PLANT BREEDING NEWS
EDITION
175
5 February 2007
An Electronic Newsletter of Applied Plant
Breeding
Sponsored by FAO and Cornell University
Clair H. Hershey,
Editor
chh23@cornell.edu
Archived issues available at: FAO Plant Breeding
Newsletter.
CONTENTS
1. NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND
RESEARCH NOTES
1.01 Texas
A&M chair, fellowship named in honor of Norman Borlaug
1.02 Drought tolerant
maize benefits African farmers
1.03 Africa's farmers will have room to grow
1.04 Rice research hub
for greater Mekong opens in Laos
1.05 Expanded lab gives Australian plant breeders a quality
edge
1.06 U.S. National Science
Foundation provides $14 million to advance research in comparative genomics of economically important plants
1.07 Sugarcane for biofuels research
kicks off in Brazil
1.08 Plants point the way to coping with climate change
1.09 Study explores the
effect of genetically modified crops on developing countries
1.10 Gene flow in the common bean Phaseolus
1.11 A highly
efficient 'genetically modified gene-deletor' system to remove all functional
transgenes from pollen, seed or both
1.12 Peru: native potatoes in the
limelight
1.13 European Space
Agency launches new project to protect biodiversity
1.14 From varietal improvement to
impoverishment: what is the reality?
1.15 Ancient genes used to produce
salt-tolerant wheat
1.16 Wheat can fatally starve insect predators
1.17 Devastating fungal
pathogen spreads from eastern Africa to Yemen
1.18 Wheat lines that resisted virulent
stem rust last season have now succumbed
1.19 Crop scientists strive to improve
the fitness of wheat for 21st century demands
1.20 Root feeding of fusaric acid: a quick method of
testing chickpea genotypes for Fusarium wilt resistance (Cicer
arietinum)
1.21 Whitefly spreads emerging plant viruses
1.22 Whiteflies and
plant viruses can help each other to speed up biological invasion
1.23 Technology reduces gossypol in cottonseed
1.24 Orange cauliflower gene eyed as nutrition booster
1.25 Pinto bean resists
viral diseases
1.26 First GM eggplant soon to be commercially grown in the
Philippines
1.27 Efficient tissue culture protocol for wild eggplants
1.28 Continued funding for the tomato
sequence project
1.29 Genetic mapping of finger millet
1.30 Coffee -- That’s sucrose to
the taste buds
1.31 Triploid papaya – potential uses in breeding and fruit
production
1.32 Improving crop
plants through genomics
1.33 Molecular markers make their mark in plant breeding
1.34 GCP Latest News
Alerts
2. PUBLICATIONS
2.01 An Introduction to
Plant Breeding
2.02 Results from
the FAO Biotechnology Forum: Background and dialogue on
selected issues
3. WEB RESOURCES
3.01 Web resources from: underutilized-species@CGIAR.ORG
4 GRANTS AVAILABLE
(None submitted)
5 POSITION
ANNOUNCEMENTS
5.01 Executive
Director, The UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center
5.02 Geneticist (Plants), USDA/ARS - Plant Science Research Unit, Raleigh, North Carolina
5.03 Plant genomics summer internships – University of Missouri
6 MEETINGS, COURSES AND
WORKSHOPS
7 EDITOR'S
NOTES
=========================
1. NEWS,
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESEARCH NOTES
1.01 Texas
A&M chair, fellowship named in honor of Norman Borlaug
New
Orleans, Louisiana
Texas A&M
University Agriculture and Monsanto
Company have announced the creation of the Borlaug-Monsanto Chair for Plant
Breeding and International Crop Improvement. The chair is named in honor of Dr.
Norman Borlaug, who won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in plant
breeding.
Funding for the chair comes from a $2.5 million endowment from
Monsanto.
The announcement came Jan. 9 at the Beltwide Cotton
Conferences in New Orleans.
Of the endowment, $2 million will be used to
fund the Borlaug-Monsanto Chair. Borlaug is a distinguished professor of
international agriculture at Texas A&M.
The remaining $500,000 will
endow an assistantship fund to support graduate-level research by young
scientists pursuing careers in plant breeding, cotton crop improvement and
production. These assistantships will also be used to support cotton research
focused on crop improvement and production systems in the U.S.
"As
father of the ‘Green Revolution,' Borlaug taught the world how to use
agricultural technology to save lives and improve living conditions," said Dr.
Robert Fraley, chief technology officer for Monsanto Company.
"Plant
breeding was the engine for this tremendous change. We are honored to work with
Borlaug and Texas A&M University to promote additional plant breeding
research that will help farmers produce food, fiber and fuel to meet growing
world demand."
"We consider this a tremendous opportunity to continue
Dr. Borlaug's legacy," said Dr. Elsa Murano, vice chancellor and dean of
agriculture at Texas A&M. "This will enhance our academic programs
enormously, and it will make significant contributions to science through its
research capabilities."
"This wonderful gift from Monsanto will enable
the Borlaug Institute, Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences,
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Texas Cooperative Extension to realize
the vision of Dr. Borlaug for world service in agricultural science," said Dr.
Edwin Price, associate vice chancellor and director of the Norman E. Borlaug
Institute for International Agriculture at Texas A&M.
"For me, it's
one of the most important steps forward in linking international agriculture and
agricultural research with Dr. Borlaug's vision," he said.
"There is
little doubt that this will position Texas A&M to better research and
improve our training of students for the Texas cotton industry," said Dr. David
Baltensperger, head of the soil and crop science department at Texas A&M.
Borlaug earned a bachelor's degree in forestry from the University of
Minnesota in 1937. He worked for the U.S. Forestry Service in Massachusetts and
Idaho before and after graduation, and then returned to the University of
Minnesota to earn a master's degree in 1939 and a doctorate in 1942.
He
began working as a geneticist and plant pathologist for the Cooperative Wheat
Research and Production program in Mexico in 1944. In that capacity, he
organized and directed the program, which was a joint undertaking by the Mexican
government and the Rockefeller Foundation.
This program involved
scientific research in genetics, plant pathology, entomology, agronomy and
science and cereal technology.
His work centered on increasing and
diversifying crop yields in regions of the world where agriculture was less
developed than in the U.S., therefore being instrumental in the so-called "Green
Revolution" in the 1960s.
In 1970, Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize for
the development of high-yielding wheat varieties. He also was presented the
Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Presidential World without Hunger
Medal in 1985. He also received the National Medal of Science from President
George Bush in 2005.
The scientist who fills the chair position will be
expected to:
- Lead in creating an international agricultural research
capability, particularly in plant breeding, at Texas A&M.
- Teach
courses in international agricultural development and food security.
- Work
with agricultural scientists around the world.
- Lead and guide junior
faculty and scientists in international agricultural research and scholarship.
- Represent Texas A&M agricultural research throughout the world.
Writer: Edith Chenault
Source: SeedQuest.com
10 January
2007
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Contents)
++++++++++++++++++++++
1.02 Drought tolerant maize benefits African
farmers
Three decades of research into drought tolerant maize by
CIMMYT and a very strong set of partnerships has made a difference in the lives
of African farmers
El Batán, Mexico
Three decades of research into
drought tolerant maize by CIMMYT and a very
strong set of partnerships has made a difference in the lives of African
farmers. That achievement has been recognized by the awarding to CIMMYT of the
2006 CGIAR King Baudouin Award.
It began with a small experiment to try
to improve the lowland tropical maize population called Tuxpeno for drought
tolerance in Mexico in the 1970s. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
started to invest in more significant research around drought tolerant maize in
1986. In the mid-1990s, the focus of the work moved to Africa - to the most
challenging maize growing environments world-wide: southern and eastern Africa,
where maize is a source of food and livelihoods for some 250 million people.
Today, sufficient seed has been produced to plant over 2.5 million
hectares of land in eastern and southern Africa with new varieties that produce
more maize both when dry spells occur and under good conditions. The road
in-between involved the building of a large partnership with donors, national
agricultural research programs, extension programs, small-scale seed producers,
community seed producers and individual farmers; developing new ways of
screening germplasm in real world conditions; and enhancing farmer-participatory
methods to select the best and disseminate the best.
CIMMYT and its
partners employed novel methodologies in breeding that were pro-poor according
to Marianne Bänziger, the director of
CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program.
“Traditional varieties have been
developed with fertilizer applied under good rainfall conditions. CIMMYT took a
completely different route,” she says. “We took the varieties; we exposed
thousands of them to very severe stress conditions - drought, low soil
fertility. We selected the best. We brought them to farmers and farmers told us
which ones they liked.”
The projects invested in over 25 fully-equipped
managed-stress screening sites and more than 120 testing sites owned and
operated by national programs. A network was established involving CIMMYT,
public National Agricultural Research Systems (NARSs), and the private sector to
systematically test new varieties and hybrids from all providers for the
constraints most relevant to smallholder farmers in eastern and southern Africa.
This network recently provided proof that the stress breeding approach works. In
a simple comparison between all maize hybrids from CIMMYT’s stress breeding
approach and a similar number of hybrids developed by reputable private
companies using the traditional approaches-using 83 hybrids, 65
randomly-stressed locations across eastern and southern Africa, and 3 years of
evaluation-the results demonstrated that, under production circumstances
most similar to those of resource-poor farmers in Africa (that is, at yield
levels of 1–5 tons per hectare), the CIMMYT varieties yielded on average 20%
more in the most difficult conditions and 5% more under favorable conditions.
Among these the best stress-tolerant hybrids increased yields as much as 100%
under drought, showing the great potential contained in maize genetic
resources.
The final selection was done through a participatory
methodology called the “mother-baby” trial system, in which farmers managed some
“baby” plots in their own fields while NGOs, researchers and extension staff
conducted a “mother trial” in the center of their community. This way farmers
could see how potential varieties actually performed under local
conditions.
As a result, more than 50 open-pollinated and hybrid
varieties have been disseminated to public and private partners, NARSs, NGOs and
seed companies, for seed production and dissemination to farmers. “None of this
success would have been possible without the collaboration of many dedicated
researchers, NGO and extension staff from the public and private sector.” says
Bänziger. “They were the ones evaluating varieties under diverse conditions with
farmers. They also started to adopt the new breeding methods in their own
programs, developing their own varieties, engaging in seed production and
tackling the challenge of getting seed to farmers.”
The story is not
finished. CIMMYT researchers are sure the genetic diversity in maize is
sufficient to push the drought tolerance in new maize varieties significantly
further. “Yield gains are such that with every year of research we can add
another 100 kg of grain under drought,” says Bänziger. The greatest challenge is
to incorporate these gains into adapted varieties and get the seed to the
farmers who need it most - a tremendous task and opportunity given the looming
threats of climate change.
Source: CIMMYT
E-News, vol 3 no. 12, December 2006 via SeedQuest.com
December
2006
(Return to
Contents)
++++++++++++++++++++++++
1.03 Africa's farmers will have room to
grow
Enhanced, drought-tolerant maize will give African farmers
options, even with global warming
NAIROBI, Kenya, 29 Jan 2007 -- A
vital research program that has already had significant impact on the lives of
African farmers will accelerate its work for their benefit, thanks to new
funding from one of the world’s most important philanthropic organizations, the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The research also marks the forging of a
strong, new partnership between the developing world’s premier research
organizations dedicated to improving the livelihoods of farm families who rely
on maize-the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and
the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
The two
centers will team with research partners in eleven of Africa’s most
maize-dependent and drought-affected countries.
More than a quarter of a
billion Africans depend on maize as their staple food, often eating a quarter
kilo or more of maize and maize products every day. Any disruption in the supply
of maize, either at the farm level or to the markets, has destructive
consequences for the most vulnerable. Unpredictable rainfall, recurring drought,
and loss of soil fertility have all made the maize harvests in Africa uncertain.
Today, many farm families cannot grow enough food to last the year and do not
have income to buy food. Accepting donated food aid is often the only way to
survive. This robs families of their dignity and shackles
development.
For more than a decade, CIMMYT and IITA, working in
cooperation with a wide range of partners in countries throughout sub-Saharan
Africa, have been developing solutions, in particular maize that can produce
even during drought, for farm families who depend on maize for their food
security and livelihoods. Farmers themselves participate in the breeding
process, providing land for test plots and screening, and scoring potential new
varieties. Thanks to the combined efforts of national agricultural research
systems, non-government organizations, and seed companies in several African
nations, up to a million hectares are now sown to new, drought-tolerant
varieties, giving farmers a 25-30% boost in yield.
But there is much more
potential to be realized for farmers in the region, potential that can raise
farm families from below subsistence to annual surplus. That will give them the
option to sell surpluses to the rapidly growing urban markets or to devote some
of their land to other crops, in particular crops which contribute to restoring
soil fertility and enhancing incomes. In either case the farmer’s overall risk
is lessened and life and livelihoods improved.
"With every year of
research that we do now and in the future, we can add to a drought-affected
fields another 100 kilograms of maize," says Marianne Bänziger, Director of
CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program, "That means more maize for farming families to
eat or sell when conditions are toughest."
CIMMYT and IITA will combine
their expertise in working with maize farmers in varying agro-ecologies across
the continent and will draw from the genetic resources (maize seeds) held in
their two substantial germplasm banks to make this research program truly
pan-African.
The vision of the new work is to generate maize varieties
which are much hardier when drought hits. Doubling the yield of adapted maize
varieties under drought is the ambitious goal for the next 10 years and is
possible because of the huge, natural, genetic variation in maize and new
scientific methods that permit better use of this variation. New varieties of
drought tolerant maize will play a significant part in mitigating the
potentially disastrous consequences for the crop that could result from global
warming.
"The importance of this work to sub-Saharan Africa and its
people cannot be overemphasized," says Romano Kiome, Permanent Secretary to the
Ministry of Agriculture of Kenya. "It is heartening that the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation has recognized it and sees the long-term vision of this project
as part of their strategy to help Africa’s development."
