PLANT BREEDING NEWS
EDITION
204
An
Electronic Newsletter of Applied Plant Breeding
Clair
H. Hershey, Editor
Sponsored
by GIPB, FAO/AGPC and
-To subscribe, see instructions here
-Archived issues available at: FAO Plant Breeding Newsletter
1.
NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.01 Sustaining the education of future plant breeders and
maintenance of public plant breeding programs
1.02 Pigeon
peas, the new maize?
1.03 U.S.
National Corn Growers Association
1.04 Car
fueled by cassava is a world first
1.05 Ploidy manipulation of the gametophyte, endosperm and
sporophyte in nature and for crop improvement: a tribute to Professor Stanley
J. Peloquin (1921–2008)
1.06 UC Davis establishes the
1.07
1.08 Australian research project may help to breed more frost tolerant cereal
varieties
1.09 APB-SABRAO Plant Breeding Conference
Keynote presentations available at
1.10 African universities told to get agricultural research to farmers
1.11 Challenges to choosing the best cultivars for crop
production
1.12 Embrapa
Wheat starts a new research project about resistance to Wheat Blast Disease
1.13 Supplying the world
1.14 Scientists Team Up to End Malnutrition in
1.15 Regulatory changes enacted a decade ago appear to be responsible for dramatically
slowing the flow of quality-improving agricultural biotechnology innovations
1.16 ARS Helps Preserve Indigenous Crops in
1.17 Unlocking the Genetic Secrets of Maize
1.18 Speciation by Polyploidy Common in Plants, Study Finds
1.19 Global team develops tools to
unravel diversity of rice
1.20 First submergence-tolerant rice variety released in the
1.21 The resistant rice of the future (Snorkel genes)
1.22
1.23 Creating the ultimate drought-resistant lawn/pasture grass
1.24 ‘Fragrant’ GM maize against pests
1.25 Breeding tomatoes that please consumers
1.26 Fungus resistance gene found in rice
1.27 Shatter resistant Brassicas
1.28 Discovering Soybean Plants Resistant to Aphids
1.29 The bridge between basic
photosynthesis research and crop breeding
1.30 Scientists devise efficient way of learning about complex corn traits
(None submitted)
3.01 Hortivar, a new database on performance of horticultural
cultivars
3.02 Materials from Molecular
Breeding Platform workshop (5–7 March 2009) now online
3.03 Molecular-assisted breeding workshop, 29th June–3rd
July 2009, Zaragoza, Spain: Resources now available
4.01 Support
to attend the Plant Molecular Breeding workshop to be held in Cairo, November,
2009
4.02 Cooperation
call for Africa through FP7 (Seventh Framework Programme).
(None submitted)
6. MEETINGS, COURSES
7. EDITOR
1 NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.01 Sustaining
the education of future plant breeders and maintenance of public plant breeding
programs
Issues addressed
at the 3rd annual meeting of the U.S. Plant Breeding Coordinating Committee
Madison,
Wisconsin, USA
5
August 2009
One
hundred and fifty plant breeders, government representatives and graduate
students from across the United States closed the 3rd annual meeting of the
Plant Breeding Coordinating Committee (PBCC) today at the Madison Convention Center.
The
PBCC represents 700 US plant breeders dedicated on developing plant varieties
to supply food, feed, fiber and now fuel for the US and the world.
In
the past 20 years, the number of trained plant breeders has declined due to
a decrease in the number of students entering the field combined with reduced
funding for public plant breeding programs.
This
is at a time when the demand for talented individuals has never been so high
in this rewarding field.
The
PBCC discussed current research in plant breeding. Of particular importance
the group addressed ways to sustain the education of future plant breeders
and maintenance of public plant breeding programs.
For
further information visit http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/gpb/pr/pbccmain.html
Source:
SeedQuest.com
++++++++++++++++++++++
1.02 Pigeon peas, the new maize?
Mbeere
South, Kenya
5
August 2009
Faced
with increasingly unreliable rains, farmers in Kenya
"The
rains have become [scarce]... This is the fourth year we have had insufficient
rain," Harrieta Nyaga, a farmer from the Rwika area, told IRIN. "We
expected rains in March, but they came in January. People got confused, some
planted, some did not... the crop was affected."
Nyaga,
a mother of four, said she had planted 0.8ha of maize but was unsure whether
she would harvest more than two 90kg bags. "Normally, I get up to 20
bags," she added.
Declining
maize yields, due to climate variability and high fertilizer costs, have caused
maize prices to soar. The cost of a bag has doubled to about 2,000 shillings
(US$25) in the area.
Four
new drought-tolerant pigeon pea varieties are being piloted in Mbeere, and
specialists say the crop is hardy and can grow in a range of environments
and cropping systems.
The International Crops Research Institute for
the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
is providing farmers with free seeds.
"They
select the preferred varieties and sizes," said Richard Jones, ICRISAT
Eastern and Southern Africa assistant director. The selection is based on
maturity times, plant height, stem thickness, amount of leaves, susceptibility
to disease, cooking times and soil types.
