PLANT BREEDING NEWS
EDITION
206
An
Electronic Newsletter of Applied Plant Breeding
Clair
H. Hershey, Editor
Sponsored
by GIPB, FAO/AGP and
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-Archived issues available at: FAO Plant Breeding Newsletter
1.
NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.01 British Society of Plant Breeders welcomes Royal Society call for
1.02 New
center to bring
1.03 Agricultural research ‘should be open access’,
says Editor-in-Chief of Science
1.04 HOPE project to boost sorghum and millet production in Sub-Saharan Africa
and
1.05
1.06
1.07 Drought-hardy maize ready for
field trials
1.08 Key players in African seed sector meet to accelerate drive for seed systems
serving African smallholder farmers
1.09 Wageningen University Plant Sciences Group,
1.10 Study on plant breeding education to be conducted at the
1.11 Panel calls for an ethical framework for intellectual property and climate
change
1.12
1.13
1.14 U.S. Agriculture Secretary launches the National Institute of Food and Agriculture
(NIFA)
1.15 On horizon 2050 - billions needed for agriculture, according to an FAO discussion
paper
1.16 Bioversity International and the
1.17 The amazing maze of maize evolution - Study on maize domestication may help
improve crop yields
1.18 Evidence for the emergence
of new rice types of interspecific hybrid origin in west African farmers’
fields
1.19 Study confirms classic theory
on the origins of biodiversity
1.20 From Teosinte to maize, an
evolutionary farce?
1.21 Chinese wild plantain became
1.22
1.23 Disabling instead of adding:
a novel way of breeding disease-resistant plants
1.24 Scientists closer to drug-free
Cannabis plants
1.25 Productive corn plants with
the right resources
1.26 New
pulse varieties to boost growers
1.27 ARS
releases corn lines resistant to diseases, aflatoxin contamination
1.28 Sibling recognition in plants
1.29 Changing smell of plants announces pathogen attack
1.30 U.S. National
Science Foundation awards 32 new projects for plant genome research
1.31
1.32 A genetic mutation at the origin of the development of female flowers in
the melon
1.33 Unraveling of the sorghum genome will help improve dryland crops
1.34 Structure of phytohormone receptor
reveals new ways of improving
drought
tolerance
1.35 Identification
of elongation trait in Malaysian rice varieties using molecular markers
1.36
1.37 GCP News -- Issue 41
1.38 4th Newsletter of the Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research
(
2.01 Tall Fescue for the Twenty-first Century - New book tells the story of scientific advancement
through the lens of turf and forage research
2.02 Millions Fed: Proven Successes in Agricultural Development
2.03 IFPRI report: "Climate
Change: Impact on Agriculture and Costs of Adaptation"
3.01 New portal for plant genomics will support research
into improved crops
3.02 Update on the Plant Breeding Forum listserv from GIPB
4.01 2010 Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship
4.02 Graduate Assistantship, offered
in the
4.03 Third Call for Proposals: Enhancing the value of crop diversity in
a world of climate change
5.01 Breeding-related position annoncements from
Monsanto International
5.02 National Education Program Leader (NIFA-USA)
5.03 Senior
Scientist, Genetic Diversity, Bioversity International
6. MEETINGS,
COURSES
7. EDITOR
1 NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.01
British Society of Plant Breeders welcomes Royal Society call for
The Royal Society’s call for the Government to invest
up to £100 million per year of new money in over the next decade as part of
a £2 billion ‘grand challenge’ on global food crop security has been welcomed
by the British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB).
The report, entitled Reaping the benefits: Science and
the sustainable intensification of global agriculture, was published by the
Royal Society following an 18-month review of biological approaches to enhancing
food crop production, to which BSPB contributed.
In particular, BSPB supports the Royal Society’s recommendation
that new public sector funding should be used to establish pre-breeding programmes
for the
BSPB also endorses the report’s strong message about
the need for urgent, joined up action on a range of fronts – not only through
investment in the genetic improvement of food crops but also through greater
emphasis on crop management and agricultural practices.
“We welcome the Royal Society’s clear statement that
the
“But while BSPB members provide the delivery mechanism
to on-farm application, the limited revenue streams available to plant breeders
from seed royalties do not currently allow significant investment in speculative
or long-term research targets. We therefore welcome the Royal Society report’s
emphasis on the need for renewed public sector investment in pre-breeding
and translational crop science, to ensure the huge advances in our basic scientific
understanding of plant genetics can be transferred into valuable crops and
products.”
“Alongside crop improvement through plant breeding, the
Royal Society also recognises the urgent need to ensure farmers are equipped
with the knowledge and practices needed to realise the genetic potential on
offer. BSPB strongly supports the report’s emphasis on the importance of crop
management, and the need to revitalise investment in recently neglected disciplines
of agronomy and soil science,” said Dr Jolliffe.
