PLANT
BREEDING NEWS
EDITION 155
29 March 2005
An Electronic Newsletter of Applied Plant Breeding
Sponsored by FAO and Cornell University
Clair H. Hershey, Editor
CONTENTS
1. NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESEARCH NOTES
1.01
Plant breeding and the public sector: who will train plant breeders?
1.02
CAST paper examines ethics in agriculture
1.03
Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute presents 10-year baseline
projections
1.04
Some 36 countries worldwide face serious food shortages, says FAO report
1.05
The call for maize mounts in Asia
1.06
Corn demand in developing countries to surpass wheat and rice needs
1.07 The
US Postal Service 2005 Commemorative Stamp Program honors
Barbara McClintock.
1.08
Proposed changes to Canadian Plant Breeders' Rights Act will have no impact on
producers purchasing seed lawfully
1.09
New report offers "road map to the future" of crop variety
registration in Canada
1.10
China is close to production of 'safe' genetically engineered rice
1.11
GM crop tests get green light in Tanzania
1.12
Tilling: Harvesting functional genomics for crop improvement
1.13 Unraveling the mystery of modern potatoes' origins
1.14
Preserving the world's agricultural crop diversity as a resource for future
food security
1.15 CIMMYT
research team aim is to breed high yielding maize that also resists infection
by Aspergillus flavus
1.16
Researchers track yellow pigment genes to boost Canada's durum success
1.17
Sustained soybean rust resistance issue for Brazilian breeders
1.18
Defenseless plants arm themselves with metals
1.19 New
winter hulless barley has high protein
1.20
Marker-assisted breeding leads to new millet hybrid
1.21
Report shows root crop as potential carotenoid
source
1.22
Maize genome database earning acclaim from researchers, says National
Corn Growers Association
1.23
Plants defy Mendel's inheritance laws, may prompt textbook changes
1.24
Understanding rye and rice may help farmers improve wheat
1.25 Genaissance
and Monsanto team up with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to map soybean
genome
1.26
Monsanto unlikely to resurrect biotech wheat
1.27
Oasis Horticulture (Australia) and Suntroy
Flowers (Japan) form a new research and development company
1.28 Update 4-2005 of FAO-BiotechNews
1.29 HIV
pandemia: Could vaccines produced in plants be
the way out?
1.30
Vaccination against tears and sniffling
1.31 Bacteria hard working cleaner of the
environment
1.32
Food allergy hope
1.33
Switzerland reaches a crossroad
1.34
Plants like to be poisoned
2. PUBLICATIONS
2.01
Farmers' Bounty: Locating Crop Diversity in the Contemporary World
2.02
Special-rate memberships in Crop Science Society of
3. WEB RESOURCES
3.01 The FAO
Biotechnology Forum e-mail conference
4 GRANTS AVAILABLE
4.01
Asian Rice Foundation grants
4.02
Fellowship programme for African scientists
5 POSITION ANNOUNCEMENTS
(None posted)
6
MEETINGS, COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
7
EDITOR'S NOTES
=========================
1. NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESEARCH NOTES
1.01 Plant
breeding and the public sector: who will train plant breeders?
Overview of a Plant Breeding Symposium held at Michigan State University
9-11 March 2005
The Henry Center for Executive
Development
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
An international symposium was recently hosted by the Plant Breeding and
Genetics Group at Michigan State University entitled
Representatives from Corporations, Foundations, Research Centers
and Universities came together to discuss global concerns about the decline in
numbers of plant breeding programs.
The meeting was led off by five invited talks including:
-Plant Breeding Training in North America - Dr. P. Stephen Baenziger
(Professor, University of Nebraska)
-Plant Breeding in the Private Sector of North America Dr. Fred Bliss (Senior
Director, R & D Special Projects, Seminis Seeds)
-Plant Breeding Training in the International Sector - Dr.Gurdev
Khush (Former Head of Plant Breeding, IRRI)
-Building Capacity for International Plant Breeding: What Roles for the
Public and Private Sectors? - Dr. Michael Morris (Senior Economist, World Bank)
-Assessment of National Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Capacity Worldwide -
Dr. Elcio Guimaraes (Senior
Officer Cereal/Crop Breeding, FAO)
After the invited talks, the meeting participants met in breakout groups to
discuss three topics and make recommendations to the group as a whole. The
topics were:
-What kind of training do plant breeders need, and how can we most effectively
provide that training?
-How will we provide improved varieties of minor and subsistence crops in the
future?
-How can the public and public sector most effectively partner to train plant
breeders?
The organizers are now in the process of collating the talks and reports for
publication. Periodic updates will be provided at http://www.hrt.msu.edu/PBSymp/
Contributed by
hancock@msu.edu
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1.02 CAST paper examines ethics in agriculture
The use of biotechnology in agricultural production is one area that raises
ethical concerns. "By analyzing arguments and positions on ethical issues,
a better understanding of the criteria or standards that should govern an
individual's actions can be evaluated and thus lead to judgments about what
counts as being ethically right and wrong," says a recent issue paper on
"Agricultural Ethics" of the Council for Agricultural Science and
Technology (CAST).
The issue paper discusses a method for addressing ethical issues, as well as
topics and issues that general public discussion such as food safety, environmental
impacts, food security, and agricultural biotechnology. It concludes with the
idea that institutionalizing ethics is the responsibility of people in the food
system. "Agricultural institutions need to develop a base of expertise in signaling the nature and importance of ethical concerns,
with the expectation that developing the base will lead to more effective
decision making in the future," CAST added.
CAST is an international consortium of 36 scientific and professional societies
that interprets and communicates science-based information on food, fiber, agricultural, natural resource, and related societal
and environmental issues.
The full paper can be accessed on the CAST website at http://www.cast-science.org.
Read the full reports at http://www.cimmyt.org.
Contributed by Margaret E. Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Cornell University
mes25@cornell.edu
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1.03 Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute
presents 10-year baseline projections
Washington, DC
Solid prices, stable economic growth globally and a weak dollar in
industrialized trading countries will keep U.S. agricultural exports strong for
the next 10 years, according to the projections the Food and Agricultural Policy Research
Institute (FAPRI) presented to Congress this
week. Sanitary and phytosanitary concerns, however,
will continue to plague meat markets in the short term and will partially
offset the growth in exports of coarse grains.
FAPRI, an economic research group with centers at Iowa State
University and the University of
Missouri-Columbia, prepares 10-year baseline projections intended for use
by policymakers and other planners in the agricultural sector.
Other highlights from FAPRI's 2005 agricultural
outlook:
In 2004, with strong grain and livestock prices, total
The loss of major meat export destinations after a
Because the
Benefiting from trade shocks from BSE in beef and
from avian flu in the broiler industry, world pork production and trade are
projected to reach 110 and 4.24 million metric tons, respectively, by
2014-2015. The European Union loses market share, going from 45 percent to 33
percent, because of higher feed costs (due to a meal and bone meal ban),
appreciating currency and strict animal welfare and environmental regulations.
All other major competing exporters, including
The depreciation of the U.S. dollar against most other currencies in
industrialized countries tapers off and ends by 2008.
Grain prices remain high, given strong import demand on world markets,
especially in
FAPRI foresees greater concentration in soybean
production.
The multi-year FAPRI projections provide a starting
point for evaluating and comparing scenarios involving macroeconomic, policy,
weather and technology variables in world agricultural trade. More information
is available at the
Source: SeedQuest.com
15 March 2005
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1.04 Some 36 countries worldwide face serious food
shortages, says FAO report
Rome, Italy
Worldwide, 36 countries need external food assistance, while 11 countries face
unfavourable prospects for their current crops, the UN
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a report released today.
"The causes are varied, but civil strife and adverse weather
predominate."
According to the February issue of Foodcrops and
Shortages, the highest number of countries facing food emergencies continues to
be in
In
Food and crop situation in southern Africa is mixed
In southern Africa, FAO says prospects for the 2005 main season crops are
mixed because of "delayed, erratic and generally below normal rainfall
during the first half of the season." The food security situation for
vulnerable populations, particularly in
Impact of Tsunamis still stalks many Asian countries
In
The majority of the people affected by the earthquake and the tsunamis made
their living from agriculture and fisheries, or were employed in related
enterprises. According to the report, the fisheries sector was hardest hit, but
localized severe crop and livestock losses were also suffered. Losses of rice
stocks are likely to be important and the report warns that salt water may
prevent farmers from cropping for one or more seasons or force them to adopt
more salt tolerant crops and varieties with low productivity.
The reports says that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)
still needs international assistance to meet its minimum food needs despite
recent gains in food production.
Total
cereal production in
In
A good harvest is expected in
According to the report, a reduction in cereal production is expected in the
European Union in 2005 after the bumper crop last year. An increase in the
set-aside requirement will result in a reduction in the area sown and the
report says it is likely that yields will fall back from last year's highs.