Representatives
from 30 farmers’ groups have been selected to pilot the project. Across Kenya,
pigeon peas are being grown on about 196,261 ha of land, according to ICRISAT.
Malawi, Uganda, Mozambique and Tanzania grow considerable quantities too.
"Depending
on rainfall availability, one can harvest 750kg per 0.5ha," said Jones.
The new varieties mature in about 120 days while the traditional varieties
flower at the end of the long rains, growing to maturity from October to August.
"These
new varieties are very elastic. Because they mature quicker, one gets a harvest
even with just the short rains [October-December]... if there is more rain
[the long rains] one gets a second rattoon [crop]," he said.
"Old
varieties will not give you a crop until after the long rains [April-June].
If the long rains fail, then there is no harvest."
Nyaga
said the uptake of the new varieties would be higher if pesticides were provided
during the first planting. "The pesticides are very costly for a first-time
farmer," she said.
Nutrition
value
Pigeon
peas are a high protein dietary staple providing
20 to 22 percent of the protein where it is grown extensively (India, Myanmar,
Nepal, China, and south-eastern Africa).
Besides
its de-hulled split peas, its immature green seeds and pods are also used
as a vegetable.
"We
have been experiencing a lot of hunger and the first harvest really helped
my family. I did not have to look for beans to mix with the maize to make
githeri [a maize and bean stew]," John Ngari, a farmer in Mbita area
said. "I am now trying to move my wife away from growing maize. We can
sell some of the pigeon peas and buy maize instead."
Crushed
dry pigeon pea seeds are also fed to animals, while the green leaves are quality
fodder. The dry stems are used for fuel.
Bonus crop
According to Jones
of ICRISAT, the pigeon pea is a bonus crop, which can be grown alongside early
maturing cereals while acting as a nitrogen fixer.
"I have not had
to add manure or fertilizer like I would have for maize," said Carol
Maringa, a farmer in Gachoka, adding that it was also not labour-intensive.
She planned to increase her pigeon pea production.
"Even when I
combine the cost of ploughing, seeds, weeding and spraying, I am still able
to make a good profit," Samuel Mulinge Kyalo, 45, a farmer from Riakanau
said.
According to Fred
Njeru, Gachoka Division crops officer, food production in the division has
fallen: "Now a big number of people are getting famine relief food and
this is not sustainable."
The hardest-hit localities,
he said, are selling their livestock and burning charcoal to meet their food
requirements.
"We are encouraging
farmers to adopt drought-tolerant crops, but this will take time," he
said. "In the long term, farmers should plant drought-tolerant crops
to not only meet their food requirements but also to get more income."
According to Jones
of ICRISAT, there is a need to scale up planting of drought-tolerant crops.
In Eastern Kenya,
about 20 percent of the farmers have adopted the new pigeon pea varieties,
which have been developed using conventional breeding.
Already, there has
been about 80 percent uptake in the eastern Makueni District. "Often,
information does not move well," Jones noted. "It is like lighting
a fire, it burns, then it goes out; you have to keep lighting many smaller
fires."
Website: http://www.irinnews.org
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=9517&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: IRIN News via SeedQuest.com
1.03 U.S. National Corn Growers Association
St. Louis, Missouri
August 10, 2009
Our view: Pollan drift:
(Pollen drift is defined
as the unplanned movement of pollen from one variety to another and is normally
associated with “contamination.”)
By Rick Tolman,
Chief Executive Officer,
U.S. National Corn Growers Association
(NCGA)
The prolific and talented
author and contributor to The New York Times,
Michael Pollan, is at the center of a self-initiated movement to redo our
nation’s food system. The movement is built on a platform of opposing biotechnology
and conventional agriculture – especially animal ag – while promoting the
slow food movement, local production and organics. He is a frequent critic
of corn production and puts it at the epicenter of his axis of food evil.
Pollan is very persuasive
in written and oral presentation and has embarked on an active and aggressive
speaking tour and campaign to sell his books (“Omnivore’s Dilemma”; “The Botany
of Desire”, etc); help promote films that espouse his philosophy (“King Corn,”
“Food, Inc.”) and lead a movement to revamp the U.S. food system. Pollan’s
arguments have resonance and appeal with consumers and the general public
and they have garnered growing support among the urban elite and more extreme
environmental groups. His books and articles are increasingly well read and
widely quoted by the “influential” class in our society.
At another end of
the spectrum is Norman Borlaug, an American agronomist, humanitarian, Nobel
laureate and the father of the Green Revolution. Borlaug is one of only five
people in history to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal
of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. According to language contained
in the official Congressional Action that awarded the Gold Medal to Borlaug,
"Borlaug has saved more lives than any other person who has ever lived,
and likely has saved more lives in the Islamic world than any other human
being in history."
Borlaug is 95 years
old. He is still a distinguished professor of agronomy at Texas A&M University.
He continues to speak out in support of modern agriculture and the need for
advancements to address world hunger. He is the founder of the World Food
Prize, an international award recognizing the achievements of individuals
who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or
availability of food in the world.
