PLANT BREEDING NEWS
EDITION 184
12 November 2007
An Electronic Newsletter of Applied Plant Breeding
Sponsored by FAO and Cornell University
Clair H. Hershey, Editor
chh23@cornell.edu
Archived issues available at: FAO Plant Breeding
Newsletter
CONTENTS
1. NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESEARCH NOTES
1.01 Farm-production strains may keep food prices high
1.02 World Bank calls
for renewed emphasis on agriculture for development
1.03 Training the next generation of rice
breeders
1.04 PhilRice develops new flood tolerant rice
1.05 Improved rice varieties
gain foothold in India
1.06 African rice centre welcomes new
members
1.07 Top maize breeders
in Southern and Eastern Africa urge governments to speed approvals of new crop
varieties needed by farmers
1.08 Cassava breeders call for new varieties'
quick release
1.09 African cassava breeders network moves to derail spreading
epidemic of devastating crop virus
1.10 Mozambique and USDA align to fight
cassava root rot disease
1.11 Sweet potato promise shines for small enterprise and hunger
relief in developing countries
1.12 Indian and Australian scientists collaborate for better wheat
1.13 Legumes step
into the limelight in the tropics
1.14 USDA awards $4.7 million for tomato
and potato specialty crops genetic research
1.15 India hops on board the 'jatropha
express'
1.16 Opium and marijuana
research go underground
1.17 New melon hybrid releases from North
Carolina State
1.18 Forest seed orchards: Conference report
1.19 China updates plant
variety testing procedures
1.20 Genetically engineered corn may harm stream ecosystems
1.21 Preserving genetic
variability of valuable specialty crops
1.22 International plant
gene pool becomes operational
1.23 CGIAR genebanks distributing more
material
1.24 CIOPORA and its members increase efforts against piracy of plant variety
rights
1.25 DuPont and Evogene collaborate to increase drought tolerance in corn and soybeans
1.26 New maize varieties
resistant to the large grain borer
1.27 Thailand research institute improves
resistance to rust in soybeans
1.28 Discovery promises more nutritional
cassava
1.29 WSU seeking patent
on root rot-resistant wheat
1.30 European Union OKs three more corn
biotechnology traits for food, feed use
1.31 Wheat relative as possible source
of fungal resistance genes
1.32 From red to white: the story of today's white rice
1.33 New leafminer-resistant spinach varieties
1.34 World's hottest chile pepper discovered
1.35 Genes identified to protect brassicas
from damaging disease
1.36 Scientists re-examine
soy diversity
1.37 Chilean research institutes join forces to develop drought-tolerant
Eucalyptus
1.38 USDA ARS Sunflower
Research Unit releases two maintainer and six restorer
Sclerotinia tolerant confection genetic stocks
1.39 Bottlegourd gene may curb cucurbit
virus
1.40 Genetic basis of cyanide defense in clover
1.41 Two potato scourges
return with a vengeance
1.42 Aluminum-tolerance gene cloned in sorghum
1.43 Non GM herbicide-tolerant
rice produced by gene targeting
1.44 Study sheds light on plant-pathogen
interaction in soybean
1.45 Transgenics transformed
1.46 Intragenic modification for crops
1.47 Using maize seeds
instead of leaves to determine the genetic makeup of maize
1.48 Update 8-2007 of FAO-BiotechNews
2. PUBLICATIONS
2.01 Executive Guide to Intellectual Property
Management in Health and Agricultural Innovation: A Handbook of Best Practices
2.02 Plant Breeding
and Biotechnology - Societal Context and the Future of Agriculture
2.03 Call for papers on the value of
biodiversity to food and agriculture – special issue of Biodiversity
3. WEB RESOURCES
3.01 GIPB website launched
3.02 Intellectual Property/Innovation
Management Handbook now Online
3.03 Renowned plant pathologist Dr. Roger Beachy discusses current
and future benefits of genetically engineered plants
4 GRANTS AVAILABLE
4.01 Call for proposals for the 2008 awards: Enhancing the Value
of Crop Diversity
4.02 DuPont makes $2.175 million investment in plant breeding
research and education
4.03 International Science and Education Competitive Grants Program
(USDA)
5 POSITION ANNOUNCEMENTS
5.01 Post-doc position in plant
genetic engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, Romania
6 MEETINGS, COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
7 EDITOR'S NOTES
=========================
1. NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESEARCH NOTES
1.01 Farm-production strains may keep food prices high
Although this article does not explicitly discuss plant breeding, it gives
compelling arguments for the need to sustain and increase agricultural production.
Plant breeding is, in many cases, the most effective tool to achieve this. Please
note as well item 3.01, which links to the Global Initiative for Plant Breeding
Capacity Building (GIPB), a critical initiative to improve agricultural production
in the medium and long-term future. (The editor, PBN-L)
Agricultural production is struggling to keep pace with demand as diets improve
around the world and agricultural products become more central to energy markets,
according to a report being released today by Credit Suisse Group.
The structural changes in agriculture markets mean commodity prices, and therefore
consumer food prices, will continue to stay aloft over coming years, with emerging
markets feeling more of the burden since a larger slice of their spending is more
heavily weighted toward food, the report says. However, net agriculture exporters,
like Brazil and Malaysia, and foreign food companies with lower labor costs could
benefit.
Demand is largely being driven by changing dietary habits, the report says, as
growing populations in developing countries consume more meat and more calories.
Exacerbating the situation is the advent of biofuels. The report estimates that
crops grown to meet government biofuel mandates world-wide will account for 12%
of total arable and permanent cropland over the next 10 to 15 years, up from about
2% today.
The change in dietary patterns alone means food production needs to grow at 2.5%
per year just to keep pace over the next five to eight years, the report says.
To meet global food and biofuels demand, overall agricultural production will
need to grow 3.3% annually. Historically, global food production has risen 2.3%
annually.
Rising commodity prices are likely to continue pressuring food processors’ profit
margins even though the report notes that on average only about 20% of the value
of an individual food item is directly related to commodity prices, or farm value.
The remaining 80% largely goes to labor, transportation and packaging. Companies
with strong brand recognition will be insulated more than less-branded businesses.
A kernel of good news for biofuels producers: Over the next year, low ethanol
prices could recover with addition of new ethanol markets in the Southeast and
improved biofuels transportation and blending infrastructure. However, corn prices
are expected to stay high.
Adding pressure to current demand is a slowing growth rate in land availability
due to land degradation and urbanization. The amount of arable land in China has
dropped about 6% over the past decade because of urbanization. In the U.S., some
potentially productive cropland will likely remain tied up in what is known as
the Conservation Reserve Program, which sets aside crop land to protect the environment.
The limited ability to access new land for agricultural purposes means more emphasis
will likely be placed on genetically modified products, which could help boost
yields for food and energy crops. Also the increasing demand for biofuels could
pressure countries to reduce their biofuels mandates as a way to alleviate pressure
on food prices. Already China has reduced its biofuels target to two million tons
of biofuels production by 2010, down from five million tons.
by Lauren Etter
Source: The Wall Street Journal
6 November 2007
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1.02 World Bank calls for renewed emphasis on agriculture
for development
Washington, DC
The latest World Development Report* calls for
greater investment in agriculture in developing countries and warns that the sector
must be placed at the center of the development agenda if the goals of halving
extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 are to be realized.
Titled 'Agriculture for Development', the reportsays the agricultural and rural
sectors have suffered from neglect and underinvestment over the past 20 years.
While 75 percent of the world’s poor live in rural areas, a mere 4 percent of
official development assistance goes to agriculture in developing countries. In
Sub-Saharan Africa, a region heavily reliant on agriculture for overall growth,
public spending for farming is also only 4 percent of total government spending
and the sector is still taxed at relatively high levels.
The World Bank Group is advocating a new ‘agriculture for development’ agenda.
According to the WDR, for the poorest people, GDP growth originating in agriculture
is about four times more effective in reducing poverty than GDP growth originating
outside the sector.
“A dynamic ‘agriculture for development’ agenda can benefit the estimated 900
million rural people in the developing world who live on less than $1 a day, most
of whom are engaged in agriculture,” said Robert B. Zoellick, World Bank Group
President. “We need to give agriculture more prominence across the board. At the
global level, countries must deliver on vital reforms such as cutting distorting
subsidies and opening markets, while civil society groups, especially farmer organizations,
need more say in setting the agricultural agenda.”
According to the report, agriculture can offer pathways out of poverty if efforts
are made to increase productivity in the staple foods sector; connect smallholders
to rapidly expanding high-value horticulture, poultry, aquaculture, as well as
dairy markets; and generate jobs in the rural nonfarm economy.
“Agricultural growth has been highly successful in reducing rural poverty in East
Asia over the past 15 years,” said Francois Bourguignon, World Bank Chief Economist
and Senior Vice President, Development Economics. “The challenge is to sustain
and expand agriculture’s unique poverty-reducing power, especially in Sub-Saharan
Africa and South Asia where the number of rural poor people is still rising and
will continue to exceed the number of urban poor for at least another 30 years.”
For its part, the Bank intends to continue increasing its support for agriculture
and rural development, following a decline in lending in the 1980s and 1990s.
Commitments in FY07 reached $3.1 billion, marking an increase for the fourth straight
year.
Detailed findings
The report also warns global food supplies are under pressure from expanding demand
for food, feed, and biofuels; the rising price of energy; and increasing land
and water scarcity; as well as the effects of climate change. This in turn is
contributing to uncertainty about future food prices.
Agriculture consumes 85 percent of the world’s utilized water and the sector contributes
to deforestation, land degradation, and pollution. The report recommends measures
to achieve more sustainable production systems and outlines incentives to protect
the environment.
The report says in agriculture-based countrieshome to 417 million rural people,
170 million of whom live on less than $1 a daythe agricultural sector is
essential to overall growth, poverty reduction, and food security. Most of these
countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the sector employs 65 percent of the
labor force and generates 32 percent of GDP growth.
For Sub-Saharan Africa’s development, the report highlights issues to be urgently
confronted: too little public spending on agriculture; donor support for emergency
food aid with insufficient attention to income-raising investments; rich-country
trade barriers and subsidies for key commodities such as cotton and oilseeds;
and the under-recognized potential of millions of women who play a dominant role
in farming.
In transforming countries such as China, India, and Morocco, agriculture contributes
on average only 7 percent to GDP growth, but lagging rural incomes are a major
source of political tensions. Dynamism in the rural and agricultural sectors is
needed to narrow the rural-urban income gap and reduce rural poverty for 600 million
poor while avoiding falling into subsidy and protection traps that will stymie
growth and tax poor consumers.
In urbanized countries, mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean and Eastern
Europe and Central Asia, agriculture contributes just 5 percent of GDP growth
on average. However, rural areas are still home to 45 percent of the poor, and
agribusiness and food services account for as much as one third of GDP. The broad
goal is to link smallholders to modern food markets and provide remunerative jobs
in rural areas.
