Plant and animal genomics

Modern technologies allow researchers to evaluate genetic markers and discover new markers associated with traits or diseases

Female ecologist collecting a plant specimen, holding a petri dish in the forest.

Driving discoveries in agrigenomics

Today’s agricultural researchers have many tools at their disposal for studying plant and animal genomics. Whether you’re interested in plant biology, crops and livestock, or model organisms, an accurate view of the genetic influence on traits and disease is crucial. As genomics becomes more widely used in agriculture, researchers and breeders are increasingly using Illumina technology to drive discoveries and advances.

Microarray and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are useful for studying various aspects of plant and animal genomics, including genotype, gene expression and regulation, and epigenetics. These approaches offer the throughput, sensitivity, and precision needed to evaluate genetic markers and discover new ones associated with traits or disease.

Methods for plant and animal genomics

Plant and animal sequencing

NGS provides a high-resolution view of the genetic variation influencing phenotype in plants and animals. It is useful for discovering novel markers. For smaller sample numbers, it offers a low-cost alternative to microarrays.

Plant and animal genotyping microarrays

Microarrays are ideal for routine screening applications in plant and animal genomics, and the resulting genotype data can inform selection and breeding decisions. Arrays are especially cost-effective for analyzing large sample numbers.

Recent agrigenomics articles

Alain Decher

With the introduction of genotyping, we can now select animals efficiently using specific criteria. It has enabled us to make genetic progress in animal morphology, milk production, and quality.

Antoine Charrier


Genotyping enabled us to gain almost five years of knowledge because we now know the genetic value of a bull almost from birth.

Featured plant and animal genomics solutions

BovineSNP50 v3 DNA Analysis BeadChip

This BeadChip microarray provides high density multi-sample bovine genotyping forgenome characterization of major dairy and beef cattle breed types.

Custom Genotyping

Design custom or semi-custom arrays for any species, with convenient online tools and expert assistance.

Agrigenomics Consortia

Browse agrigenomics consortia to find a consortium-developed product for your species of interest or join an existing consortium of like-minded researchers.

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See how the NovaSeq 6000 system empowers genomics across the globe

From Texas to Japan and Australia, “This is the most exciting time to be in Genomics,” says Charlie Johnson from Texas A&M University. He, along with Chris Austin and Larry Croft from Deakin University in Australia and Ryo Koyanagi from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan, discuss how the NovaSeq 6000 System’s high throughput and cost-effectiveness are making large-scale plant and animal sequencing projects possible across the globe.

Additional resources

Genome editing

NGS enables researchers to confirm gene knockouts, identify CRISPR genome editing off- target effects, and assess the functional impact of edits.

Featured videos

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Selective advances in cattle breeding

José Fernando Garcia discusses how genomic selection can improve beef production while reducing the environmental impact.

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How genomic testing improves dairy cattle herds

General manager of the Canadian Dairy Network Brian Van Doormaal discusses how genomic testing can better define the value of milking cows and improve dairy herds.

Speak to a specialist

Interested in learning more about agrigenomics?