The need for continuous improvement and adaptability of crops was put into stark perspective by Steve Jefferies (Australian Grain Technologies, Adelaide, Australia). In the worst drought in over 100 years, morethan 25% of Australian grain production has been lost. An aggressive breeding strategy is under way to make better-adapted varieties using marker-assisted breeding. The speed and precision of breeding is steadily increasing, and the availability of physical maps and genome sequences will initiate another step-change towards so-called 'molecular breeding' strategies