年。植物育种的产量增加通常是由于植物适应性的降低而不是增加。例如，谷类作物的植物高度降低和更垂直的根生长。植物科学家和培育者应该根据进化生物学家所谓的“群体选择”来提出假说，寻找以降低适应性的方式增加产量的特性，而不是试图改进自然选择的成果。