The report says rich countries need to reform policies which harm the poor. For
example, it is vital that the United States reduces cotton subsidies which depress
prices for African smallholders. In the emerging area of biofuels, the problem
is both restrictive tariffs and heavy subsidies in rich countries, which drive
up food prices and limit export opportunities for efficient developing country
producers. The report also asserts that industrialized countries that were the
major contributors to global warming urgently need to do more to help poor farmers
adapt their production systems to climate change.
* Full report: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWDR2008/Resources/WDR_00_book.pdf
Source: SeedQuest.com
19 October 2007
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1.03 Training the next generation of rice breeders
The ability of rice-growing countries to develop and deliver technology-based
solutions for tackling constraints in rice production is hampered by the limited
or decreasing number of institutions and human resources working on rice research
and development, in general, and rice varietal improvement, in particular. Hence,
one of the core goals of the new Strategic Plan (2007-2015) of the International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is to develop the next generation of rice scientists,
including rice breeders and geneticists, who will lead the realization of a Second
Green Revolution.
In line with this goal, two Rice Breeding Courses (RBC) were recently conducted
at IRRI this year to increase the number of rice breeders adept in the use of
both conventional and modern tools and techniques for increasing the precision
and impact of their breeding programs. The first course was held on 20-31
August while the second course was held 1-12 October. Specific objectives
of these two courses were to (1) provide theoretical knowledge on modern plant
breeding methods and techniques; (2) teach planning and information management
tools, experimental techniques, and software for increasing rice breeding efficiency;
(3) provide knowledge and tools to be able to perform pre-breeding activities;
(4) share experiences and lessons from other programs and countries; and (5) provide
the latest information relevant to continued access to modern tools, technologies,
and rice genetic resources.
The first RBC was attended by 23 rice researchers from 16 countries, namely, Bhutan,
China, DPR Korea, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Philippines,
South Korea, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States.
The second RBC, on the other hand, was attended by another 23 rice scientists
from Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines,
Russia, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Global Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity
Enhancement (GIPB), a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)-facilitated
multi-party initiative of knowledge institutions and programs worldwide committed
to developing plant breeding capacity globally, extended partial funding to course
including sponsoring the participation of Flavio Breseghello of EMBRAPA, Brazil,
as a resource person on pre-breeding. This added a new dimension to the RBC curriculum
that already encompassed a broad range of subjects covering the entire plant breeding
chain, with IRRI’s senior scientists serving as lead discussants and resource
persons. Edilberto D. Redoña (e.redona@cgiar.org), IRRI Senior Scientist
and Coordinator of the International Network for Genetic Evaluation of Rice (INGER)
served as RBC coordinator. The RBC will be offered again next year and interested
applicants are encouraged to contact IRRI’s Training Center (IRRI-Training@cgiar.org) for more details.
Contributed by Edilberto Redoña
IRRI
E.Redona@CGIAR.ORG
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1.04 PhilRice develops new flood tolerant
rice
The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has developed a new rice
variety tolerant to flood water and resistant to the bacterial blast, stemborer
and tungro, three of the most dreaded rice pests. The new variety, Tubigan 7 (which
means flooded in the vernacular), was developed using the DNA marker-assisted
selection (MAS) technique. Tubigan 7 is the first-ever successful DNA-MAS product
in the Philippines, and the second locally developed biotech rice, after the tissue
culture-derived variety of improved traditional Wagwag grains. It has a fertility
restorer trait and could yield about 8 tons per hectare during the dry season
cropping, 5 to 6 tons per hectare during the wet season, and yields about 15 percent
higher than the conventional harvest record in the Philippines.
Dr. Antonio A. Alfonso, head of plant breeding and biotechnology division of PhilRice,
emphasized that Tubigan 7 is not a genetically modified crop, as the new variety
was obtained through conventional breeding. The Philippine National Seed Industry
Council (NSIC) has officially released it as a variety.
For more information contact the SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center
at spt@agri.searca.org.
Source: CropBiotech Update
28 September 2007
Contributed by Margaret Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding and Genetics
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
mes25@cornell.edu
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1.05 Improved rice varieties gain foothold
in India
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed five new
rice varieties for release in different regions of India. These include Pusa Basmati
1460 and RP BIO 226, both of which are resistant to bacterial leaf blight. Pusa
1460, a Basmati type product developed using molecular marker assisted selection,
is a semi dwarf type plant suitable for irrigated-transplanted production conditions.
RP BIO 226, also developed through marker assisted backcross breeding, contains
the bacterial blight resistance genes, xa21, xa13 and xa5 in the genetic background
of an elite fine grained rice variety, Samba Mahsuri. The other rice varieties
are: the high-yielding MTU 1075, also resistant to major diseases/pests; UPR 2870,
a high-yielding variety that possesses resistance to leaf blast, moderate resistance
to BLB, sheath rot, stem borer and leaf folder; and HRI-152, which has high tolerance
to leaf blast.
To read more, visit http://dare.gov.in/highlightS/h20.htm.
Source: CropBiotech Update
17 August 2007:
Contributed by Margaret Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding and Genetics
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
mes25@cornell.edu
(Return to Contents)
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1.06 African rice centre welcomes new
members
The Africa Rice Center (WARDA) has opened its ranks to four new member countries
from central and eastern Africa.
The twenty-sixth session of WARDA's council of ministers held in Abuja, Nigeria
last week (3 October) welcomed on board the Central African Republic, the Republic
of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, increasing the membership
from 17 to 21.
WARDA director general Papa Abdoulaye Seck said in a press release, "Central and
eastern African countries are seeing for themselves the benefits of investing
in rice research and therefore keen to join the grouping."
Lawrence Narteh, coordinator of the West and Central Africa Rice Research and
Development Network, says scientists from the new member countries will now be
able to take part in testing and disseminating rice technologies that will help
to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
He told SciDev.Net that the scientists can take part in annual expert meetings
and therefore gain knowledge on new technology and its use by farmers or the private
sector. Research and development capacity of those countries will also be enhanced.
Sub-Saharan Africa cannot compete with Asia and Europe at present because the
region's capacity for rice science, trade and policy is inadequate, Seck told
SciDev.Net.
He said every WARDA member country should make their rice sector more competitive
by improving capacity in research, technical agricultural advice, production,
processing and marketing.
For example, they should overcome major bottlenecks such as seed shortage, so
that farmers have a regular, adequate supply of quality seeds.
At the meeting, Seck urged African countries to pass a 'seed act'. This would
encourage the involvement of the private sector in seed supply and trade, he said,
and strengthen national agricultural research stations to produce breeder and
foundation seeds, something only 20 per cent have done.
He also urged member countries to establish seed quality control and certification
systems.
The council also backed a new pan-African Rice initiative to support Africa's
rice sector in research and development, to be launched in 2008.
The networks affiliated to WARDA have over 250 rice scientists working in the
major aspects of rice science, natural resources management, economics, innovation
and technology transfer.
by Charles Mkoka
Source: SciDev.net
9 October 2007
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1.07 Top maize breeders in Southern and
Eastern Africa urge governments to speed approvals of new crop varieties needed
by farmers
Nairobi, Kenya
A statement released by eastern and southern Africa’s leading network of maize
breeders, seed producers, and development specialists says that the slow regulatory
approval of new, conventionally bred crop varieties is harming regional food security
and impeding efforts to eradicate rural poverty. The network warns that countries
with slow approval processes are putting their farmers at risk by denying them
access to more resilient maize varieties that can withstand periods of drought
and resist pests and crop diseases plaguing small-scale farmers in eastern and
southern Africa.
“Getting new improved varieties in to the hands of farmers allows them to increase
their yield and improve their livelihoods. Countries must have regulatory systems
in place that can rapidly test and approve a continuous supply of new commercial
varieties,” said Jane Ininda, founder of the Maize Breeders Network
(MBNet) and a programme officer for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
(AGRA), which funded the meeting.
Maize is the most important cereal crop in sub-Saharan Africa, and with rice and
wheat, it is one of the three most important cereal crops in the world. An estimated
50 percent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa depends on maize as a food
staple providing carbohydrate, protein, iron, vitamin B, and minerals. But farmers
need varieties that can better cope with an array of diseases (such as turcicum
leaf blight and maize streak virus), pests (ear borers and weevils), weeds, and
increasingly unpredictable climates. The parasitic witchweed (Striga), for example,
causes estimated cereal grain losses of up to US$7 billion annually, adversely
affecting the lives of roughly 300 million Africans.
In order to meet these challenges, maize breeders work with local groups of farmers
to identify the needed traitssuch as resistance to a particular virusand
then painstakingly breed varieties with the desired qualities. The breeding process
itself can take 6-8 years, and is followed by a two-to-three year government testing
and approval process.
“In some cases, new varieties are not being released to farmers for periods of
up to five years,” said Ms. Josephine Okot, managing director of Victoria Seeds
Limited-Uganda and a member of MBNet.
Established in 2003, the Maize Breeders Network brings together researchers engaged
in plant breeding at national research institutes and leading universities in
eastern and southern Africa.
The most recent meeting, held in August 2007, included representatives from Kenya,
Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The MBNet meeting was part of a new effort, spearheaded by AGRA, to develop and
distribute seeds suitable for local environments across Africa, and encourage
the development of government policies that support these efforts.
“Given the need to quickly turn around Africa's food crisis situation, governments
should consider speeding up the release of locally-bred and adaptable crop varieties
for farmers. There is real need for urgent action. Farmers can’t wait for years
before getting their hands on good crop varieties,” Akin Adesina, AGRA’s vice
president of policy and partnerships, told the meeting.
According to the MBNet statement, “Delayed release of new varieties slows commercialization
and denies farmers access to new, improved varieties. This problem further aggravates
food insecurity and poverty among small-scale farm households.”
The Maize Breeders Network statement calls upon African governments to:
-Find ways to remove barriers and reduce bureaucracy around approval of new seed
varieties without sacrificing the legitimate interests of farmers and consumers;
-Streamline and strengthen the process of data collection and analysis by regulators,
which may now be slowing variety release; and
-To facilitate continuous interaction among national regulatory agencies within
the region to hasten cross-border sharing and testing of maize germplasm (crop
genetic resources).
The statement notes that some countries are already making reforms in this direction.
Kenyan regulators, for example, can grant a variety “pre-release” status, after
just one year of multi-location testing, and full release after two years. Pre-release
status allows seed companies and researchers to feel secure in investing in seed
bulking (multiplication of quality seeds for planting), in field inspection for
Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS), and in making other preparations
for commercialization.
In addition, the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) has established
working relationships with seed companies, regulatory agencies, farmers, and international
plant breeders’ associations. As a result of this work and the government’s innovative
approaches to variety approval, 26 new maize varieties have been released in the
past five years, all of which have been licensed to private seed companies.