Overall
prospects for wheat, maize and paddy crops are favourable in
In
Despite generally favourable weather conditions so far this winter in
FAO's Foodcrops and
Shortages is published three times a year in February,
May and October. It is posted in full on the FAO website at this URL: http://www.fao.org/giews/english/fs/index.htm
Source: SeedQuest.com
28 February 2005
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1.05 The call for maize mounts in Asia
El Batan, Mexico
The demand for maize in Asia is expected to skyrocket in the next two decades,
driven primarily by its use for animal feed. In the uplands of seven Asian
countries, however, demand is also increasing in the farming households who eat
the maize crops they grow. CIMMYT and the International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD) have recently completed a project promoting
food and livelihood security for upland farmers in
By 2020, the International Food Policy Research
Institute (IFPRI) estimates that demand for maize in all developing
countries will surpass the demand for wheat and rice, with
To further develop maize improvement recommendations, national workshops and
seven publications built upon the farmer surveys. Careful planning and
appropriate procedures on the part of scientists and policy makers will ensure
an easier transition as farmers face the oncoming demand. A clear message that
emerged from the study in
These conclusions were drawn by researchers conducting rapid rural appraisals
with farmers in commercial and semi commercial systems in the up- and lowlands
of these seven countries. The second stage of fieldwork entailed more in-depth
participatory rural appraisals in marginal, isolated areas and involved village
leaders and groups of farmers. Details on the sociological, agro-economical,
environmental, and technological aspects of maize production were assembled,
and the resulting publications can be viewed, downloaded, or ordered here.
In addition to CIMMYT and IFAD, the project involved collaboration with IFPRI, Stanford
University, senior officials of national research programs, and ministries
of agriculture.
Source: SeedQuest.com
February, 2005
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1.06 Corn demand in developing countries to surpass
wheat and rice needs
By 2020, demand for corn in all developing countries will be greater than
its demand for other cereal crops like wheat and rice, with Asia accounting for
over half of this need. Increasing demand for animal feeds as well as the
growing number of households will make this situation a reality. This
prediction of the International Food Policy Research Institute encouraged teams
from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
(CIMMYT) and the International Fund for Agricultural
Development to promote food security for upland farmers in
The teams worked with farmers in the uplands of
CIMMYT has made available, on its website,
publications on the results of its farm visits and participatory rural
appraisals. It gives details on the sociological, agro-economical,
environmental, and technological aspects of corn production on a per country
basis.
Contributed by Margaret E. Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Cornell University
mes25@cornell.edu
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1.07 The US Postal Service 2005 Commemorative Stamp
Program honors Barbara McClintock.
This issuance honors four American scientists:
geneticist Barbara McClintock, mathematician John von Neumann, physicist
Richard Feynman, and thermodynamicist Josiah Willard
Gibbs.
For each stamp in this block of four, artist Victor Stabin
created a collage featuring a portrait of the scientist and drawings that are
associated with major contributions made by the scientist.
Text on the back of the stamps highlights their achievements:
Barbara McClintock (1902-1992) conducted maize plant research that led to her
discovery of genetic transposition-the movement of genetic material within and
between chromosomes. In 1983, this pioneering geneticist was awarded the Nobel
Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Stamp image can be viewed at: http://shop.usps.com/images/05_nscientists37_f.jpg
or
http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2004/sr04_076.htm
Contributed by Ronnie Coffman
Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Cornell University
wrc2@cornell.edu
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1.08 Proposed changes to Canadian Plant Breeders'
Rights Act will have no impact on producers purchasing seed lawfully
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Proposed amendments to Canadas Plant Breeders' Rights
(PBR) Act will not impact Canadian farmers who are
acquiring seed lawfully, says an organization that represents Canadian private
sector innovators in crop development. Producers who are currently
operating in compliance with the legislative and regulatory requirements of the
PBR Act and the Canada Seeds Act have nothing to fear
and will see no impact from these suggested changes,says
Lorne Hadley, executive director of the
Canadian Plant Technology Agency (CPTA).
The proposed amendments will help to insure that those benefiting from the
development of new plant varieties will support those innovators. stated Lorne Hadley Executive Director of the CPTA.
Canadian seed industry views on the proposed amendments have been
misrepresented in the public press and at public meetings by some organizations
advancing various agendas, Hadley explains. This information has been
harmful to the process and created confusion in the countryside on the purpose
of the proposed PBR amendments. It is essential
that we remain focused on their real impact, which is a fair balance of
protection of the interests of both farmers and plant breeders.
The ability of a farmer to save their own crop as seed for use on their own
farm the following season is actually strengthened under the proposed changes
to the PBR Act. The current act does not
address farmers privilege, therefore this ability is a traditional custom not
protected by law.
The vast majority of farmers legitimately buy pedigree seed from their local
seed dealer or seed grower to gain access to a new, better performing, variety,says Hadley, and, for this
majority, the proposed changes just reinforce the good management practices
they are currently using on their farms.
In fact,he continues, the
proposed amendments will help ensure that, through their support of plant
breeders and technology innovators, these farmers will continue to benefit from
the development of, and access to, these new plant varieties.
The CPTA is the lead industry organization empowered
to raise awareness of the value of PBR and other
mechanisms of intellectual property protection to plant agriculture. The CPTA also monitors the seed marketplace and, when
necessary, undertakes enforcement activities.
Source: SeedQuest.com
1 March 2005
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1.09 New report offers "road map to the
future" of crop variety registration in Canada
Calgary, Alberta
The curtain began to lift on a new era for Canada's multi-billion crops industry
at the 2005 meeting of the Prairie Registration Recommending Committee for
Grain (PRRCG) in Winnipeg.
Following years of dramatic changes in agriculture, crop science, intellectual
property rights, international protocols and a range of associated issues, the
key players in
Also providing a crystal ball were new crop lines recommended for registration,
which promise to fill Prairie fields over the next several years. The PRRCG's four subcommittees - the Wheat,
Producers and others can get an overview of all the key changes and recommended
crop lines in the new
If all goes as planned, the 2005 PRRCG meeting will
be the last for the organization, which has decided to dissolve and shift
powers for recommending varieties to its four crop-specific subcommittees,
allowing them to become independent recommending committees. In 2005, the
subcommittees worked through a range of administrative issues to prepare for
that transition, leaving everything in place for implementation in 2006.
"The newly created recommending committees would have the option of using
their existing membership in the Western Expert Committee on Grain Breeding (WECG) as a basis to meet in a common forum and conduct
business of mutual concern," says Dr. Scott Duguid,
PRRCG Chair. "Since there's strong support for
retaining this function, the approach we're pursuing is to dissolve the PRRCG but retain the WECG part of
the mandate and continue the meeting function under the WECG
banner."
In other meeting action, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), which for more than five years has conducted a
landmark review of the variety registration system, unprecedented in its scale,
presented the principles shaping an updated regulatory change proposal expected
to be tabled in spring 2005.
Also,
"Though the PRRCG wields tremendous influence on
the crops industry in
The 2005 PRRCG Report includes complete lists of the
crop lines recommended for registration, along with a description of the key
traits they include. The report also features highlights of discussion at the
meeting, including several articles on major issues affecting crop development,
along with background information on PRRCG mandate
and processes.
The 2005 PRRCG Report is developed as a service to
western Canadian farmers, industry and the broad stakeholders in Canadian crop
development. Producers and others can access the full report on the
Source: SeedQuest.com
10 March 2005
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1.10 China is close to production of 'safe'
genetically engineered rice
Beijing, China
Reuters via Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology's As Reported in the News
As early as this year, China could start commercial production of a new breed
of genetically engineered rice, says Reuters.
If adopted, it would be the world's first large-scale plantation of a major
transgenic food crop and, some scientists say, would provide an environmentally
friendly answer to the food problems of the world's poor.
But those who fear that genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
present a danger to the natural crop balance say
Scientists in
Government officials have remained tight-lipped about plans to introduce any
form of GMO rice.
The Xa21 strain, which was developed through publicly funded international
research, is resistant to bacterial blight -- one of the most serious crop
diseases in
As it derives from a wild rice gene, it has emerged as front-runner in the race
to be the first GMO rice crop, ahead of insect-resistant
BT rice, which contains a toxic bacterial gene.
The scientists say
"Many scientists in
Should
It would also be in stark contrast to Monsanto Co.'s decision last year to halt
plans to introduce the world's first GMO wheat in
At present, herbicide-tolerant or insect-resistant soy, cotton, corn and rapeseed
account for most of the GMOs grown commercially
worldwide. Of the four,
Clive James, chairman of the ISAAA, a group with
industry and public foundation support that promotes biotech as a way to halt
global hunger, sees huge significance in
"In the near term, the one single event that is likely to have the
greatest impact is the approval and adoption of ... (GMO)
rice in
"That will herald a new chapter in the debate ... which will be
increasingly influenced by countries in the South (developing countries), where
the new technology can contribute the biggest benefits and where humanitarian
needs are the greatest."
Jia Shirong, a professor
from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing, said that --
after eight years of laboratory study and field trials -- his team had applied
to the government to start commercial output of Xa21 hybrid Japonica rice in
the central province of Anhui, half the size of
Italy.
"The field performance has been excellent," Jia
told Reuters in a telephone interview. "Farmers can reduce yield losses
and chemical use. Our research data showed that the transgenic rice is as safe
as the traditional rice."
Jia said the Xa21 strain was created through
international cooperation that included the participation of the International
Laboratory for Tropical Agricultural Biotechnology (ILTAB)
in the
Pamela Ronald, from the
With the help of ILTAB, she transformed the gene into
a cultivated species.
Many scientists from the International Rice
Research Institute had worked on the wild rice species from
Some say there is no need for Xa21 as there are already rice varieties
resistant to bacterial blight. "The introduction of the GMO rice means taking an unnecessary risk," said Sze Pangcheung from Greenpeace in
Xue from the Nanjing
Institute said
"We should take time and look at it more carefully," he said.
But asked about the possible commercialization of Xa21 rice, Ronald told Reuters:
"It would be a big step for consumers ... There is a lot of potential in
this technology."
She said the
If a company wanted to commercialize a product using the gene, it would pay
royalties into a fund Ronald established in 1996, so that some of the financial
benefits would be shared with
Asked if
"If a farmer plants a seed with Xa21 in it, he or she can harvest the seed
and save some for replanting," she added to the Reuters report.