Last month, Borlaug
wrote an editorial that was published in the Wall Street Journal, titled “Farmers
Can Feed the World,” where he argued that “better seeds and fertilizers, not
romantic myths, will let them do it.
In what I took as
a direct reference to the type of movement that Pollan so persuasively espouses,
Borlaug said the following: “Even here at home, some elements of popular culture
romanticize older, inefficient production methods and shun fertilizers and
pesticides, arguing that the U.S. should revert to producing only local organic
food. People should be able to purchase organic food if they have the will
and financial means to do so, but not at the expense of the world’s hungry—25,000
of whom die each day from malnutrition.”
Pollan is a very talented
and well respected author and is very driven in his beliefs. Much of what
he says is true or based on fact, but his artful mixing of fact and fiction
lead to very serious and erroneous as well as naďve and dangerous conclusions
and recommendations. I am reminded of the language that Rick Berman, Executive
Director of the Center for Consumer Freedom, used several years ago when commenting
on a movement very similar to that of Pollan’s: “Sometimes self-indulgent
utopianism is harmless. Not here. As a wise man observed, ‘The boy throws
the stone in jest; the frog dies in earnest.’ The consequences of this ideological
lark, exploited by old-fashioned greed, could be more than dead frogs.”
Pollan’s movement
needs to be aggressively countered with fact and reality to our general consumer
population who do not know any better and have been seduced by his skill with
words. For, as Borlaug says, now is not the time to be limiting the tools
available to our farmers and ranchers, as we need a second green revolution.
As he says, “given the right tools, farmers have shown an uncanny ability
to feed themselves and others, and to ignite the economic engine that will
reverse the cycle of chronic poverty.”
U.S. farmers have
an outstanding track record of doing just this and will continue as long as
we don’t allow ourselves to become apologists for or victims of “Pollan Drift.”
Farmers and ranchers – speak out! If you have not read it, please read “The Omnivore’s Delusion” by Missouri farmer Blake Hurst.
More news from: NCGA
(National Corn Growers Association)
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=9604&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
++++++++++++++++++++++
1.04 Car fueled by cassava is a world first
The first vehicle completely powered by a biofuel made from cassava roots
is already on the move in the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia.
The test run is being carried out using a CIAT pick-up truck. CIAT,
together with Clayuca, a consortium that supports cassava research and development
in Latin America and the Caribbean, recently inaugurated a pilot small-scale
processing plant that produces hydrated ethanol using cassava, sugar sorghum,
or sweet potato as raw material. This fuel contains 4%-5% water, hence its
name of hydrated ethanol.
Read more at http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/newsroom/release_42.htm
Contributed by Margaret
Smith
Dept. Of Genetics
and Plant Breeding
Cornell University
Mes25@cornell.edu
+++++++++++++++++++++++
1.05 Ploidy manipulation of the gametophyte,
endosperm and sporophyte in nature and for crop improvement: a tribute to
Professor Stanley J. Peloquin (1921–2008)
AOBPreview published online on August
17, 2009
Annals of Botany, doi:10.1093/aob/mcp207
INVITED REVIEW
Rodomiro Ortiz1,*, Philipp Simon2, Shelley
Jansky2 and David Stelly3
1 International Maize and Wheat
Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 Mexico, D.F., Mexico
2 United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural
Research Service (USDA/ARS), Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison,
1575 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
3 Department of Soil and Crop Sciences,
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
* For correspondence. E-mail r.ortiz@cgiar.org
Received: 11 May 2009 Returned for revision: 13
July 2009 Accepted: 21 July 2009
Background: Emeritus Campbell-Bascom Professor
Stanley J. Peloquin was an internationally renowned plant geneticist and breeder
who made exceptional contributions to the quantity, quality
and sustainable supply of food for the world from his innovative
and extensive scientific contributions. For five decades, Dr Peloquin merged basic
research in plant reproduction, cytology, cytogenetics, genetics,
potato (Solanum tuberosum) improvement and education at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Successive advances across
these five decades redefined scientific comprehension of reproductive
variation, its genetic control, genetic effects, evolutionary
impact and utility for breeding. In concert with the International
Potato Center (CIP), he and others translated the advances
into application, resulting in large benefits on food production
worldwide, exemplifying the importance of integrated innovative
university research and graduate education to meet domestic
and international needs.
Scope: Dr Peloquin is known to plant breeders,
geneticists, international agricultural economists and potato
researchers for his enthusiastic and incisive contributions
to genetic enhancement of potato using haploids, 2n gametes
and wild Solanum species; for his pioneering work
on potato cultivation through true seed; and as mentor of
a new generation of plant breeders worldwide. The genetic
enhancement of potato, the fourth most important food crop
worldwide, benefited significantly from expanded germplasm utilization
and advanced reproductive genetic knowledge, which he and
co-workers, including many former students, systematically transformed
into applied breeding methods. His research on plant sexual reproduction included
subjects such as haploidization and polyploidization, self-
and cross-incompatibility, cytoplasmic male sterility and
restorer genes, gametophytic/sporophytic heterozygosity and
male fertility, as well as endosperm dosages and seed development.