Adesina pointed out that an efficient government approval system will be even
more important as farmers struggle to cope with the effects of climate change,
including intensified incidences of drought and flooding predicted across large
regions of the continent.
“Farmers will need the right crop variety for the right condition and the right
location. They will need them quickly to have a chance of adapting to climate
change. The time for policy action to speed up variety testing and release is
now, since breeders are already in the business of developing crops to deal with
climatic changes such as the looming drought crisis,” Adesina said.
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is a dynamic partnership
working across the African continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and
their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. AGRA programs develop
practical solutions to significantly boost farm productivity and incomes for the
poor while safeguarding the environment. AGRA advocates for policies that support
its work across all key aspects of the African agricultural “value chain”from
seeds, soil health, and water to markets and agricultural education.
AGRA is chaired by Kofi A. Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations.
AGRA, with initial support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, maintains offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Accra, Ghana.
For more information, go to www.agra-alliance.org .
Source: SeedQuest.com
5 October 2007
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1.08 Cassava breeders call for new varieties' quick release
[LUSAKA] Africa's cassava industry must improve the distribution of new disease
resistant varieties of the root vegetable to farmers across the continent, say
scientists.
Cassava breeders from eight African countries gathered to discuss challenges in
cassava production at a meeting in Zanzibar this month (4–5 October), convened
by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and Tanzania's Ministry
of Agriculture.
Cassava a tropical plant grown for its starchy roots is an important
food crop in much of Africa. Although African cassava production has grown from
90 to 145 million tonnes in the last four years, and is expected to double over
the next 20 years, disease has dogged attempts to increase yields even further.
Cassava viruses, specifically the brown streak and mosaic viruses, are a problem
for many farmers across Africa. The brown streak virus destroys leaf tissue and
makes cassava roots corky and inedible. The mosaic virus causes the plant's leaves
to wither, retarding root growth.
Cassava breeders have had little commercial support in creating and distributing
new breeds because seed companies normally a major avenue for distributing
new crop varieties are not interested because it is a vegetative propagated
crop and does not reproduce via seeds.
As a result, AGRA is supporting efforts to breed, distribute and encourage farmers
to adopt new varieties resistant to the viruses.
The alliance recently awarded three grants totalling US$553,692 to breeders at
national research organisations in Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania to develop new resistant
breeds. It has also granted US$157,500 to support rapid distribution of four disease
resistant cassava varieties on the Tanzanian islands of Pemba and Zanzibar.
George Bigirwa, programme officer for seed production systems at AGRA, said the
project has already released the four varieties to farmers in Zanzibar. The local
government is also backing a programme that encourages farmers propagate and sell
plant materials at an agreed low cost to other local farmers. Farmers in Malawi
have also adopted the model.
Bigirwa says AGRA is also working with policymakers to design more realistic regulations
for new varieties, and is encouraging breeders to work more closely with local
regulatory bodies.
Michael Malakata
Source: SciDev.net
24 October 2007
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1.09 African cassava breeders network moves to derail
spreading epidemic of devastating crop virus
Nairobi, Kenya
Cassava, Africa’s second most important food crop after maize, is under siege
by viruses that have decimated much of the crop across the continent.
Following a recent spike of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), cassava breeders
from across sub-Saharan Africa met in Zanzibar, Tanzania earlier this month to
discuss introducing new disease-resistant varieties of cassava to help preserve
this food crop that is critical for poor farmers across Africa.
The meeting was hosted by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
(AGRA), and Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture. AGRA is chaired by Kofi
Annan and supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. Cassava is a cheap source of nutrients and is a staple food for some
250 million Africans. It tolerates drought and is able to thrive in marginal soils
making it one of Africa’s most reliable food crops.
Tanzania’s cassava breeders have developed resistant materials that could be critical
to arresting the epidemic. The key will be getting this genetic material
to other breeding programs, and working with governments to speed release of the
new varieties. The breeders are urgently seeking ways to get the new, hardier
cassava seeds to farmers.
One solution already underway through AGRA is by developing farmer entrepreneurship
to combat the problem. In Zanzibar, each village designates a farmer who will
be in charge of growing disease-resistant cassava.
With support from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), network
pPlans new breeding strategies, urges regulatory action
A meeting of Africa’s leading cassava breeders zeroed in on actions needed
to stop the rapid spread of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD). The resurgent
crop disease has already caused a low-grade famine in northern Mozambique, and
led Zanzibar farmers to largely abandon cultivation of the critical food crop.
Breeders from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique all noted the rising
threat of the disease to small-scale farmers in their areas.
The agricultural scientists, meeting in Zanzibar 3-5 October 2007, said that the
disease has recently spiked, for reasons that are unclear. Yet, breeders have
already developed a number of disease-resistant varieties, and others are in the
pipeline. Breeders noted that the problem lies in getting these varieties to farmers.
They noted that many African governments have stringent variety release rules
that seriously delay getting the new varieties into farmers’ fields.
“Joint action by cassava breeders, farmers and government agencies can contain
this disease,” said cassava breeder, Dr. Edward Kanju, of the International
Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in Tanzania. “Isolated action or
inaction will worsen hunger. Unless cassava scientists and policy makers understand
that there is this menace, farmers and their families will suffer as a result.”
If CBSD continues to spread unabated, the damage would be considerable, breeders
said, and would compound the losses already being caused by a second disease,
the African cassava mosaic virus. CBSD causes the edible cassava roots to become
corky and inedible, and may also streak and destroy leaf tissue. Once introduced
into a field, the virus can spread rapidly, and yield losses of up to 100 percent
have been registered. However, Tanzania’s cassava breeders have developed tolerant
materials could be critical to arresting the epidemic. The key will be getting
this genetic material to other breeding programs in the region for use in local
breeding programmes.
Across Africa, cassava is a staple food for some 250 million Africans, and its
tuberous root is the second most important crop in terms of calories consumed.
It has served as a reserve against famine and is tolerant to water stress and
poor soils, making it important to African farmers facing longer and more frequent
droughts. Its leaves are used as a vegetable and provide a cheap but rich source
of proteins, vitamins A, B and C, and other minerals. Cassava’s importance to
Africa has even been recognized by the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD), which has developed a Pan African Cassava Initiative. Nonetheless,
cassava remains susceptible to a number of crop diseases and pests, and most varieties
grown by small-scale farmers are low yielding, limiting the crop’s potential to
alleviate hunger and malnutrition.
Breeders and Farmers Working Together to Increase Yield and Tackle Disease
The breeders noted that while curbing the spread of cassava brown streak disease
is a top priority, breeding strategies also need to increase cassava yield and
to target specific traits that farmers are looking for, otherwise farmers are
unlikely to use the new varieties.
Yield increases will not only stem hunger, but are also essential to conserve
African environments, according to Dr. Ibrahim Benesi, a cassava breeder with
the Chitedze Agricultural Research Station in Lilongwe, Malawi.
He noted that cassava production in Africa has grown from 90 to 145 million tons
in the last forty years and, at that production is expected to double in the next
twenty years. “However, more than 75% of this increase in cassava production has
come from increases in land area rather than increase in productivity. Farmers
need to harvest more on less land if African environments are to be spared,” Benesi
said.
Network breeders recommended a new breeding strategy, known as “farmer participatory
selection” as key to the development of varieties that are disease resistant,
high yielding, and appeal to farmers. Using this approach, crop breeders involve
local farmers directly in their work to identify farmer preferences, which may
involve things such as taste, good cooking ability, early maturity, good storage
in the ground, more roots per plant, pest and disease resistance, and leaves suitable
as a good vegetable. The approach ensures that qualities for disease resistance
and yield are coupled with qualities important to local farmers and communities.
“This farmer-participatory approach to plant breeding is a genuine and fairly
recent breakthrough in crop breeding,” said George Bigirwa of AGRA. “Only a decade
ago, such methods were considered by many to be ‘less scientific’ than selecting
for maximum yields in trials grown on isolated research stations using high applications
of fertilizers and chemical pesticides.”
At the meeting, cassava breeders from eight countries reported on the farmer participatory
breeding work of their national research institutions. In many cases, the reports
represented the first time that the breeders were testing their own locally developed
varieties, rather than varieties developed by others at distant research stations.
Building Farmer Entrepreneurs and Strengthening Private-Sector Involvement
Some network participants also stressed the urgent need to increase private-sector
involvement in supporting small-scale cassava farmers and building markets.
Zanzibar is blazing one approach to the problem. The government has not only approved
four new CBSD-tolerant varieties, but is working across the region to spur farmer
entrepreneurial efforts.
On Zanzibar’s two islands, cassava had been the most important crop after riceuntil
a severe outbreak of cassava brown streak disease practically wiped it off the
map. With the support of a small AGRA grant, the government, breeders and farmers
are taking an innovative approach to restoring the crop. The government has already
approved several CBSD-resistant varieties, and it has initiated a farmer-led variety
distribution program. Instead of centrally distributing cuttings from the Ministry
of Agriculture, each village will designate its own farmer responsible for growing
the disease-resistant varieties and distributing them, at a low set cost, to local
farmers.
“With the support of AGRA, we will train farmers themselves to multiply and disseminate
cassava planting materials to other farmers rather than relying on companies,”
said Mr. Haji Saleh of the Ministry of Agriculture of Zanzibar. “This system will
make sure farmers are able to access these new varieties of cassava while at the
same time empowering them with entrepreneurial skills.”
The African Cassava Breeders Network meeting brought together nearly 50 people
from eight countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi
and Rwanda. Present were crop breeders, seed producers, and representatives of
agriculture-related businesses and non-governmental organizations. The meeting
was jointly convened by AGRA and the Ministry of Agriculture of Tanzania.
The Alliance for a Green Revolution
in Africa (AGRA) is a dynamic partnership working across the African continent
to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out
of poverty and hunger. AGRA programs develop practical solutions to significantly
boost farm productivity and incomes for the poor while safeguarding the environment.
AGRA advocates for policies that support its work across all key aspects of the
African agricultural “value chain”from seeds, soil health, and water to markets
and agricultural education.
AGRA is chaired by Kofi A. Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations.
AGRA, with initial support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, maintains offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Accra, Ghana.
Source: The Alliance for a Green Revolution
in Africa (AGRA)
Source: SeedQuest.com
18 October 2007
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1.10 Mozambique and USDA align to fight cassava root rot disease
Mozambique’s National Institute for Agricultural Research (IIAM), with the
financial support of United States Agency for International Development (USAID),
released 5,000 seedlings of a new cassava variety resistant to root rot, to be
distributed among the peasant farmers in the northern province of Nampula. Cassava
is cultivated in almost all the districts in Mozambique where it is one of the
major staple food crops, particularly in the rural areas. Infestation of the root
rot disease has caused significant yield losses over the years contributing to
food insecurity in the region. The two-year project, which aims to distribute
over 50,000 seedlings to 200,000 peasant farmers in Nampula, was in part made
possible by a USAID grant to upgrade IIAM’s Biotechnology Laboratory. The IIAM
Biotechnology Laboratory developed the first batches of seedlings of the root
rot disease resistant cassava variety, "Nachinyaya", using tissue culture. Over
300,000 people are expected to benefit from this project.