Source: SeedQuest.com
11 March 2005
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1.11 GM crop tests get green light in Tanzania
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Deodatus Balile
Tanzania will this year begin its first field trials of genetically modified
(GM) crops. The first plants to be tested will be cotton modified to resist
attack by insect pests, including a caterpillar known as red bollworm that
feeds on cotton and causes bollworm disease.
The plans were announced by Wilfred Ngirwa, permanent
secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, at an
international workshop on GM crops held in Arusha in
7 February.
"
The government-run trials expected to begin before October will be supervised
by researchers from Sokoine University of Agriculture
in Morogoro, whose laboratory studies have shown that
the GM cotton kills caterpillars feeding on it.
The research will be conducted in the Mbeya, Rukwa and Iringa regions of
Since then, farmers in the region have largely grown sunflowers to sell to
processors who extract oil from the plants. But the growers have complained
that the industry offers little financial security due to the small local
market for their crops.
According to Paul Ntwina, the member
of parliament for Songwe constituency, that
the introduction of GM cotton would be good news for farmers in southern
"I am glad we will be able to produce cotton," Ntwina
told SciDev.Net. "Technology is likely to be our liberator".
Job Lukonge of the Tanzania Farmers Association told
SciDev.Net it was good that the government had decided to start its GM trials
with cotton instead of a food crop, as it would avoid the contentious issue of
having GM products in the human food chain.
Lukonge said the association was glad that GM
technology was within reach, but said
If successful, the GM cotton trials are likely to pave the way for wider use of
GM crops in
Growing or germinating GM crops is currently illegal in
By starting its GM trials, Tanzania will become the seventh African country to
do so, following Burkina Faso, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Tunisia and
Zimbabwe. Of these,
Source: SciDev.NetSeedQuest.com
28 February 2005
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1.12 Tilling: Harvesting functional genomics
for crop improvement
Charles Paul (Max) Moehs
Since the first publication describing the technique of TILLING (Targeting
Induced Local Lesions in Genomes) in 20001, this method of reverse
genetics has been widely adopted by the academic community for use in model
organisms, including Drosophila, zebrafish,
and Arabidopsis. Now a recent paper by Slade et
al.2 highlights its potential for crop improvement.
Slade et al. describe the application of TILLING to the identification
of an allelic series of variants in the granule-bound starch synthase I (GBSSI)
gene in hexaploid and tetraploid
wheat. GBSSI or Waxy plays a critical role in
the synthesis of amylose, which, in addition to amylopectin, comprises the starch fraction of the seed.
Reduction or loss of GBSSI function results in starch
with a decreased or absent amylose fraction, which is
desired for its improved freeze-thaw stability and resistance to staling
compared to conventional starch.
Prior to Slade et al.s work, wheat breeders had
developed breeding lines of waxy wheat, although no waxy wheat is
yet grown commercially. The conventional breeding approach, however, took
considerable effort over many years to find rare spontaneous knock-out alleles
of GBSSI in germplasm
collections of wheat landraces using time-consuming phenotypic screens such as SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of waxy
proteins. The search for natural knock-out alleles of GBSSI
in bread wheat is complicated by the presence of A, B, and D genomes in allohexaploid bread wheat and A and
B genomes in tetraploid pasta wheat. GBSSI is encoded by a locus found on the 7A and 7D homoeologous chromosomes, and, due to a translocation, on
the 4B chromosome. In addition to the difficulty of finding naturally-occurring
knock-out alleles of the waxy locus, plant breeders have had to contend
with the necessity of removing associated unadapted
traits from landraces when introgressing the
recessive waxy trait into elite wheat germplasm.
In their paper published in Nature Biotechnology, Ann Slade and her
colleagues at Anawah, a company focused on the
commercial applications of TILLING, use the identification of extensive allelic
series of the waxy genes in both hexaploid
bread wheat and tetraploid pasta wheat as a
demonstration of the power of TILLING for practical crop improvement. TILLING
is an updated version of mutation breeding, a technique that has been practiced
for decades by plant breeders. TILLING differs from mutation breeding, however,
in the method of mutation detection: while traditional mutation breeding has
been used primarily for readily observable phenotypes, such as plant height or
disease resistance, TILLING detects the mutation directly in the DNA sequence
of the gene of interest. Because the mutation is not required to have an
immediately observable phenotype, TILLING is a method of reverse genetics that
can be used to test hypotheses about the functions of any desired candidate
gene.
The basic procedure of TILLING is straightforward; it involves 1) the creation
of a large genetically diverse population of plants; 2) the high throughput
identification of individual plants whose genotype predicts a phenotype of
interest; and 3) the evaluation of these individualsphenotypes
for the accelerated development of novel cultivars that exhibit traits of
interest. It combines random mutagenesis of seeds with an alkylating
agent such as ethyl methanesulfonate (
Chemical mutagenesis with alkylating agents produces
a high density of point mutations, including missense
and nonsense mutations. The combination of the high density of mutations in an
individual plant with a large population of plants results in the creation of
multiple lesions in any desired gene. These lesions are subsequently identified
by screening the DNA of the M2 progeny of the mutagenized
seeds. PCR is used to amplify genes of interest with
fluorescently labeled gene-specific primers in pools
of DNA from M2 plants, and then mismatch-containing duplexes are created by
melting and reannealing the PCR
fragments. The heteroduplex DNA is identified by
cleaving the mismatch with a specific mismatch-recognizing endonuclease3
followed by sequence analysis. Finally, phenotypic analysis of the selected
plant and its progeny is carried out. The selected plant serves as the parent
in subsequent breeding generations, and the segregation of the desired SNP can
be followed with molecular markers4.
A key parameter in any TILLING project is the mutation frequency achieved in the
TILLING population. In this regard, the work by Slade and colleagues is unique
since they found a mutation frequency of one in 24 kb in hexaploid
wheat and a frequency of one in 40 kb in tetraploid
wheat. This is approximately five fold higher than had been observed in Arabidopsis.
Slade et al. report that their mutagenized
population showed few apparent visible phenotypes attributable to the
mutagenesis, and they hypothesize that this is due to genetic redundancy
inherent in this polyploid crop. Because of this
remarkable mutation frequency, Slade et al. identified 196 new alleles
in the A and D genome waxy genes in only 1,152 individual plants
screened in their hexaploid TILLING population, and
50 new alleles in only 768 individuals in their tetraploid
pasta wheat TILLING population. These allelic series in both hexaploid and tetraploid wheat
included multiple truncation and splice junction mutations as well as numerous missense mutations with predicted deleterious effects on
the function of the waxy enzyme.
One plant was found to have a truncation mutation in the D genome locus as well
as a missense mutation predicted to severely affect
enzyme function in the A genome homoeolog. Because
the Express cultivar used to generate the TILLING population has a naturally
occurring deletion of the B genome homoeolog, progeny
of the plant having induced mutations in the D and A
genome homoeologs included homozygous triple
mutation-containing plants. Iodine staining of one of these plants confirmed
the near-null expected waxy phenotype.
These new alleles in GBSSI in wheat represent a
useful resource for breeding a range of waxy and partial waxy wheats, but even more importantly,
this work represents proof-of-concept for TILLING other genes whose
modification may be desired in wheat or other crops. In order to identify new
alleles via TILLING in wheat, homoeolog-specific
primers are required. In the case of Waxy, the sequences of the three homoeologous sequences were already known, which
facilitated primer design. Future wheat TILLING of other genes is likely to
require additional molecular research to develop homoeolog-specific
target primers and will be more complex for genes that are members of gene
families.
Ann Slade and her colleagues at Anawah have
convincingly shown that TILLING is a technique with considerable potential for
crop improvement. It represents an extension of the use of spontaneous and
induced mutants in plant breeding and allows the direct identification of
beneficial nucleotide and amino acid changes in genes with known functions and
their use as the genetic markers for selection. The range of alleles that can
be developed via TILLING in a short time is unparalleled and unlikely to be
found elsewhere in the pool of germplasm accessible
to plant breeders (including landraces and undomesticated relatives). Because
the TILLING population is a permanent resource, the results of basic scientific
research can be efficiently translated into crop improvement as new information
about the functions of potential gene targets becomes available.
References
1. McCallum CM et al. (2000) Targeting induced local lesions
in genomes (TILLING) for plant functional genomics. Plant
Physiology 123, 439-442
2. Slade AJ et al.
(2005) A reverse genetic, non-transgenic approach to wheat crop improvement by
TILLING. Nature Biotechnology 23, 75-81
3.
4. Neff MM et al. (1998) dCAPS, a
simple technique for the genetic analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms:
experimental applications in Arabidopsis thaliana genetics.
The Plant Journal 14, 387-392. March 2005
COVERING AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL BIOTECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS
http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2005/news05.mar.html#mar0503
Source: EurekAlert.org
February 2005
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1.13 Unraveling the mystery of modern potatoes' origins
When it comes to veggies, almost everyone can agree on potatoes. But
despite its popularity, the common brown potato has a colorful
history that some researchers are still disputing.
While potatoes are believed to have arrived in
From outward appearances, modern potatoes would seem to have Chilean ancestors.
European potato plants have wide leaflets like Chilean ones, and both are
"long-day adapted," which means they require the longer days of
summer to form tubers.
But in the 1930s, researchers started challenging the notion of the Chilean
connection, arguing that the first potatoes to reach
According to Spooner, who works in the ARS Vegetable
Crops Research Unit at Madison, Wis., potato seeds
can last several years and so could have easily survived the trip. But even
more compelling are data he recently assessed with colleagues at the
The researchers surveyed an assortment of potatoes from
Still, some argue that Chilean potatoes weren't introduced to
With an increased understanding of modern potatoes' true ancestors, scientists
can better preserve the world's potato plants to breed future varieties and
realize the crop's natural disease- and insect-resistance potential.
