We are now faced with the need to increase and stabilize agricultural production through methods compatible with the preservation of the environment. To achieve this objective, it is essential to develop agricultural technologies by optimizing the use of biological resources. It was found that yacon has at least 2 different basic chromosome numbers. The normal cultivar is octaploid. This research may open up possibilities for increased utilization of this plant through hybridization breeding and ploidy manipulation as well as identify methods to increase fructan production.
Local markets can also provide valuable plant genetic resources.
Many kinds if wild and cultivated species are sold for medicinal use in Ecuador. Secondly, using biotechnological methods, the molecular biology group of the Division, including several visiting scientists, is studying molecular mechanisms of tolerance for environmental stresses in higher plants. The researchers in the Division isolated a number of genes that function in drought tolerance and using stress response from Arabidopsis and cowpea plants analyzed the regulatory factors of their genes. This group is studying how to use these genes and regulatory factors for the production of drought-tolerant transgenic crops. This research will contribute to the development of technologies which will help resolve problems relating to the food crisis and environmental degradation in developing countries.