Read more at Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique http://www.sortmoz.com/aimnews
or at http://www.usaid.gov/mz
Source: CropBiotech Update
7 September 2007
Contributed by Margaret Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding and Genetics
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
mes25@cornell.edu
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1.11 Sweet potato promise shines for small
enterprise and hunger relief in developing countries
Underrated root crop celebrated during 2008 'International Year of the
Potato'
WASHINGTON, DC -- Sweetpotatoes, often misunderstood and underrated, are receiving
new attention as a life-saving food crop in developing countries.
According to the International Potato Center (www.cipotato.org),
more than 95 percent of the global sweetpotato crop is grown in developing countries,
where it is the fifth most important food crop. Despite its name, the sweetpotato
is not related to the potato. Potatoes are tubers (referring to their thickened
stems) and members of the Solanaceae family, which also includes tomatoes, red
peppers, and eggplant. Sweetpotatoes are classified as "storage roots" and belong
to the morning-glory family.
Scientists believe that sweetpotatoes were domesticated more than 5,000 years
ago and reportedly introduced into China in the late 16th century. Because of
its hardy nature and broad adaptability, sweetpotato spread through Asia, Africa,
and Latin America during the 17th and 18th centuries. It is now grown in more
developing countries than any other root crop.
Sweetpotato has a long history as a lifesaving crop. When typhoons demolished
thousands of rice fields, Japanese farmers turned to sweetpotato to sustain their
country. Sweetpotato kept millions from starvation in famine-plagued China in
the early 1960s, and in Uganda, where a virus ravaged cassava crops in the 1990s,
the hardy hero came to the rescue, nourishing millions in rural communities.
Rich in carbohydrates and vitamin A, sweetpotatoes are nutrition superstars. Uses
range from consumption of fresh roots or leaves to processing into animal feed,
starch, flour, candy and alcohol. Because of its versatility and adaptability,
sweetpotato ranks as the world¡¯s seventh most important food crop (following
wheat, rice, maize, potato, barley, and cassava). Globally, more than 133 million
tons of the underrated, vitamin-packed root are produced each year.
Despite its storied history, sweetpotato has received relative little attention
from crop improvement research. To bring attention to the issue, a recent study
was published by the American Society for Horticultural Science (www.ashs.org). For the study, researchers conducted
a survey of 36 scientists from 21 developing countries to solicit opinions on
key constraints affecting the productivity of small sweetpotato producers.
Keith Fuglie, of the Resources and Rural Economics Division at the United States
Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, led the study. He found
consistent key constraints in all major sweetpotato producing areas. Survey respondents
indicated that the priority needs in developing countries were: control of viruses,
small-enterprise development for sweetpotato processing, improvement in availability
and quality of sweetpotato planting material and improved cultivars exhibiting
high and stable yield potential.
Some differences emerged, however, in priority needs of the two major centers
of sweetpotato production¡ªSub-Saharan Africa and China. Additional priorities
for Sub-Saharan Africa included improved control of the sweetpotato weevil and
cultivars with high beta carotene content to address Vitamin A deficiency. For
China, priorities included: conservation and characterization of genetic resources,
prebreeding, cultivars with high starch yield and new product development. According
to Fuglie, the different sets of priorities reflect differences in the role of
sweetpotato in the rural economy and also different capacities of the agricultural
research system in these regions of the world.
Fuglie noted that "these findings could help agricultural scientists working for
national and international institutions establish their priorities for sweetpotato
crop improvement research. Focusing research on the key productivity constraints
facing sweetpotato farmers in a particular country or region will increase the
likelihood of farmer adoption and potential impact of the technology resulting
from that research."
Principal beneficiaries of the research study will be small-scale sweetpotato
farmers in developing countries. Fuglie hopes that emerging technologies based
on research will be available for sweetpotato farmers within 5 to 10 years.
###
The complete study and abstract are available on the ASHS HortScience electronic
journal web site: http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/42/5/1200/
Founded in 1903, the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) is the
largest organization dedicated to advancing all facets of horticultural research,
education and application. More information at ashs.org
Contact: Michael W. Neff
mwneff@ashs.org
American Society for Horticultural Science
Source: EurekAlert.org
2 November 2007
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1.12 Indian and Australian scientists collaborate for better
wheat
New Delhi, India
Improving wheat production sustainability in north-west India through the use
of biotechnology is the focus of a joint, three-day Indian-Australian workshop
commencing today at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
Conference Centre in Delhi.
The workshop, initiated by Dr Mangala Rai, Director General of ICAR, will be co-hosted
by ICAR and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural
Research (ACIAR).
In his opening remarks, the Australian High Commissioner to India, John McCarthy,
said the workshop will form the basis of a joint ICAR-ACIAR collaborative five-year
program on marker-assisted breeding in wheat in a range of applications to improve
disease resistance, drought and temperature tolerance and quality of wheat.
"This workshop will determine the objectives for a series of collaborative research
projects which will bring together the world-class wheat research expertise from
both countries," said McCarthy.
Marker assisted selection is a tool that allows plant breeders to 'mark' specific
genes that can deliver desirable traits. These genes aredentified and marked,
and descendants can be tested easily and quickly in a laboratory for the 'marked'
gene. This tool speeds up breeding programs, achieving greater efficiency, consistency
and accuracy in new varieties.
"Marker assisted selection in the ACIAR wheat-breeding projects will hasten the
development of better wheat traits such as disease and drought resistance, and
improved quality and yield," said McCarthy.
"Wheat is a major commodity for both countries, and Australia and India are world
leaders in wheat breeding. There is a long history of successful collaboration
through ACIAR, including the identification and development of yellow rust resistant
strains of wheat, and we look forward to building on this."
In both India and Australia, changes in temperature and rainfall conditions and
emerging diseases are putting pressure on wheat production systems, and there
is an ongoing drive for improved quality (including high protein and baking quality).
Australia is in a unique position of sharing similar agricultural systems, environments
and challenges with many parts of India, including thelluvial Indo-Gangetic Plain,
and the central wheat growing regions of Madhya Pradesh.
ACIAR's partnership model provides research benefits to both collaborating countries,
by bringing together expertise from a range of research organisations working
on problems of common interest and generating mutual benefits.
Source: DailyIndia.com via SeedQuest.com
12 October 2007
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1.13 Legumes step into the limelight in the tropics
Food for thought as legumes step into the limelight in the tropics
Legumes are nutrient-rich and commercially attractive. For the promise they
hold for food security and incomes, legumes deserve greater attention from the
research and development community: plenty of food for thought there too.
The need for more attention is obviousin the words of Mr Denis Mwashita,
a small-scale farmer at the Chinyika Resettlement Scheme in Bingaguru, Zimbabwe,
“Beans have always carried disease, but from the little we harvest and eat, we
and our children have developed stomachs.”
To address impediments to higher production, a new cross-continental research
and development project covering Africa and Asia turns the limelight on legumes.
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Tropical Legumes Project
will develop improved varieties of selected legumes, more resilient against drought,
pests and disease.
The timing is opportune, given the unprecedented confluence of knowledge and opportunities
through partnerships, which are key to the project’s success. Today, there is
greater confidence in genomics, among other areas, to tackle contemporary agricultural
challenges, and national agricultural research programmes are increasingly much
better prepared to take advantage ofand usenew technologies.
But beyond technologies, getting these improved seeds to farmers is where the
research rubber really hits the road: Tropical Legumes does not stop at technologies
for seed improvement but goes further down the road to seed delivery. The project
will reproduce and distribute these improved seeds to farmers, in close collaboration
with national research programmes.
Full version of press release and contacts for more information at: http://www.generationcp.org/brochure.php#press_releases
For details on World Food Day, visit: http://www.fao.org/wfd2007/index_en.html
15 October 2007
Contributed by Antonia Okono
Communications Manager
Generation Challenge Programme (GCP)
a.okono@cgiar.org
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1.14 USDA awards $4.7 million for tomato
and potato specialty crops genetic research
Washington, DC
USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education,
and Extension Service (CSREES) today announced more than $4.7 million in grants
to 13 universities and research laboratories for tomato and potato specialty crops
genetic research that may lead to improved fruit quality, yield, stress tolerance
and disease resistance.
"Specialty crops are a major contributor to U.S. agriculture and are valued at
$53 billion in sales annually," said Gale Buchanan, USDA under secretary for Research,
Education and Economics. "New knowledge is needed to develop plants with enhanced
economic value, which will ultimately allow the specialty crop industry to remain
competitive in the global environment and contribute to the U.S. economy."
The goal of the research program is to increase fundamental knowledge of the structure,
function and organization of plant genomes to improve agricultural efficiency
and sustainability; effectively integrate modern molecular breeding technologies
and classical breeding practice for U.S. crop improvement; and improve U.S. varieties
for agricultural growers and producers.
The President's 2007 Farm Bill proposal calls for a $100 million investment in
specialty crop research to address the critical needs of the industry. These grants
support the goal of conducting fundamental work in plant breeding, genetics and
genomics to improve crop characteristics, such as product appearance, environmental
responses and tolerances, nutrient management, pest and disease management, as
well as safety, quality, yield, taste and shelf life.
The awards are funded through the CSREES National Research Initiative Plant Genome
Program. CSREES advances knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health
and well-being, and communities by supporting research, education and extension
programs in the Land-Grant University System.
For more information, visit http://www.csrees.usda.gov.
Source: SeedQuest.com
11 October 2007
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1.15 India hops on board the 'jatropha
express'
Jatropha curcas could be used as a source of biofuel
Jatropha is an attractive source of biofuel because its drought-tolerance
and ability to thrive on barren land doesn't compromise food security.
The scrub weed has been mooted as a candidate for greening barren land, providing
self-sufficient energy for rural communities and an income for farmers all
while combating climate change since the early 2000s in India.
India's national mission on biofuel although not yet approved aims
to plant 12 million hectares of jatropha and produce biofuels at the village level.
Many Indian states have hopped aboard the "jatropha express", providing farmers
with free seedlings, oil presses and guaranteeing seed buy-back, along with setting
up biodiesel processing plants.
But jatropha has never really been domesticated, so yield, optimum growing conditions
and its environmental impacts aren't yet understood.
Most current plantations have yet to reach their full potential and scientists
are worried about the government and farmers pouring resources into
a crop for which yield cannot be guaranteed.
And while Indian and international scientists are working to find the ideal water
and soil conditions for jatropha, and cultivate high-yielding progenitor plants,
this research is ad-hoc, with no real cohesion.