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
ARS is the
SeedQuest.com
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1.14 Preserving
the world's agricultural crop diversity as a resource for future food security
The challenge to preserve the world's agricultural crop diversity as a
resource for future food security will be discussed in
Agrifood Awareness Australia will host a
seminar by Mr Julian Laird, Director of Development at the Global Crop
Diversity Trust, head-quartered in
"We are delighted to host Julian Laird in
"The Global Crop Diversity Trust has been established to halt the loss of
irreplaceable crop diversity so that genes from current and past crops and
their wild relatives can be harnessed for future varieties," said Mr
Julian Laird.
"The United Nations predicts that the world population will pass nine
billion by 2050, an extra two and a half billion mouths to feed, and without a
concerted effort now to protect our agricultural raw materials we will simply
not be able increase yields to meet this predicted demand," said Mr Laird.
"The Global Crop Diversity Trust was established to provide a continuous
and reliable source of funding to preserve crop genetics around the world, and
it hopes to raise in excess of $260 million to do this," said Mr Laird.
"Agricultural biodiversity is under threat from habitat destruction and displacement
by improved varieties," said Mr Laird. "As a result, guaranteeing
facilities to conserve, manage and reproduce the diversity of crop varieties
into the future is integral and the growing number of governments, industry and
foundations supporting the Trust reflect this."
According to the Trust, there are well over a million crop varieties which have
evolved over thousands of years through a dynamic interaction between nature
and careful selection and breeding by farmers and plant scientists.
"All of
BACKGROUND
The Global Crop Diversity Trust is being set up by a partnership between the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR),
and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. It will serve
as an element of the fundraising strategy of the International Treaty on Plant
Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which came into force in 2004. To
achieve its aims, the Trust will raise and disburse funds and, in particular,
build and manage an endowment whose proceeds will provide a permanent source of
financial support for collections around the world.
The mission of the Trust is to ensure the long-term conservation and use of
crop diversity for food security worldwide. The Trust will:
1. promote and assist the development of an efficient and effective system for
conserving crop diversity around the world;
2. help salvage the word's most important collections of crop diversity and
guarantee their permanent healthy and safe management;
3. provide funds to upgrade and build the capacity of collections seeking to
become eligible for ongoing support.
For further information: www.startwithaseed.org
Source: SeedQuest.com
22 March 2005
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1.15 CIMMYT research
team aim is to breed high yielding maize that also resists infection by Aspergillus flavus
El Batan, Mexico
Simple Screening for a Complex Problem
A CIMMYT research team is using an old
but effective technique to get a head start on some very advanced crop science.
Their aim is to breed high yielding maize that also resists infection by a
dangerous fungus. As part of a USAID-funded project,
the team uses ultraviolet or black light to identify maize that inhibits Aspergillus flavus,
a fungus that produces potent toxins known as aflatoxins.
The fungus is particularly widespread in maize-growing regions of
No continent is immune from the Aspergillus problem.
During 1988-1998, losses from aflatoxin damage in the
By collaborating with scientists in the
The kernels vibrate as they shuffle down the tray of the light box. Healthy
kernels appear faded under the black light, but the infected grain glows.
Jeffers and his team will use the fluorescence data to choose the maize lines
that show the least amount of fungal infection. "The most promising
materials will then be used in further studies to look at aflatoxin
levels," Jeffers says.
Source: SeedQuest.com
February 2005
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1.16 Researchers track yellow pigment genes to boost
Canada's durum success
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
New research could help Canada develop a new generation of high pigment durum
varieties to strengthen its position in top world markets.
A study at the University of Saskatchewan's
Crop Development Centre aims to pinpoint the genes responsible for bright
yellow pigment in durum, a trait that is desired by foreign markets. The
three-year study is funded in part by the Endowment Fund, which is administered
by Western Grains Research Foundation
(WGRF).
"This study will help ensure that Canadian durum wheat producers remain
competitive with other wheat producing nations, such as
Pozniak plans to identify the genes contributing to
yellow pigment in durum, develop molecular markers to track them and then build
tests so breeding programs can produce varieties that help Canadian producers
keep their stronghold on world durum markets.
The high yellow pigmentation of durum translates commercially to bright yellow
pasta. Understanding the genes that do this will speed the development of new
varieties and keep Western Canadian farmers on top.
To date, little work has been focused in this area. However in previous
research, the study's co-researcher, Dr. Ron Knox, has located the chromosome
regions where genes for yellow pigment can be found.
Pozniak says finding the chromosome region is like
finding the town the genes live in. With this information, his team can now go
into the town, find the genes and confirm that they are responsible for high
pigmentation.
He also says that because the gene sequences for yellow pigmentation have
already been characterized in rice and maize, there is an available DNA library
to compare with. "Rice is a model species for grass species like wheat and
barley in terms of genome organization and structure," he says.
Once the genes are found on the chromosome, Pozniak's
team will compare two lines on each end of the pigment spectrum to develop
markers, which are segments of DNA that indicate the desired genes are nearby.
Varieties W9262-260D3 (low-medium pigment) and Kofa
(high pigment) will be used as the endpoints.
Following that, the markers will then be used to build a multiplex Polymerase
Chain Reaction (PCR) strategy. This will allow
breeders to select the desired pigment genes in one step.
More information on the durum pigment project is available in the March edition
of Western Grains Research Magazine, now on the Western Grains Research
Foundation (WGRF) Web site, www.westerngrains.com.
Western Canadian wheat and barley growers are major investors in breeding
research through the Wheat and Barley Check-off Funds, administered by WGRF. The Research Magazine offers "Ideas and issues
for farmer research investors."
The Endowment Fund, the original core fund of WGRF,
has supported over 200 research projects since 1983. Research Reports on many
of these projects are available on the WGRF Web site,
www.westerngrains.com.
Source: SeedQuest.com
2 March 2005
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1.17 Sustained soybean rust resistance issue for Brazilian
breeders
In an attempt to control a clever adversary, Brazilian researchers are
working to build a genetic arsenal that will allow farmers to continue a
long-term fight against Asian soybean rust. Development of disease-resistant
cultivars has become a primary goal in
But rust presents a special challenge because of its high degree of variability
it can develop several races within a short period and high spore dispersal
capacity.
To date, Embrapa has identified several highly
tolerant soy breeding lines. But because of rusts variability, researchers also
are studying genes that provide lesser levels of tolerance but could bolster
straight resistance traits.
One variety now in final yield trials has shown continued resistance and should
be available in another year for use in central
The rust seems to be clever, so we need to have a fungicide at hand, Embrapa head of rust research Jose Tadashi Yorinori advised
They are aided by what Yorinori termed an important clueto resistance. The disease does not kill leaf tissue
around its tell-tale, spore-bearing pustules, although tan-colored,
generally harmless lesions appear around the pustules.
Embrapa scientists discovered that in some lines
exposed to rust, brown or red lesions appear as leaf tissue dies, indicating
resistance.
The rust fungus needs living tissue to grow, Purdue crop scientist Greg Shaner explained. By sacrificing a few cells, the host
plant is protecting itself. You get a lesion, you get damage, but you don't get
very much sporulation (spore release), so the epidemic
isn't able to build up.Though Embrapa
focuses on varieties suited to Brazils specific climatic and agronomic
conditions, Pioneer breeder Paul Stephens noted the genes will transfer,opening the door to biotech rust solutions.
Given uncertainty about prolonged natural resistance, rust tolerance would
appear to be the ideal trait for a biotech approach, he suggested.
Incorporation of genetic material from other species also could offer promise
if (soybean resistance) traits don't hold out, Stephens said. One major
question is whether the economic impact of a soybean disease epidemic would
outweigh
In that regard,
The South Americans now have an issue. If they come up with a biotech solution,
that could bode well for getting it approved and into domestic use, Stephens
told FarmWeek.
Source: FarmWeek, Illinois Farm Bureau
via SeedQuest.com
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1.18 Defenseless plants
arm themselves with metals
A group of plants that uses metal to defend against infection may do so because
the normal defense mechanism used by most other
plants is blocked.
This research is part of a larger gene discovery initiative involving Purdue's Center for Phytoremediation
Research and Development, a multidisciplinary research center
dedicated to developing a "molecular toolbox" to provide the genetic
information to develop plants to clean up polluted sites. Technologies
developed at the center will be commercialized
through a partnership with the
ABSTRACT
John L. Freeman, Daniel Garcia, Donggiun Kim,
Amber Hopf, and David E. Salt
Constitutively Elevated Salicylic Acid Signals Glutathione-Mediated Nickel
Tolerance in Thlaspi Nickel Hyperaccumulators
Plant Physiol. 2005 137: 1082-1091.
Progress is being made in understanding the biochemical and molecular basis of
nickel (Ni)/zinc (Zn) hyperaccumulation in Thlaspi; however, the molecular signaling
pathways that control these mechanisms are not understood. We observed that
elevated concentrations of salicylic acid (SA), a molecule known to be involved
in signaling induced pathogen defense
responses in plants, is a strong predictor of Ni hyperaccumulation
in the six diverse Thlaspi species investigated,
including the hyperaccumulators Thlaspi
goesingense, Thlaspi rosulare, Thlaspi oxyceras, and Thlaspi caerulescens and the nonaccumulators
Thlaspi arvense and Thlaspi perfoliatum. Furthermore,
the SA metabolites phenylalanine, cinnamic acid, salicyloyl-glucose, and catechol are
also elevated in the hyperaccumulator T. goesingense when compared to the nonaccumulators
Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and T. arvense.