CIMMYT and IITA
will continue to use both participatory breeding strategies and drought-stress
screening, combined with the new techniques of marker-assisted selection, to
improve the efficiency of breeding. The scientists will also analyze bottlenecks
in seed systems and identify high-priority areas for future poverty-reducing
investments. Finally, work will greatly expand partnerships with national
agricultural research systems, non-government organizations, seed companies, and
other development initiatives in the region to ensure positive impacts for
resource-poor farmers.
###
For more information please contact:
Wilfred
Mwangi
Project Leader
CIMMYT Nairobi
Tel: 254-20-7224600
w.mwangi@cgiar.org
Paula
Bramel
Deputy Director General Research for Development
IITA Dar es
Salaam
Tel: 255-754-781318
p.bramel@cgiar.org
Contact: David
Mowbray
d.mowbray@cgiar.org
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
(CIMMYT)
Source: EurekAlert.org
29 January 2007
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++++++++++++++++++++++
1.04 Rice research hub for greater
Mekong opens in Laos
The countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar,
Thailand, Vietnam, and the Yunnan province of People's Republic of China
comprise the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), considered as one of the most
important rice bowls in Asia. It is also one of the hardest hit by age-old
problems of pests, diseases, floods, and drought.
For the first time in
its history, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has established a
Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) office to coordinate efforts to help farmers in
the region deal with production problems and improve their lives. Lao Minister
for Agriculture and Forestry Sitaheng Rasphone and IRRI Director General Dr.
Robert Ziegler signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the establishment
of the new GMS office in Vientiane, Laos on 12 January.
"Working with the
national research programs of the GMS, we have developed a research strategy to
reduce crop losses from floods, drought, and pests, while improving the yield
potential and management efficiency of the most popular rice varieties," Dr.
Ziegler said. "IRRI's most recent success in this area was the discovery of a
gene that enables rice to survive complete submergence for 2 weeks. The gene is
being introduced to several popular rice varieties, including a variety of Lao
sticky rice."
To read the press release, visit http://www.cgiar.org/newsroom/releases/news.asp?idnews=532.
Source:
CropBiotech Update
26 January 2007
Contributed by Margaret E.
Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Cornell University
mes25@cornell.edu
(Return to Contents)
+++++++++++++++++++++++
1.05 Expanded lab gives Australian plant breeders a
quality edge
Queensland, Australia
Queensland now has a major
national research laboratory to provide quality tests for the products of most
field crops grown in Australia.
A Department of Primary Industries and
Fisheries (DPI&F) senior research scientist Glen Fox said an
amalgamation of staff and equipment at three existing laboratories in Toowoomba
was now providing Australian plant breeders with services not previously
available.
Mr Fox said the laboratory was the first of its kind in
Australia to handle such a diverse portfolio of grain and pulse crops.
He said the change was a result of amalgamating the Australian Malting
Barley Centre, Barley Quality Laboratory and the Wheat Quality Laboratory to
form the Queensland Grains Research Laboratory.
The expanded laboratory
would remain at the Leslie Research Centre in Toowoomba.
Mr Fox said to
demonstrate a commitment to providing a quality service, the new combined
facility would operate under a single Quality Management System and attain full
accreditation in the near future.
He said the expanded laboratory meant
support for DPI&F plant breeders of almost all Australian field crops grown
in the Grains Research and Development Corporation’s northern region.
“We can now quickly provide information for plant breeders on the
suitability of the products of their experimental lines for end
uses.
“For example, we can rank grain from experimental barley lines on
its suitability for malting, brewing and feed markets, or wheat for milling,
feed, bread, or specialist niche uses such as yellow alkaline noodles and sponge
and dough bread.
“A major new initiative for the Wheat end products group
within this Laboratory is a new collaborative GRDC project between the DPI&F
and CSIRO on sponge and dough bread,” Mr Fox said.
“This new
project is an important example of pre-breeding research that will deliver
benefits to all Australian wheat breeding programs.
“We will also be able
to measure the grain quality of pulse crops, such as peanuts, soybeans and
chickpeas,” he said.
Mr Fox said the change would mean an increase in
the number of samples tested from the present 25,000 a year, and a faster
turnaround of samples and results through access to additional equipment and
skilled staff.
The Leslie Research Centre (formerly Queensland Wheat
Research Institute) Wheat Quality Laboratory was opened in 1962 and the Barley
Quality Laboratory opened 10 years later.
Source: SeedQuest.com
23
January 2007
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1.06 U.S.
National Science Foundation provides $14 million to advance research in
comparative genomics of economically important plants
Washington,
DC
Scientists will find improved ways of studying the structure, function and
evolution of the genomes of economically important plants, thanks to $14 million
in new awards from the National Science
Foundation (NSF).
Resources to be developed include genomic
sequences, genetic markers, maps and expressed sequence collections. These are
much-needed tools for researchers working in areas as diverse as genome
evolution and plant breeding.
Awardees will address scientific questions
including the role of polyploidy in genome evolution, the genomic basis of
speciation, and the relationships between cultivated plants and their weedy
relatives.
"If the Plant Genome Research Program has been making the
bricks that build a conceptual framework for the genomes of economically
important crop plants, these projects will provide the mortar," said James
Collins, NSF assistant director for biological sciences. "The impact of genomics
in evolutionary, ecological and population studies of crop plants will be
far-reaching."
Many crop plants have large, complex genomes that in some
cases are "polyploid" - containing multiple genomes. Polyploidy is widespread in
plants and animals, and can lead to dramatic changes in gene content and genome
organization that are only just beginning to be understood.
A project led
by researchers at Iowa State University will develop sequence and map resources
to study polyploidy in cotton, while researchers at the University of Missouri
will look at the impact of polyploidy on plant form in Brassica species, which
includes plants such as canola and Brussels sprouts. Other projects at the
University of Georgia and the University of Arizona will develop sequence
resources to study genome organization in wheat and rice.
The outcomes
from these projects will allow researchers to understand how extra copies of
genes function in these plants, and how genomes from different sources can work
together in a single plant.
The ever-growing collection of genome
sequences is shedding light on the variation between individuals within a
species. For example, in a forest of trees or a field of corn, there may be many
versions of a particular gene, each with minor sequence differences. These
sequence differences can sometimes have dramatic effects on growth and
development.
Projects based at the University of California at Davis and
Cornell University will catalog variants in pine trees and in maize,
respectively, to allow researchers to link genetic variation with changes in
gene function. This information could have applications in plant
breeding.
More than half of the world's most cultivated crops have
relatives that are invasive weeds, competing with the crop for nutrients and
water and leading to reduced yields.
One example is red rice, a weedy
form of rice that reduces the yields of cultivated rice by as much as 80 percent
and contaminating harvests with its small red-coated grains. A project led by
researchers at Washington University St. Louis will examine the regions of the
red rice genome associated with weediness to find out whether it originated from
the domesticated crop or if it was introduced as a weed from Asia.
A
related project led by investigators at Michigan State University will
investigate differences in gene expression in weedy and cultivated radishes to
uncover which genes are associated with invasiveness.The outcomes of these
projects could lead to a great understanding of how plants become weedy and
invasive, and yield possible avenues for better selective control of weeds,
scientists believe.
"The outcomes of this new program will tie together
studies of the evolution of gene structure, function and regulation across the
whole plant kingdom," said Collins.
The National Science Foundation
(NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and
education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of
$5.58 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 1,700
universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 40,000 competitive
requests for funding, and makes nearly 10,000 new funding awards. The NSF also
awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts
yearly.
Source: SeedQuest.com
9 January 2007
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1.07 Sugarcane for biofuels research
kicks off in Brazil
A US$2.25 million research initiative led by the
Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) has kick-started in Brazil
to improve the use of sugarcane for biofuel production. The project is funded by
the Technological Innovation and New Management Approaches in Agricultural
Research Program (Agrofuturo), with support from the Inter-American Bank of
Development (BID) and the government of Brazil, and by the Studies and Projects
Financing Entity (FINEP).
Main research lines include the genetic
improvement of existing sugarcane varieties for improved resistance to the sugar
cane giant borer, the principal pest for the crop in the north of Brazil, and
for increased tolerance to drought. On their way are also efforts to identify
bacteria capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen to reduce the need of added
chemical fertilizers, and to develop new biofertilizers containing bacterial
extracts. Socio-economic and environmental studies on the potential impact of
expanding sugarcane production are also included in the portfolio of
projects.
Read the full news (in Portuguese) at http://www.embrapa.br/noticias/banco_de_noticias/2007/janeiro/foldernoticia.2007-01-08.6783822109/noticia.2007-01-12.0346870086/mostra_noticia
Source: CropBiotech Update
19 January 2007
Contributed by
Margaret E. Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Cornell
University
mes25@cornell.edu
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1.08 Plants point the way to coping with
climate change
Roses flowering at Christmas and snow-free ski resorts
this winter suggest that climate change is already with us and our farmers and
growers will need ways of adapting. Scientists studying how plants have
naturally evolved to cope with the changing seasons of temperate climates have
made a discovery that could help us to breed new varieties of crops, able to
thrive in a changing climate.
The importance of the discovery is that it
reveals how a species has developed different responses to different climates in
a short period of time.
Researchers at the John Innes Centre (JIC),
Norwich, UK have been examining how plants use the cold of winter to time their
flowering for the relative warmth of spring. This process, called vernalization,
varies even within the same plant species, depending on local climate. In
Scandinavia, where winter temperatures can vary widely, the model plant,
Arabidopsis has a slow vernalization response to prevent plants from being
'fooled' into flowering by a short mid-winter thaw. One particular gene, named
FLC, delays flowering over the winter and the research team discovered how cold
turns off FLC and what keeps it off during growth in spring. In the UK plants
only need four weeks of cold to stably inactivate FLC, allowing plants to start
their spring flowering early. Arabidopsis plants in Sweden have a mechanism that
requires 14 straight weeks of winter cold before FLC is stably inactivated. This
prevents the plants flowering only to be hit with another month of harsh winter
weather.
Research leader at JIC, Professor Caroline Dean, explains: "We
studied levels of the FLC gene in Arabidopsis plants from different parts of the
world expecting to find regional variations that correlated with how much cold
was required to switch FLC off. We discovered that FLC levels in autumn and the
rate of reduction during the early phases of cold were quite similar in
Arabidopsis plants from Edinburgh and N. Scandinavia . However, we found big
variations in how much cold was required to achieve stable inactivation of FLC.
FLC was stably silenced much faster in Edinburgh than it was in N. Scandinavia
and a genetic analysis showed that differences in the FLC gene itself
contributed to this variation."
Professor Dean said: "It looks like the
variation in this mechanism to adapt the timing of flowering to different winter
conditions has evolved extremely quickly. We hope that by understanding how
plants have adapted to different climates it will give us a head-start in
breeding crops able to cope with global warming."
The JIC scientists
worked in collaboration with a team at the University of Southern California and
were funded by the UK's main public funders of biological and environmental
sciences, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and
the Natural Environment Research Council.
Professor Julia Goodfellow,
BBSRC Chief Executive, commented: "As well as working to prevent climate change
we need to be able to harness natural methods to adapt food crops to cope with
changed and hostile climates around the world. This is an example of how basic
science can make a practical difference."
Contact: Matt Goode
matt.goode@bbsrc.ac.uk
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research
Council
Source: EurekAlert.org
9 January 2007
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1.09 Study explores the effect of
genetically modified crops on developing countries
A new study in the
February issue of Current Anthropology explores how the arrival of genetically
modified crops affects farmers in developing countries. Glenn Davis Stone
(Washington University) studied the Warangal District of Andhra Pradesh in
India, a key cotton growing area notorious for suicides by cotton farmers. In
2003 to 2005, market share of "Bt cotton" seeds rose from 12 percent to 62
percent in Warangal. Bt cotton is genetically modified to produce its own
insecticide and has been claimed by its manufacturer as the fastest-adopted
agricultural technology in history.
Monsanto, the firm behind Bt cotton,
has interpreted the rapid spread of the modified strain as the result of farmer
experimentation and management skill – similar to mechanisms that scholars cite
to explain the spread of hybrid corn across American farms. But Stone's
multiyear ethnography of Warangal cotton farmers shows an unexpected pattern of
localized cotton seed fads in the district. He argues that, rather than a case
of careful assessment and adoption, Warangal is plagued by a severe breakdown of
the "skilling" process by which farmers normally hone their management
practices.
"Warangal cotton farming offers a case study in ‘agricultural
deskilling'," writes Stone. The seed fads had virtually no environmental basis,
and farmers generally lacked recognition of what was actually being planted, a
striking contrast to highly strategic seed selection processes in areas where
technological change is learned and gradual. Interviews also provided consistent
evidence that Warangal cotton farmers prefer trying new seeds – seeds without
any background information whatsoever – to trying several strains on smaller,
experimental scales and choosing one for long-term adoption.
The problem
preceded Bt cotton, Stone points out; its root causes are reliance on hybrid
seed, which must be repurchased every year, and a chaotic seed market in which
products come and go at a furious pace and farmers often cannot tell what they
are using. Farmer desire for novelty exacerbates the turnover of seeds in the
market, Stone argues, and seed firms will frequently take seeds that have fallen
out of favor, rename them, and resell with new marketing campaigns. For
instance, one recent favorite seed in several villages is identical to four
other seeds on the market.
Stone argues that the previously undocumented
pattern of fads, in which each village lurches from seed to seed, reflects a
breakdown of the process of "environmental learning," leaving farmers to rely
purely on "social learning." Bt cotton was not the cause of this "deskilling," but in Warangal it has exacerbated the problem.
"On the surface,
[Warangal] appears to be a dramatic case of successful adoption of an
innovation," Stone explains. "However, a closer analysis of the dynamics of
adoption shows that the pattern some see as an environmentally based change in
agricultural practice actually continues the established pattern of socially
driven fads arising in the virtual absence of environmental
learning."
Strangely, in another part of India, a very different history
of Bt cotton has led to an improvement in agricultural skilling. In Gujarat, the
loss of corporate control over the Bt technology has led to an increased
involvement of farmers in local breeding, and an apparent increase in
knowledge-based innovation.