Link to full article
in Nature
15 October 2007
Source: Nature via SciDev.net
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1.16 Opium and marijuana research go underground
High-security Canadian mine used for biochemical research into opium poppy
and cannabis
The world’s leading expert on the opium poppy has joined forces with researchers
working on another infamous drug-producing plant – cannabis – in hopes of finding
new uses for the much-maligned sources of heroin and marijuana.
Peter Facchini, professor of Biological Sciences and Canada Research Chair in
Plant Biotechnology, has received a $650,000 NSERC Strategic Project Grant to
create new varieties of opium poppy and cannabis that can be used for medicinal
and industrial purposes, but will have no value as illicit drugs. And his work
is taking him where few Canadians have gone before: Deep underground into the
country’s ultra high-security medicinal marijuana growth facility.
“It’s certainly unusual for a plant biochemist to work in a copper mine hundreds
of metres underground,” Facchini said. “This is a really great project that involves
two of the world’s most important medicinal plants and is clearly unique in the
plant biology field.”
Facchini and a new team of U of C postdoctoral researchers have teamed up with
Saskatoon-based Prairie Plant Systems Inc., the National Research Council – Plant
Biotechnology Institute, the Alberta Research Council and the University of Saskatchewan
to create and study mutant varieties of opium poppy and cannabis in an unused
portion of a copper and zinc mine near Flin Flon, Manitoba. Prairie Plant Systems
produces medicinal marijuana under contract with Health Canada in this state-of-the-art
facility.
Despite awareness of the importance of crop diversification for the long-term
success of agriculture in Canada, few plants are cultivated for the production
of high-value bioproducts. Opium poppy accumulates the alkaloids morphine, codeine
and thebaine, and cannabis produces psychoactive cannabinoids and is used as a
source of high-quality fiber and oil. The domestic market for codeine, morphine
and oxycodone, which is derived from thebaine, is in excess of $1.6 billion annually,
all of which is currently imported. “Canada is well-positioned to support the
development of new crops cultivated for the production of valuable bioproducts,
such as pharmaceuticals and fibers,” says Facchini. The research will identify
novel genes for use in the metabolic engineering of opium poppy to accumulate
high-value pharmaceutical alkaloids and to block cannabinoid production in cannabis.
The latter will allow for a safe, legal, made-in-Canada cannabis crop that will
have virtually none of the mind-altering chemical of marijuana but can be grown
for hemp fibre, oil and food.
“The overall theme of this work is to modify plants to make them more useful as
crops and chemical factories,” Facchini said. “Alberta is quickly becoming a leader
in this area, especially in the area of biofuels. The immense potential of plants
as sources of high-value bioproducts for the agricultural and pharmaceutical sectors
also needs attention.”
The Biosecure Underground Growth Chamber is in a mine owned by Hudson Bay Smelting
& Mining Co. Ltd. Facchini says it is a superb venue for his research. “It’s
not what you would picture an old mine shaft to be. It’s clean and well-lit, it’s
kept at a constant temperature and it’s one of the most secure places in the country,”
he says. “It gives a whole new meaning to ‘mining our data.’”
Contact: Grady Semmens
gsemmens@ucalgary.ca
University of Calgary
Source: EurekAlert.org
31 October 2007
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1.17 New melon hybrid releases from
North Carolina State
Oriental crisp-flesh melons (Cucumis melo L.) have been a popular specialty
crop in North Carolina for the past few years. Four hybrids ('NC-Sparta',
'NC-Sapphire', 'NC-Star' and 'NC-Stella') and their seven
inbred parents (NC-301, NC-302, NC-303, NC-304, NC-305, NC-306, and NC-309) are
being released by North Carolina State University for use by industry. As
with most cucurbit cultivars released from N.C. State, 'NC-Sparta', 'NC-Sapphire',
'NC-Star' and 'NC-Stella' were named for places in North Carolina. 'NC-Sparta'
is the F1 of NC-301 x NC-304, 'NC-Sapphire' is the F1 of NC-303 x NC-309, 'NC-Star'
is the F1 of NC-302 x NC-305, and 'NC-Stella' is the F1 of NC-302 x NC-306.
The inbreds have been self-pollinated past the S7 generation. Selection
was for fruit shape, smooth rind, crisp flesh texture, white flesh color, high
sugar content, excellent flavor, high marketable yield, early maturity, small
seed cavity, freedom from defects, and improved resistance to foliar diseases,
mainly downy mildew (Pseudoperonospora cubensis), and powdery mildew (Podosphaera
xanthii). There was also selection for basic growth and reproduction
traits, including good seed yield, rapid seed germination and emergence, and rapid
vine growth and flowering.
All four hybrids have crisp, white flesh, similar to 'Sprite'.
The inbreds and hybrids have andromonoecious flowering habit, indeterminate plant type, moderate fruit yield, early maturity, smooth white rind, crisp flesh
texture, white flesh color, high sugar content, medium-sized seed cavity, freedom
from defects; and palmate leaves with serrated margins. The fruit are uniform
in shape, with a tough and thin rind. The fruit develop brown cracks that
occur radially around the blossom scar at fruit maturity; radial cracks are an
indicator of maturity. 'NC-Sparta' has medium size fruit (0.7 kg), elongate
shape (LD of 1.2) and a sweetness of 12 brix. 'NC-Sapphire' has large size
fruit (0.8 kg), elongate shape (LD of 1.2) and a sweetness of 12 brix. 'NC-Star'
has small size fruit (0.6 kg), elongate shape (LD of 1.2) and a sweetness of 13
brix. 'NC-Stella' has small size fruit (0.6 kg), round shape (LD of 1.1)
and a sweetness of 13 brix.
Seeds of the hybrids and inbreds are available to interested plant breeders.
For more information, see http://cucurbitbreeding.ncsu.edu/.
Contributed by Todd Wehner
Department of Horticultural Science
North Carolina State University
todd_wehner@ncsu.edu
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1.18 Forest seed orchards: Conference
report
The major channel for tree breeding efforts out to the forests is seed orchards,
where selected parents can mate and produce improved seeds. A seed orchard conference
took place in Umeå, Sweden 26-28 September 2007. The conference link is:
http://www-genfys.slu.se/staff/dagl/Umea07/Umea07.htm
There were 90 participants from 27 countries presenting 36 lectures and 17 posters.
Abstracts are available on the net now, and an electronic proceedings is under
preparation.
Seed orchards seem the most cost efficient way to improve forests with available
techique and proper environmental considerations. Seed orchards are the cradles
to new forests, which will improve the future access of raw materials for Mankind
in a sustainable way by cycling air and water in a process driven by sunlight.
There will be added resources created without a net release of carbon dioxide
and an added fuel resource. Seed orchards can conserve genetic resources needed
for re-establishing destroyed ecosystems and to conserve gene diversity.
Contributed by Dag Lindgren
Dag.Lindgren@genfys.slu.se
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1.19 China updates plant variety testing procedures
Beijing, China
Report highlights
China’s Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) recently published the “Administrative Measures
on Testing Guidelines for New Plant Varieties.” These procedural guidelines revise
the measures that govern the testing required for new plant variety registration
applications in China. This report contains an UNOFFICIAL translation of this
MOA measure.
Full report: http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200710/146292743.pdf
USDA/FAS GAIN Report number CH7078
Source: SeedQuest.com
22 October 2007
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1.20 Genetically engineered corn may harm stream ecosystems
Washington, DC
Ecological impacts of genetically engineered corn are particularly important
because of increased corn demand created by biofuels production
A new study* indicates that a popular type of genetically engineered corn--called
Bt corn--may damage the ecology of streams draining Bt corn fields in ways that
have not been previously considered by regulators. The study, which was funded
by the National Science Foundation, appears in
the Oct. 8 edition of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
This study provides the first evidence that toxins from Bt corn may travel long
distances in streams and may harm stream insects that serve as food for fish.
These results compound concerns about the ecological impacts of Bt corn raised
by previous studies showing that corn-grown toxins harm beneficial insects living
in the soil.
Licensed for use in 1996, Bt corn is engineered to produce a toxin that protects
against pests, particularly the European corn borer. Bt corn now accounts for
approximately 35 percent of corn acreage in the U.S., and its use is increasing.
"As part of the licensing process for genetically modified crops, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) was responsible for testing and identifying potential
environmental consequences from the planting of Bt corn," says Jennifer Tank,
who is from the University of Notre Dame and is a member of the team studying
Bt corn.
To fulfill this requirement, EPA completed studies that assumed that plant parts
would remain in fields without being carried away by streams draining agricultural
lands, says Tank. In addition, EPA only tested the impacts of Bt corn on small
lake organisms that are typically used to test the impacts of chemicals on aquatic
ecosystems.
The agency did not evaluate the impacts of Bt corn on organisms that live in streams--even
though Midwest agricultural lands where Bt corn is grown are heavily intersected
by streams draining the landscape. But despite the limitations of its tests, EPA
concluded that Bt corn "is not likely to have any measurable effects on aquatic
invertebrates."
To more comprehensively evaluate the ecological impacts of Bt corn than did the
EPA, the research team did the following:
1.Measured the entry of Bt plant parts--including pollen, leaves and cobs--in
12 streams in a heavily farmed Indiana region. The research team's results demonstrate
that these plant parts are washing into local steams. Moreover, during storms,
these plant parts are carried long distances and therefore could have ecological
impacts on downstream water bodies, such as lakes and large rivers.
2. Collected field data indicating that Bt corn pollen is being eaten by caddisflies,
which are close genetic relatives of the targeted Bt pests. Todd V. Royer, a member
of the research team from Indiana University, says that caddisflies "provide a
food resource for higher organisms like fish and amphibians."
3.Conducted laboratory tests showing that consumption of Bt corn byproducts increased
the mortality and reduced the growth of caddisflies. Together with field data
indicating that the caddisflies are eating Bt corn pollen, these results "suggest
that the toxin in Bt corn pollen and detritus can affect species of insects other
than the targeted pest," Tank said.
Royer says that "if our goal is to have healthy, functioning ecosystems, we need
to protect all the parts. Water resources are something we depend on greatly."
"Overall, our study points to the potential for unintended and unexpected consequences
from the widespread planting of genetically engineered crops," Tank said. "The
exact extent to which aquatic ecosystems are, or will be, impacted is still unknown
and likely will depend on a variety of factors, such as current ecological conditions,
agricultural practices and climate/weather patterns."
James Raich, a National Science Foundation program director, adds that "increased
use of corn for ethanol is leading to increased demand for corn and increased
acreage in corn production. Previous concerns about the nutrient enrichment of
streams that accompany mechanized row-crop agriculture are now compounded by toxic
corn byproducts that enter our streams and fisheries, and do additional harm."
The Bt corn researchers stress that their study should not be viewed as an indictment
of farmers."We do not imply that farmers are somehow to blame for planting Bt
corn, nor are they responsible for any unintended ecological consequences from
Bt corn byproducts," Tank said. "Farmers are, to a large extent, required to use
the latest technological advances in order to stay competitive and profitable
in the current agro-industrial system."