Website: http://www.bspb.co.uk
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=11072&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
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1.02 New center to
bring
A new center may help make such Cornell agricultural
advances as transgenic drought- and salt-tolerant rice available in
A Sept. 24 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between
Cornell and the Department of Science and Education of China
"The MOU reflects the fact that we really want to
work together," said Alan Paau, vice provost for technology transfer
and economic development. "We want to be doing things that not only benefit
our researchers
Similarly, the Chinese may have new technologies and
innovations that may be of value here and may use Cornell
In early December, a delegation from
An initial project may include sending animal vaccines
to
The center will be led by
"When the Chinese tell us what they need, we will
work with the colleges to find out what might apply," said Paau. "We
are excited to collaborate with
The MOU was signed Sept. 24 by Paau; Michael Kotlikoff,
the Austin A. Hooey Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine; Jan Nyrop,
senior associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; and
the Chinese director general for the Department of Science and Education of
China
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=11194&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.03 Agricultural research
by T. V. Padma
Providing open access to agricultural research in
Alberts said information and communication technologies
(ICTs) enable a new form of knowledge-sharing whose potential has not been
"adequately exploited". He was speaking at a meeting on open access
in agriculture, held at the International
Centre for Crop Research for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT),
Given that agriculture is a "critical component"
of
Sharing agricultural knowledge and know-how throughout
the world would have great advantages, he says. "We need to link researchers
together into not only highly productive, interactive communities, but also
to use ICT to connect them and their resources to extension workers and farmers
everywhere."
This means "research is having only a fraction of
its potential usage and impact".
In January,
Gutam says that there is a broad understanding among
the ICRISAT meeting participants that an open access agricultural research
publications repository will be created within AgroPedia, where participants
will be able to deposit their research articles.
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=10776&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SciDev.Net
via SeedQuest.com
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1.04 HOPE project
to boost sorghum and millet production in Sub-Saharan
Patancheru,
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid
Tropics (ICRISAT) has launched a new project that aims to increase food security
for smallholder farmers in dryland areas of sub-Saharan
Through the development and delivery of improved crop
varieties and training in crop management practices, HOPE will increase small-scale
farmer yields by 35 to 40% during the first four years of the project. These
improved varieties of sorghum and millet will be disseminated to 110,000 households
in sub-Saharan
Dr William D Dar, Director General of ICRISAT, says,
“Scientists estimate that yields could be doubled or even tripled from their
current low levels if farmers use the right crop varieties, fertilizer and
other management techniques. Capturing even a modest portion of these potential
gains would generate
The demand for dryland crops, such as sorghum and millet,
is growing as a number of
The dryland areas in sub-Saharan
Part of the project is dedicated to capacity building,
primarily targeting national program scientists participating in the
The project will be managed by ICRISAT under an agreement
between the Government of India and the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
This grant is part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Agricultural Development initiative, which is working with a wide range of
partners to provide millions of smallholder farmers in the developing world
with tools and opportunities to boost their yields, increase their incomes,
and build better lives for themselves and their families. The foundation is
working to strengthen the entire agricultural value chain—from seeds and soil
to farm management and market access—so that progress against hunger and poverty
is sustainable over the long term.
More news from:
ICRISAT
(International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics)
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=10929&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
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1.05
The cotton- being tasted by scientist at the National
Semi-Arid Resource Research Institute at Serere in Soroti, are showing early
indicators of pest-resistance and herbicide-tolerance.
The Director of the research institute, Dr.Thomas Areke
says Bt cotton that have ability to withstand bollworms and Ht cotton that
tolerates roundup chemicals sprayed to destroy weeds were planted in July,
in confined fields trial sites at Serere and Mubuku in Kasese district.
He says the crops are vigorously growing and have flowered
without any disease, pest or weed infestations.
He says they ventured into improving the crop by biotechnology
to get varieties that would increase productivity and benefit farmers.
He observed that since the population is increasing and
land reducing, government must look into improving technologies that can enhance
production.
In
The testing however, come at a time when genetically
modified crops are facing criticism all over the world. Those opposing the
technology claim the crops may have future side-effects to human beings.
Copyright 2009 © Ultimate Media
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=10915&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source:
Ultimate Media via SeedQuest.com
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1.06
New
NERICA cultivar plays a key role in FAO project to help displaced farmers
About 1.5 million internally displaced people are gradually
moving back to their original lands after more than 20 years living a precarious
existence in the refugee camps of northern
Their return is being helped by an FAO/Uganda
NERICA project, which is introducing innovative, rice-based farming systems
to increase food security and reduce poverty in
Read: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/35606/icode/
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1.07 Drought-hardy
maize ready for field trials
Drought-resistant maize varieties will be making their
way from the greenhouse to the field as soon as South African scientists get
the regulatory green light.
The researchers at the
It has taken the research team five years to identify
the genes that give X. viscosa its ability to withstand 95 per cent dehydration,
and transfer this genetic material into maize.