Stone, Glenn Davis, "Agricultural Deskilling
and the Spread of Genetically Modified Cotton in Warangal." Current Anthropology
48:67-103.
Contact: Suzanne Wu
swu@press.uchicago.edu
University of Chicago Press Journals
Source: EurekAlert.org
25 January 2007
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to Contents)
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1.10 Gene flow in the common bean
Phaseolus
The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is
predominantly a self-pollinating species. However, varying degrees of
outcrossing may occur contributing to gene flow between varieties. To quantify
gene flow, Brazilian researchers at the Federal University of Viçosa tested the
rates of outcrossing between common bean cultivars using the purple-flowered
'Diamante Negro' and the white-flowered 'Talisma' varieties. These were planted
in concentric square plots with 'Diamante Negro' in the center plots. Offsprings
of 'Talisma' with purple flowers indicate outcrossing.
The researchers
found that the highest outcrossing rate between the common bean varieties is
0.136% at a distance of 0.5 m between the cultivars. The natural outcrossing
rate was practically zero beyond a distance of 3.25 m. The researchers wrote
that their data may help address biosafety concerns when transgenic varieties
become available on the market in the future.
The abstract, with links to
the full paper for subscribers, is available at http://www.springerlink.com/content/d20749rw55h3576v/.
Source:
CropBiotech Update
5 January 2007
Contributed by Margaret E.
Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Cornell University
mes25@cornell.edu
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1.11 A highly efficient 'genetically modified
gene-deletor' system to remove all functional transgenes from pollen, seed or
both
'GM-gene-deletor': fused loxP-FRT recognition sequences
dramatically improve the efficiency of FLP or CRE recombinase on transgene
excision from pollen and seed of tobacco plants
Keming Luo, Hui Duan,
Degang Zhao, Xuelian Zheng, Wei Deng, Yongqin Chen, C. Neal Stewart Jr, Richard
McAvoy, Xiangning Jiang, Yanhong Wu, Aigong He, Yan Pei, Yi Li
SUMMARY
Pollen- and seed-mediated transgene flow is a concern in plant
biotechnology. We report here a highly efficient 'genetically modified
(GM)-gene-deletor' system to remove all functional transgenes from pollen, seed
or both. With the three pollen- and/or seed-specific gene promoters tested, the
phage CRE/loxP or yeast FLP/FRT system alone was inefficient in excising
transgenes from tobacco pollen and/or seed, with no transgenic event having 100%
efficiency. When loxP-FRT fusion sequences were used as recognition sites,
simultaneous expression of both FLP and CRE reduced the average excision
efficiency, but the expression of FLP or CRE alone increased the average
excision efficiency, with many transgenic events being 100% efficient based on
more than 25 000 T1 progeny examined per event. The 'GM-gene-deletor' reported
here may be used to produce 'non-transgenic' pollen and/or seed from transgenic
plants and to provide a bioconfinement tool for transgenic crops and perennials,
with special applicability towards vegetatively propagated plants and trees.
Article: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-7652.2006.00237.x
Source: Plant
Biotechnology Journal, Blackwell
Synergy, via SeedQuest.com
January 2007
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Contents)
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1.12 Peru: native potatoes in the
limelight
Peru has been bestowed with more than three thousand
varieties of native potatoes, which represents a comparative advantage that the
country should be developing. Since native potato varieties require particular
climatic and agro-ecological conditions, most of them could not be grown outside
the Peruvian Andes, making these potatoes unique to Peru. "It is not possible to
compete internationally with the white potato," pointed out André Deavux,
Coordinator of the regional project Papa Andina, of the International Potato
Center; hence, efforts to promote native potatoes have started through the
project Innovation and Competitiveness for the Peruvian Potato (INCOPA in
Spanish). Under INCOPA, Papa Andina has been helping to link the native potato
producers with other parts of the produce chain to ensure higher quality in
native potatoes, with added value and oriented to specific markets.
To
read more: http://www.cipotato.org/pressroom/press_releases_detail.asp?cod=31
.
Source: CropBiotech Update
26 January 2007
Contributed by
Margaret E. Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Cornell
University
mes25@cornell.edu
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1.13 European Space Agency launches new project to protect
biodiversity
The world's biodiversity is vanishing at an
unprecedented rate – around 100 species every day – due to factors such as land
use change and pollution. Addressing this threat, world governments agreed
through the UN Convention on Biological Diversity to reduce significantly the
current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. To support this initiative, the
European Space Agency (ESA) has kicked off its new DIVERSITY
project.
Biodiversity, the variety of life including ecosystems,
species, populations and genes, is of grave importance for sustaining the
planet’s six billion people. The loss of biodiversity threatens our food
supplies, energy and medicines. For instance, up to 80% of the world's
population currently relies on plant and animal-based medicines for their
primary health care needs. The sustainable use of biodiversity’s components will
not only save ecosystems and species, but it may also save the foods and
medicines of tomorrow.
"The United Nations Convention on Biodiversity
(UNCBD) agreed on a set of headline indicators to assess the progress made
towards this target. DIVERSITY will make a contribution to the required
monitoring efforts that will help us to determine whether we are making progress
and which management and policy measures are most effective and thereby support
decision-making," the UNCBD Secretariat Robert Höft said.
DIVERSITY project services and products are being
developed to relate to the different areas where Earth observation (EO)
technology may contribute to the conservation and monitoring activities of the
different actors involved in UNCBD in Central America. ESA has identified four
main users: the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO), the Secretariat of the UNCBD, the Centro American Commission for
Environment and Development (CCAD) and MarViva.
Based on the initial
user requirements, the following products and services will be generated
covering the entire Centro American region, one of the main biodiversity
reserves in our planet: Mesoamerican biological corridor change detection maps;
coral reef maps; ocean water quality monitoring services; and mangrove maps. The
projects will also investigate wildlife migration processes from the Galapagos
Islands to Cocos Island. Finally, the project will provide a global map of dry
lands based on existing global datasets to the UNCBD.
The DIVERSITY
project, developed under ESA's Data User Element (DUE) programme, is being
carried out in collaboration with the UNCBD Secretariat and UNESCO, which, in
addition to being a user, is also the main coordinator between the users and
contractors selected by ESA.
"With this activity, ESA and UNESCO are
aiming to derive a working methodology," UNESCO’s Mario Hernandez said. "We plan
to start deriving biodiversity indicators, which means that for the first time
we will go one step further in Earth observation measurements – ‘from space to
place’."
MarViva, a non-governmental
organisation working to promote a more sustainable use of
coastal and marine resources in oceanic and coastal areas in Latin America and
the Caribbean, will use various DIVERSITY products and services to study the
Galapagos and Cocos Islands in the Tropical Eastern Pacific Marine Corridor.
"We have the responsibility to use these products correctly and to offer
this valuable information to key organisations and decision makers for their
goal of improving the quality of life, keeping the tremendous diversity of the
region protected and making sustainable use of our marine resources, for our
future generations," MarViva’s Michael Rothschild said.
Because the
development of these products requires different expertise, a consortium of four
organisations – GeoVille Austria (prime contractor), Norway’s Nansen
Environmental and Remote Sensing Center, the UK’s Marine Spatial Ecology Lab and
France’s Collecte Localisation Satellites – has been chosen to take the leading
role in the technical development of the services and products.
"DIVERSITY responds directly to key concerns expressed through the
Convention process regarding the future integrity of natural ecosystems, the
survival of species and the goods and services they offer to humankind," the
UNCBD’s Höft said. "It also demonstrates the responsible role of the private
sector in offering tools and services for the benefit of the global
community."
Contact: Mariangela D'Acunto
mariangela.dacunto@esa.int
European Space Agency
Source: http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMC1LSVYVE_environment_0.html
9
January 2007
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1.14 From varietal improvement to impoverishment: what is the
reality?
France
Fewer crop species, fewer cultivated varieties per
species, less diversity within each variety are three "symptoms" of the erosion
of biodiversity in cultivated plots. It is commonly assumed that the massive use
of improved varieties instead of local varieties and anthropic pressure are the
prime culprits behind this impoverishment. Is this a cliché or reality? The only
way to find out is to monitor the changes in crop genetic resources. This has
now been done for local rice varieties in Guinea, a reserve country for the
genetic diversity within the two cultivated rice species: Oryza glaberrima from
Africa and O. sativa from Asia.
Are local rice varieties disappearing?
What strategies are required to conserve them? CIRAD and its African partners have been working
in Guinea since 2000 to find answers to those questions. Their research has been
conducted on several levels.
Stable or even slightly greater
diversity
On a national level, the researchers inventoried the common
names of the varieties used by farmers between 1996 and 2001. This meant
surveying almost 1700 farms in 79 villages. Furthermore, in 2003, samples were
collected from six villages in Maritime Guinea and compared, using molecular
markers, with samples taken by a survey mission to the same village in 1980 and
kept in cold storage in Montpellier ever since. The results obtained ran counter
to the alarmist vision of genetic erosion. The number of rice varieties and
genetic diversity were stable, or had even increased slightly. Since 1996, when
improved varieties were introduced, the number of varieties, which varied from 4
to 40 depending on the village and the region, had increased by 10%. There had
thus not been any loss of local varieties in Guinea.
The substantial
varietal diversity observed is typical of subsistence agriculture: more than 80%
of the varieties grown were local. Each village could thus allow for the range
of prevailing agroecological conditions and different uses of rice. However,
almost 90% of the varieties inventoried were only grown by a small number of
farmers, and despite the observed diversity, these "minor" varieties are now
under strong threat of extinction. Moreover, there was not only diversity in
terms of the number of varieties, but also within each of those varieties. Each
variety was the sum of a large number of pure lines, and the proportion of those
lines varied from one farm to another. This "multi-line" structure can be put
down to how the farmers manage their rice varieties, ie frequent exchanges and
replacement of varieties and seeds, and cropping and seed production practices
that favour genetic mixes and recombination.
50% of the genetic wealth
of varieties in a village held on a single farm
As regards preserving the
diversity within each local variety, in situ conservation on farms, which is
compatible with agricultural development, looks like the only feasible option.
In fact, it would be impossible to sample all the lines that make up a variety
and keep them ex situ, for instance in a cryobank. The researchers working on
the study thus characterized the varieties grown in Maritime Guinea, in two
villages with contrasting production systems. To this end, they used descriptors
combining common names and molecular markers (short DNA sequences). The results
showed that a single village may hold the equivalent of 70% of regional
diversity. On a more detailed analysis level, a large farm may hold 50% of the
genetic wealth of a village. As a result, a small number of villages and farms
is therefore sufficient to cover the genetic diversity of a whole region such as
Maritime Guinea. This type of structure could eventually be extended to cover
the whole of the country.
Source: SeedQuest.com
19 January
2007
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1.15 Ancient genes used to produce salt-tolerant
wheat
Two recently discovered genes from an ancient wheat variety
have led to a major advance in breeding new salt-tolerant
varieties.
In a recent set of papers published in the journal
Plant Physiology researchers describe the two genes – known as Nax1 and
Nax2. The genes work by excluding salt from different parts of the plant: one
from the roots, the other from the leaves. The discovery of the two genes is the
subject of international patents.
“The two genes originally came from a
wheat ancestor, Triticum monococcum,” says research team leader, CSIRO
Plant Industry’s Dr Rana Munns. “They were unwittingly crossed into a durum
wheat line about 35 years ago and are normally not present in any modern
wheat.”
“Over six per cent of the world’s arable land is affected by
salinity. Salt tolerant crops can provide farmers with income for remediation,
as well as helping to stabilise soil from wind and water erosion.”
The
project began when the CSIRO team used a highly accurate selection method –
based on their understanding of how plants tolerate salt – to identify wheat
varieties that could cope with higher salinity. They were particularly
interested in the premium-priced durum wheat, which is much more salt-sensitive
than bread wheat.
“We screened a hundred durum wheats from the Australian
Winter Cereals Collection at Tamworth, which contains tens of thousands of wheat
types,” Dr Munns says. “Highlighting the fact that the science of plant breeding
sometimes relies on an element of good fortune, we were lucky to find the durum
variety with the ancient genes straight away, otherwise we might have been
looking for years.”
The team used their knowledge of the two genes to
construct molecular markers, which are now in use in CSIRO’s wheat breeding
program. A durum wheat variety as salt-tolerant as bread wheat is in advanced
field trials and could be commercially available in three years. Even better
durum wheats are in development and the program has been expanded to include
bread wheat.
“Bread wheat is quite tolerant to salt, but we think it too
can be improved. Our aim is to eventually produce wheats able, like barley, to
grow in highly saline soils,” Dr Munns says.
Over six per cent of the
world’s arable land is affected by salinity. Salt tolerant crops can provide
farmers with income for remediation, as well as helping to stabilise soil from
wind and water erosion.
The research is a collaborative project
between CSIRO, the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, the
University of Adelaide and the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics,
with support from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and the
CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland
Salinity.
EurekAlert.org
1 February 2007
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1.16 Wheat can fatally starve insect
predators
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A newly identified wheat gene
produces proteins that appear to attack the stomach lining of a crop-destroying
fly larvae so that the bugs starve to death.
The gene's role in creating
resistance to Hessian flies was a surprise to U.S. Department of Agriculture and
Purdue University researchers, discoverers of the gene and its function. They
made the finding as they investigated new, long-term methods to protect wheat
from insect damage.
"This is a different kind of defense than we were
expecting," said Christie Williams, a USDA-Agricultural Research Service
scientist and Purdue Department of Entomology adjunct assistant professor.
"Usually we expect the plant to fortify its cell walls or make poisons to use
against insects and pathogens."
Instead, the researchers found that a
specific protein, called HFR-3, one of a group of substances called lectins, is
capable of binding with a carbohydrate complex in the Hessian fly larvae. The
lectin acts as a key to the carbohydrate structure, known as a chitin.
When the larvae attack a resistant plant, the plant's lectin production
quickly increases by as much as 3,000 times. The larvae then ingest the lectin.
This interaction probably damages the larvae's chitin-rich mid-gut lining so
that it can't absorb nutrients from the plant, causing the insects starve,
Williams said.