By defining methods of half-tetrad analysis and new cytological
techniques, he elucidated modes, mechanisms and genetic controls
and effects of 2n gametes in Solanum. Ramifications extend
to many other crops and plants, in both basic and applied sciences.
Achievements: Based upon a foundation of genetics,
cytogenetics and plant reproductive biology, Dr Peloquin and
co-workers developed methods to use 2n gametes
and haploids for breeding, and used them to move genes for
important horticultural traits from wild tuber-bearing Solanum species
to cultivated potato for the betterment of agriculture. The
resulting potato germplasm included combinations of yield, adaptation,
quality and disease resistance traits that were previously unavailable. This
elite plant germplasm was utilized and distributed to 85 countries
by the CIP, because it not only increased potato yields and
quality, it also broadened the adaptation of potato to lowland
tropical regions, where humanity has benefited from this addition
to their food supply.
Key words: 2n gametes, endosperm
balance number, haploid, Solanum, true potato seed
Contributed by Rodomiro Ortiz
CIMMYT
++++++++++++++++++++++++
1.06 UC Davis establishes the European Plant Breeding Academy
Davis, California,
USA
13 August 2009
Building on the success
of the Plant Breeding Academy in the United States, the UC Davis Seed
Biotechnology Center is partnering with European companies, institutions
and associations to offer the European Plant Breeding Academy. Scheduled to
start in March 2010, the European Plant Breeding Academy is designed specifically
to address the increased global demand for trained plant breeders. This premier
training program targets working professionals who desire to become fully
trained plant breeders. Participation is typically sponsored by their employer.
Participants will meet for six sessions of six days each over two years. This
schedule will allow participants to maintain their current employment while
enrolled in the course. All instruction will be in English.
The instructors, selected
from around Europe and the United States, are nationally and internationally
recognized experts in plant breeding and seed technology. Idy Van Leeuwen,
the owner of the Dutch education company Breedwise, has been selected as one
of the lead instructors. She is a highly respected plant breeding and seed
technology instructor who works with private companies and institutions in
The Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe. Ms. Van Leeuwen will be joined on
the education team by the director of the Plant Breeding Academy as well as
expert faculty from Europe and the United States.
The European sessions
will be held in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands; Angers, France; Barcelona, Spain
and Gatersleben, Germany. The first and last sessions will be held in Davis,
California.
Cooperating partners
include:
- the European Seed Association in Belgium;
- Vegepolys in France;
- Seed Valley and Naktuinbouw in The Netherlands;
- the Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics in Spain;
- the Spanish Plant Breeders Association in Spain,
- the Leibniz Institute of Plant
- the German Plant Breeders Association in Germany.
The following are
the dates and locations of each of the six sessions.
Week 1: March 8 – 13, 2010
Location: Davis, California
Week 2: June 21 – 26, 2010
Location: Angers, France
Week 3: October 18 – 23,
2010
Location: Enkhuizen, The Netherlands
Week 4: February 21 – 26,
2011
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Week 5: June 20 – 25, 2011
Location: Gatersleben, Germany
Week 6: September 26 – October
1, 2011
Location: Davis, California
For more information
please:
- see the Plant Breeding
Academy website at http://pba.ucdavis.edu
- or contact Joy Patterson
at jpatterson@ucdavis.edu
or PH (530)752-4414.
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=9709&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++
1.07 Afghanistan prepares itself to resist a deadly plant
plague: Ug99 wheat stem rust poses a threat to food security in the region
Kabul, Afghanistan
30 July 2009
Scientists report
successes in overcoming a virulent form of stem rust, call for speed in scaling
up systems for multiplying and distributing rust-resistant seeds to farmers
Scientists are racing
to arm Afghanistan against a new invader—a deadly, airborne wheat rust disease
that threatens wheat production and food security in this war-torn nation
and the region that stretches east across neighboring Pakistan and into India.
Known as “Ug99”, this
deadly new virulent race of wheat stem rust has thus far been found in Kenya,
Uganda, Ethiopia and Sudan, and has more recently spread into Asia, to Yemen
and now Iran. “It is only a matter of time before it reaches Afghanistan and
then South Asia," said Dr. Mahmoud Solh, Director General of the International Center for Agricultural Research in
the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in Aleppo, Syria. “We have been lucky so far, but
we know that the disease is heading in this direction, and most of the varieties
planted in the region are at risk. In fact, most of the wheat varieties used
around the world are vulnerable to this stem rust; the last major outbreak
of stem rust was seen during the 1950s.”
The threat of Ug99
to the wheat fields of Afghanistan and other nations in the region has led
wheat experts to agree that at least 10 percent of the nation’s wheat fields
must be replaced on an annual basis with Ug99-resistant varieties that are
also adapted to conditions in Afghanistan.
“The stem rust threat
is particularly dangerous because nearly all farmers in Afghanistan grow wheat
for food or sale,” said Dr. Mahmood Osmanzai, a wheat scientist from the International Center for the Improvement of Maize
and Wheat (CIMMYT), who is based in the country. “A wheat stem rust epidemic
would be economically and culturally significant and far reaching.”