The X. viscosa genes act as a signal to the maize plant
to go into survival mode when it becomes dehydrated, explains Jennifer Thomson,
microbiologist at the
The modified plant is expected to withstand environmental
conditions that currently result in a greatly reduced harvest — such as late
rains.
"We are ready to see how the maize performs in one
of South Africa
"Field tests would be conducted under strictly controlled
conditions and with the assistance of the Department of Agriculture,"
she says.
Leon du Plessis, head of The Maize Trust, says Thomson
"Most Africans are dependent on maize as a staple
so such an initiative, if successful, will go a long way to providing food
security for this region," he says. "It will also help stabilise
the price of maize, which fluctuates dramatically at the moment."
Maize containing an insect-resistance gene is grown in
developing countries including the
Efforts are also underway to engineer maize with nutritional
benefits (see GM
corn comes a step closer to a complete meal).
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=10894&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.08 Key players
in African seed sector meet to accelerate drive for seed systems serving African
smallholder farmers
As
famine and food shortages threaten millions,
At a time when failing harvests are once again threatening
the lives and livelihoods of millions across Africa, 300 agriculture scientists,
entrepreneurs, farmers’ organizations and governments from across the continent
have gathered to accelerate a massive effort to develop and deploy higher-yield,
disease and drought resistant crop varieties of Africa’s most important food
crops.
The meeting brings together a wide range of experts from
20 countries who collectively form the heart of the Program for Africa’s Seed
Systems (PASS), a $150 million initiative launched two years ago by the Alliance
for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to bring improved varieties of rice,
maize, millet, sorghum and other food staples to millions of Africa’s smallholder
farmers.
The reports over the last month of a drought-induced
famine potentially affecting 20 million people in
“Without a viable, sustainable system that provides our
farmers with improved higher yielding and disease- and drought-resistant varieties
of our food crops, Africans will continue to be uniquely vulnerable to food
crises,” said Dr Namanga Ngongi, President of AGRA.
In its short
State of
Yet, enormous challenges remain, with bottlenecks at
nearly every link in the seed value chain. One crucial area addressed repeatedly
by conference participants was the need to develop a strong private sector
of local companies producing and disseminating high quality, certified seed.
“No region of the world has developed a seed system without
seed companies,” said Dr Joseph DeVries, Director of PASS. “A strong, African-based
commercial seed sector devoted to serving smallholder farmers has long been
a missing link in creating a sustainable seed system. Today we are forging
that link.”
A new study released at the conference documents the
state of the seed sector in four West African countries:
“Except for
The study, conducted under the auspices of the Drought
Tolerant Maize for Africa Project, found that demand for improved maize seed
far outweighs supply. From 1997 to 2007 in
In
The situation in
Obstacles to developing a robust seed systems in
Government policies have also created obstacles by slowing
the release of proven new varieties; providing weak oversight to seed regulatory
systems; and enforcing unnecessary barriers to seed trade barriers.
However, conference participants reported that things
have begun to change.
Innovative companies, new seeds and policies making a
difference.
Despite the many challenges, in the past two years PASS
grantees have demonstrated that they are far from insurmountable and, moreover,
that throughout
An assessment by
PASS grantees attending the
·
In
·
The public research system of
·
In June of this year,
·
In
·
In
·
In
·
In
More news from:
AGRA
(Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa)
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=10780&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
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1.09 Wageningen University Plant Sciences Group,
Wageningen, The
October 2009
General Director of the Plant Sciences Group Ernst van
den Ende recently signed an agreement with the
Using new technologies, PRI implanted genes from the
wild potato into cultivated potato to achieve sustainable resistance within
a short time period. This method also allows the simultaneous implementation
of multiple resistances, making it even harder for the fungus to break through.
Anton Haverkort, DURPH project leader, responded a while back to a presentation
by
“This initiative is completely in line with the Dutch
agriculture ministry’s goal to use the results of our research and our technologies
for stacking genes to benefit developing countries,” stresses Anton. One of
the focal points of the agreement is making the results available for countries
whose food supply depends mainly on their potato cultivation, especially those
in
In addition to the development of resistant varieties,
the new joint international project aims to design a cultivation system that
includes so-called resistance management. This should minimise the risk
of the potato disease breaking through the resistance.
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.10 Study
on plant breeding education to be conducted at the
Plant breeding is currently under stress – the global
demand for breeders is greater than the current educational system has been
producing. Companies are having difficulty finding well trained plant breeders,
slowing the progress of agricultural research. The need to strengthen public
plant breeding programs and educate more professional plant breeders is critical
if we are to continue producing improved crop varieties to provide food for
an increasing population.
Researchers at UC
“Plant breeders continually provide the world with necessary
advances in crop varieties; however, their numbers are diminishing due to
retirements and fewer educational programs offering plant breeding degrees,”
says Dr. Allen Van Deynze, Director of Research at the Seed Biotechnology
Center and co-founder of the Plant Breeding Academysm. “The scope of this
study provides every participant an equal voice to help improve the training
experiences of future breeders and will result in a clear understanding of
how to focus educational programs to get the best results.”