Elevation of free SA levels in Arabidopsis, both genetically and by exogenous
feeding, enhances the specific activity of serine acetyltransferase,
leading to elevated glutathione and increased Ni resistance. Such Samediated Ni resistance in Arabidopsis phenocopies
the glutathione-based Ni tolerance previously observed in Thlaspi,
suggesting a biochemical linkage between SA and Ni tolerance in this genus.
Intriguingly, the hyperaccumulator T. goesingense also shows enhanced sensitivity to the pathogen
powdery mildew (Erysiphe cruciferarum)
and fails to induce SA biosynthesis after infection. Nickel hyperaccumulation
reverses this pathogen hypersensitivity, suggesting that the interaction
between pathogen resistance and Ni tolerance and hyperaccumulation
may have played a critical role in the evolution of metal hyperaccumulation
in the Thlaspi genus.
Source: SciDev.net
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1.19 New winter hulless barley has high protein
Virginia Tech's Small Grains Breeding Program is developing a new type of
barley that lacks the fibrous covering. This new hulless
barley offers producers an alternative grain for both traditional and new
markets, including food, feed, and ethanol.
The price for winter barley has declined since 1996. Even though winter barley
was an integral component of the region's cropping system, growers stopped
producing it because it was not profitable. The Small Grains Breeding Program
work is aimed at reversing this trend. It has focused on improving and
diversifying barley's end-use quality.
"Traditional hulled barley cultivars that have higher starch and energy
content, therefore, better feed quality, such as cultivars named 'Thoroughbred'
and 'Price,' have recently been released by Virginia Tech," said Carl Griffey, professor of crop and soil environmental science
at Virginia Tech. "Similar to wheat in appearance, ulless
barley is significantly higher in starch content and significantly lower in fiber than traditional hulled barley," he said.
Virginia Tech released the first winter hulless
barley cultivar, "Doyce," in 2003.
The breeding program is developing both traditional soft red winter wheat
cultivars and new cultivars with unique and high-value end-use characteristics
such as higher protein content, quality, and white seed color.
The Virginia Tech wheat cultivars "Tribute" and "Renwood 3260" have a unique protein quality, making
them suited for specialty products. The cultivar "
The Small Grains Breeding Program continues to work on more new cultivars that
help provide solutions to agriculture problems. Another of the projects aims to
develop wheat and barley cultivars resistant to pests and so require fewer
chemical inputs. For example, producers would obtain higher yields of a safer
and higher quality grain that is resistant to Fusarium
head blight, commonly referred to as scab. Scab problems have occurred on an
annual basis during the past decade, and severe epidemics nearly devastated the
crop in
Source: EurkAlert.com
15 March 2005
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1.20 Marker-assisted breeding leads to new millet hybrid
With the help of marker assisted breeding (MAB),
the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the Haryana
Agricultural University (HAU) have developed a new
pearl millet hybrid resistant to downy mildew (DM). The hybrid, designated HHB 67-2, is the first ever product of marker-assisted
breeding in pearl millet to be released for cultivation in
DM is caused by invasion of the fungus Sclerospora graminicola. Infection of millet at early stages of
development can result in stunted growth of the plant, or even death. Infection
at later stages results in failure of grain formation. In years of severe DM
attack, up to 30% of the pearl millet harvest can be lost.
To develop the new hybrid HHB 67-2, parental lines of
the original hybrid were improved for downy mildew resistance through
marker-assisted as well as conventional backcross breeding programs. The gene
for downy mildew resistance was added to the male parent, H 77/833-2, through
marker-assisted breeding using ICRISAT elite parent ICMP 451 as the resistance gene donor; while the gene for
DM resistance was added to the female parent, 843A/B, from ICRISAT
line ICML 22, through conventional backcross
breeding.
For further information, contact Dr CT Hash at c.hash@cgiar.org
From CropBiotech Update, 4 March 2005:
Contributed by Margaret E. Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Cornell University
mes25@cornell.edu
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1.21 Report shows root crop as potential carotenoid source
In Potentiality of Cassava Cultivars as a Source of Carotenoids,
Dr. Nagib Nassar of the
University of Brazil and colleagues show that one of foremost food sources of
several tropical countries also has the potential to curb malnutrition. Their
findings are published in the online journal Gene Conserve for the month of
March.
In their experiments, the researchers screened cassava clones and interspecific hybrids, and, through colorimetric methods,
found that a clone named UnB-400 contained high levels of lutein
and trans-B-carotene. UnB-400 was found to have 236 mg/g of lutein,
compared to zero in other cultivars; and 2.2 mg/g of trans-B-carotene,
which is considered sufficient for the average daily requirements of adults
consuming half a kilogram of cassava daily.
Both lutein and beta-carotene are potential
antioxidants. Beta-carotene, in particular, is the precursor of Vitamin A, and
has been shown to prevent heart disease and cancer, and lower the incidence of
cataracts and macular disorders. Cassava, for its part, is both a cheap and
abundant crop, and the Brazilian government is currently seeking ways to
incorporate it into local wheat flours for enhanced flavor
and nutrition.
Read the complete article at http://www.geneconserve.pro.br/artigo_26.htm.
From CropBiotech Update 22 March 2005:
Contributed by Margaret E. Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Cornell University
mes25@cornell.edu
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1.22 Maize genome database earning acclaim
from researchers, says National Corn Growers Association
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today said the effort to map the maize genome is
gaining critical momentum, as more than 120 researchers from 35 academic
institutions have now accessed maizeseq.org, a web-enabled database that
features previously unavailable corn genome sequencing information.
Scientists say the web site, which features data donated by an industry
consortium of Monsanto Company, DuPont subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International
Inc. and Ceres Inc., offers a wealth of formerly inaccessible information that
will expedite completion of the corn genome sequence. NCGA
launched the database, which is hosted by the
There are only little pieces of gene sequences available in the public domain,
and in the past its been very difficult to find completed gene sequences,said Dr. Jo Messing,
director of the Waksman Institute and professor of
molecular biology at
There are about 1.8 million sequence reads available on maizeseq,
compared to about 400,000 available publicly, so we now have access to more
than four times what was previously available,he said.
Completion of the genome will facilitate important new research into crop
genetics, Messing added. Current plant genome research is conducted on rice or
Arabidopsis (a member of the mustard family), the only two species with
completed sequences.
A complete maize genome will enable a lot of valuable research that couldnt have been done before,he said. Right now there is new exploration being
done on rice and Arabidopsis because their sequences are widely available.
Finishing the maize genome will allow us to do similar research on corn.
Finishing the genome map will not only revolutionize plant research, but it
also will offer untold benefits to corn growers and consumers, according to
Gary Davis, a member of NCGAs Research and Business
Development Action Team.
A complete understanding of the genome will allow the industry to develop new
traits that help us to produce corn with enhanced value and utility,said Davis, a corn grower from
Genome data are being made available to the general scientific community for
use in not-for-profit research, subject to the terms and conditions of a user
agreement obtained through NCGA. Potential users must
first complete a licensing agreement with NCGA before
accessing the information at www.maizeseq.org
Source: SeedQuest.com
15 March 2005
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1.23 Plants defy Mendel's inheritance laws, may
prompt textbook changes
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.
Contrary to inheritance laws the scientific world has accepted for more than 100
years, some plants revert to normal traits carried by their grandparents,
bypassing genetic abnormalities carried by both parents.
These mutant parent plants apparently have hidden templates containing genetic
information from the preceding generation that can be transferred to their
offspring, even though the traits aren't evident in the parents, according to
"This means that inheritance can happen more flexibly than we thought in
the past," said Robert Pruitt, a Purdue Department of Botany and Plant Pathology
molecular geneticist. "While Mendel's laws that we learned in high school
still are fundamentally correct, they're not absolute.
"If the inheritance mechanism we found in the research plant Arabidopsis
exists in animals, too, it's possible that it will be an avenue for gene
therapy to treat or cure diseases in both plants and animals."
The study is published in the March 24 issue of the journal Nature.
Pruitt and collaborator Susan Lolle found that
Arabidopsis in which each parent plant had two copies of a mutant gene could
produce progeny that didn't show the parents' deformity, but rather were normal
like the grandparents. Under Mendelian laws, the
offspring should have shown the same mutation.
The first clue that the classic inheritance rules didn't always apply was the
discovery of normal flowers on some offspring of mutant plants. In the deformed
parents, the flowers were fused into tight balls. But in the grandparents and
10 percent of the grandchildren, the buds become 1-millimeter-long, bright
white flowers that fully opened and radiated out from the center
of a cluster.
"If you take this mutant Arabidopsis, which has two copies of the altered
gene, let it seed and then plant the seeds, 90 percent of the offspring will
look like the parent, but 10 percent will look like the normal
grandparents," Pruitt said. "Our genetic training tells us that's just not possible. This challenges everything we
believe.
"We've done a lot of experiments, described in this paper, that show none
of the simple explanations account for this skipping of generations by an
inherited trait."
The scientists kept the plants in isolation so they couldn't accidentally
crossbreed with plants that didn't have the mutated gene, called hothead, that causes organ fusion like that seen in the
flowers. The researchers used molecular markers - bits of DNA that help
identify and locate genes in organisms - to determine whether a plant carried
normal or mutant copies of the genes.
"It seems that these hothead-containing plants keep a cryptic copy of
everything that was in the previous generation, even though it doesn't show up
in the DNA, it's not in the chromosome," Pruitt said. "Some other
type of gene sequence information that we don't really understand yet is
modifying the inherited traits."