Some Hessian fly larvae, which are called virulent, are
capable of ridding their bodies of lectin and surviving. Avirulent larvae are
unable to deactivate the lectin.
However, the researchers believe that
plants resistant to Hessian fly invasions may make several strains of lectins in
response to virulent larvae, Williams said.
Results of the study are
published in the January issue of the journal Molecular Plant Pathology.
Researchers also discovered that not only do lectins damage the insect's
mid-stomach, the lectins also taste bad and have some toxicity.
"By
studying these different wheat genes, we're starting to put together a bigger
picture of how Hessian fly–wheat interactions trigger resistance in the plant,"
Williams said. "We think that some of this has to do with the plant producing
enough lectin that it just becomes so unpalatable that the insects can't feed
and they starve to death."
Wheat plants that produce few or no lectins
that bind to chitin are susceptible to Hessian fly larvae attack, she said. In
addition, some virulent larvae can reprogram plant development so that cells in
leaves and the base of the plant where the insects feed pump out nutrients
favored by the insect. If this happens then even the weak, avirulent larvae on
the same leaf have a chance to survive.
The researchers discovered that
Hessian fly larvae reprogramming of resistant plant cells only occurs at sites
where the insects attack. The study also revealed that increased numbers of
larvae on a plant caused a parallel increase in lectin. This shows that wheat
plant responses to these insects are localized and take less energy than a more
global resistance response.
"Figuring out some of the ways that a plant
is able to respond to insects with resistance will be useful in crop breeding
programs," Williams said. "We're finding compounds like this chitin-binding
lectin that don't cost the plant much to produce, unlike producing poisons and
stronger walls. Those inducible defenses use a lot of a plant's energy that
could be used toward growth and reproduction."
The scientists currently
are looking for regulatory regions in Hessian fly-susceptible wheat genes that
might act as vehicles to carry lectin or a toxin into plants to halt the
virulent insects, Williams said. The regulatory regions, or promoters, would be
from genes that the fly larvae ordinarily manipulate so plants will produce
useful nutrients for the insect. Instead, the promoter would be hooked up to a
lectin or toxin gene and inserted into the cells. When larvae manipulate the
promoter, they would receive gut-altering lectin instead of nutrients.
To advance their investigation into developing more resistant plants,
the researchers are beginning work on a single microchip that would be an array
of genes from both the Hessian fly and wheat. This will allow the scientists to
study insect-plant interactions. Knowing the timing and location of those
interactions would enable the scientists to use the promoter tactic only in the
vegetative parts of the wheat plant rather than in the head or grain portions.
This will protect the grain quality and the consumer.
"Once we
understand which genes are active and the timing of the interactions, we can
really understand what the insect says to the plant and how the plant responds," Williams said.
The Hessian fly, which German mercenaries apparently
introduced into North America during the Revolutionary War, causes catastrophic
losses if not controlled by resistant plants. During the 1980s the state of
Georgia suffered $28 million in lost wheat in one year after the fly overcame
the plants' resistance gene used in the area at the time.
The Hessian
fly is particularly insidious because it actually can control the wheat plant's
development.
The adult fly lays eggs on the plant leaves. After the eggs
hatch, the resulting tiny, red larvae crawl down to the base of the wheat where
they feed on the plant. If the plant isn't resistant to the insect, the larvae
inject chemicals from their saliva into the plant that completely alter the
wheat's physiology and growth.
The other researchers on this study were
USDA postdoctoral students Kurt Saltzmann and David Puthoff, Purdue graduate
students Marcelo Giovanini and Martin Gonzalo, and Purdue professor of agronomy
Herbert Ohm.
The USDA Agricultural Research Service Crop Production and
Pest Control Research Unit and the Ministry of Education of Brazil CAPES
Programme provided support for the study.
Writer: Susan A. Steeves, ssteeves@purdue.edu
Agriculture News
Page
Source: EurekAlert.org
10 January 2007
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1.17 Devastating fungal pathogen spreads
from eastern Africa to Yemen
El Batan, Mexico and Aleppo, Syria
A
new form of stem rust, a virulent wheat disease, has jumped from eastern Africa
and is now infecting wheat in Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula.
Researchers
with the Global Rust Initiative (GRI)
and the Agricultural Research Service of the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS) have confirmed
conclusively the existence of the disease in Yemen. There is also evidence that
the disease has spread into Sudan but more tests are needed to confirm the
finding. Until this discovery, this new strain of stem rust, known as Ug99, had
only been seen in Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia.
The last major epidemic of
stem rust occurred in North America in the early 1950s, when a strain of stem
rust destroyed as much as 40 percent of the continent's spring wheat crop. Out
of this crisis came a new form of international cooperation among wheat
scientists worldwide, spearheaded by Nobel laureate wheat scientist Norman
Borlaug. This international alliance of scientists led to the development of
wheat varieties which resisted the onslaught of stem rust for more than four
decades. But in 1999, a new strain of stem rust was discovered in Uganda and
Kenya capable of destroying most previously disease-resistant wheat
varieties.
A year and a half ago geographic information systems
specialists working at CIMMYT plotted the
probable trajectory of the fungus, whose spores can travel large distances on
the wind. The wind models predicted that if the fungus crossed from eastern
Africa to the Arabian Peninsula it could easily spread to the vast wheat-growing
areas of North Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan and India.
There is
precedence for this, from a virulent strain of another wheat disease, called
yellow rust, which emerged in eastern Africa in the late 1980s. Once it appeared
in Yemen, it took just four years to reach wheat fields of South Asia. On its
way, this new strain of yellow rust caused major wheat losses in Egypt, Syria,
Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, exceeding USD 1 billion in value.
There is every reason to believe the new Ug99 strain of stem rust represents a
much greater risk to world wheat production. Annual losses of as much as USD 3
billion in Africa, the Middle East and south Asia alone are possible.
According to the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), countries in the predicted,
immediate pathway grow more than 65 million hectares of wheat, accounting for 25
percent of the global wheat harvest. "If we don't control this stem rust
threat," says ME Tusneem, Chairman of Pakistan's Agriculture Research Council,
"it will have a major impact on food security, especially since global wheat
stocks are at a historic low."
Experiments conducted over the past two
years by international researchers in the Global Rust Initiative in Kenya and
Ethiopia demonstrate clearly that most of the world's wheat varieties are
susceptible to the new Ug99 strain of stem rust. "This is a problem that goes
far beyond wheat production in developing countries," warns Borlaug. "The rust
pathogen needs no passport to cross national boundaries. Sooner or later Ug99
will be found throughout the world, including in North America, Europe,
Australia and South America."
GRI scientists have already identified
promising experimental wheat materials with resistance to Ug99. But from the
first breeding trials to growing new, rust-resistant varieties in farmers'
fields on millions of hectares takes time and a massive effort.
"If we
fail to contain Ug99 it could bring calamity to tens of millions of farmers and
hundreds of millions of consumers," says Nobel Laureate Borlaug. "We know what
to do and how to do it. All we need are the financial resources, scientific
cooperation and political will to contain this threat to world food security."
The Global Rust Initiative aims to find solutions that can prevent a
potential wheat disaster and is a partnership of international agricultural
research centers, national research programs and advanced research institutes.
It is currently funded by the Canadian International development Agency (CIDA),
the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID), and the Indian Council for Agricultural
Research (ICAR). In-kind contributions from the Kenya Agriculture Research
Institute (KARI) and the Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture Research (EIAR) have
enabled field research with Ug99.
Source: SeedQuest.com
16 January
2007
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1.18 Wheat
lines that resisted virulent stem rust last season have now
succumbed
Threat level rising
El Batán, Mexico
Wheat
lines that resisted virulent stem rust last season have now succumbed.
Observations from wheat rust screening trials in Kenya indicate even
more of the world’s wheat is at risk from a stem rust attack than originally
thought. Scientists from CIMMYT and its
partners, studying wheat planted at the Njoro Agriculture Research Centre,
report that more than 85% of sample wheats, including cultivars from the major
wheat producing regions of the world, have succumbed to the stem rust known as
Ug99. Most importantly some wheat lines which showed resistance to Ug99 stem
rust a year ago now appear to be susceptible to the disease.
In August,
2005 an expert panel raised the first alarm about the new, virulent form of stem
rust that could devastate world wheat crops. These new observations could mean
the threat to the global wheat harvest is now significantly greater.
The
Njoro Research Centre is in an area of Kenya where the virulent form of stem
rust fungus is endemic. For the past three years scientists have used the
station to expose wheat to the disease to see which is susceptible and most
importantly, which is not. In March of 2006 more than 11000 different types of
wheat and relatives of wheat from all over the world were planted and exposed to
the fungus.
Studies are still underway to clarify the situation but it
appears that at least one of the major stem rust resistance genes that has
protected many of the world’s wheats for decades is no longer effective against
the rust fungus at Njoro. This new development enhances the significance of what
is already recognized as a dangerous threat to future global wheat
harvests.
Wheat grows on more than 200 million hectares in both the
developed and the developing world and the new data indicate that very little of
that area is planted to varieties which resist the stem rust found at Njoro.
Though stem rust may not be able to thrive in all parts of the world, scientists
estimate that well over half of the total wheat area could suffer rust epidemics
if susceptible varieties planted there are exposed to the pathogen.
“I
was shocked at what I saw this season,” says Rick Ward, coordinator of the CIMMYT-ICARDA
led Global Rust Initiative. “Essentially we have to find a way to replace all of
the world’s wheat.”
Stem rust is one of the most dreaded of all plant
diseases. In the mid-1950s it wiped out up to 40% of the North American spring
wheat crop. Thanks in large part to the wheat breeding work of Nobel Peace Prize
laureate, Dr. Norman Borlaug and those who followed him, the disease has not
been a significant threat for almost half a century. Breeders combined several
sources of resistance to the fungus into new varieties of wheat. Unfortunately,
over time, the rust pathogen evolved and mutated and in 1999 scientists found a
strain in Uganda (Ug99) that could bypass much of that resistance. The spores of
the Ug99 fungus can travel great distances on the wind. The pathogen has already
spread from Uganda into Kenya and Ethiopia. An outbreak of yellow rust
originated in the same region of eastern Africa and eventually spread across the
Arabian Peninsula and into the major wheat-growing areas of India and Pakistan.
Studies of wind patterns in the region have led scientists to conclude that the
new pathogen will eventually threaten wheat crops on a global
scale.
CIMMYT and the International Center for Agricultural Research in
the Dry Areas (ICARDA), together with partners such as the Kenya Agricultural
Research Institute (KARI) are leading a global effort to characterize the rust
pathogen; to track its spread and to find new sources of resistance to the
disease and breed them into new wheats. This is especially important to farmers
in the developing world who have little access to fungicides that could help
reduce the damage.
“The good news is that some samples at Njoro did
resist the fungus,” says CIMMYT wheat scientist, Ravi Singh. “That has given us
a good place to start.” In fact Njoro is also the site where potential resistant
breeding lines are now undergoing test.
Source: CIMMYT
E-News, vol 3 no. 12, December 2006 via SeedQuest.com
December
2006
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1.19 Crop scientists strive to improve the fitness of wheat for 21st
century demands
Norwich, United Kingdom
Crop scientists are to
showcase cutting edge research that will improve the fitness of wheat for 21st
century demands. Scientists at the John
Innes Centre in Norwich will provide a snapshot of the latest research to
fight major diseases, combat fungicide resistance and improve yield and grain
quality at a meeting for plant breeders today.
“Research done today will
determine the availability of fitter, more environmentally friendly varieties
tomorrow”, said Professor James Brown, who will introduce the meeting. “To
reduce fungicide use, control disease, produce novel varieties and fit crop
production to the available growing conditions major advances in our genetic
understanding of wheat are needed. These advances will be pioneered at the John
Innes Centre in close collaboration with breeders”.
The meeting will also
feature emerging problems for other cereals, such as Ramularia, which has become
a major pathogen of barley. Ramulia can cause yield losses of up to 35 per
cent.
The future challenges to researchers are clear: “The wheat genome
is five times the size of the human genome and the challenge of understanding
gene function is immense.
“But ultimately it will facilitate breeding
for specific traits and improvements, and even allow predictive models to be
developed to search for optimal combinations”, said Professor Brown.
Dr
Richard Summers, head of cereal breeding at RAGT Seeds, will lead a session at
the meeting. He said that “although we have been cultivating wheat for around
12,000 years, there are still large gaps in our understanding. The research
being carried out at John Innes can fill some of those gaps and answer current
problems to help us breed better varieties.”
The meeting is being held
today at the John Innes Centre. Abstracts can be viewed at:
www.jic.ac.uk/events/jic-cereals-2007
Source: SeedQuest.com
31 January 2007
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1.20 Root feeding of fusaric acid: a quick method of
testing chickpea genotypes for Fusarium wilt resistance (Cicer
arietinum)
R. L. Ravikumar and D.Ratna
Babu
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding
University of Agricultural
Sciences
Dharwad 580 005, India
ravikumarrl@yahoo.co.in
Abstract:
The
in situ experiment on chickpea seedlings demonstrated that FA causes
complete death of the seedlings within 4-5 days from treatment at more than 25
ppm. The symptoms were characterized by yellowing and necrosis and breakage of
foliage parts (knock-down effect) at the crown area that lead to death of
foliage and seedlings. At 15 ppm, the FA causes necrotic lesions and death
earlier in early wilters compared to late wilters and resistant genotypes. The
wilting and death of the seedlings occurred in all the replicated seedlings on
the 6th day in early wilters and on 9th day in all the
seedlings of late wilting genotypes. None of the seedlings of resistant
genotypes showed wilting symptoms before 12days. Even under green house, pot
culture and/or wilt sick plots, it is difficult to differentiate early wilters,
late wilters and resistant genotypes In this study, the classification of
genotypes based on the seedling reaction to Fusaric acid differentiate early
wilters, late wilters and resistant genotypes effectively.