Progress with Support
from Donors
For the last six years,
efforts to boost the production of disease-resistant varieties have been supported
by funds from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
(ACIAR) and USAID, with significant progress. Scientists from ICARDA and CIMMYT
have introduced seed of many high-yielding and disease resistant varieties
of wheat. In addition to their success with multiplying resistant varieties,
the scientists have preliminary results suggesting it may be possible to speed
up seed multiplication by planting a second crop of wheat in high altitude
regions where the climate is cooler. Thirteen farmers’ associations, known
collectively as the Afghan National Seed Organization (ANSAR), also have been
created to grow seed of improved varieties for sale to other farmers. Yet
challenges remain in meeting the demand for seed at an affordable price.
ICARDA scientist Dr.
Javed Rizvi notes that farmers often lack credit to purchase the new seed.
This means that the associations that produce the seed feel pressured to sell
their stocks for food rather than waiting for farmers to pay the market price.
“There are still too few places to store seed until the planting season in
November,” Rizvi said. "At this pace, it will be at least four years
before enough seed of new wheat varieties becomes available, which is far
too long, given the imminent danger of Ug99."
The country
Osmanzai noted that
six new promising wheat and three maize varieties have been released in Afghanistan
in the last seven years, following an intensive process of testing, release
and certification to ensure that they are suitable for local conditions. He
says the emerging stem rust threat has added a new urgency to ongoing efforts
to improve agriculture in the region.
“CIMMYT and ICARDA
have been providing improved seed as well as training Afghan wheat scientists
since the 1970s,” Rizvi said. “To tackle Ug99, we would need to move faster
than we ever have before, in order to address the threat and replace old varieties
with new resistant ones.”
Ensuring food security
in Afghanistan and neighboring countries is becoming increasingly difficult,
according to the scientists responsible for improving agriculture in Afghanistan.
A drought during the 2008 growing season severely reduced wheat harvests and
caused grain shortages. And Afghanistan continues to face a potential “food
deficit,” although spring rains this year made possible a bumper harvest of
3.4 million tons of wheat, a jump of 127 percent over last year, according
to the US Department of Agriculture. *
“This year
New Threat from Old
Foe
According to Rizvi
and Osmanzai, addressing wheat diseases such as stem rust and yellow rust
is vital to any strategy to improve food security and agriculture in Afghanistan
and of crucial importance in preventing the spread of Ug99 into Pakistan and
India. Stem rust has plagued wheat farmers worldwide for thousands of years,
but for the last 50 years it has been largely forgotten thanks to resistant
varieties developed by a group of scientists led by Norman Borlaug, who earned
a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
Unfortunately, in
1998, the Ug99 stem rust variant discovered in Uganda showed itself able to
overcome the resistance that was first established by Borlaug’s team. Experts
watched with alarm as Ug99 quickly moved to Kenya, where it proved capable
of cutting wheat yields by 20 to 80 percent, with isolated incidents of total
crop destruction.
Earlier this year,
at the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative 2009 Technical Workshop in Mexico, researchers
from CIMMYT, ICARDA, the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), and
the Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research (EIAR) described a technological
breakthrough—the development of new varieties of wheat that are not only resistant
to Ug99, but also produce more grain than today’s most popular varieties.
The scientists said their research suggests that 90 percent of wheat varieties
planted around the world are vulnerable to Ug99, and that the pathogen is
now in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen and Iran, and is on the march
toward South Asia. *
A global mapping system,
modified from FAO models that track movement of locusts, is being put in place
to follow and predict the pathway of Ug99, but Rizvi and his colleagues have
launched their own simple early warning system using biological rust trap
nurseries at three locations, including Herat near the Iranian border and
Nangarhar near the Pakistani borders.
"So far the plants
have been clean," Rizvi says, "but there
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.08 Australian research project may help to breed more frost
tolerant cereal varieties
South Perth, Western
Australia
13 August 2009
The impact of frost
on wheat and barley around Australia is being examined as part of a research
project that may eventually help to breed more frost tolerant cereal varieties.
Frost damage cost
Australian grain growers an estimated $109 million in the 2008 season.
The Department of Agriculture and Food
is working with the University of Adelaide
and the Queensland Department of Primary
Industries and Fisheries on the four year project, funded by the Grains
Research and Development Corporation.
The project is examining
the performance of nine lines of barley and three lines of wheat under local
frost conditions and how that relates to their genetic makeup.
A farm east of Cuballing,
192 kilometres south east of Perth, is hosting the WA trial, which includes
a weather station that sends researchers a text message when a frost occurs.
Department research
officer Ben Biddulph is travelling this month from Cuballing to Toowoomba,
to see collaborators’ work on characterising frost events and their impacts
on grain sterility.
“Frost damage to cereal
crops could occur at anytime but is most devastating from August to September
at or after heading as a consequence of aborted florets, head damage and stem
damage,” Dr Biddulph said.