Although the hothead gene tipped the researchers off to this unconventional
inheritance cycle, Pruitt believes that this particular DNA sequence is just a
trigger for the phenomenon. He suspects that a number of other genes and the
proteins they produce are involved in activating this process.
"We need to understand more about the molecular mechanics of how this
process works," Pruitt said. "Then we will know exactly what role
this gene plays."
Pruitt's team already knows that animals don't have hothead genes, either
normal or mutated, so the scientists must investigate which genes might affect
this novel inheritance in both plants and animals.
There are probably a lot of other triggers yet to be discovered, and this
mechanism for inheritance may require a different trigger to make it work in
animals," he said.
Once scientists understand more about the mechanism, they then may be able to
manipulate it to modify genes already in plants and animals in order to correct
mutations that cause diseases and abnormal growth.
Though further research is required to learn how this form of inheritance
happens and how it can help improve plants or animals through gene therapy,
Pruitt said the discovery has opened an important new line of thinking.
The other researchers involved with this study were Jennifer Victor, a former
Purdue graduate student now at
ABSTRACT
Genome-wide non-Mendelian inheritance of
extra-genomic information in Arabidopsis
Susan J. Lolle*, Jennifer L. Victor, Jessica M.
Young & Robert E. Pruitt* (Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue
University, 915 W. State Street, West Lafayette,
Indiana 47907-2054, USA)
* These authors contributed equally to the work
A fundamental tenet of classical Mendelian genetics
is that allelic information is stably inherited from one generation to the
next, resulting in predictable segregation patterns of differing alleles1.
Although several exceptions to this principle are known, all represent
specialized cases that are mechanistically restricted to either a limited set
of specific genes (for example mating type conversion in yeast2) or specific
types of alleles (for example alleles containing transposons3 or repeated
sequences4). Here we show that Arabidopsis plants homozygous for recessive
mutant alleles of the organ fusion gene HOTHEAD5 (HTH)
can inherit allele-specific DNA sequence information that was not present in
the chromosomal genome of their parents but was present in previous
generations. This previously undescribed process is
shown to occur at all DNA sequence polymorphisms examined and therefore seems
to be a general mechanism for extragenomic
inheritance of DNA sequence information. We postulate that these genetic
restoration events are the result of a template-directed process that makes use
of an ancestral RNA-sequence cache.
Source: EurekAlert.org
23 March 2005
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1.24 Understanding rye and rice may help farmers
improve wheat
ARS News Service
Nearly 40 percent of the world's arable land is too acidic to grow wheat,
mainly because of high aluminum levels in the soil.
But an Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
geneticist hopes to make wheat more aluminum-tolerant
by using a gene from rye, a cousin of wheat.
J.
Perry Gustafson, at the ARS Plant Genetics
Research Unit in
To do that, the group turned to rice, because it is genetically similar to rye
and wheat. Among these cereals, there is a high degree of genetic
similarity--what scientists call synteny. A complete
DNA sequence and gene map of rice has already been established. Since many of
the genes in rye and rice are in the same order, finding exactly where the aluminum-tolerance candidate gene is in the rice genome may
help researchers find its location in rye.
Gustafson's group was able to narrow the gene's location to a tiny region in
rice, but it has not been able to utilize the rice DNA sequence to find the
Alt3 gene in rye. The research, however, was not in vain. Gustafson found that
rice is a great source of DNA markers that can be used to map the rye genome.
Rice has the possibility of being used to find many agronomically
important genes in other cereals as well. Researchers may be able to use the
rice DNA sequence information to identify genes in other cereals that can
improve grain quality or naturally protect the crop against diseases.
The research has been published in the journal Theoretical
and Applied Genetics.
ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief
scientific research agency.
Source: SeedQuest.com
21 March 2005
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1.25 Genaissance and Monsanto
team up with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to map soybean genome
Aim is to improve soybeans
An agreement between Genaissance
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Monsanto
Company and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS),
the chief scientific research agency of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), is expected to
provide U.S. soybean plant breeders with new technology for more accurate and
efficient plant breeding research.
The projects intent is to map single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) DNA markers
in soybeans, creating a detailed molecular genetic map of the soybean that
includes a large number of SNP DNA markers along with pre-existing SSR (simple sequence repeat) markers. In addition, all of
the map position information and use of soybean SNP markers covered by the
agreement will be freely available to all
A SNP is a specific location along a chromosome where there is a variation in
the genetic sequence. This variation can be used as a genetic marker.
Scientists often use genetic markers as a tag to identify the specific location
of a genetic trait on a chromosome. By tagging the desired trait, plant
breeders can breed plants more efficiently and more accurately.
Monsanto is proud to be a part of this important research initiative,said Monsanto's Global Genotyping Lead Robert
Reiter. We hope that our work with Genaissance and
the USDA will lead to a better understanding of the
soybean, and help develop ways to deliver improved soybean varieties faster and
more efficiently, putting new technology into the hands of public soy
researchers.
The collaborators plan to make the information available in Soybase,
the USDA Soybean Genome Database, and dbSNP, the
The SNPs that are being mapped were discovered at the
USDA, ARS Beltsville, Md., with support from the United Soybean Board.
Because all of the SNPs are located in genes, the
result of the work will be a genetic map that defines gene-rich regions of the
soybean genome, said Perry Cregan, USDA-ARS researcher. It is the gene-containing regions that
are of greatest interest to soybean breeders and geneticists who want to
develop genetically superior soybean varieties with enhanced seed quality,
greater disease resistance, and superior drought tolerance and yield.
"What we learn from this research will be critical in our search for
additional insights into ways to improve the characteristics, production rates,
and disease resistance of a variety of field crops, including soybeans, and
other plant species," said Gerald F. Vovis,
Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Genaissance Pharmaceuticals.
ARS scientists in
Source: SeedQuest.com
9 March 2005
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1.26 Monsanto unlikely to resurrect biotech
wheat
Chicago, Illinois
Monsanto Executive Vice President Jerry
Steiner was cited as telling the Reuters Food Summit in Chicago Wednesday it
was unlikely to resurrect any time soon its project to develop genetically
modified wheat, which was suspended in May last year, adding, "Would we
bring it back next year? It's highly unlikely. & The
product has to make sense economically and we have to make best use of our
resources."
Even wheat industry leaders, who said biotechnology could lead to improved
profitability for struggling wheat growers, warned that Roundup Ready wheat
could devastate exports of all
Source: Reuters via SeedQuest.com
16 March 2005
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1.27 Oasis Horticulture (Australia) and Suntroy Flowers (Japan) form a new research and
development company
SYDNEY, 18 February 2005 Australian-owned and the largest seedling supplier
to the Australian nursery industry, Oasis Horticulture today announced the
development of a major R&D joint venture with Japanese beverage giant Suntory Limited, effective from February 18th, 2005. The
joint venture will operate under the name Bonza
Botanicals, with staff from
With a strong history in plant R&D, Oasis Horticulture and Suntory both hold a strong international reputation in the
plant biotechnology arena. The combination of these skills and expertise
through their shared investments in Bonza Botanicals
will aim to generate innovative intellectual property and new generation plant
biotechnology, opening doors to commercialisation opportunities and synergies
between two culturally diverse organisations to benefit the global nursery
market.
For more information please contact:
Sarah Creelman
McGregors International
sarah@mcgregors.com.au
Contributed by Andrew Bernuetz, PhD
Bonza Botanicals Pty Ltd
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++++++++++++++++++++
1.28 Update 4-2005 of FAO-BiotechNews
(Selected items)
We welcome your feedback and encourage you to tell your colleagues or contacts
about this e-mail newsletter. Instructions for subscribing (and unsubscribing)
are given at the end of the Update. In addition, instructions for subscribing
to FAO-BiotechNews-Fr and FAO-BiotechNews-Esp,
the French and Spanish versions of FAO-BiotechNews
respectively, are also given at the end.
The Coordinator of FAO-BiotechNews, 18-3-2005 The
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) E-mail address: FAO-Biotech-News@fao.org FAO website
http://www.fao.org FAO Biotechnology website http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp
(in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish)
(http://www.fao.org/biotech/news_list.asp?Cat=131)
1) FAO-BioDeC database expanded - Forestry sector In
2003, FAO launched an on-line searchable database called FAO-BioDeC providing information on crop biotechnology
products/techniques in use or in the pipeline in developing countries
(including countries with economies in transition). The database has now been
expanded to include data from the forestry sector. In addition, some initial
data from livestock has now been included while the crop sector data has also
been updated. FAO-BioDeC now contains over 2,000
entries from crops, 700 from forestry and 100 from animals. The database is
still evolving and verification and regular updating of information in the
database is also being done through a network of national correspondents that
have volunteered for the task. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/inventory_admin/dep/default.asp
or contact FAO-BioDeC@fao.org for more
information or if interested in volunteering to be a FAO-BioDeC
national correspondent. Ideally, correspondents should be working in the public
sector, specialising in agricultural biotechnology or in a related area, and
they should be up-to-date with the status of development, adoption and
application of biotechnologies in their country. There are currently 55
correspondents in 52 countries (http://www.fao.org/biotech/inventory_admin/biodec-corr.htm).