Contributed by R L Ravikumar
Associate Professor, Dept. of Genetics
and Plant Breeding
University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad 580 005,
Karnataka, India
Email: ravikumarrl@yahoo.co.in; rlravikumar@rediffmail.com
For the complete paper, contact Dr. Ravikumar
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1.21 Whitefly spreads emerging plant
viruses
St. Paul, Minn. (January 18, 2007) -- A tiny whitefly is
responsible for spreading a group of plant viruses that cause devastating
disease on food, fiber, and ornamental crops, say plant pathologists with The
American Phytopathological Society (APS).
According to Judith Brown,
professor of plant sciences at the University of Arizona's Department of Plant
Sciences, the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (B. tabaci), is the exclusive insect
vector (transmitter) for a large group of emerging plant viruses that infect
several hundred plant species worldwide. "Once considered an obscure whitefly,
B. tabaci is now among the most invasive and economically damaging insects to
agriculture, spanning food and fiber crops, and certain nursery grown
ornamentals, with the ability to infest more than 500 plant species," she
said.
This whitefly and the plant viruses it transmits are no longer
restricted to their native habitats or contained by natural geographic
boundaries. "The increased importance of new and emerging plant viral pathogens
is directly related to the adaptive capacity of B. tabaci and its ability to
exploit agricultural systems," Brown said. B. tabaci has proven difficult to
control partly because of its tendency to develop insecticide resistance.
"As the population levels of the whitefly B. tabaci continue to remain
robust, new species of plant viruses will continue to emerge and cause damaging
diseases in food and fiber crops," Brown said.
Early virus and vector
detection, information about their distribution and host range, and knowledge
about the mode of virus transmission by this whitefly are essential for managing
the emerging plant viruses and the vector populations. Continued research to
learn more about the biology and genetics of both the plant viruses and the
whitefly is also needed.
Contact: Amy Steigman
asteigman@scisoc.org
American Phytopathological Society
Source: EurekAlert.org
18 January 2007
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1.22 Whiteflies and plant viruses can
help each other to speed up biological invasion
An invasive whitefly
has developed mutualistic relationships with the plant viruses it transmits and
is able to increase its population much faster on virus-infected plants than on
healthy plants, whereas its indigenous counterpart is unable to do so, according
to the new research carried out at Zhejiang University and Chinese Academy of
Agricultural Sciences, China.
Twenty years ago in 1986 in the USA,
Florida experienced outbreaks of what is now known as whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)
biotype "B," first in greenhouse poinsettia, then in a wide range of vegetable,
ornamental and field crops. Soon similar outbreaks were seen in other States
within the USA and many other countries around the world. The outbreaks of the B
whitefly have often been followed by pandemics of a group of plant viruses
called begomoviruses on crops such as tomato and tobacco. These viruses are
transmitted by this whitefly. In many countries and regions, including China,
the outbreaks of the B whitefly have also seen the gradual disappearance of some
native whitefly biotypes.
Many scientists around the world have been
investigating why the B whitefly is so invasive. It is now widely accepted that
the B whitefly is most likely to have originated from the Mediterranean/North
Africa region, and its recent widespread invasion has been assisted by the
worldwide flower trade. The question remains how this pest can increase so
rapidly and displace native biotypes of whitefly after it has been transported
to new localities.
The research compared development, survival,
fecundity and population increase of the invasive B whitefly and an indigenous
whitefly (called ZHJ1) on both virus-infected and healthy tobacco plants.
Compared to its performance on healthy plants, the invasive B whitefly had
higher fecundity and longevity by 12 and 6 fold when feeding on plants infected
by one virus, and by 18 and 7 fold when feeding on plants infected by another
virus. Population density of the B whitefly on virus-infected plants reached
2-13 times that on healthy plants in 56 days. No doubt increase of infectious
whiteflies will in turn speed up virus pandemics. In contrast, the indigenous
whitefly performed similarly on healthy and virus-infected plants.
"This
is the first study that shows an invasive insect has such a mutualistic
relationship with the viruses it transmits, whereas its indigenous counterpart
does not," said Professor Shu-Sheng Liu, corresponding author of the study, from
the Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University. "We believe that the
mutualism between the B whitefly and the viruses may contribute to the ability
of the B whitefly to both invade and displace indigenous whiteflies, as well as
causing disease pandemics of the viruses associated with this
vector."
The study also shows that infection of the whiteflies per se has
limited effects on the survival and fecundity of the vectors, and the B whitefly
acquires the benefits through feeding on the virus-infected plants. Thus the
mutualism is indirect. The researchers believe that this kind of mutualism may
exist in many circumstances and should receive more attention in the research
and management of biological invasions.
Citation: Jiu M, Zhou XP, Tong L,
Xu J, Yang X et al (2007) Vector-virus mutualism accelerates population increase
of an invasive whitefly. PLoS ONE 2(1): e182.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000182.
Contact: Shan Ling
zdnews@zju.edu.cn
Source:
EurekAlert.org
30 January 2007
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1.23 Technology reduces gossypol in cottonseed
ARS News
Service
Genetic technology developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
scientists and cooperators suggests that cottonseed could one day become a
significant source of low-cost protein for the developing world.
The
research team, headed by Keerti Rathore at the Institute for Plant Genomics and
Biotechnology, Texas A&M University, and ARS chemists Robert D. Stipanovic
and Lorraine S. Puckhaber in College Station, Texas, found a way to genetically
reduce the amount of the natural toxin known as gossypol in
cottonseed.
Stipanovic and Puckhaber are with the ARS Cotton Pathology
Research Unit, part of Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center in College
Station.
The research team showed that by coupling what's known as RNA
interference technology, or RNAi, with a seed-specific gene promoter, it's
possible to significantly reduce gossypol levels within cottonseed and not
reduce the levels of gossypol and related compounds in the foliage. The presence
of these compounds in the foliage helps protect the plant from attack by
insects.
Gossypol is a toxic pigment that can be safely ingested only by
ruminant animals with complex stomachs, so most of the nutritious meal produced
during cottonseed processing is currently sold as cattle feed.
Use of
the RNAi technology to develop new cotton lines could lead to plants with low
enough gossypol levels in the seed that the 44 million metric tons of cottonseed
produced yearly could be used to provide roughly 10 million metric tons of
protein. This would help meet the total protein needs of almost a half billion
people.
In addition, U.S. consumers craving a new and nutritious snack
food could soon be reaching for crunchy "TAMU nuts," which were developed at
Texas A&M over 20 years ago. Reduced-gossypol cotton seeds have a nutty
flavor and crunch.
The research was published in a recent edition of the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Alfredo Flores, alfredo.flores@ars.usda.gov
ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research
agency.
Source: SeedQuest.com
12 January 2007
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1.24 Orange cauliflower gene eyed as nutrition
booster
Washington, DC
Can a gene from an orange cauliflower found
three decades ago be the key to making food crops more nutritious?
Quite
possibly, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist Li Li.
She's using cauliflower to identify genes and define molecular mechanisms that
regulate nutrients in plant-based foods.
Li, a molecular biologist at the
ARS U.S. Plant, Soil and Nutrition Laboratory (PSNL) in Ithaca, N.Y., is making
significant headway using this gene--dubbed "Or" for the color orange--to induce
high levels of beta-carotene in food crops. She and colleagues at Cornell
University isolated the gene last year.
The research may make a huge
impact on vitamin A deficiency, which has been reported to affect some 250
million children worldwide, according to Li. That's because beta-carotene, which
gives orange carrots their color, is a carotenoid--fruit-and-vegetable compounds
that the body converts into essential vitamins and uses as antioxidants
beneficial to health. Humans convert it into vitamin A.
Li added that, in
cauliflower, Or--which she described as a semi-dominant gene mutation--promotes
high beta-carotene accumulation in various plant tissues that normally don't
have carotenoids. These studies can help researchers understand how carotenoid
synthesis and accumulation are regulated in plants. This, in turn, can lead to
strategies for increasing carotenoid content in food crops for improving human
nutrition and health, she said.
The Or gene originates from an orange
cauliflower plant found in a Canadian field nearly 30 years ago. ARS and Cornell
scientists in Ithaca have been studying its genetics for about eight
years.
Li's current work, which is partially detailed in the December
issue of the publication Plant Cell, is part of a concentrated strategy at PSNL
to apply genomics and related disciplines toward improving the nutritional
quality and disease resistance of important food crops.
Read more about
the research in the January 2007 issue of Agricultural Research magazine, online
at:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jan07/plants0107.htm
ARS is the USDA's chief scientific research agency.
ARS
News Service
Luis Pons luis.pons@ars.usda.gov
Source:
SeedQuest.com
17 January 2007
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1.25 Pinto bean resists viral diseases
A new pinto bean
named "Quincy" that can resist the attack of the bean common mosaic virus (BCMV)
and the bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV) has been developed by
researchers at the United States Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and
Washington State University-Prosser. The cultivar harbors two genes, I and
bc-22, which confer resistance to the two viruses. However, this pinto bean also
has its weak spot - it is susceptible to Uromyces appendiculatus, the
fungus that causes bean rust disease.
Read the news article at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2007/070111.htm
Source:
CropBiotech Update
19 January 2007
Contributed by Margaret E.
Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Cornell University
mes25@cornell.edu
(Return to Contents)
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1.26 First GM eggplant soon to be
commercially grown in the Philippines
Manila, The
Philippines
Thanks to India, the Philippine vegetable industry will soon
include genetically modified (GM) eggplant as one of the prized food crops.
Said to be the first GM eggplant in South and Southeast Asia, the new
pest-resistant eggplant was developed by the Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco) based
in Jaina, India.
It was introduced in the Philippines three years ago
and it is now in the final stage of trial in greenhouse at the University of the Philippine Los Baños -
Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB).
By the early part of this year,
trials will shift outside the greenhouse, although still in a limited scale. In
the succeeding year, it will undergo multicoation trials in various parts of the
country. Studies in India indicated that GM eggplant’s resistant to the
eggplant fruit and shoot borer (EFSB), the crop’s most destructive pest.
Losses range from 50 to 70 percent, about the same as in the
Philippines, according to Dr. Bharst Char, principal scientist at Mahyco.
He reported the progress of India’s Bt (Bacillus thuringensis) eggplant
program at the Third Asian Biotechnology Conference held recently in Manila.
Dr. Char said that all the Bt eggplant hybrids they have developed have
higher percentage of marketable yield as compared to their non-Bt counterpart,
local and commercial checks.
The success of the project in the
Philippines augurs well for the eggplant industry, which is widely grown in the
Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Visayas and Western Visayas.
Eggplant
has edged out tomato as the number one Philippine vegetable fruit crop,
UPLB-IBP’s Dr. Desiree Hautas reported.
By Rudy A. Fernandez
Source: The Philippine STAR
via SeedQuest.com
25 January 2007
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1.27 Efficient tissue culture protocol for wild
eggplants
Japanese researchers Yuzuri Iwamoto and Hiroshi Ezura have
reported a more efficient protocol for protoplast regeneration using leaves,
cotyledons, and hypocotyls of four wild eggplant species. They also presented
the first successful regeneration of the wild species Solanum scabrum
from protoplasts. The researchers believe that the protocol may help in
performing somatic hybridization in eggplants, a technique that will allow the
transfer of desirable characters of wild species to the cultivated
varieties.
Wild eggplants are highly resistant to soil-borne wilt
diseases such as Fusarium wilt and Verticillum wilt. Because of
this, they have been identified as possible sources of disease resistance genes
that may be used to improve the cultivated eggplant, S. melongena. Wild
species are currently often used as rootstocks, where cultivated varieties are
grafted to prevent them from getting soil borne diseases during eggplant
propagation. Iwamoto and Ezura wrote that their improved protocol may aid in the
development of disease-resistant eggplant varieties and avoid the need for
grafting during propagation.
The article is available at http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/plantbiotechnology/23/5/525/_pdf
.
Source: CropBiotech Update
5 January 2007
Contributed by
Margaret E. Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Cornell
University
mes25@cornell.edu
(Return to Contents)
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1.28 Continued funding for the tomato
sequence project
Cornell University and the Boyce Thompson
Institute for Plant Research receive $1.8 million from National Science
Foundation to continue tomato sequence project
Ithaca, New York
An
international project led by Cornell
University and the Boyce Thompson
Institute for Plant Research (BTI) at Cornell has received $1.8 million from
the National Science Foundation (NSF) to continue sequencing the tomato genome
and to create a database of genomic sequences and information on the tomato and
related plants.
The grant for the International Tomato Sequencing
Project, a collaboration of researchers from nine other countries, will enable
U.S. researchers to continue their work. In 2004 the NSF provided $4 million for
the U.S. part of the research.
Sequencing the tomato genome is the first
step in creating the comprehensive International Solanaceae Genomics Project
(SOL) Genomics Network database. This will tie together maps and genomes of all
plants in the Solanaceae family, also called nightshades, which includes the
potato, eggplant, pepper and petunia and is closely related to coffee from the
Rubiaceae family.
The public database will help researchers ask
fundamental questions: Have changes from a common ancestor brought about the
attributes of crop species? What are the functions of specific genes? How has
domestication changed genes? Which plants might be good candidates for
genetically engineered improvements for growing crops?
Cornell
researchers are close to completing a toolkit of resources about tomato and
solanaceae species (some currently available in the database) to make the
sequencing possible. These resources include genetic maps, DNA libraries,
individual gene sequences, DNA markers and associated information, comparative
mapping data to go from one species to another as sequences are added, and tools
to query and search this information.
"The intention is to create an
entirely public database," said the project's principal investigator, James
Giovannoni (photo), a plant microbiologist with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Agriculture Research Station and BTI, both based at Cornell, and
an adjunct professor in Cornell's Department of Plant Biology. As information is
released, it is put online, he said.
In sequencing the 12 chromosomes
that comprise the tomato's genome, researchers from each of the nine other
countries in the project (China, France, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain,
Netherlands and the United Kingdom) will sequence one chromosome, with U.S.
researchers sequencing three. As sequences are completed, they will be analyzed
by researchers in the laboratory of Steven Tanksley, co-principal investigator
and Cornell's Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Plant Breeding. The database is
housed in Tanksley's lab.