Dr. Cary Trexler, a professor in the
Additional information regarding this study is available
at http://sbc.ucdavis.edu.
Please email breedingstudy@ucdavis.edu or
contact Jamie Shattuck at (530) 752-9985 with questions or to help support
this study.
Website:
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=10981&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.11 Panel calls for an ethical framework for intellectual
property and climate change
By Kaitlin
Mara, Intellectual Property
Watch
Normal negotiation strategy is unlikely to result in
an impact on climate change, since the most important stakeholders in fighting
it - not yet born - have no seat at the negotiating tables, said a panel last
week in Bangkok. An ethical approach is a better way to achieve results, speakers
said, and an ethical take on intellectual property rights and alternative
forms of innovation may have a place in new climate-friendly economic models.
The changes needed will be extraordinary: In order to
meet United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change targets for reductions
in emissions by 2015, there will need to be a tenfold increase in carbon productivity,
said economist Nitin Desai, a former senior UN official, who also chaired
the panel.
This is “comparable to the increase in labour productivity
throughout the entire industrial revolution,” he added.
“This is an aspect [of fighting climate change] that
we are not facing up to,” said Desai. The “industrial revolution wasn’t just
about technology: it was a whole new world. It’s the scale … that is not being
adequately recognised.”
In particular, basic ethical principles of responsibility
are useful in looking at ways to tackle the climate issue, said Desai. The
collection of speakers was hosted by the Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI),
a nongovernmental agency which looks at matters of energy, environment, and
development, and took place on 8 October.
Ethical questions on climate change include not just
a fair allocation of responsibilities, obligations and costs in fighting it,
said Manish Shivastava, a research associate at TERI who is working on a paper
entitled “Technology, Ethics, and
Intellectual Property, Ethics, and Climate Change
As technology is a key factor in combating climate change,
ethical issues raised include who will commit what kinds of support for the
development and dissemination of technology - generally, developed countries
are seen as responsible for financial support, and developing countries as
responsible for building favourable policy environments (tariff structures
or foreign investment policies) for technology to come in, Shivastava said.
And there is general agreement that IP rights encourage innovations and private
investment in research and development, said Shivastava.
“But as a side effect, they add cost to users,” he said,
both directly (by increasing prices) and indirectly (by increasing transaction
costs for acquiring a needed bundle of technologies, or gaining ability to
use a technology if a firm is unwilling to licence).
But IP in environmental technology may not look the same
as it has in previous debates, such as over pharmaceuticals, in particular
as related to HIV/AIDS medications in
“Most people think about IP and the high cost, taking
the example of pharma,” but this may be a different situation, said another
speaker who declined to be identified. In pharmaceuticals, the “cost of R&D
is so high that IP can constitute something like 90 percent of the price of
a technology.” But in green energy the IP is likely not to constitute more
than about 10 percent of the product, the speaker asserted.
“There is a clear difference with pharmaceuticals, where
IP is linked to a product” than “in the case of energy or environmental technology”
which is “much more complex [and necessitates looking] at IP as a part of
overall cost, and how to manage cost to make deployment happen,” said Anand
Patwardhan, a professor at the Indian Institute
of Technology in Mumbai, with a background in environment,
technology and public policy.
If there is a paradigm-shifting technology where the
problem is IP rights, then there is already the option of compulsory licensing
in the World Trade Organization Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property
Rights Agreement (TRIPS) agreement, the speaker said, which applies to any
product and is not limited to pharmaceuticals.
Open Sourcing for the Environment
It is “definitely true that
Desai agreed. “With climate, we’re talking about process,
not product,” he said, referring to the need for an economic paradigm shirt.
“So we need a structure … like a transparency requirement.” This fits, he
said, into the open source model of revealing source code.
Other solutions suggested by Shivastava included waivers
on royalties for publicly funded technology, patent pools, or patent commons
where rights holders pledge conditional waivers on their royalties.
Several participants also mentioned how critical it is
that financing for both development and diffusion be provided.
Also contributing as research fellows of TERI, though
not on IP issues, were Nitu Goel, who wrote on ethics in funding for adaptation
to climate change, and Neha Pahuja, who spoke about measurable, reportable
and verifiable goals.
Website:
http://www.ip-watch.org
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=10973&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.12
The
With an initial focus on five countries (Ethiopia, Ghana,
Mali, Mozambique and Tanzania), the initiative will strengthen African agricultural
policy-making capacity through training agricultural policy analysts; bolstering
policy think tanks; establishing data banks to support evidence-based policy
development; and coordinating national policy hubs. It will focus on policies
that support farmers in the areas of seeds; soil health; markets and trade;
land rights; women’s rights; equity; environmental sustainability; and climate
change.