“Frost events that
occur during grain fill also contribute to significant losses through increased
screenings and quality down grading.”
Dr Biddulph said the
project builds on South Australian and Queensland work on frost tolerance.
“Each frost is different,
so it is important to measure the time, duration and severity of each event
and how it relates to the performance of the plant,” he said.
“By understanding
how a range of material response with different frosts will lead to a better
understanding of the mechanisms required for plant breeders to develop more
frost tolerant varieties.”
The barley varieties
involved in the trial include Gairdner, Kaputar (Qld), Stirling, Gilbert (Qld)
and several pre-breeding lines, while the wheat lines are Wyalkatchem, Young
and Kite (Qld).
“This project is not
comparing varieties, rather it is looking at how different varieties react
to local conditions and the relationship between different environments,”
Dr Biddulph said.
“The first year of
the trial last year revealed genetic variation for frost tolerance with minor
frosts but it is really too early to provide any concrete information.”
A group of Japanese
researchers recently visited the site to examine the barley lines, some of
which originally came from Japanese plant material.
The Cuballing site
can be viewed at the Facey Group Spring Field Day on Wednesday, 16 September.
For more information about the field day contact Carmen Bayley on 9888 1223.
Picture caption: Department
of Agriculture and Food research officer Dr Ben Biddulph (left) and Dr Atsushi
Oyangi, Senior Researcher, National Institute of Crop Science, Tsukuba, Japan
at the WA national frost trial at Cuballing inspecting frost damage in Japanese
derived barley material during a field visit in late July.
More news from:
.
Queensland,
Department of Primary Industries
.
Western
Australia, Department of Primary Industries
Website: http://www.adelaide.edu.au
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=9698&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++
1.09 APB-SABRAO Plant Breeding
Conference Keynote presentations available at
14th Australasian Plant Breeding Conference
and 11th Society for the Advancement of Breeding Research in Asia
and Oceania (SABRAO) Congress 2009.
Held at the Cairns
Convention Centre, Tropical North Queensland, Australia.
According to Dr. Nils
Berding, Conference Chair, “The combined meeting has come at a time when our
discipline of crop improvement faces critical challenges. These include dealing
with the implications of climate change, and the need to develop new adaptations
and explore new germplasm to maintain productivity. The questions of food
security, development and maintenance of sustainability production systems,
and the production of ‘healthy foods’, a newly developing field in our discipline,
will require our focussed attention to deliver acceptable solutions.”
The theme of the conference,
Contemporary crop Improvement: A Tropical View, highlighted the crucial role
the tropics play in our world – the greater portion of the world’s population
lives in the tropics, and lives predominantly in developing nations, and all
the challenges our discipline faces are highlighted to an even greater degree
here.
The conference organizers,
with the permission of most of the presenters, are making the keynote addresses
available on the
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Literature and Views/Meeting Presentations and Proceedings
1.10 African universities told to get agricultural research
to farmers
Accra, Ghana
3 August 2009
by Charles Mkoka
African universities
must embrace agricultural research and development — and ensure such research
is translated into policy and meets the needs of its farmers, a meeting has
heard.
Richard Mkandawire,
head of the Comprehensive
Agricultural Action Programme (CAADP) at The
New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), said African tertiary
institutions continue to be perceived as ivory towers in many countries.
"The post-colonial
state has failed to embrace tertiary institutions in national development,"
Mkandawire said at a dialogue between universities and agricultural organisations
in Accra, Ghana, this week (28–31 July).
He urged African universities
to work together through the African Universities Forum Network to embrace
the CAADP action plan, agreed by African heads of state in 2003.
The plan was endorsed
as a vision for the restoration of agricultural growth, food security, and
rural development in Africa. CAADP seeks an average annual growth rate of
six per cent in agriculture — yet to be met by most African governments.
Sheryl Hendricks —
head of agricultural science and agribusiness at the University of KwaZulu-Natal,
South Africa — says institutions should carry out evidence-based research
and disseminate both research results and examples of best practice to farmers
and policymakers.
But Monty Jones, executive
director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), says that
the continent will need a US$4.4 billion annual investment to effectively
carry out agricultural research and development — almost double its current
budget.
"Africa's entire
research and development budget is US$2.2 billion annually. Regional bodies
such as NEPAD, the African Union and FARA provide close to a further US$500
million a year and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
provide US$250 million to sixteen research centres," he told SciDev.Net.
"As a continent
we would love to benefit from the G8 allocation of US$20 billion allocated
to the developing world to make up the shortfall," he says (see G8 pledges
$US20 billion for agriculture).
Jones says there is
also an urgent need to build institutional support and human capacity by training
plant breeders, agronomists and plant pathologists — and that governments
should improve infrastructure so that food can move faster from the producer
to the consumer, for example.
The meeting was jointly
organised by FARA, The
More news from: SciDev.Net
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=9595&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SciDevNet via SeedQuest.com
1.11 Challenges to choosing the best
cultivars for crop production
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
19 August 2009
A recent study published in Crop
Science reveals that the biplot method of cultivar analysis has limitations
in its functionality and capability.