Because it is difficult and expensive to
sequences all of a species' genome, the researchers will just focus on gene-rich
areas at the end of each chromosome, where 80 to 90 percent of the genes
reside.
Lukas Mueller, a senior research associate in plant breeding and
genetics at Cornell, and Joyce Van Eck, a senior research associate at BTI, are
co-principal investigators on the project.
By Krishna
Ramanujan
Source: SeedQuest.com
1 February 2007
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1.29 Genetic mapping of finger
millet
Four types of molecular markers were used to obtain the
genetic map of the polyploid finger millet (Eleusine coracana subsp.
coracana), an important cereal crop in East Africa and Southern India.
Finger millet is grown mainly by subsistence farmers and serves as a food
security crop because of its high-nutritional value and excellent storage
qualities. To date most varieties of finger millet are from germplasm selections
as there are very few breeding activities on the crop. Hybridization between
cultivated types or between wild and cultivated types may have potential in
improving finger millet.
The construction of the genetic map by an
international group of researchers provided the first step toward mapping traits
of agronomic importance. Mathews Dida and colleagues utilized several types of
molecular markers to generate the genetic map from plants derived by crossing
the wild progenitor of finger millet and an elite cultivar. The researchers
believe that the map will ultimately help in transferring useful traits such as
blast resistance, lodging resistance, drought tolerance, and nutritional value,
in finger millet breeding programs.
The complete paper published by the
journal Theoretical and Applied Genetics, can be accessed by subscribers at http://www.springerlink.com/content/2700114455h04131/fulltext.html
.
Source: CropBiotech Update
12 January 2007
Contributed by
Margaret E. Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Cornell
University
mes25@cornell.edu
(Return to Contents)
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1.30 Coffee -- That’s sucrose to
the taste buds
When somebody tells you to wake up and smell the
coffee, he might as well be referring to sucrose in coffee beans that releases
several aroma and flavor precursors during roasting. Sucrose plays a vital role
in coffee organoleptic quality, and recently, a team of scientists from CIRAD
and the Agricultural Institute of Paraná in Brazil has identified the genes
responsible for sucrose accumulation in coffee beans.
Their work showed
that an enzyme, sucrose synthetase, is responsible for sucrose accumulation in
coffee (Coffea arabica) beans. Sucrose synthetase exists in the form of
at least two similar proteins with the same biological function - isoforms -,
but which are coded by two different genes: SUS1 and SUS2. Isoform SUS2 is
responsible for sucrose accumulation in coffee beans, while isoform SUS1 seems
to be involved in sucrose breakdown and thus in energy production. The
researchers also examined the relationship between shading, which is known to
improve coffee quality, and the activities of sucrose metabolism
enzymes.
Read the press release at http://www.cirad.fr/en/actualite/communique.php?id=610.
Source:
CropBiotech Update
26 January 2007
Contributed by Margaret E.
Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Cornell University
mes25@cornell.edu
(Return to Contents)
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1.31 Triploid papaya – potential uses in
breeding and fruit production
Triploid (with one extra set of
chromosomes) papayas that were derived through anther culture may be used for
direct exploitation in commercial fruit production, said researchers in Japan
and Kenya. The group of T. Etoh studied the characteristics of 26 anther derived
papaya strains and compared them with commercial papaya cultivar 'Wonder
blight', which is diploid.
Etoh and his group determined that triploid
papayas produce fruits that are relatively heavier than the commercial diploid
papaya. The fruits are also seedless. The triploids were observed to produce
plants that are dwarf, semi-dwarf or tall. The dwarf and semi-dwarf strains are
those that were observed to produce high yields. Combined with their short
stature, these strains make harvesting the fruits manageable.
The paper
published by the journal Scientia Horticulturae. The abstract, with links to the
full paper for subscribers, can be accessed at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2006.10.015
Source:
CropBiotech Update
2 February 2007
Contributed by Margaret E.
Smith
Dept. of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Cornell University
mes25@cornell.edu
(Return to Contents)
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1.32 Improving crop plants through
genomics
Washington, DC
In 1968, genomics breakthroughs at ARS’s U.S. Plant, Soil, and
Nutrition Laboratory (PSNL) in Ithaca, New York, earned the U.S. Department of
Agriculture its only Nobel Prize to date. Biochemist Robert Holley received the
award for being part of the team that first determined the structure and
nucleotide sequence of transfer RNA.
Today, PSNL scientists are building
on Holley’s legacy, applying genomics and related sciences such as proteomics
and molecular genetics to improve the nutritional value of leading crops. The
ARS researchers, whose labs are located on Cornell University’s main campus, are
also out to boost crop plants’ resistance to disease and their tolerance to
soils lacking nutrients or containing toxic amounts of metals. And two PSNL
scientists are now part of major efforts to map and sequence the genomes of
tomato and maize.
Number Crunchers
A pivotal moment in
PSNL’s genomics research occurred 5 years ago, when David J. Schneider was hired
as one of ARS’s first computational biologists-experts at integrating
computer science with biological research. He and molecular biologist Samuel W.
Cartinhour have since helped make computational and molecular biology critical
components of the lab’s work.
“We are combining computational and
bench-based biological research to help solve complex problems in agriculture,” says Schneider.
Schneider and Cartinhour apply this interdisciplinary
approach to their research on plant diseases. Says Schneider, “We’re studying
disease development from the pathogen’s perspective.”
They’re using the
bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae DC3000 as a model system for
studying virulence-related genes and pathways. “We’re relying on statistical
physics, computer science, and complex-systems theory to identify regions in a
pathogen’s genome that help regulate gene expression,” says Cartinhour. “We’re
showing that there’s a real role for number-crunching in
genomics.”
Tomato’s Genes
Among other projects at Ithaca is
one led by molecular biologists James J. Giovannoni and Li Li, who are using
tomato and cauliflower as models for improving crops’ nutritional qualities.
Five years ago, Giovannoni and colleagues reported the discovery of
RIN, a tomato gene that regulates ethylene, a plant hormone that
stimulates ripening. This landmark finding raised the possibility of both
growing better tasting tomatoes that meet commercial shelf-life needs and
genetically manipulating ripening in other fruits, such as melon and strawberry.
Recently, Giovannoni and colleagues cloned tomato’s green-ripe (GR) gene, which inhibits the plant’s ripening responses to ethylene. The
gene greatly affects fruit development while exerting minimal influence on other
plant tissues.
“This may help control ethylene’s effects on
ripening-and bring about longer shelf-life and better quality-while
retaining ethylene’s desirable effects, such as disease resistance, on other
plant tissues,” he says. “It makes it possible to control ripening in fruit
while maintaining normal plant vigor.”
Giovannoni has also helped
discover two genes that regulate fruit’s response to light, and he’s found that
these genes-LeCOP1LIKE and HIGH-PIGMENT 1-can be
manipulated to alter fruit quality and nutritional value.
Today, his
team is using microarray, or gene-chip, technology, which enables quick
examination of thousands of genes in a single experiment. One significant study
showed how microarrays can help characterize gene expression in tomato-related
fruit species, such as pepper and eggplant, for which genomic resources are
either currently unavailable or limited.
The fruits studied are part of
the plant family Solanaceae, which-with more than 3,000 members-is the
most important vegetable family. “We showed that tomato microarrays can be used
to characterize gene expression in four of the most important Solanaceae crop
species,” says Giovannoni.
Giovannoni is also contributing to the Tomato
Sequencing Project. Undertaken by a consortium involving scientists from 10
countries, this effort is part of an even larger initiative: The International
Solanaceae Genome Project: Systems Approach to Diversity and Adaptation.
Cauliflower and Beta-Carotene
Meanwhile, Li is using
cauliflower as a model system to identify genes and define molecular mechanisms
regulating the content, quality, and availability of nutrients in plant-based
foods.
She’s focusing on carotenoids, the fruit-and-vegetable compounds
that the body converts into essential vitamins and uses as antioxidants for
cancer prevention. She’s using a cauliflower gene, dubbed “Or” for the
color orange, to induce accumulation of high levels of beta-carotene in food
crops.
The human body uses beta-carotene, the carotenoid that gives
carrots their color, to make vitamin A. “Our work is important, as vitamin A
deficiency has been reported to affect some 250 million children worldwide,” says Li.
She says the Or gene promotes high beta-carotene
accumulation in various tissues in the cauliflower plant that normally don’t
have carotenoids. “It can help us understand how carotenoid synthesis and
accumulation are regulated in plants and in turn can help us better understand
the health benefits of carotenoids.”
The Maize Genome
PSNL’s genomics work includes development of statistical and genetic
tools for identifying natural variation in agronomically important traits in
maize. Scientists are also contributing to the genome sequencing of
maize.
Plant geneticist Edward S. Buckler is working with ARS plant
geneticists Michael McMullen in the Plant Genetics Research Unit at Columbia,
Missouri, and Jim Holland in the Plant Science Research Unit at Raleigh, North
Carolina, and Stephen Kresovich, director of Cornell’s Institute for Genomic
Diversity.
“We’re analyzing many related families of corn as well as
unrelated, genetically diverse corn lines,” says Buckler. “We are looking for
genes and novel alleles, or variations, that control maize’s complex
quantitative traits, such as yield, flower development, and seed quality.
“By using this approach, the best genetic variants can be discovered,
and their position within the genome can be resolved to a single gene,” he adds.
“This can help us identify genes that can spur a wide array of traits, such as
kernel quality, nutritional content, and tolerance of soil-related stresses.”
PSNL computational biologist Doreen H. Ware, who works at the nonprofit
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, is contributing genome annotation and
bioinformatic tools to the sequencing of the maize genome. This project is being
funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), USDA, and the U.S. Department
of Energy.
Tolerating Bad Soil
Plant physiologist Leon
V. Kochian, research leader of PSNL’s Plant, Soil, and Nutrition Research Unit,
is using similar genomic and molecular genetic techniques in work-partially
funded by NSF-to improve crop-plant cultivation on marginal, and even highly
acidic, soils that limit crop production worldwide.
With the genomic
tools used on maize and rice-some of which are being developed by Buckler
and Ware-Kochian and his team have identified genes and associated
mechanisms that help plants tolerate soil acidity and toxic metals.
We’ve zeroed in on aluminum tolerance in maize and sorghum,” Kochian
says. “Aluminum is what limits root-system growth in acid soils. These crops are
ideal for this project because in sorghum, aluminum tolerance is a simple trait,
while in maize, the tolerance is complex.”
Kochian’s group and
researchers at Brazil’s EMBRAPA Maize and Sorghum Research Center have cloned Alt SB, the major sorghum aluminum-tolerance gene. And recently, he and
colleagues confirmed the importance of a gene called AtALMT1 to aluminum
tolerance in Arabidopsis. They also found that a second, still
unidentified, gene plays a major role in that plant’s aluminum tolerance in
acidic soil.
Targeting Insect Vectors
In PSNL’s Plant
Protection Research Unit, plant pathologist Stewart Gray is using genomics to
find genes that regulate plant virus transmission by insect vectors.
He’s focused on how aphids transmit barley yellow dwarf and potato
leafroll, the most economically important viruses of wheat, barley, oats, and
potatoes worldwide. “We want to identify both the virus genes and the aphid
genes that regulate transmission of the virus between insect and host,” says
Gray.
Recently, Gray identified and characterized the two virus genes
that regulate how a virus moves through its aphid vector. Now his group is out
to identify the corresponding genes in aphids regulating the insects’ interaction with the virus.
Also, Gray and Iowa State University
scientists are determining the complete nucleotide sequences of up to 100
biologically important barley yellow dwarf and cereal yellow dwarf isolates from
around the world. His lab is also part of a scientific consortium that’s
sequencing the aphid genome.
Meanwhile, Holley’s legacy will continue on
into the lab’s future. Planning is under way to transform the PSNL into the
Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health. This center would house all
PSNL scientists within a new, $40 million building.
By Luis Pons, Agricultural
Research Service Information Staff.
Source: January 2007 issue of
Agricultural Research magazine via SeedQuest.com
12 January 2007
(Return to Contents)
++++++++++++++++++++++++
1.33 Molecular markers make their mark in plant
breeding
Australia
Applying molecular markers to plant breeding
can significantly reduce the time and cost of developing new
varieties.
The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) is
therefore encouraging the development of molecular markers through its $3.1
million annual investment in the Australian Winter Cereals Molecular Marker
Program (AWCMMP).
AWCMMP is a national R&D effort using the latest
molecular marker techniques to improve the Australian grain industry’s
productivity and sustainability. It currently features wheat and barley
components.
Outcomes are used by plant breeders, including those
associated with the WA Department of Agriculture and Food who used molecular
markers to produce acid tolerant breeding lines of the malting barley varieties
Baudin and Hamelin.
AWCMMP Advisory Committee Chairman and GRDC Western
Panel member, Professor Richard Oliver said molecular markers identified a
gene’s presence directly from a leaf or grain sample without having to resort to
years of costly testing across numerous sites.
This technology is
changing the way breeding programs operate and will provide significant
efficiency and productivity improvements.
Australian plant breeders
prioritise the traits for which molecular markers are developed and implemented
and the GRDC has therefore developed a framework for a co-ordinated wheat and
barley breeding strategy.
The technology is most commonly applied in
marker assisted breeding, which enables accelerated back crossing, pyramiding
genes, analysing and selecting quantitative traits, identifying hybrids,
selecting resistance to pests and diseases not present in the country or region
and analysing alien chromosome segments.
Molecular markers are also used
in variety identification through DNA fingerprinting and have been invaluable
tools for fundamental studies to improve our understanding of genome structure
and behaviour.