“Unlike farmers everywhere else in the world, African
farmers, most of whom are women, receive little or no support from their governments,”
said Mr. Kofi A. Annan, Chairman of the AGRA Board and former Secretary-General
of the United Nations. “We must change this. The new support to
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced this
grant at the World Food Prize Symposium in
“Melinda and I believe that helping the poorest smallholder
farmers grow more and get it to market is the world
For this to happen, African farmers need enabling agricultural
policies. But
“We cannot abandon our farmers and be surprised that
“Our goal is not to set policy for African countries,
but to empower countries, and move beyond policy analyses into policy action,”
said Dr. Namanga Ngongi, President of AGRA. “We will give voice to African
farmers.”
To ensure that new policies benefit smallholders, the
program will strengthen farmers’ policy advocacy platforms, with a special
focus on women farmers, to help them gain full and equal access to land security,
farm technologies, markets, finance, and extension services.
“
Policy Impacts
According to Adesina, the tide is turning in favor of
African farmers, as nations such as Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Mali,
Ethiopia, Mozambique, Ghana and Nigeria are taking new bold steps to revitalize
agriculture.
Many more countries are signing up to the Comprehensive
African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) to provide at least ten percent
of their budget in support of agriculture. As these funds become available,
effective, locally-determined policies to guide investments will be even more
critical. “
Policy impact can already be seen in countries like
“In the long-term, the ability of
Organizations such as the Economic Commission for Africa,
African Development Bank, Africa Union-NEPAD, Regional Economic Communities,
the African Economic Research Consortium and the International Food Policy
Research Institute will be key partners in the policy initiative.
“We will coordinate with these and other organizations
to accelerate comprehensive policies and investments for rapid agricultural
growth. Millions of African farmers can no longer wait,” Ngongi said.
AGRA works across sub-Saharan Africa and maintains offices
in Nairobi, Kenya, and Accra,
For more information see: www.agra-alliance.org
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Source: SeedQuest.com
1.13
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced
more than $7 million in grants for research on the biology of plant processes
and traits which can be used to breed crops with enhanced value and resilience
to climate stress. The research will increase understanding of plant biology
from the genome to the field, and provide a foundation for the development
of plant varieties with increased yield, reduced production cost, and enhanced
quality and nutritional value.
“At a time when disruptive climate change threatens production
of some of the world’s staple foods, some of the biggest gains we can make
in ending world hunger will involve development of stress-resistant crops,”
said Vilsack. “Drought-tolerant, heat-tolerant, and saline-resistant crops
will not only offer tremendous improvements for farmers around the world,
but also position American farmers competitively in the world market.”
These grants are awarded by USDA’s National Institute
of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), previously the Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service, under the new Agriculture and Food Research
Initiative program to provide funding for fundamental and applied research,
extension and education to address food and agricultural sciences.
Awards have been selected for:
•
•
•
• USDA ARS Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Unit,
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• USDA FS
Through federal funding and leadership for research,
education and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and
solving critical issues impacting people
More news from:
USDA
- NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture)
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Source: SeedQuest.com
1.14
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today launched the
National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) with a
Below are excerpts from Vilsack
"The opportunity to truly transform a field of science
happens at best once a generation. Right now, I am convinced, is USDA
"These discoveries and tools come not a moment too
soon. The United Nations
"USDA science needs to change to respond to these
pressures, to ensure the sustainability of the American food, fuel, and fiber
system and to address some of
"Formed in the main from the existing Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service, NIFA will be the Department
"I want USDA science to focus most of its resources
on accomplishing a few, bold outcomes with great power to improve human health
and protect our environment:
·
USDA science will support our ability
to keep American agriculture competitive while ending world hunger. At a time
when disruptive climate change threatens production of some of the world
·
USDA science will support our ability
to improve nutrition and end child obesity. At USDA we want to take the nutrition
and food choice insights we have gained from our science to test out some
new approaches to school lunches, breakfast and our other nutrition assistance
and education programs.
·
USDA science will support our efforts
to radically improve food safety for all Americans. Each year in the
·
USDA science will secure
·
USDA science will make us better stewards
of
·
"President Obama this spring pledged to invest more
heavily in the nation
"I am asking today for a commitment of will and
energy to bring about our generation
More news from:
USDA
- NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture)
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=10872&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.15 On horizon
2050 - billions needed for agriculture, according to an FAO discussion paper
Net investments of $83 billion a year must be made in
agriculture in developing countries if there is to be enough food to feed
9.1 billion people in 2050, according to an FAO discussion paper published
today.
Agricultural investment thus needs to increase by about
50 percent, according to the paper prepared for the High Level Experts’ Forum
on How to Feed the World in 2050,
Required investments include crops and livestock production
as well as downstream support services such as cold chains, storage facilities,
market facilities and first-stage processing.
Private investment essential
The projected investment needs to 2050 include some $20
billion going to crops production and $13 billion going to livestock production,
the paper said. Mechanization would account for the single biggest investment
area followed by expansion and improvement of irrigation.
A further $50 billion would be needed for downstream
services to help achieve a global 70 percent expansion in agricultural production
by 2050.