* Toxins in transgenic crop byproducts may affect headwater stream ecosystems
E. J. Rosi-Marshall, J. L. Tank, T. V. Royer, M. R. Whiles, M. Evans-White, C.
Chambers, N. A. Griffiths, J. Pokelsek, and M. L. Stephen
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0707177104v2?etoc
Source: The National Science Foundation
via SeedQuest.com
9 October 2007
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1.21 Preserving genetic variability of valuable specialty
crops
Washington, DC
What’s a “specialty crop”? It can be any of hundreds of fruits, vegetables, tree
nuts, nursery plants and other crops that add variety to the diet and beauty to
the garden.
To protect all U.S. cropsand provide material for developing new and better
onesthe Agricultural Research Service's (ARS)
National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) maintains genetic material,
or germplasm, at more than 20 genebanks around the country. Many NPGS locations
conserve germplasm of specialty crops.
In the Plant Genetic
Resources Unit at Geneva, N.Y., ARS scientists identified previously unknown
genetic variations in tomato, a specialty crop that nets about $2 billion dollars
annually. Molecular biologist Joanne Labate,
computational biologist Angela Baldo
and geneticist Larry Robertson
also found greater genetic variety than commonly believed to exist in tomato.
Understanding how to harness this variation could help breeders improve the U.S.
tomato crop.
Research leader Philip Forsline
has coordinated the addition of a large gene pool of wild apple germplasm to the
Geneva unit. The germplasm, which was collected in Central Asia, represents the
main center of origin for commercial apples, and may contribute to new cultivars.
NPGS research also contributes to domestic and international plant preservation.
At the Beltsville, Md., Woody Landscape Plant Germplasm
Repository, part of the U.S. National
Arboretum's Floral
and Nursery Plants Research Unit, curator Kevin Conrad
and his colleagues are collecting and conserving woody landscape tree and shrub
accessions as part of a national effort to preserve genetic diversity.
At the ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository ( NCGR)
in Corvallis, Ore., curator Kim Hummer
and other researchers have been working with international organizations to develop
a global conservation strategy for strawberry genetic resources. In 2006, the
NCGR hosted an international panel to develop protocols for conservation standards.
These efforts could result in greater protection for wild species and increased
accessibility to genetic resources.
These and similar programs at NPGS locations throughout the country help ensure
the strength of U.S. agricultural crops.
Read more about plant preservation research in the October 2007 issue of Agricultural
Research magazine, available online at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/oct07/genetic1007.htm
ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.
ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Laura McGinnis, laura.mcginnis@ars.usda.gov
Source: SeedQuest.com
10 October 2007
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1.22 International plant gene pool becomes
operational
Multilateral system boosts the exchange of plant genetic material
Rome, Italy
A new multilateral system for the fair and equitable sharing of plant genetic
resources for food and agriculture has become operational, FAO
announced today.
Over the past seven months, the system has accelerated the exchange of genetic
material, with more than 90 000 transfers of plant genetic material within the
system.
The Multilateral System is part of the legally-binding International Treaty on
Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture that entered into force in 2004
and has been ratified by 115 countries. Through the International Treaty, countries
have agreed to make their genetic diversity and related information about the
crops stored in their gene banks available to all who comply with the standarized
benefit-sharing agreements.
Around 300 delegates will meet in Rome (29 October–2 November 2007) for the second
session of the Governing Body of the Treaty.
A treasure for food security
“World agriculture is under enormous pressure to produce more food in a sustainable
way,” said Shakeel Bhatti, Secretary of the Governing Body of the Treaty. “Agricultural
production needs to be improved by developing food crops that can adapt to threats
such as climate change, desertification, pests and diseases and at the same time
meet the demand of a population that will grow from six billion people today to
nine billion in 2050,” he added.
Agricultural biodiversity, which is the basis for food production, is in sharp
decline due the effects of modernization, changes in diets and increasing population
density. It is estimated that about three-quarters of the genetic diversity found
in agricultural crops have been lost over the last century, and this genetic erosion
continues.
Today, only 150 crops feed most of the world's population, and just 12 crops provide
80 percent of dietary energy from plants, with rice, wheat, maize, and potato
alone providing almost 60 percent.
Bread, couscous and tortillas
The Multilateral System provides farmers, plant breeders and scientists free of
charge access to plant genetic materials of 64 crops - crops that together account
for 80 percent of all human consumption - and helps to share benefits derived
from their commercial use. These genetic materials are at the base of our food
crops, our breads, our curries, our tortillas and our couscous.
The System gives scientific institutions, farmers, and private sector plant breeders
the opportunity to work with the materials stored in gene banks or even crops
growing in fields. By facilitating research, innovation and exchange of information
without restrictions, this reduces the costly and time consuming procedures for
breeders, while recognizing for the first time Farmers’ Rights.
The world's most important gene bank collections, more than 600 000 samples, held
by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural
Research (CGIAR), have been included in the system, together with the Mutant
Germplasm Repository of the FAO/IAEA Joint Division in Vienna and other collections.
“No country is sufficient in crop diversity. Only the sharing of plant genetic
material from different regions and countries will enable us to explore the unknown
characteristics and the future potential of plant genetic resources. The Multilateral
System is an important tool for benefit sharing. However, a lot of efforts still
need to be made to facilitate the access to genetic resources and the sharing
of benefits derived from their commercial use”, Bhatti said.
The Rome conference will discuss issues relevant for the future of Treaty such
as Funding Strategy, Farmers’ Rights and the sustainable use of resources.
Source: SeedQuest.com
29 October 2007
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1.23 CGIAR genebanks distributing more material
Rome, Italy
The 11 genebanks supported by the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) today reported that they
had distributed almost 100,000 samples of plant material under the terms of the
new Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA). The agreement is the legal instrument
under which material and information is transferred under the International Treaty
on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. In essence, it ensures that
material and information remain freely available and implements the multilateral
system of access and benefit sharing of the Treaty.
The Governing Body of the International Treaty starts its second meeting today
and the report is one of the documents it will consider. The report shows that
CGIAR centres sent out 97,669 samples between 1 January and 1 August 2007. They
received 3988 samples of new genetic material for safe-keeping in trust for the
global community. The report was prepared by the CGIAR's System-wide Genetic Resources
Programme, which is hosted by Bioversity International and which coordinates the
CGIAR centres' activities in this area.
In the whole of 2004, the last year for which figures are available, the centres
sent out 90,504 samples and received 5033 new accessions.
"The figures for the first seven months of 2007 are a clear increase, especially
for distributions," said Emile Frison, Director General of Bioversity International.
Cary Fowler, Executive Secretary of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, agreed,
but added that the amount of new material coming in to CGIAR and other genebanks
was somewhat disappointing. "We've seen that climate change is happening now,"
Fowler said, "and we are going to need genebanks to cope with that. Crop diversity
is essential for agriculture to adapt to changing conditions and we should therefore
be bringing more material into safe-keeping."
There has been a shift in the type of material that is being distributed by CGIAR
genebanks. "A high proportion consisted of plant genetic resources 'under Development',"
explained Gerald Moore, Honorary Fellow at Bioversity International and an author
of the report. That means that breeders are releasing improved lines for further
work and assessment by others, which is vitally important for the further improvement
of crop varieties. The use of the SMTA to do this ties the material and any products
derived from the material to the access and benefit sharing system of the Treaty
and means that these lines will always be available for others to make use of.
The report says that the centres encountered no overwhelming difficulties in implementing
the SMTA for all material. Only three potential recipients – all in the US – refused
to sign the SMTA, and some other requests for material were abandoned after the
requestors were made aware of the SMTA.
The report identifies areas where the operation of the system could be eased.
The length and complexity of the SMTA itself, which is often translated into the
recipient's language, means that the documentation often exceeds the size and
weight of the seeds being transferred. "Smaller and more compact versions of the
SMTA would be helpful," the report notes. There is also a suggestion that when
improved material is being exchanged among a large collaboration of breeders and
others a single clause, which refers to the SMTA, in the general framework agreement
would be simpler than inserting the SMTA in each and every dispatch.
There remains a crucial need to train potential users about the International
Treaty. "The lack of awareness and understanding seems almost universal," commented
one centre. "We receive frequent requests for specific information or for training
courses." Some centres have already delivered training programmes and more are
in the pipeline.
"The report shows that the Centres have embraced the Treaty and are putting it
to work," said Emile Frison, Director General of Bioversity International. "With
more awareness, and more training, which we stand ready to help provide, the Treaty
will really come into its own as an international instrument to improve agriculture
for those who need it most."
Source: SeedQuest.com
29 October 2007
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1.24 CIOPORA and its members increase efforts against
piracy of plant variety rights
CIOPORA and its members are increasing
their efforts in fighting piracy of plant variety rights and other intellectual
property rights. CIOPORA started a communication campaign at Valentines 2007 providing
various partners in industry with detailed information on the negative effects
of piracy. While this will be continued, CIOPORA brought the message “stop piracy
– support creativity” very demonstratively to the visitors and exhibitors at this
years HortiFair in Amsterdam: the “pirate” and “flower-lady”* were one of the
main attractions at the tradeshow.
“Many people don’t know that new varieties can be protected by plant variety rights,
like new inventions in other industries might be protected by patents”, explains
Dr. Edgar Krieger, CIOPORA’s Executive Secretary. Breeding vegetatively reproduced
ornamental and fruit varieties needs a lot of know-how and requires significant
financial investments, but the results can be very easily multiplied, also by
unauthorized users. Hence, effective protection systems and their efficient enforcement
– if necessary by legal actions – are of vital interest to breeders. But also
growers, the trade and consumers are benefiting from well functioning protection,
since all are looking for varieties which are healthier, show new colours, fragrances,
taste or have a longer vase-life. These can only be developed if the investments
made pay off. And it is also a matter of protecting fair competition among growers
and in trade when breeders are enforcing plant variety rights.
Breeders are asking everybody to inform themselves on existing rights, to enter
into and respect license-agreements, to trade only with legal plants and to report
alleged infringements. For entering into dialogue with CIOPORA or reporting alleged
infringements, the e-mail address antipiracy@ciopora.org can be used.
CIOPORA is an international non-governmental organization, founded in 1961,
representing the interests of breeders of asexually reproduced ornamental and
fruit varieties worldwide. Main task of CIOPORA is the constant development of
systems of protection of the intellectual property concerning ornamental and fruit
varieties.
CIOPORA - International Community of breeders
of asexually reproduced ornamental and fruit varieties
Source: SeedQuest.com
26 October 2007
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1.25 DuPont and Evogene collaborate
to increase drought tolerance in corn and soybeans
Des Moines, Iowa and Rehovot, Israel
DuPont (NYSE: DD) and Evogene Ltd. today announced a research collaboration
to improve drought stress tolerance primarily in corn and soybeans. Under the
agreement, DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred has exclusive rights to several
genes discovered by Evogene for improving these traits. The financial terms of
the agreement were not disclosed.
