Abstract
The amenability of starch to modifications has made it a preferred plant-based raw material used in various industries. However, environmental concerns and costs associated with chemical modifications are major constraints to realizing the full potential of starch as an industrial raw material. Improved understanding of starch biosynthesis, combined with genomics technologies, can be used to change starch quantity, composition, and structure in plants (in planta) genetically. This chapter provides a discussions on starch biosynthesis, strategies for genetic modification of starch, targets for starch modification, and other future perspectives on the area. Particular means of modification addressed include mutation-mediated improvements, TILLING (targeting induced local lesions in genomes) for starch biosynthetic genes, transposon-targeted mutagenesis, and genetic transformation, while targets for modifications considered include increased storage starch concentration, modified storage starch properties (starch amylose concentration), starch granule size, and phytoglycogen accumulation.