The Crop Doctor is GRDC Managing Director, Peter
Reading
Source: GRDC's The Crop
Doctor via SeedQuest.com
24 January 2007
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Contents)
++++++++++++++++++++++
1.34 GCP Latest News Alerts
National Science Foundation
Provides $14 Million To Advance Research in Comparative Genomics
2007-01-12 13:44:08
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has
granted US$14 million in funding for projects to find improved ways of studying
the structure,... Visit
Here
Deadline to Submit GCP Fellowship Applications: 31
January 2007-01-11 13:03:26
The GCP would like to remind potential
applicants that the call for applications for the 2007 GCP Fellowships Programme
will close on 31 January 20... Visit
Here
New BioJobs Blog Publishes Job, Post-doc, and Other
Research/Academic Openings Worldwide 2007-01-03 08:02:22
A
newly-created blog called BioJobs regularly publishes new job, post-doc, and
other research/academic openings from all over the world. Over... Visit
Here
New Fellowship Opportunties Posted to CIMMYT’s Training
Webpage 2007-01-02 08:28:55
The following training opportunities
were recently posted on CIMMYT's training website: FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 1)
International Foundation for Sc... Visit
Here
Call for Papers for the 11th International Conference on
Agricultural Biotechnologies: New Frontiers and Products – Economics, Policies
and Science 2007-01-18 08:01:46
The International Consortium on
Agricultural Biotechnology Research (ICABR) is announcing a call for papers for
the 11th International Conference... Visit
Here
International Atomic Energy Agency Seeks Crop
Scientist/Plant Nutritionist 2007-01-18 07:02:39
View this
announcement in a PDF Position and Grade: Crop Scientist/Plant Nutritionist
(P-4) Organizational Unit: Soil and Water Manageme... Visit
Here
Job Opening: CIMMYT Maize Scientists in Pathology and
Entomology 2007-01-15 08:31:25
The International Maize and Wheat
Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is seeking applications from innovative,
self-motivated, scientifically outstanding... Visit
Here
Fellowship and Professional Development Bulletin--From
CIMMYT's Training Programme 2007-01-31 11:07:36
Below are some new
and some soon-closing fellowship opportunities that have been added to the
CIMMYT training web and intranet. FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 1) C...Visit
Here
Call Opened for GCP Travel Grants 2007-01-30
14:46:18
The call for GCP Travel Grants is open from 1 February to 28
February 2007. Please view the Travel Grants page for more information on
application...
Visit Here
4th Solanacea Genome Workshop to be held 9-13
September 2007 2007-01-29 08:16:32
The 4th Solanacea Genome
Workshop 2007 will take place from September 9-13, 2007 in Jeju Island, Korea.
The workshop will focus on how to apply... Visit
Here
Rice Breeding Course: Laying the Foundation for the
Second Green Revolution to be held 20-31 August 2007 2007-01-29
08:14:59
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) will be
offering “Rice Breeding Course: Laying the Foundation for the Second Green
Revolution”...
Visit Here
“From Basic Genomics to Systems Biology” Conference
to be held 2-4 May 2007 2007-01-29 08:12:47
The conference “From
Basic Genomics to Systems Biology” will be held on May 2-4, 2007 in Ghent,
Belgium. Sessions will focus on: control of plant... Visit
Here
SciDev.net Policy Brief: Agricultural technology transfer
to developing countries and the public sector 2007-01-29
08:09:57
Agricultural technologies and knowledge have, until recently,
largely been created and disseminated by public institutions. But over the
past... Visit
Here
(Return to
Contents)
=========================
2 PUBLICATIONS
2.01 An Introduction to Plant
Breeding
Blackwell Publishing
By: Jack Brown
(University of Idaho) and Peter Caligari (Universidad de
Talca)
Description
Plants have been successfully selectively
bred for thousands of years, culminating in incredible yields, quality,
resistance and so on that we see in our modern day crops and ornamental plants.
In recent years the techniques used have been rapidly advanced and refined to
include molecular, cell and genetic techniques.
An Introduction to
Plant Breeding provides comprehensive coverage of the
whole area of plant breeding. Covering modes of reproduction in plants, breeding
objectives and schemes, genetics, predictions, selection, alternative techniques
and practical considerations. Each chapter is carefully laid out in a student
friendly way and includes questions for the reader. The book is essential
reading for all those studying, teaching and researching plant
breeding.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 -
Introduction.
Chapter 2 - Modes of reproduction and types of
cultivar.
Chapter 3 - Breeding objectives.
Chapter 4 - Breeding
schemes.
Chapter 5 - Genetics and plant breeding.
Chapter 6 -
Predictions.
Chapter 7 - Selection.
Chapter 8 - Alternative techniques
Chapter 9 - Practical considerations.
About the
Authors
Peter Caligari, Director of the Institute of Plant Biology and
Biotechnology, University of Talca, Chile.
Jack Brown, Professor of Plant
Breeding & Genetics, Department of Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences,
University of Idaho, USA.
US / Canada: $99.99
Europe / Rest of World: £45.00
Australia / New Zealand: A$149.00
ISBN:
9781405133449
ISBN10: 1405133449
Publication Dates
USA:
Mar 2007
Rest of World: Mar 2007
Australia: May 2007
384 pages, 275
illustrations.
Further details can be found on the Blackwell Publishing
website: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/book.asp?ref=9781405133449&site=1
.
Contributed by Simon
Joyce
Simon.Joyce@ames.blackwellpublishing.com
(Return
to Contents)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2.02 Results from the FAO Biotechnology
Forum: Background and dialogue on selected issues
Dear Forum
Members,
We're happy to inform you that FAO Research and Technology Paper 11,
entitled "Results from the FAO Biotechnology Forum: Background and dialogue on
selected issues", by J. Ruane and A. Sonnino, has now been published. The
152-page book can also be freely downloaded from the web at ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/a0744e/a0744e00.pdf
(917 KB).
The book presents the background and summary documents from a
series of six moderated e-mail conferences (numbers 7-12) hosted by the FAO
Biotechnology Forum from 2002 to 2005, relating to agricultural biotechnology
for the crop, forestry, animal, fisheries and agro-industry sectors in
developing countries. Three of the six conferences focused on genetically
modified organisms (GMOs), dealing with gene flow from GM to non-GM populations;
regulation of GMOs; and participation of the rural people in decision-making
regarding GMOs. Two conferences covered the entire range of biotechnology tools
(including GMOs), dealing with the role and focus of biotechnology in the
agricultural research agenda and, secondly, applications of biotechnology in
food processing. The remaining conference dealt with molecular marker-assisted
selection.
The Executive Summary of the publication is reproduced
below.
If you wish to receive a free hardcopy version of the publication,
please contact Charlotte.Lietaer@fao.org to request a copy, providing your full
postal address. We welcome any comments you might have on the book – send them
to biotech-admin@fao.org.
This is the third publication from the Forum,
following - FAO. 2001. Agricultural biotechnology for developing countries -
results of an electronic forum. FAO Research and Technology Paper No. 8.
Contains the Background and Summary Documents from Conferences 1-6. Available,
in English, Spanish and Chinese, at www.fao.org/DOCREP/004/Y2729E/Y2729E00.HTM
- FAO. 2006. The role of biotechnology in exploring and protecting
agricultural genetic resources. Containing the Background and Summary Document
from Conference 13, plus papers from a workshop held as part of the build up to
the conference - available at www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0399e/a0399e00.htm
Forwarded
from John Ruane
FAO Biotechnology Forum
Administrator
biotech-admin@fao.org
Forum website http://www.fao.org/biotech/forum.asp
FAO Biotechnology website http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp
(Return to
Contents)
=========================
3. WEB
RESOURCES
3.01 Web resources from: underutilized-species@CGIAR.ORG
Below
is a list of the latest items posted on the home page ( www.underutilized-species.org)
of GFU's web site
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Second
International Agarwood Conference
- 2007
International Symposium on Medicinal and Nutraceutical Plants
- First
International Symposium on Breadfruit Research and Development, April 16-19,
2007
- Global
Scientific Challenges: Perspectives from Young Scientists -
An international
conference celebrating 75 years of ICSU
- 5th
International Symposium on New Crops and Uses: their role in a rapidly changing
world
- 5th
European Association for South-East Asian Studies (EuroSEAS) Conference, Naples
2007
- Second
PROTA International Workshop and Investors' Forum
- Tenth
International Congress of Ethnobiology in Cusco Peru (ICE 2007)
UPCOMING TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
- Plant
genetic resources and seeds Policies, conservation and use - Ethiopia, September
17 – October 12, 2007
- Conservation & sustainable use of plant genetic resources in agriculture -
The Netherlands, May 21 – June 29, 2007
- Enhancing
agrobiodiversity use: markets and chains - The Netherlands, 21 May – 1 June
2007
RECENTLY UPLOADED WEBSITES
-
Mangosteen.com
-
Rambutan.com
- The
Rainforest Plant Database
- Forest
Research Programme
- LinKS
Project - Gender, Biodiversity and local knowledge systems for food security
-
Fair Trade Federation
- World IVs
- World Indigenous Vegetables (AVRDC)
- FAIRTRADE
Mark
- European
Fair Trade Association
-
Australian Tropical Foods
- IPDEV -
Impacts of the IPR Rules on Sustainable Development
-
Bioversity International Publication Overview on Neglected and Underutilized
Species
- NUS Media
Gallery - Photo and Video Gallery
- AGROnomy
- portFOLIO: Benefiting from an Improved Agricultural Portfolio in Asia
-
ECP/GR - Minor Crops Network (1995-2003)
- RUAF
Foundation
RECENTLY UPLOADED PUBLICATIONS
AWARENESS AND
KNOWLEDGE SHARING
- GFU
banner 06 - enabling deployment of underutilized species
- Saving
the bottle gourd
- Back by
popular demand: The benefits of traditional vegetables - One Community's
story
- Pearl
Millet: A Hardy Staple for the World’s Drylands
-
Underutilized and Underexploited Horticultural Crops - Vol.1
BIOLOGY
-
Alternative Field Crops Manual
-
Unleashing the Genius of the Genome to Feed the Developing World
- Impacts
of the IPR Rules on Sustainable Development Workpackage 3 - Assessing the
Applicability of Geographical Indications as a Means to Improve Environmental
Quality in Affected Ecosystems and the Competitiveness of Agricultural
Products
INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND ETHNOBOTANY
- Small
Steps Towards Abundance: Crops for a More Sustainable Agriculture
- Supping
At God's Table: A Handbook for the Domestication of Wild Trees for Food and
Fodder
- Loroco,
el condimento escondido
- Chia -
Rediscovering a Forgotten Crop of the Aztecs
- Local
Innovations using Traditional Vegetables to Improve Soil Quality
MANAGEMENT OF PLANT BIODIVERSITY
-
Harvesting nuts, improving lives in Brazil
MARKETS AND
MARKETING
-
Under-Utilized Tropical Fruits of Thailand
NUTRITION AND
HEALTH
-
Biofortification, biodiversity and diet: A search for complementary applications
against poverty and malnutrition
- Aidemet
Ong: Aide au Développement de la Médecine Traditionnelle.
- Using Our
Traditions – A Herbal and Nutritional Guide for Kenyan Families
FEATURES
The Features section deals with a project in Mali that
tries to improve the working conditions of herbalists
read the story in French
and in English
WHO
IS DOING WHAT WITH UNDERUTILIZED SPECIES
New projects and many experts to be
found in one of our databases
-
National Strategic Research Initiative for Tropical fruit development
-
Agro-folio: Benefiting from an Improved Agricultural Portfolio in Asia
-
Income generation for extratevistas/smallholders in the Amazon Region and Costa
Rica by selling indigenous fruits to international markets
comments,
feedback and contributions are as usual very much
welcome!
------------------------------
Global Facilitation Unit for
Underutilized Species
Rome, Italy
e-mail: underutilized-species@cgiar.org
www.underutilized-species.org
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Contents)
========================
5. POSITION
ANNOUNCEMENTS
5.01 Executive Director, The
UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center
The UC Davis Seed
Biotechnology Center is a focal point for interaction between the seed industry
and the research and educational resources of the University of California,
Davis. It coordinates research to address problems of interest to the seed
industry and provides continuing education in seed biology and technology. Its
mission is to mobilize the research, educational and outreach resources of the
University of California, in partnership with the seed and plant biotechnology
industries, to facilitate discovery and commercialization of new seed
technologies for agricultural and consumer benefit.
The Executive
Director is responsible for providing leadership in the ongoing development and
implementation of building a premier entrepreneurial research and education
program. The incumbent is responsible and is accountable for the strategic
planning and implementation of the overall operation and evaluation of programs
and activities that support the Center’s mission, goals, and partnership
objectives to increase its capacity to serve as a link between academic
research, education programs, and the commercialization of new agricultural
technologies.
The Executive Director is accountable for and
will:
-provide leadership and management for major gift fund-raising,
strategic planning, operations and services, and outreach and communications in
order to deliver and expand the Center’s programs and activities.
-take a
leading role in establishing mutually beneficial collaborative relationships
with intramural and extramural stakeholders, clientele and
collaborators;
-work with the Center Academic Director and staff to
design and implement programs and services that facilitate partnerships between
UC Davis and the national and international seed and plant biotechnology
industries.
For a detailed description go to: http://hr.ucdavis.edu/emp (VL#6917).
Submit curriculum vitae, a two-page letter of interest including salary
expectations, and the names, addresses and contact information for a minimum of
four references to: DeeDee Kitterman, Chair, Search Committee, College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, 150 Mrak Hall, University of
California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616. Position is open
until filled. To receive full consideration applications should be
received by February 15, 2007. For more information contact Sue Webster,
Program Representative, Seed Biotechnology Center, at 530-754-7333 or at scwebster@ucdavis.edu.