Selection of a crop cultivar is one of the most important management decisions
a farmer makes. However, choosing a cultivar for a particular environment,
depending on the location or year, is an immense challenge because of unpredictable
performance of cultivars across environments. This relationship is known
as genotype-by-environment interaction (GE). Despite continued efforts
to breed for cultivars with wide adaptability, GE is still a major impediment
to reliable identification of superior cultivars for optimal production.
Over the past several decades, numerous statistical methods have been developed
to facilitate the analysis and understanding of complex GE variability in
regional cultivar trials, enhancing researchers ability to correctly identify
superior cultivars. However, some of these methods have been overutilized
or abused to a point that dubious results and conclusions may have been drawn.
Rong-Cai Yang, a scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development
and University of Alberta, along with
his collaborators Jose Crossa and Juan Burgueńo, from International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
(CIMMYT), and Paul Cornelius from the University
of Kentucky, has taken the issue to one of these methods. This findings
of this study is featured in the September-October 2009 issue of Crop Science,
providing a critical evaluation of the biplot analysis of cultivars.
Biplot, a scatter plot that simultaneously displays points or scores for
genotypes and environments, has been extensively used for studying GE or any
two-way data table. Its descriptive and visualization capabilities along with
the availability of user-friendly software have enabled plant scientists to
examine any two-way data by a click on a computer button. However, according
to Yang, the problem is the utility and interpretations of such biplots beyond
their functionality and capability.
"A biplot is simply a descriptive, graphical tool for a quick view
of GE data but it cannot be used for hypothesis testing because there is no
uncertainty measure," says Yang, whose research was supported by Alberta
Agriculture and Rural Development and the Natural Sciences and Engineering
Research Council of Canada.
Yang and his co-authors used their own wealth of experiences and expertise
with GE analysis to identify and discuss six critical issues arising from
the use of biplot analysis. These authors stressed that mere subjective judgment
calls from visualization of biplots would not be sufficient. They recommended
the use of confidence regions for individual genotype and environment scores
in biplots, thereby selecting and recommending cultivars on sound statistical
and scientific bases. In particular, they proposed the use of a bootstrap
re-sampling strategy for constructing such confidence regions. Research is
ongoing to add statistical inference capability
to the biplot analysis for sound decision on cultivar selection and recommendation.
The full article is available for no charge for 30 days following the date
of this summary. View the abstract at http://crop.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/49/5/1564.
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=9951&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: CSSA
- Crop Science Society of America via SeedQuest.com
1.12 Embrapa Wheat starts a new research project about resistance to Wheat Blast
Disease
Since April’2009, Embrapa (Brazilian Organization for Agricultural Research,
is an agency of Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply)
has committed US$ 130,000 in research to resistance to wheat blast, a fungal
disease first reported in Brazil, in 1985.
Currently, wheat blast is spread all over Brazil’s wheat growing regions
and in some countries of Latin America, as Bolivia and Paraguay, and it may
pose an immediate threat to wheat production.
The pathogen attacks wheat rachis and the ear becomes white starting from
the infection point. Only a few wheat cultivars have shown moderate resistance
to this fungus, which is different from that of rice.
Gisele Torres (gtorres@cnpt.embrapa.br),
molecular geneticist from Embrapa Wheat, is the leadership of the project
named Wheat Blast Genes Interaction. She explains that the main
objectives of the project are: 1) phenotyping a core collection of wheat in
response to infection by Pyricularia
grisea and 2) prospection of genes related to resistance to the pathogen.
“Wheat BGIn Project” count with a multidisciplinary team and will be running
for the next 3 years (2009 – 2012). Although wheat blast disease has been
identified in Brazil since the 80’s, no resistant genotypes have been developed
so far.
Contributed by Gisele Torres
Molecular Geneticist
- Leadership of the Wheat Blast Project
Embrapa Wheat
Brazilian Agricultural
Research Corporation
Ministry of Agriculture,
Livestock and Food Supply
1.13 Supplying the world
(Editor’s Note: This item was inadvertent combined with
another article in item 1.05 in the July 2009 Newsletter.)
Increasing at only 0.9% each year, wheat production is
lagging behind the demands of a global population that grows 1.5% or more
annually. Recent price spikes, local grain shortages, and associated civil
unrest show the dangers of complacency regarding supplies of key food crops
like wheat. A
Source: CIMMYT http://www.cimmyt.org/english/wps/news/2009/jun/wheatFacts.htm
1.14 Scientists Team Up to End Malnutrition
in Africa
Three organizations based in Missouri, the St. Louis Children's Hospital,
the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and Washington University School
of Medicine, have started a new program that aims to end malnutrition in the
developing world, particularly in Africa. The focus of the newly formed Global
Harvest Alliance (GHA) will be to create low-cost, nutritionally complete
foods to prevent and treat all forms of under-nutrition. Plant and physician-scientists
from the Missouri-based organizations will work together to develop nutrient-rich
and pest and disease-resistant crops that can be disseminated through smallholder
farmers.
