Applications of microarrays for crop improvement: Here, there, and everywhere

Recent advances in technology and in the ability to acquire, store, and analyze complex biological data sets have provided an unprecedented understanding of the mechanisms regulating living organisms' development and responses to the environment. We are gaining the insights required for rational modification of these organisms toward specific purposes. Microarrays provide an early example of the productive integration of high-throughput technologies with biological inquiry. In this article we discuss the development of this popular platform and its application in crop science and agriculture.