Most of this investment, in both primary agriculture
and downstream services, will come from private investors, including farmers
purchasing implements and machinery and businesses investing in processing
facilities.
Public investment also necessary
In addition, public funds will also be needed to achieve
a better functioning of the agricultural system and food security, the paper
said. Priority areas for such public investments include: i) agricultural
research and development; ii) large-scale infrastructure such as roads, ports
and power, and agricultural institutions and extension services; and iii)
education, particularly of women, sanitation, clean water supply and healthcare.
But in 2000 total global public spending on agricultural
research and development totalled only some $23 billion and has been highly
uneven. Official Development Assistance (ODA) to agriculture decreased by
some 58 percent in real terms between 1980 and 2005, dropping from a 17 percent
share of aid to 3.8 percent over the period. Presently it stands at around
five percent.
Of the projected new net investments in agriculture,
as much as $29 billion would need to be spent in the two countries with the
largest populations –
Regional differences
The projections point to wide regional differences in
the impact of new investments when translated into per capita terms. Given
different population growth rates,
Foreign direct investment in agriculture in developing
countries could make a significant contribution to bridging the investment
gap, the paper said.
But political and economic concerns have been raised
about so-called “land grab” investments in poor, food-insecure countries.
Such deals should be designed in such a way as to maximize benefits to host
populations, effectively increasing their food security and reducing poverty
Website: http://www.fao.org
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=10829&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.16 Bioversity
International and the
September 2009
This list consists of an initial set of characterization
and evaluation descriptors for cultivated potato utilization.
This strategic set of descriptors, together with passport
data, will become the basis for the global accession level information portal
being developed by Bioversity International with the financial support of
the Global Crop Diversity Trust. It will facilitate access to and utilization
of cultivated potato accessions held in genebanks and does not preclude the
addition of further descriptors, should data subsequently become available.
Corporate Author: Bioversity International;
Publication Year: 2009
Pages: 7
Format: PDF, On-line
Language: En
More news from: Bioversity
International
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=10752&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.17 The amazing maze of maize evolution - Study on
maize domestication may help improve crop yields
Understanding the evolution and domestication of maize
has been a holy grail for many researchers. As one of the most important crops
worldwide and as a crop that appears very different from its wild relatives
as a result of domestication, understanding exactly how maize has evolved
has many practical benefits and may help to improve crop yields.
In the October issue of the American Journal of Botany
(www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/full/96/10/1798),
Dr. Marina Dermastia and colleagues published their research comparing corn
kernel development to its closest wild relative: teosinte. This research overturns
some commonly held beliefs on the domestication of maize because, unexpectedly,
many traits seen in the cellular development of maize kernels that were previously
attributed to the process of domestication were observed in the development
of the teosinte kernels by Dermastia and her colleagues. "Although the
teosinte kernels are morphologically so different from that of maize, their
inside is not, Dermastia said. "Although we did not expect fundamental
differences between maize and teosinte, the similarities were striking."
Some of the traits thought to be unique to maize but
now also found in teosinte include an early programmed cell death for cells
in part of the kernel and accumulation of phenolic and flavonoid compounds
in the walls of these cells. These developmental changes strengthen the cells,
protect them against decay and disease, and increase water conductance. According
to Dermastia, "We suggested previously that this process was important
for the establishment of the water and assimilate flow to the developing maize
kernel…in the teosinte kernel, we not only detected programmed cell death…but
also all other phenomena described as related to the transport into the maize
kernel." The presence of these traits in teosinte kernels suggests that
they are not a consequence of maize domestication.
Other developmental traits they observed in the teosinte
kernels included the presence of an enzyme that controls the flow of sugar
in the developing seed, which appears to be a common mechanism for sugar uptake
in both maize and teosinte.
Dermastia and her colleagues did observe one difference
between seed development in teosinte and maize. Endoreduplication, the process
of a cell duplicating its
"Our study indicates that the main differences,
beside the teosinte fruitcase and its absence in maize, might lay in the process
of endoreduplication in endosperm, Dermastia said. "Knowing the process
in more depth might be an important step in improving a most important crop."
The full article in the link mentioned is available for
no charge for 30 days following the date of this summary at www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/full/96/10/1798.
A cellular study of teosinte Zea mays subsp. parviglumis
(Poaceae) caryopsis development showing several processes conserved in maize
Marina Dermastia, Ale Kladnik, Jasna Dolenc Koce and
Prem S. Chourey
The
Botanical Society of America is a non-profit membership society
with a mission to promote botany, the field of basic science dealing with
the study and inquiry into the form, function, development, diversity, reproduction,
evolution, and uses of plants and their interactions within the biosphere.
It has published the American Journal of Botany (www.amjbot.org) for nearly
100 years. In 2009, the Special Libraries Association named the American Journal
of Botany one of the Top 10 Most Influential Journals of the Century in the
field of Biology and Medicine.
