Genetics is confusing, I'll admit that. It does take some study to understand it. I'm not going to use this space to explain genetics; rather, just to tell you a little bit about plant genomes. Genomics is the study of the organization and function of genes, and therefore plant genomics is the study of plant genes.
Why study plant genes? Mostly, to improve crop performance and yields, and to understand how plants work.
To learn more about plant genomics (but not so much that your head will spin; I promise), check out Plants Have Genomes, Too.
Photo: Geneticist Perry Cregan examines the soybean genome map. Keith Weller, USDA-ARS.