"Drought has an enormous impact on crop productivity and quality as well as cost
of production. It's the one agronomic pressure that negatively affects growers
in every country around the world, every year," said William S. Niebur, vice president
-- DuPont Crop Genetics Research and Development. "We look forward to creatively
combining our technologies to develop superior products that use water more efficiently,
leading to greater productivity, profitability and sustainability of agricultural
systems."
Drought causes global crop losses in excess of $8 billion annually. The impact
of drought will likely increase, based on predictive models used to study the
effects of ongoing climate changes. Improving corn and soybean tolerance to drought
stress will help maximize grower yield and income, as well as provide more grain
for the food, feed, fuel and materials value chains.
The candidate genes were discovered by Evogene's most advanced in-silico gene
discovery technology called the "ATHLETE." Pioneer will evaluate the licensed
genes in its elite corn and soybean germplasm to measure the benefit in its commercial
products.
"We are pleased to collaborate with Pioneer, a world leader in developing and
supplying corn and soybean seed varieties. This collaboration reinforces the value
of our gene discovery tools and will help us determine the utility of our candidate
genes," said Ofer Haviv, Evogene president and CEO. "This collaboration is a significant
milestone for us."
Pioneer is taking multiple approaches to drought tolerance that include conventional
breeding, molecular breeding and transgenic programs. The collaboration with Evogene
is complementary to the drought tolerance work already under way at Pioneer.
Source: SeedQuest.com
30 October 2007
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1.26 New maize varieties resistant to the large grain borer
Scientists from the Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) have developed maize
varieties resistant to the large grain borer. The new maize varieties will be
nominated by KARI maize breeders to the Kenya national maize performance trials
run by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (KEPHIS). They will also be
distributed for evaluation by interested parties in other countries in 2008 through
the CIMMYT international maize testing program.
An uninvited guest in maize aid shipments during the 1970s drought in Eastern
Africa, the grain borer was first seen in Tanzania. Attempts to control its spread
through its natural predators was not successful. To make matters worse, the borer
lives in the corn cob which is the traditional African way of storing the kernel.
Marianne Banziger, the director of CIMMYT's Global Maize Program, said that the
use of the new varieties will be more advantageous to farmers since the resistance
is in the seed itself. There will be no added workload or expense to farmers,
and no longstanding practices or habits to change.
Read more at http://www.cimmyt.org/english/wps/news/2007/sep/borers.htm
For more information contact Stephen Mugo at s.mugo@cgiar.org
Source: CropBiotech Update
5 October 2007
Contributed by Margaret Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding and Genetics
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
mes25@cornell.edu
(Return to Contents)
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1.27 Thailand research institute improves
resistance to rust in soybeans
Researchers from Thailand's Field Crops Research Institute of the Department
of Agriculture are studying the use of DNA markers to identify genes for rust
resistance in soybean, with a grant from the National Center for Genetic Engineering
and Biotechnology (BIOTEC). The Asian soybean rust, Phakopsora pachyrhizi,
has been known to drastically reduce soybean yields. Currently, most research
on soybean rust control focus on the establishment of host plant resistance. Preliminary
results show that three DNA markers are linked to rust tolerance in soybean. These
markers have been used for screening, in a cost-effective manner, large numbers
of soybean varieties to identify the ones with improved tolerance, . Two rust
resistance soybean varieties have been chosen, which show resistance to all eight
strains of soybean rust found in Thailand.
Read BIOTEC's press release at http://www.biotec.or.th/
Source: CropBiotech Update
17 August 2007:
Contributed by Margaret Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding and Genetics
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
mes25@cornell.edu
(Return to Contents)
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1.28 Discovery promises more nutritional
cassava
Scientists from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) have
developed a new variety of cassava that might be more nutritious and easier to
digest than other varieties. Cassava is the staple food for millions of poverty
stricken people in Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and parts of Asia. Cassava
roots, similar to potatoes, are often eaten boiled or deep-fried. It is also used
to make flour, tapioca and a wide range of other products. The root is rich in
carbohydrates and starch, but low in protein and vitamins. Compared to other starchy
crops, cassava contains relatively higher levels of amylose, which render it difficult
to digest.
Hernan Ceballos and his colleagues from CIAT identified a new cassava variety
with significantly reduced amylose content. Compared to traditional hard-to-digest
cassava varieties with 17 to 25 percent amylose content, the mutant contains an
average of only 3.4 percent. The scientists found no reduction in its starch content;
therefore it can provide more carbohydrates compared to traditional varieties.
This is the first report of a natural mutation in cassava that resulted to drastic
reduction on amylose content in root starch. Aside from being more
nutritious and easily digestible, the new variety may also be suited for bioethanol
production.
Read the complete paper at http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/jafcau/2007/55/i18/pdf/jf070633y.pdf
or contact Herman Ceballos at h.ceballos@cgiar.org.
Source: CropBiotech Update
14 September 2007
Contributed by Margaret Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding and Genetics
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
mes25@cornell.edu
(Return to Contents)
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1.29 WSU seeking patent on root rot-resistant
wheat
Washington State University (WSU) is seeking international patent protection
for its new wheat cultivar, Scarlet RZ1. The new genotype is believed to be the
first to have resistance to the Rhizoctonia root rot, a soil borne fungal disease
that can reduce wheat yields by as much as 30 percent. Scarlet RZ1 was produced
by treating the seeds with a chemical mutagen promoting random errors or changes
in the DNA sequences. The new variety is therefore not considered as a genetically
modified organism.
“This is the first wheat genotype that we know of that has tolerance to this disease,”
said Kim Kidwell, WSU’s interim wheat breeder. “It’s a major problem in direct
seeded spring wheat production not only in the US but also in Australia. We don’t
have any means of controlling the disease aside from tillage.”
The role of the gene coding for resistance has not been fully determined but researchers
are now studying the possibility of cloning the gene and transferring it to other
wheat varieties as well as other crops such as ornamentals where Rhizoctonia root
rot is a problem.
Read more at http://cahnrsnews.wsu.edu/Releases/2007/wheat-patent-2007-10.htm
Source: CropBiotech Update
5 October 2007:
Contributed by Margaret Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding and Genetics
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
mes25@cornell.edu
(Return to Contents)
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1.30 European Union OKs three more corn
biotechnology traits for food, feed use
St. Louis, Missouri
Corn and corn products produced from hybrids containing Herculex RW and two stacked
traits, YieldGard Plus with Roundup Ready 2 and Herculex I with Roundup Ready
2, can now be exported to the European Union (EU), the National Corn Growers Association
(NCGA) notes. The three biotech corn traits have received positive safety assessments
from the European Food Safety Authority and are now approved for food and feed
export into the 27 countries of the European Union.
"We're pleased to see the European Union's regulatory system make this move,"
said Martin Barbre, chairman of the The National
Corn Growers Association's Biotechnology Working Group and a corn grower from
Carmi, Ill. "These corn traits have already been approved in the U.S., Japan and
other major markets. Now with EU approval growers will have greater market access
for their grain, and processors and ethanol plants can continue to export Corn
Gluten Feed and Distillers Dried Grains."
In 2004, the European Union ended a six-year moratorium on new biotech products
with the adoption of stricter labeling standards. "Although the approval process
has resumed, there is still a significant time lag between the approval processes
in the U.S. and the EU," said Barbre. U.S. corn growers have 23 commercially-available
traits or combinations of traits, and with these recent EU approvals, now 15 of
them are cleared for import into Europe.
As growers begin to make their hybrid selections for next year, they must still
be aware that not every trait or stack is approved in the EU. The seed industry
will continue to identify hybrids from non-EU approved traits under the Market
Choices™ label. In cooperation with the nation's leading seed companies, the National
Corn Growers Association has compiled "Know Before You Grow," a database of the
biotech corn traits currently available. This database lists whether a corn trait
is approved in Japan and/or European Union- and allows growers to compare commercial
hybrids that contain those biotech traits. NCGA developed and frequently updates
this database is a tool to help growers make informed decisions. For more information,
visit www.KnowBeforeYouGrow.com .
Source: SeedQuest.com
25 October 2007
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1.31 Wheat relative as possible source
of fungal resistance genes
Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the Institute for Cereal
Crops Improvement at Tel Aviv University have shown that Sharon goatgrass (Aegilops
sharonensis), a wild relative of cultivated wheat native to Israel and Lebanon,
exhibits resistance to a number of fungal diseases that threaten much of the world's
wheat crops. Such diseases include powdery mildew, leaf and stem rust, spot
blotch and tan spot. Sharon goatgrass is therefore a possible source of resistance
genes that can be introduced to commonly cultivated wheat varieties.
From a total of 107 samples that were exposed to different fungal diseases, up
to 80 percent showed resistance to powdery mildew and leaf rust, infections
that cause much of the world's wheat crop loss. The samples also showed least
resistance to the Fusarium head blight. To realize the possibility of introducing
the resistance genes to common wheat cultivars, studies are currently being made
regarding the genetics of A. sharonensis and the mode of inheritance
of the resistance genes.
Read the article published by the journal Plant Disease at http://www.apsnet.org/pd/SubscriberContent/2007/PDIS-91-8-0942.pdf
Source: CropBiotech Update
17 August 2007:
Contributed by Margaret Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding and Genetics
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
mes25@cornell.edu
(Return to Contents)
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1.32 From red to white: the story of today's
white rice
It all began with wild red rice, a single gene, and two mutations. Now white
rice is the staple food of more than half of today's world's population. Ancient
farmers found that the white-grained rice that interspersed with their red rice
cooked faster (requiring less fuel), had hulls that were easier to remove, and
a color that made disease and insects easier to see. Thus began the epic diaspora
of white rice varieties from the Himalayan region to the rest of the world.
Researchers at Cornell University and elsewhere have found that 97.9 percent of
all white rice is derived from a mutation (a deletion of DNA) in a single gene
originating in the Japonica subspecies of rice; a mutation that is also
found in the Indica subspecies of white rice. A second independent mutation
(a single DNA substitution) occurred in the same gene in several Aus varieties
of rice in Bangladesh, accounting for the remaining 2.1 percent of white rice
varieties. Neither of these two mutations is found in any wild red rice species.
Scientists are now studying how to introduce favorable genes from wild red rices
into elite white cultivars to improve yields and provide better responses to stress.
In the future, breeders can have red-grained rice without the undesirable weedy
traits of wild red rice.
Read the complete article at http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Aug07/WhiteRice.kr.html.
Source: CropBiotech Update
24 August 2007
Contributed by Margaret Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding and Genetics
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
mes25@cornell.edu
(Return to Contents)
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1.33 New leafminer-resistant spinach varieties
Spinach and lettuce are top choices not only by salad lovers but also by troublesome
insects known as leafminers. Leafminers are difficult to control as they are protected
from pesticides and defense chemicals secreted by plants by feeding within the
tissue of the leaves. Aside from causing damage in leaves, adult leafminers can
ruin spinach, lettuce and other greens when they puncture leaves to feed on the
sap, creating unsightly holes called "stings".
