Advancements in molecular marker technologies and their applications in diversity studies.

Crop improvement is a continuous effort, since some 10,000 years ago when primitive man made the transition from hunting and foraging to domestication and crop cultivation. Since then, man-made interventions have changed the entire scenario of crop evolution, by means of genetic alterations of plants and animals made to satisfy man's needs. The process of domestication has led to dramatic changes in their appearance, quality and productivity that have contributed substantially to global food security.