More news from: Botanical
Society of America
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Source: The Botanical Society of America via SeedQuest.com
1.18 Evidence
for the emergence of new rice types of interspecific hybrid origin in west
African farmers’ fields
Edwin Nuijten, Robbert van Treuren, Paul C. Struik, Alfred
Mokuwa, Florent Okry, Be´ la Teeken, Paul Richards
Abstract
In
Future advances in crop development could be achieved
through co-operation between scientists and marginalized farmer groups in
order to address challenges of rapid adaptation in a world of increasing socio-political
and climatic uncertainty.
Copyright: _ 2009 Nuijten et al. This is an open-access
article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original author and source are credited.
For more information contact: Edwin.Nuijten@wur.nl
Contributed by Luigi Guarino
1.19 Study confirms classic theory on the origins
of biodiversity
A team of researchers at
The report said that, "As milkweeds developed prickly,
hairy leaves, highly toxic chemicals (cardenolides) and gooey white latex
that gums up a predator
With this discovery the team is aiming for more studies
on plant/ insect interaction. "It
See the report
at http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Sept09/AgrawalMilkweed.html
Source: Crop Biotech Update11 September 2009
Contributed by Margaret E. Smith
Dept of Plant Breeding &
1.20 From Teosinte to maize, an evolutionary farce?
An article in the American Journal of Botany titled A
cellular study of teosinte Zea mays subsp. parviglumis (poaceae) caryopsis
development showing several processes conserved in maize 1 dissected the possible
evolution of the domesticated maize from teosinte, the wild relative of maize.
The study by a group of researchers from the National Institute of Biology
and Department of Biology,
The group observed some maize traits associated with
seed development that can be found in teosinte including: programmed cell
death, accumulation of phenolic compounds in the walls of these cells, and
the presence of an enzyme that controls the flow of sugar in the developing
seed. These traits of t! eosinte kernels suggest that they are not a consequence
of maize domestication.
One interesting observation is that the distribution
of cells with high
The full article is downloadable at
Source: Crop Biotech Update
Contributed by Margaret E. Smith
Dept of Plant Breeding &
1.21 Chinese
wild plantain became
Kew Millennium Seed Bank of UK held a ceremony on October
15th to welcome the wild plantain seeds from China as the No. 24200 wild plant
seed preserved by this organization and
Kew Millennium Seed Bank planned to collect 242,000 kinds
of wild plant seeds and thus the wild plantain seeds from
Wild plantains used to be widely distributed in
Built in 2000, Kew Millennium Seed Bank is one of largest
seed banks in the world. The bank focuses on endangered wild plants and carries
out scientific research on collected seeds.
Kew Millennium Seed Bank planned to increase its kinds
of preserved wild plant seeds into more than 60,000 in 2020, fulfilling 25%
target of the seed bank
Yang is supervisor of the Germ Plasm Bank of Wild Species
in
Chinese and English plant research institutions often
exchange seeds and make mutual backup so as to enhance protection and research
of plants.
More news from: Chinese
Academy of Sciences
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Source: SeedQuest.com
1.22
In
At the
Gupta has teamed with Richard Novy, Aberdeen-based USDA
Agricultural Research Service potato breeder, and two Midwestern scientists
to select breeding lines for their resistance to cold-induced sweetening.
Potatoes that could be stored at or below 42 degrees Fahrenheit and still
fry up light wouldn’t need as many sprout inhibition treatments, Gupta said.
As living seed, they would respire less at colder temperatures, thereby retaining
moisture and weight, and would be less prone to plant diseases.
While at the
Gupta refined the markers at the
“Understanding the underlying mechanism of cold-sweetening
is a big benefit to breeders,” said Novy. “We can intercross parents having
divergent cold-induced sweetening resistance and make greater gains, because
many of their offspring will be more resistant than either parent.”
By choosing the right parents, breeders could significantly
accelerate the development of potatoes with the level of cold-sweetening resistance
the market seeks, Gupta said.
Website:
http://www.uidaho.edu
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.23 Disabling
instead of adding: a novel way of breeding disease-resistant plants
Researchers at the Wageningen UR in the
In the paper, Bai and colleagues discussed the latest
findings on plant factors that are activated by pathogen effectors to suppress
plant immunity, the so-called susceptibility genes. The first susceptibility
gene, called Mlo, was found in barley. This gene was found to be non-functional
in powdery mildew-resistant plants. Silencing Mlo in Arabidopsis resulted
to plants that can resist the disease.
The new breeding strategy is still controversial among
plant scientists and breeders, according to the scientists. "We have
already been discussing this strategy for two and a half years," said
Jacobsen. "Not everybody is convinced of its potential. People say: gene
silencing is old, we need resistance genes. But you have to investigate new
techniques and strategies - that
Read the original story at
http://www.wur.nl/UK/newsagenda/news/Novel_breeding_strategy_for_plant_resistance.htm
The paper is available for download at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11032-009-9323-6
Source: Crop Biotech Update
Contributed by Margaret E. Smith
Dept of Plant Breeding &
1.24 Scientists closer to drug-free Cannabis plants
Researchers are closing in on developing drug-free Cannabis
plants. A team of scientists from the
David Marks and colleagues, reporting in the Journal
of Experimental Botany, found that the genes are highly expressed in tiny
hairs covering the flowers of Cannabis plants. The researchers have identified
specific polyketide synthase genes that are highly expressed in the hairs.