Contributed
by Susan Webster
scwebster@ucdavis.edu
(Return to
Contents)
+++++++++++++++++++++
5.02 Geneticist (Plants), USDA/ARS - Plant Science Research Unit, Raleigh, North
Carolina
(GS-12/13/14)
Salary Range of $65,411 to $119,489 Per
Year
The Plant Science Research
Unit, Raleigh, North Carolina, is seeking a permanent full-time GENETICIST
(PLANTS) , GS-12/13/14 to: (1) design, formulate, plan, coordinate, execute, and
lead research for the Germplasm Enhancement of Maize (GEM) project to identify
and develop maize germplasm that will aid in diversifying the genetic base of
U.S. Crop production and add to global maize diversity; (2) identify, develop,
and release high yielding maize lines with improved value for feed, food, and
industrial use; and (3) serve as recognized expert and consultant in the area of
maize genetics, and provide scientific leadership in that area, applying
scientific findings, developments, and advances in maize germplasm development
to solve critical and complex problems such as genetic uniformity and disease
susceptibility. For details and application directions, see http://www.afm.ars.usda.gov/divisions/hrd/index.html and click on ANN#: ARS-X7S-0041. To have a printed copy mailed, call
919-515-2731.
U.S. citizenship is required.
Announcement
closes 2/20/07.
USDA/ARS is an equal opportunity employer and
provider.
David Marshall
Research Leader & Professor
USDA/ARS - Plant Science Research Unit
1419 Gardner Hall, Dept Plant
Pathology
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7616
david_marshall@ncsu.edu
Forwarded
by Ann Marie Thro
CSREES, USDA
athro@csrees.usda.gov
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+++++++++++++++++++++
5.03 Plant genomics summer internships – University of Missouri
Undergraduate summer internship program in
Plant Genomics The University of Missouri has an extensive summer internship
program that is open to all international and US undergraduate
students.
It's time for undergraduates to apply to our summer internship
program in Plant Genomics. The program will run from June 10 - August 3
this year. It's not too late for students to apply for the program for this
summer. The deadline for applying for the PGI summer internship program
is just around the corner: Feb 12.
Additional info is available at
our website: http://lsurop.missouri.edu/summerOther/pgi.htm
Sherry
Flint-Garcia
USDA ARS, University of Missouri
Phone:
573-884-0116
Forwarded by Ann Marie Thro
CSREES, USDA
athro@csrees.usda.gov
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Contents)
===========================
6.
MEETINGS, COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
Note: New announcements (listed
first) may include some program details, while repeat announcements will include
only basic information. Visit web sites for additional
details.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
*21-22 February 2007.
Seed Biology, Production & Quality Course. The Seed Biotechnology
Center and UC Davis Extension will offer this unique two-day course for
professionals in the seed industry, crop consultants and growers to expand and
update their knowledge. Participants will learn the fundamentals and the
most current research information on seed development, production, harvesting,
conditioning, storage, enhancement, and quality assessment. Instructors
include: Dr. Derek Bewley, University of Guelph, Dr. Hiro Nonogaki, Oregon State
University and University of California, Davis’ Dr. Kent Bradford, Dr. Robert
Gilbertson and Dr. Allen Van Deynze. For more information and to register
online, go to the SBC.
Questions? Contact Sue Webster, Program Representative, Seed Biotechnology
Center, at 530-754-7333 or at scwebster@ucdavis.edu.
Contributed
by Susan
Webster
scwebster@ucdavis.edu
+++++++++++++
*23-25 April
2007. Targeting Science to Real Needs, a workshop of the GL-TTP (
Grain Legumes Technology Transfer Platform). Paris, France.
GL-TPP is
a not-for-profit organisation that bridges the gap between research and industry
to increase the production and quality of grain legumes worldwide. GL-TTP was
initiated in 2005 by the EU Grain Legumes Integrated Project (GLIP) to ensure the exploitation of the
project outputs by the grain legume industry.
Having a foot in both the
research and industry worlds, GL-TTP is in an ideal position to identify the
specific needs and constraints of grain legume breeders and channel the latest
research results and technologies through an accelerated pipeline to the grain
legume industry.
Objectives of the First GL-TTP
Workshop
Reflecting the needs of grain legume breeders, the workshop will
focus on the exploitation of genetic resources, and on the concrete use and
integration of molecular technologies in breeding. The main themes addressed in
this first workshop will be genetic diversity, disease resistance, abiotic
stress tolerance and seed quality.
The workshop will consist of highly
interactive sessions, where the specific needs and interests of grain legume
breeders will be addressed through concrete examples of research application,
training sessions, and direct transfer of genetic material. Most importantly,
proposals will be brainstormed throughout the workshop to set up Research & Development and technology transfer projects in partnership between research
scientists and plant breeders.
Audience
The primarily intended
audience will be the GL-TTP members: mostly grain legume breeders that are eager
to embrace new technologies and set up international networks to optimise their
exploitation of genetic resources, and research scientists that are interested
in interacting with industry and in setting up partnership for future R&D.
The workshop will be open to non-GL-TTP members interested in learning
more about GL-TTP activities, or simply interested in hearing, and discussing
with, some of our renowned guest contributors.
We look forward to
welcoming you at the first GL-TTP workshop, on 23-25 April 2007, in Paris,
France!
From Catherine Golstein
c.golstein@prolea.com
Forwarded
by Ann Marie Thro
CSREES, USDA
athro@csrees.usda.gov
++++++++++++++
*1-6
July 2007. The 5th International Symposium on Molecular Breeding of
Forage and Turf (MBFT2007), Sapporo, Japan. Register for the meeting and
call for abstracts following the instruction available at http://www.knt.co.jp/ec/2007/mbft/
Genetics,
genomics and breeding of forage, turf and energy crops will be presented.
Following topics will be included: Assessment of genetic diversity, Discovery of novel genes involved target characters, Gene function and
regulation, Genetic mapping, Molecular marker assisted selection, Comparative
genomics , Bioinformatics, Proteomics and metabolomics, Plant-microbe
interactions,Transgenic and risk assessment, Genetic improvement, Impacts on
sustainability in grassland and lawn and renewable biomass energy. Important
dates:
Abstract Submission Deadline: 1 May
2007
Early Registration Deadline: 1 May
2007
Deadline for Online Registration: 5 June
2007
For further information, please contact: Prof. Toshihiko
YAMADA,
Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere,
Hokkaido University,
Kita 11 Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo
060-0811, Japan
Phone & Fax: 11-706-3644 E-mail: yamada@fsc.hokudai.ac.jp
Contributed
by Prof. Toshihiko YAMADA
++++++++++++++
*20-31 August.
2007. Laying the Foundation for the Second Green Revolution, a rice
breeding course, IRRI, the Philippines
Introduction
One of the
five core goals of the new IRRI Strategic Plan (2007-2015) is to develop the
next generation of rice scientists. This is particularly needed in the
field of rice breeding. The number of rice breeders has decreased
over the years, and those that remain need to enrich their skills with the
precision tools afforded by advances in rice genomics and information
technology. Meanwhile, breeding varieties that are adoptable by farmers
remains a major challenge, along with the dwindling funds for breeding
research. This situation demands maximum impact from rice breeding using
limited resources.
Objectives
This training course aims to
-provide the participants with the theoretical knowledge on modern plant
breeding methods and techniques;
-teach them planning and information
management tools and experimental techniques and software for developing an
efficient rice breeding program;
-give the participants the opportunity
to share experiences and lessons with breeders from other programs; and
-share to the participants the information on the latest developments
relevant to modern rice breeding and the worldwide exchange of rice genetic
resources.
The course will be coordinated by the Plant Breeding, Genetics
and Biotechnology Division (PBGB) and facilitated by the Training Center of
IRRI. Modules will be developed mainly by IRRI
scientists.
Methodology
The training will use various
approaches: interactive lectures, group learning exercises and
discussions, presentations on country/institutional breeding programs,
post-training action plan development, field and laboratory visits, and a field
trip to observe Philippine breeding programs.
Target
Audience
The course is targeted at breeders and agronomists working on
variety development or cultivar testing, and at research managers with
responsibility for rice breeding programs in the public, private, and NGO
sectors.
Course Content
-Introduction to breeding program
planning exercise;
-Setting goals and identifying the target
environment;
-Information management for pedigree breeding
programs;
-Factors affecting the adoption of improved varieties;
-Factors
affecting selection response;
-Choosing parents;
-Efficient approaches to
pedigree and bulk selection;
-Managing plant breeding data with the
International Rice Information System (IRIS);
-Quality
evaluation;
-Screening for biotic stress tolerance;
-Screening for abiotic
stress tolerance;
-Experimental designs for controlling field
variability;
-Multi-environment trials – design and
analysis;
-Participatory varietal selection and participatory plant
breeding;
-Optimizing resource allocation in breeding and testing
programs;
-QTL analysis and molecular marker-aided
selection;
-International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and worldwide exchange and utilization of rice genetic
resources;
-Intellectual property rights/plant variety protection;
and
-Development and presentation of action plans for increasing the impact
of participants’ programs.
Admission Requirements
Candidates
should be nominated by their employers (from public, private or NGO sectors) and
must:
-Have taken courses in plant breeding and statistics;
-Be
proficient in English;
-Be able to use a personal computer;
-Be physically
fit as supported by a medical report;
-Be under 45 years old; and
-Present
(in English language) the breeding activities of his/her institution and/or
country.
Nomination and Selection
Participants shall be
selected based on the:
-Relevance of the training to the candidate’s
work;
-Background knowledge, training, and experience in plant
breeding;
-Degree of current or future collaboration with IRRI research
programs;
-Number of available course slots; and
-Availability of
funding.
Cost of Training
Participants can be self-paying but
would normally be sponsored by their own employers and/or international aid
agencies.
Independent Planning Activity
Each participant will
develop and present a plan for increasing the impact or efficiency of the
breeding program of his/her institution/country, including envisioned future
collaborative activities with IRRI.
Optional Activity on Information
Management
Participants are encouraged to bring pedigree nursery
information and other breeding data for analysis and inclusion in IRIS.
They may extend their stay at IRRI, at their own cost, to learn to use the IRIS
breeders’ applications.
For additional information, contact
Dr.
Edilberto D. Redoña
Course Coordinator, Plant Breeding, Genetics and
Biotechnology Division
e.redona@cgiar.org
or
Dr. Noel P.
Magor
Head, Training Center
IRRITraining@cgiar.org
International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
Contributed by Edilberto D.
Redoña
Senior Scientist (Plant Breeding) & Coordinator, INGER),
IRRI
e.redona@cgiar.org
REPEAT
ANNOUNCEMENTS
* 2006-2008. Plant Breeding Academy, University of California, Davis.
The University of California
Seed Biotechnology Center would like to inform you of an exciting new course we
are offering to teach the principles of plant breeding to seed industry
personnel.
This two-year course addresses the reduced numbers of plant
breeders being trained in academic programs. It is an opportunity for companies
to invest in dedicated personnel who are currently involved in their own
breeding programs, but lack the genetics and plant breeding background to direct
a breeding program. Participants will meet at UC Davis for one week per quarter
over two years (eight sessions) to allow participants to maintain their current
positions while being involved in the course.
Instruction begins
Fall 2006 and runs through Summer 2008 (actual dates to be
determined)
For more information: (530) 754-7333, email scwebster@ucdavis.edu, http://sbc.ucdavis.edu/Events/Plant_Breeding_Academy.htm
*
8-9 February 2007. A national workshop on “Sustaining plant
breeding as a vital national capacity for the future of U.S. agriculture,”
Raleigh, NC. Co-organized by CSREES, USDA; and by the Departments of Crop
Science and Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University. http://www.plantbreedingworkshop.ncsu.edu/
* 23-27
March 2007. 2nd International Conference on Plant Molecular
Breeding (ICPMB), Sanya, Hainan, China. www.icpmb.org
* 26-29 March 2007. Biotechnology,
Breeding, and Seed Systems for African Crops, Maputo, Mozambique. Co-hosted
by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Instituto de Investigação Agrária de
Moçambique (IIAM). More information at:
http://www.africancrops.net/rockefeller/icv3/
.
* 21 May – 1 June 2007. Training course on "Promoting
agrobiodiversity use: markets and chains" (Wageningen International) Information and the application form can be found here " Enhancing
agrobiodiversity use: markets and chains"
Application deadline is 21
April 2007.
* 1-3 April 2007. Course on Molecular
Characterization of Inbred Lines and Populations in Maize, New Delhi, India.
View this announcement in PDF.... Visit
Here
Source: Generation Challenge Programme (GCP) Latest News Alerts GCP Home Page
17 November-11
December 2006
*10-16 June 2007. 7th International
Symposium in the Series: Recent Advances in Plant Biotechnology (First
Announcement),Stara Lesna, High Tatras, Slovak Republic; The Symposium Secretary
Handles all queries regarding abstract submission, registration, accommodation
and booking of air tickets for invited speakers:
Alena Gajdosova, Institute of Plant Genetics and Biotechnology
Nitra, Slovak
Republic
Phone: + 421/37 73 36659
Fax: + 421/37 73 36660
E-mail: alena.gajdosova@savba.sk
*
24-28 June 2007. The 9th International Pollination Symposium on
Plant-Pollinator Relationships-Diversity in Action. Scheman Center, Iowa
State University, Ames, Iowa. The official theme is: "Host-Pollinator Biology
Relationships - Diversity in Action."
UPDATE: We’re pleased to
announce that the website for the 9th International Pollination
Symposium at Iowa State University has recently been updated:
http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/plantbee/home.html
The
Symposium organizers are accepting poster submissions online at the website
linked above until 1 March 2007.
Contributed by Jennifer J. Tabke
tabke@iastate.edu
* 9-14 September
2007. The World Cotton Research Conference-4, Lubbock, Texas, USA (http://www.icac.org). There is no cost of
pre-registration and if you pre-register you will receive all the up-coming
information on WCRC-4.171 researchers from over 20 countries have
pre-registered.
* 14-18 September 2008. The 12th
International Lupin Conference, Perth, Western Australia conference@lupins.org.
* 27-31
October 2007. 8th African Crop Science Society Conference, El Minia,
Egypt--First Announcement and Call for Abstracts. The African Crop Science
Society (ACSS) and Minia University announce the first call for abstracts for
the 8th African Crop Science Society Conference, which will take place from
27-31 October 2007 in El-Minia, Egypt. The deadline for registration is 30
April 2007. For more complete information on registration and abstract
submission, visit http://www.africancrops.net/News/july06/acss8.htm
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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.
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.
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.
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. 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)