2) Characterisation/conservation of genetic resources - Workshop proceedings On
5-7 March 2005, an international workshop was held in Turin, Italy entitled
"The role of biotechnology for the characterisation and conservation of
crop, forestry, animal and fishery genetic resources", organised by the
FAO Working Group on Biotechnology, the Fondazione
per le Biotecnologie, the ECONOGENE
project and the Societe taliana
di Genetica Agraria. Proceedings of the workshop have now been made
available on the web. The 20 papers, covering applications of molecular
markers, cryopreservation and reproductive
technologies, are organised in the following way: Session I on the status of
the world's agricultural biodiversity; Session II on the use of biotechnology
for conservation of genetic resources; Session IV on genetic characterisation
of populations and its use in conservation decision-making. Session III
presented results from ECONOGENE, a European Union
funded project combining a molecular analysis of biodiversity, socio-economics
and geostatistics to address the conservation of
sheep and goat genetic resources and rural development in marginal agrosystems in Europe. The workshop was held as part of the
build up to Conference 13 of the FAO Biotechnology Forum. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/torino05.htm
or contact mail@fobiotech.org to
request the proceedings by e-mail.
3) FAO e-mail conference - Biotechnology and characterisation/conservation of
genetic resources The FAO Biotechnology Forum is devoting its next e-mail
conference to the role that biotechnology (with tools such as molecular markers
or cryopreservation and reproductive technologies)
can play in the characterisation and conservation of crop, animal, forestry and
fishery genetic resources in developing countries. To discuss and exchange
experiences on this theme, we invite you to join the conference. This will be
the 13th conference hosted by the Forum since it was launched in 2000. The
conference, as usual, is open to everyone, is free and will be moderated. It
begins on 30 May and runs for four weeks, finishing on
4) Codex Committee on Food Labelling - 33rd Session The 33rd Session of the
Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) takes place
on 9-13 May 2005 in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Item nr. 5 on the agenda is "Labelling of foods and
food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification /
genetic engineering". See the meeting agenda at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp
(in English, French and Spanish), some background to the CCFL's
work on labelling of GM foods, at http://www.fao.org/es/ESN/food/risk_biotech_label_en.stm,
or contact codex@fao.org for further
information.
12) Proceedings of the 8th Asian Regional Maize Workshop On 5-8 August 2002,
the 8th Asian Regional Maize Workshop was held in
13) Generation Challenge Programme e-mail newsletter As part of a new
initiative, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) approved for implementation in 2003 three pilot
Challenge Programmes (defined as a "time-bound, independently-governed
program of high impact research, that targets the CGIAR
goals in relation to complex issues of overwhelming global and/or regional
significance, and requires partnerships between a wide range of institutions in
order to deliver its products") called 1) Water and Food 2) HarvestPlus and 3) Generation. The Generation Challenge
Programme (GCP), whose aim is to "harness the
rich global heritage of plant genetic resources and create a new generation of
crops that meet the needs of resource-poor people", has 5 sub-programmes:
Genetic diversity of global genetic resources; comparative genomics for gene
discovery; trait capture for crop improvement; genetic resources, genomic, and
crop information systems and, finally, capacity building. The GCP publishes an e-mail newsletter providing updates from the
programme, including capacity building opportunities (e.g. a diversity/breeding
course for national agricultural research systems (NARS)
scientists in
Do not hesitate to tell other colleagues/contacts about FAO-BiotechNews.
If they wish to join, they should send an e-mail message to
mailserv@mailserv.fao.org leaving the subject blank and entering the one-line
text message as follows: subscribe FAO-BiotechNews-L
3. To join FAO-BiotechNews-Fr (the French language
version of FAO-BiotechNews), send an e-mail to mailserv@mailserv.fao.org leaving
the subject blank and entering the following one-line text message: subscribe
FAO-BiotechNews-Fr-L The Welcome Text that
subscribers receive on joining the e-mail list, describing its aims and scope
and how it works, is available at http://www.fao.org/biotech/Welcome-Fr.htm
(in French) 4. To join FAO-BiotechNews-Esp (the
Spanish language version of FAO-BiotechNews), do the
same as for FAO-BiotechNews-Fr except the message
should read: subscribe FAO-BiotechNews-Esp-L The
Welcome Text is available at http://www.fao.org/biotech/Welcome-Esp.htm
(in Spanish)
(Return to Contents)
++++++++++++++++++++
1.29 HIV pandemia: Could vaccines produced in plants be the way out?
2 March 2005
By Daniel Schneeberger, Checkbiotech
Although a HIV-vaccine would be highly desirable, so far no candidate have
shown adequate efficacy when administered alone. However, a subunit vaccine
produced in plants could be the solution.
http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=search&search=checkbiotech&doc_id=9796&start=1&fullsearch=1
Contributed by Robert Derham
Checkbiotech Director
University of Basel
robert.derham@unibas.ch
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++++++++++++++++++++
1.30 Vaccination against tears and sniffling
15 March 2005
By Annette Ryser, Checkbiotech
While everybody is enjoying themselves when spring finally begins, people
suffering from pollen allergies feel much less comfortable. However, there is hopegenetically engineered birch pollen has considerably
improved the traditional immune therapies of allergic diseases
http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=search&search=checkbiotech&doc_id=9888&start=1&fullsearch=1
Contributed by Robert Derham
Checkbiotech Director
University of Basel
robert.derham@unibas.ch
(Return to Contents)
++++++++++++++++++++++
1.31 Bacteria hard working cleaner of the environment
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
By Katharina Schoebi, Checkbiotech
Modern technology can often cause soil and water contamination. The environmental
cleansing is not an easy task, because unlike with garbage, dissolved compounds
cannot simply be swept or picked up. However, now there is hope that bacteria
and plants could work together to clean the environment.
The removal of environmental pollutants, such as cyclic compounds, chlorinated
solvents and ammonium wastes, from contaminated soil and water sources is a
very important subject nowadays. One way to clean the environment is by phytoremediationcleaning the environment with plants. The
pollutants are drawn in the rhizosphere (the
surrounding area of the roots) and are then degraded by the plant or by microoorganisms in the plant.
http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=search&search=checkbiotech&doc_id=9951&start=1&fullsearch=1
Contributed by Robert Derham
Checkbiotech Director
University of Basel
robert.derham@unibas.ch
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++++++++++++++++++++++
1.32 Food allergy hope
Thursday, March 17, 2005
By Joyce Gramza
Scientists are working to develop vaccines against food allergies. As this ScienCentral News video reports, allergy researchers are
using genetics to help create those vaccines.
http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=search&search=checkbiotech&doc_id=9915&start=1&fullsearch=1
© ScienCentral, 2000-2005.
Contributed by Robert Derham
Checkbiotech Director
University of Basel
robert.derham@unibas.ch
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++++++++++++++++++++++++
1.33 Switzerland reaches a crossroad
16 March 2005
By Robert Derham, Checkbiotech
Now that the EU has started to slowly hoist its sails
to catch the global biotech wind, Switzerland finds itself at a crossroad with
genetic engineering.
In 2004, the Swiss government voted in favor of
allowing field
trials with genetically modified wheat to go ahead. They followed that up
by rejecting
a referendum that would have called for a moratorium on the cultivation of
GM crops for another five years.
http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=search&search=checkbiotech&doc_id=9909&start=1&fullsearch=1
Contributed by Robert Derham
Checkbiotech Director
University of Basel
robert.derham@unibas.ch
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++++++++++++++++++++++
1.34 Plants like to be poisoned
Thursday, March 10, 2005
By Katharina Schoebi, Checkbiotech
With the intention of avoiding the heavily polluted surface water supplies,
there is a growing current trend of drinking water from underground sources.
However, these are poisoned with arsenic. Now it has been proposed, that
genetically modified plants should be an effective tool in the cleanup of
arsenic-contaminated soils and groundwater.
http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=search&search=checkbiotech&doc_id=9859&start=1&fullsearch=1
Contributed by Robert Derham
Checkbiotech Director
University of Basel
robert.derham@unibas.ch
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=========================
2 PUBLICATIONS
2.01 Farmers' Bounty: Locating Crop Diversity in the
Contemporary World
Author: Stephen Brush
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication Date: 2004
Reviewer: Stuart Pimm
Price: US$37.50, £25
Biodiversity's three-part definition -- the variety of genes, species and
ecosystems -- is best appreciated on a beach, with tropical forest in front of
you, coral reefs behind and mountains in the distance. On rainy midwinter days,
in a city far away, there is always the local grocery. [&] Rural markets in
Link
to Nature
book review
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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2.02 Special-rate memberships in Crop Science Society
of America
Plant breeders and other interested scientists from developing countries
can become members of the Crop Science Society of America for as low as
$12.50. Membership also includes one electronic journal. For more
information go to the website below:
http://www.asa-cssa-sssa.org/membership/international_discount.html
Contributed by
freed@msu.edu
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=========================
3. WEB RESOURCES
3.01 The FAO Biotechnology Forum e-mail
conference
The FAO Biotechnology Forum (http://www.fao.org/biotech/forum.asp)
will host its next e-mail conference from 30 May to
On the occasion of World Food Day 2004, the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged "individuals
and institutions alike to give greater attention to biodiversity as a key theme
in our efforts to fight the twin scourges of hunger and poverty and achieve the
Millennium Development Goals". He also noted that the unprecedented loss
of biodiversity over the past century was a major cause for alarm, where
"Many freshwater fish species, which can provide crucial dietary diversity
to the poorest households, have become extinct, and many of the world's most
important marine fisheries have been decimated. Food supplies have also been
made more vulnerable by our reliance on a very small number of species: just 30
crop species dominate food production and 90 per cent of our animal food supply
comes from just 14 mammal and bird species -- species which themselves rely on
biodiversity for their productivity and survival. There has been a substantial
reduction in crop genetic diversity in the field and many livestock breeds are
threatened with extinction". In addition, forests are among the world's
most important repositories of biological diversity but their cover is
decreasing at an alarming rate.