Researchers from the U.S. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have developed two
varieties of spinach with impressive natural resistance to this insect. Compared
to other methods, natural resistance offers an economical, effective and environmentally
friendly way to battle leafminers. The new spinach plants, designated "03-04-09"
and "03-04-63," is rated as the world's first spinach breeding lines with significant
leafminer resistance. These parent plants serve as an invaluable source of resistance
that can be bred into spinach types already popular with growers, home gardeners
and shoppers.
Read more at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2007/071009.htm
Source: CropBiotech Update
12 October 2007:
Contributed by Margaret Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding and Genetics
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
mes25@cornell.edu
(Return to Contents)
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1.34 World's hottest chile pepper discovered
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- Researchers at New Mexico State University recently
discovered the world’s hottest chile pepper. Bhut Jolokia, a variety of chile
pepper originating in Assam, India, has earned Guiness World Records’ recognition
as the world’s hottest chile pepper by blasting past the previous champion Red
Savina. In replicated tests of Scoville heat units (SHUs), Bhut Jolokia reached
one million SHUs, almost double the SHUs of Red Savina, which measured a mere
577,000.
Dr. Paul Bosland, Director of the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University’s
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences collected seeds of Bhut Jolokia
while visiting India in 2001. Bosland grew Bhut Jolokia plants under insect-proof
cages for three years to produce enough seed to complete the required field tests.
“The name Bhut Jolokia translates as ‘ghost chile,’” Bosland said, “I think it’s
because the chile is so hot, you give up the ghost when you eat it!” Bosland added
that the intense heat concentration of Bhut Jolokia could have significant impact
on the food industry as an economical seasoning in packaged foods.
###
The complete study and abstract are available on the ASHS HortScience electronic
journal web site: http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/42/2/222
Founded in 1903, the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) is the
largest organization dedicated to advancing all facets of horticultural research,
education, and application. Society website - ashs.org
Contact: Michael W. Neff
mwneff@ashs.org
American Society for Horticultural Science
Source: EurekAlert.org
26 October 2007
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1.35 Genes identified to protect brassicas from damaging disease
Scientists have identified a new way to breed brassicas, which include broccoli,
cabbage and oilseed rape, resistant to a damaging virus. Their discovery has characterised
a form of resistance that appears to be durable, broad-spectrum and unlikely to
be overcome by the virus over time. Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) is an economically
devastating virus that infects a wide range of cultivated plants, but especially
brassicas. In research published recently in the Journal of General Virology,
scientists at Warwick HRI and collaborators have identified genes that confer
resistance to the virus and, crucially, as multiple genes are involved, provide
resistance that the virus appears not to have been able to evolve to overcome.
The research, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
(BBSRC) and others, could have important broader implications for plant breeders
and farmers as TuMV is a member of the Potyvirus family – the biggest family of
viruses that attack plants – and an important model for understanding other viruses.
The Warwick HRI scientists have examined a number of types of genes that determine
plant responses to virus attack. One response is for the plant to kill off individual
cells if they become infected, thereby restricting the viral infection to a very
localised area of the plant. Another response is to restrict virus movement within
the plant and stop its spread from leaf to leaf. The researchers have identified
a number of genes that appear to not allow any replication of the virus in plants
when it is introduced into the plant.
Dr John Walsh, the research group leader, said: “Turnip mosaic virus can cause
big economic losses for farmers. We have identified multiple genes that give some
varieties of brassica resistance to the virus. By breeding these genes into commercial
varieties of the crop, using conventional techniques, breeders can protect them
from attack. But most importantly, we have identified broad-spectrum resistance
provided by a number of genes. This means we potentially have the means to develop
brassicas, such as broccoli, that will be robust enough to prevent the virus mutating
to overcome the resistance.”
Professor Simon Bright, Director of Warwick HRI, commented: “This research demonstrates
the importance of centres such as Warwick HRI in linking fundamental bioscience
to developments that benefit growers and consumers. In the three years since we
transferred to become part of the University of Warwick, Warwick HRI has built
on its core strengths in horticulture and is now at the forefront of efforts,
such as the BBSRC Crop Science Initiative, to turn excellent plant science in
to real benefits for crop production.”
###
Dr Walsh’s team has recently been awarded more funding by BBSRC under its Crop
Science Initiative to take this research further.
Contact: Matt Goode
press.office@bbsrc.ac.uk
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Source: EurekAlert.org
1 November 2007
(Return to Contents)
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1.36 Scientists re-examine soy diversity
Washington, DC
An Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-led team of scientists has challenged the
widely held assumption that two "genetic bottlenecks" have drastically reduced
genetic variability in soybean varieties grown in farmers' fields.
The first bottleneck was said to be plant breeders' tendency to use only a few
parent soybeans from Asia, called "landraces," to build the genetic base of U.S.
soybean in the 1930s and 1940s. The second bottleneck was breeders' use of a small
group of elite varieties as parents in each succeeding round of breeding during
the past 60 years.
However, in a November 2006 paper published in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, a team led by ARS geneticists Perry Cregan and David Hyten
argues that this isn't the case, based on their analysis of alternate gene forms,
called alleles, from four major soybean groups. These included 26 samples of wild
soybean, Glycine soja; 52 Asian landraces; 17 landrace "founders" used to establish
America's soy crop; and 25 elite cultivars.
According to Cregan and Hyten, with the ARS Soybean Genomics and Improvement Laboratory
at Beltsville, Md., their results indicate only a small proportion of the landraces'
diversity was lost following their introduction from Asia and subsequent years
of intensive plant breeding. Rather, the limited diversity stems from the inherently
low diversity in wild soybean and further loss related to its domestication thousands
of years ago in Asia.
Cregan and Hyten agree that ensuring genetic variability in soybean is critical
to protecting the crop from new disease and insect pests. However, they emphasize
the importance of anticipating an exotic pest's or pathogen's eventual U.S. arrival,
and conducting searches for resistance genes in the ARS Soybean Germplasm Collection
at Urbana, Ill. Such genes could then be bred into America's elite cultivars well
before an outbreak of that pest or pathogen. Cregan and Hyten's collaborators
include scientists from two other ARS labs, the University of Maryland, and the
University of Nebraska.
Read more about the research in the November/December 2007 issue of Agricultural
Research magazine, available online at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/nov07/soy1107.htm
ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.
ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Jan Suszkiw, (301) 504-1630, jan.suszkiw@ars.usda.gov
Source: SeedQuest.com
2 November 2007
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1.37 Chilean research institutes join
forces to develop drought-tolerant Eucalyptus
Chile's Institute for Agricultural Research (INIA) and Chile's Forest Research
Institute (INFOR) have announced a joint program to develop varieties of eucalypts,
Eucalytus globulus, with increased tolerance to drought. The project aims
to provide farmers and forestry industry with plants better adapted to the conditions
of the arid interior regions of Chile. It is estimated that currently 1.8 million
hectares of land are not realizing their production potential due to the low availability
of water.
More information at: http://www.inia.cl/noticias2/index.php?id=3&tx_ttnews%5btt_news%5d=209&tx_ttnews%5bbackPid%5d=1&cHash=2391adb610
Source: CropBiotech Update
17 August 2007:
Contributed by Margaret Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding and Genetics
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
mes25@cornell.edu
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1.38 USDA ARS Sunflower Research Unit releases two maintainer
and six restorer Sclerotinia tolerant confection genetic stocks
Bismark, North Dakota
The USDA ARS Sunflower Research Unit located in
Fargo announced a release of two maintainer and six restorer Sclerotinia tolerant
confection genetic stocks.
These genetic stocks have been developed to provide diversity for tolerance against
Sclerotinia stalk and head rot. Both diseases can be yield and quality crippling
under extended moist conditions.
The releases are available for use by industry and public researchers to create
parental lines and ultimately hybrids with increased tolerance to Sclerotinia.
Additional releases have been made for downy mildew resistance.
This progress in Sclerotinia releases are largely due to the research funds made
available through the National Sclerotinia Initiative.
Source: U.S. National Sunflower Association
newsletter via SeedQuest.com
15 October 2007
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1.39 Bottlegourd gene may curb cucurbit virus
Washington, DC
Bottlegourds have been used around the world for food, bottles, bowls, spoons,
musical instruments and even bird houses. Now a "genetic" genie in the versatile
bottlegourd may be used to reduce virus infestation in watermelons.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant
pathologist Kai-Shu Ling and geneticist Amnon Levi conduct research on plant diseases
at the U.S. Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, S.C. They are looking for tools
to fight zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), which infects cucurbit crops: cucumbers,
melons, pumpkins, squash, bottlegourds and watermelons.
Throughout North America, several viruses transmitted by insects, including ZYMV,
are especially troublesome to watermelons and other cucurbit crops. Producers
are anxious to find new ways of suppressing these viruses. Previous research by
other scientists suggested that bottlegourd (Lagenaria siceraria) had some genetic
resistance to ZYMV, but this research needed followup.
Ling and Levi obtained seeds for 190 bottlegourd accessions that were collected
from different parts of the world and kept at the ARS Plant Genetic Resources
Conservation Unit in Griffin, Ga. They raised the seeds in their Charleston greenhouses,
and then inoculated the bottlegourd plants with ZYMV and evaluated how well they
resisted the virus.
To their surprise, 36 accessions of the 190 screened--33 from India alone--were
completely resistant to ZYMV infection, and another 64 accessions were partially
resistant. They also found that ZYMV resistance is heritable in crosses between
different bottlegourd accessions, enabling the development of bottlegourd varieties
with enhanced virus resistance.
Popular watermelon cultivars could be grafted onto bottlegourd rootstocks with
enhanced resistance to bolster the watermelons’ ability to resist ZYMV. Some watermelon
growers have already been experimenting with grafting watermelon on bottlegourd
rootstocks to control soilborne diseases and to enhance fruit production and quality.
Ling and Levi’s success in identifying disease-resistant bottlegourd accessions
will further efforts to find environmentally friendly ways of controlling watermelon
pathogens and pests. For producers of a U.S. commodity worth $435 million in 2006,
that would be a wish come true.
ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.
ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Ann Perry, (301) 504-1628, ann.perry@ars.usda.gov
Source: SeedQuest.com
3 October 2007
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1.40 Genetic basis of cyanide defense
in clover
Scientists from the Washington University are trying to get to the bottom
of cyanogenesis (release of hydrogen cyanide following tissue damage) in white
clover. White clover is native to Europe and Asia and was introduced some 300
years ago in North America. They want to determine why some plants do and some
plants don’t make cyanide –known as polymorphism, or two types. The ecological
factors favoring cyanogenic and acyanogenic plants, common in regions with low
temperature, have been the subject of