In marijuana, the hairs accumulate high amounts of THCA, whereas in hemp the
hairs have little (marijuana and hemp are different breeds of Cannabis sativa).
Hemp varieties have THCA levels at or below 0.3 percent,
while the average THCA content of marijuana can reach 30 percent. Hemp has
once been a popular crop, an important source of strong, industrial fiber
and nutritious oil. But after the drug legislation, its cultivation was banned
because of the fear that hemp planting could mask the growth of marijuana.
The findings may also prove important to the beer industry.
According to the researchers, the polyketide synthase genes identified in
cannabis plants are closely related to those from hop. Hop plants produce
humulone, the bitter compound that gives beer its distinctive taste, and xanthohumol,
which has several potential health beneficial properties. The biosynthetic
pathways that produce these compounds are almost identical to the THCA pathway,
according to the scientists. Thus, studying the Cannabis genes might provide
information for improved understanding of hop biochemical pathways.
The open access article is available ! at http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erp210
Source: Crop Biotech Update
Contributed by Margaret E. Smith
Dept of Plant Breeding &
1.25 Productive corn plants with the right resources
Increasing corn productivity may have to do with the
crop
Results showed that competition is enhanced at high plant
densities, especially when nitrogen is limiting. Nitrogen like other nutrients
becomes more essential at high plant densities. In addition, anthesis-to-silking
interval is crucial in increasing final grain yield. If there is competition,
plants will tend to shed pollen on time, but the emergence of the silk in
the corn ear is delayed, resulting to low seed set and yield.
This research is important in the standpoint of the corn
industry as they develop hybrids that can withstand high plant densities and
limiting nitrogen.
The full article can be downloaded at
https://www.agronomy.org/publications/agronomy-journal/view/101-6/aj09-0082-pub.pdf
Source: Crop Biotech Update
Contributed by Margaret E. Smith
Dept of Plant Breeding &
1.26 New pulse varieties to boost growers
New varieties of legume - two lentils, a chickpea and
a broad bean - will be introduced to Australian growers by the Pulse Breeding
Australia (PBA). The varieties will be launched in association with its commercial
seed partners at field days in
The pulses will have improved yield, harvestability,
disease resistance, tolerance to abiotic stresses, quality and weed management.
This initiative is a part of the Grains Research and Development Corporation
(GRDC) to bring new and improved pulse varieties over a period of five years.
For details, see the news at
Source: Crop Biotech Update
Contributed by Margaret E. Smith
Dept of Plant Breeding &
1.27 ARS releases corn lines resistant to diseases,
aflatoxin contamination
Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
"These six lines have demonstrated good resistance
against aflatoxin accumulation in laboratory and field tests," says Robert
Brown, ARS plant pathologist. "They have also been shown to possess other
commercially desirable corn traits, including resistance to southern corn
leaf blight and southern corn rust."
The hybrid corn varieties are the product of a decade
long collaboration between Brown and Abebe Menkir researcher at the IITA.
The collaborators first screened a! nd then combined the top aflatoxin-resistant
lines found in the
Brown has also identified a kernel protein, PR-10, produced
by the Aspergillus-resistant corn varieties. In laboratory tests, this protein
was found to destroy A. flavus RNA and to inhibit fungal growth. These results
show that this protein may play an important role in corn resistance against
A. flavus growth and aflatoxin contamination.
Read more at
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/oct09/corn1009.htm
Source: Crop Biotech Update
Contributed by Margaret E. Smith
Dept of Plant Breeding &
1.28 Sibling recognition in plants
Two groups of researchers confirmed that plant siblings
grown close to each other in the soil tend not to compete with each other
compared to when they are grown with non-siblings. The phenomenon was observed
first by Susan Dudley of
Using wild populations of Arabidopsis thaliana, Bais,
together with student Meredith Bierdrzycki, confirmed that the length of the
longest lateral root and of hypocotyls of siblings planted close to each other
are shallower, indicating non-competition. But, when they are grown with non-siblings,
they rapidly grow more roots to take up water and mineral nutrients in the
soil, and compete with each other. In addition, leaves of these plant siblings
often will touch and intertwine compared to strangers that grow rigidly upright
and avoid touching.
When added with sodium orthovanadate, a root secretion
inhibitor to the set-up, stranger recognition is abolished. Identification
and control of the root recognition signal will find application in field
and landscape crops.
See the news at http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2010/oct/plantsiblings101409.html
The full article will be available at: http://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/cib/article/10118/
Source: Crop Biotech Update
Contributed by Margaret E. Smith
Dept of Plant Breeding &