It is in this context of declining agricultural biodiversity, that this e-mail
conference will take place to consider the role that biotechnology (with tools
such as molecular markers or cryopreservation and
reproductive technologies) can play in the characterisation and conservation of
crop, animal, forestry and fishery genetic resources in developing countries.
To discuss and exchange experiences on this theme, we invite you to join the
conference.
Any Forum Member may subscribe. To do so, please send an e-mail message to
mailserv@mailserv.fao.org leaving the subject blank and entering the one-line
text message as follows: subscribe biotech-room1
If you have colleagues that wish to subscribe to the conference, they should
first join the Forum i.e. send an e-mail to mailserv@mailserv.fao.org leaving
the subject blank and entering the following text on two separate lines:
subscribe BIOTECH-L
subscribe biotech-room1
A Background Document for the conference will be prepared and sent to Forum
Members before the conference begins.
Submitted by John Ruane, PhD
Forum Administrator
E-mail address: Biotech-Admin@fao.org
FAO Biotechnology Forum website http://www.fao.org/biotech/forum.asp
FAO Biotechnology website http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp
(in Arabic,
Chinese, English, French and Spanish)
FAO website http://www.fao.org
p.s. This FAO Biotechnology Forum, launched in March
2000, has hosted 12 conferences so far about specific topics concerning
biotechnology in food and agriculture for developing countries. Note, the term "developing countries" in this context
is intended to include the "transition" countries (i.e. the central
and eastern European countries and the new independent states of the former
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========================
4 GRANTS AVAILABLE
4.01 Asian Rice Foundation grants
The Asian Rice Foundation USA (ARFUSA) has grants
for up to $3500 for travel, research, education or artistic work about rice in
http://www.asiariceusa.org/Contact_Us.html
Contributed by
freed@msu.edu
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+++++++++++++++++++++
4.02 Fellowship programme for African scientists
A new grant scheme was started in 2004 by Rothamsted
International. The African Fellows Programme provides access to European
expertise for mid-career African scientists. The aim of the Programme is to
support sustainable agriculture in sub-Saharan
Source: www.twas.org
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===========================
6. MEETINGS, COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
*25-28 April 2005. International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) Ordinary Meeting 2005,
Contributed by Michelle Jenni Nietlispach
Head of Marketing and Communications
<michelle.jenni@ista.ch>
*2-5 May 2005. 2nd ISTA Moisture Workshop
Location: Seed Center No. 7, Chiang Mai, Hang Dong
District,
https://www.seedtest.org/en/workshopdetail---1--1113--210--14.html
Contributed by Michelle Jenni Nietlispach
Head of Marketing and Communications
michelle.jenni@ista.ch
* 4 - 9 May 2005. 11th International Lupin
Conference,
Submitted by George D. Hill, Secretary/Treasurer
International Lupin Association (hill@inia.es)
"At our meetings we have usually had a substantial number of submissions
from Plant Breeders. I would expect that it will be the same at
this meeting."
*9-13 May 2005. 6th ISTA/FAO workshop on electrophoretic methods and PCR-techniques
for variety verification and GMO detection
Location: University of West Indies (UWI),
https://www.seedtest.org/en/workshopdetail---1--1113--210--16.html
Contributed by Michelle Jenni Nietlispach
Head of Marketing and Communications
<michelle.jenni@ista.ch>
(NEW) 10-13 May 2005. 5th ISTA - SHC Seed Health Symposium
Location:
https://www.seedtest.org/en/workshopdetail---1--1113--210--2.html
Contributed by Michelle Jenni Nietlispach
Head of Marketing and Communications
michelle.jenni@ista.ch
* 6-10 June 2005. 5th International Triticeae
Symposium held in
* 9-11 June 2005. The Second European Workshop on National Plant Genetic
Resources Programmes, Belgrade, Serbia,
http://www.minpolj.sr.gov.yu/workshop.php
Please also look for more information on the Belgrade workshop web page that
will be continuously updated over the following weeks:
http://www.minpolj.sr.gov.yu/workshop.info.htm
Contributed by Vladimir Pekic
vpekic@mindless.com
* 13-17 June 2005, Murcia (Spain): XIII International Symposium on Apricot
Breeding and Culture. Info: Dr. Felix Romojaro and
Dr. Federico Dicenta, CEBAS-CSIC, PO Box 164, 30100 Espinardo (Murcia), Spain. Phone: (34)968396328 or
(34)968396309, Fax: (34)968396213, email: apricot@cebas.csic.es
Symposium Secretariat: Viajes CajaMurcia,
Gran Via Escultor
Salzillo 5. Entlo. Dcha., 30004
* 14-17 June 2005,
* 16-19 June 2005: XI International Asparagus Symposium. Horst/Venlo (
* 12-14 September 2005 Seeds and Breeds for the 21st Century,
at Iowa State University -- A conference engaging diverse stakeholders
interested in strengthening our public plant and animal breeding capacity.
The conference is announced by RAFI. It is a
follow up to a meeting held in 2003 in
Please share this information with other plant
breeders
* 12-16 September 2005: III International Symposium on Cucurbits.
Townsville,
*September and October 2005. Workshops on cryopreservation
in support of conservation of European plant genetic resources. Organized by IPGRI (
The First Workshop will be hosted by the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (
The Second Workshop will be hosted by the Institut de
recherch0our le developpement (
Application forms may be obtained from: Dr Ehsan Dulloo at e.dulloo@cgiar.org, or at http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/events/cryopreservation.htm.
Applications must be received by
Contributed by Kakoli Ghosh
FAO-AGPS
Kakoli.Ghosh@fao.org
* 18-21 April 2006: The 13th Australasian Plant Breeding
Conference -- Breeding for Success: Diversity in Action,
For more details, visit http://www.apbc.org.nz
(Editors note: corrected from PB News Edition 154)
* 23-28 July 2006. The 9th International Pollination Symposium will be
hosted at
For more information please visit www.ucs.iastate.edu/PlantBee
Submitted by Jody Larson, symposium committee
Iowa State University
jilarson@iastate.edu
Additional Notes from Mark P. Widrlechner:
I've volunteered to help organize the sub-theme on pollinators in plant
genetic resource conservation and enclosed production systems. This will
involve assembling a small group of interested colleagues who can serve as a
sub-theme committee by identifying possible presenters for the oral and poster
sessions and helping review the quality of proposed non-invited presentations
as they are submitted. Help will also be needed to ensure that all
submissions to the Symposium Proceedings are well reviewed and edited.
1. If you would be interested in presenting the results of your research at the
Symposium, or know of other good research that you think would be fitting, I'd
very much like to hear from you.
2. If you would be interested in serving on the sub-theme committee or in
serving on an editorial board, please do contact me.
3. If you know of any other individuals, who should be informed about this
upcoming event, either let me know directly or forward this email to them and
copy me.
Your help in these matters would be MUCH appreciated.
isumw@iastate.edu
* August 2006: IX International Conference on Grape Genetics and Breeding,
* 13-19 August 2006: XXVII International Horticultural Congress,
* 1-5 December 2006: Brazilian Cassava Conference,
For more information, contact Prof. Nagib Nassar at nagnassa@rudah.com.br.
or Dr. Rodomiro Ortiz at r.ortiz@cgiar.org.
(Return to Contents)
=======================
7. EDITOR'S NOTES
Plant Breeding News is an electronic forum for the exchange of information and
ideas about applied plant breeding and related fields. It is published every
four to six weeks throughout the year.
The newsletter is managed by the editor and an advisory group consisting of Elcio Guimaraes (elcio.guimaraes@fao.org), Margaret
Smith (mes25@cornell.edu), and Anne
Marie Thro (athro@reeusda.gov). The
editor will advise subscribers one to two weeks ahead of each edition, in order
to set deadlines for contributions.
REVIEW PAST NEWSLETTERS ON THE WEB: Past issues of the Plant Breeding
Newsletter are now available on the web. The address is: http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/FAOINFO/AGRICULT/AGP/AGPC/doc/services/pbn.html
We will continue to improve the organization of
archival issues of the newsletter. Readers who have suggestions about features
they wish to see should contact the editor at chh23@cornell.edu.
Subscribers are encouraged to take an active part in making the newsletter a
useful communications tool. Contributions may be in such areas as: technical
communications on key plant breeding issues; announcements of meetings, courses
and electronic conferences; book announcements and reviews; web sites of
special relevance to plant breeding; announcements of funding opportunities;
requests to other readers for information and collaboration; and feature
articles or discussion issues brought by subscribers. Suggestions on format and
content are always welcome by the editor, at pbn-l@mailserv.fao.org. We would
especially like to see a broad participation from developing country programs
and from those working on species outside the major food crops.
Messages with attached files are not distributed on PBN-L
for two important reasons. The first is that computer viruses and worms can be
distributed in this manner. The second reason is that attached files cause
problems for some e-mail systems.
PLEASE NOTE: Every month many newsletters are returned because they are
undeliverable, for any one of a number of reasons. We try to keep the mailing
list up to date, and also to avoid deleting addresses that are only temporarily
inaccessible. If you miss a newsletter, write to me at chh23@cornell.edu and I will re-send it.
To subscribe to PBN-L: Send an e-mail message to: mailserv@mailserv.fao.org. Leave
the subject line blank and write SUBSCRIBE PBN-L
(Important: use ALL CAPS). To unsubscribe: Send an e-mail message as above with
the message UNSUBSCRIBE PBN-L.
Lists of potential new subscribers are welcome. The editor will contact these
persons; no one will be subscribed without their explicit permission.
(Return to Contents)