The GHA team will be headed by Mark Manary, a professor of pediatrics at
the Washington University School of Medicine. Manary is well known for his
work on a fortified, peanut-butter based food that is widely used in developing
countries to treat severe malnutrition. "People in the developing world
derive most of their nutrients from plants; plants constitute 90% of the diet
of many Africans," said Manary. "Therefore effective prevention
strategies must include food crops that provide more complete nutrition."
Researchers are now testing vitamin A and protein-fortified cassava varieties
in greenhouses in the United States. The scientists said that these varieties
are expected to be widely available in Africa within the next 10 years, improving
survival-rates and quality of life for millions of children and families that
would otherwise suffer malnutrition.
For more information, read http://www.danforthcenter.org/newsmedia/NewsDetail.asp?nid=170
Source: Crop Biotech Update
31 July 2009:
Contributed by Margaret
Smith
Dept. Of Genetics
and Plant Breeding
Cornell University
Mes25@cornell.edu
1.15 Regulatory changes enacted a decade ago appear to be
responsible for dramatically slowing the flow of quality-improving agricultural
biotechnology innovations
Davis, California,
USA
21 August 2009
Regulatory changes
enacted a decade ago appear to be responsible for dramatically slowing the
flow of quality-improving agricultural biotechnology innovations to a mere
trickle, reports a team of agricultural economists and biotechnology experts.
Findings from the
study, published in the August issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology, suggest that the slowdown
may have lasting social welfare costs, such as the delay of nutritional improvements,
production efficiencies and environmental protections.
"One of the great
frustrations in the agricultural biotechnology community has been the failure
of many new products with enhanced quality traits -- such as nutritional content,
ripening control and processing attributes -- to reach consumers and processers,"
said Gregory Graff, an agricultural economist now at Colorado State University.
Graff led the study
as a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis, working with Alan Bennett, a UC
Davis plant science professor and executive director of the Public Intellectual
Property Resource for Agriculture (PIPRA), and David Zilberman, a professor
of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Berkeley.
"While biotech
innovations with on-farm production traits -- such as insect resistance and
herbicide tolerance -- moved through the research and development pipeline
relatively quickly, commercialization of product-quality innovations failed
to materialize," Bennett said. "It had been hoped that these products
would directly benefit the general public and change public perception of
agricultural biotechnology."
To investigate the
cause for the delay in commercializing product-quality innovations, the researchers
conducted two surveys, one looking back on the history of 558 product-quality
innovations and another looking forward at 49 quality-innovations expected
to be developed by the year 2015.
The retrospective
study found that many research breakthroughs related to flower color and fruit
ripening occurred in the 1980s, when agricultural biotechnology was in its
infancy. It was expected that research and development in these areas would
have grown during the 1990s as new products entered the market. Instead, innovation
in product-quality innovation leveled off around 1998 and then declined.
"That drop-off
seems to be most closely linked to the halting of regulatory approvals for
agbiotech products in Europe in 1998 and the repercussions that had for regulators
in other countries," said Zilberman. "While those regulatory responses
were largely directed at controlling the risks of early pest-control biotechnologies,
it may have contributed to a slowdown in the commercialization of product-quality
innovations."
The study was funded
in part by a grant from the Council for Biotechnology Information.
The contraction of
agbiotech product quality innovation
Gregory D Graff, David
Zilberman, Alan B Bennett
Nature Biotechnology
27, 702-704 (August 2009) doi:10.1038/nbt0809-702 Opinion and Comment
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=9841&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.16
ARS Helps Preserve Indigenous Crops in Ecuador
As a result of thousands of years of farming, the Andes, in the area around
the Cotacachi region holds a stunning diversity of crops not known outside
the area. With more and more people working away from the farms, the diverse
crops and the associated cultural traditions need to be preserved.
A group of botanists and biodiversity experts led by Karen A. Williams
of the US Department of Agriculture National Germplasm Resources Laboratory
in Beltsville, Maryland, USA set up the Cotacachi project where scientists
at Ecuador's National Department of Plant Genetic Resources saved samples
of the crop diversity in the genebank. The farmers have also been their partner
in seed exchange, evaluation of crop varieties, and in food processing and
packaging of products made from their indigenous crops.
See the press release at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/090803.htm
Source: Crop Biotech Update
7 August 2009:
Contributed by Margaret
Smith
Dept. Of Genetics
and Plant Breeding
Cornell University
Mes25@cornell.edu
1.17 Unlocking the Genetic Secrets
of Maize
Two papers published in this week's Science report major discoveries
in maize genetics that could revolutionize maize breeding. Researchers from
the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and several US universities,
found that there are no 'big genes' or gene regions that control complex traits
in maize. Instead, they established that the genetic variation in the crop
is a product of "genes working together, each with a small effect that
could be manipulated by breeders."
Ed Buckler and colleagues developed and assessed more than 1 million maize
plants to identify the genes involved in flowering time. "We looked as
hard as we could for big genes and big effects, but they don't exist,"
Buckler said. "Instead, there are lots of smaller genes around the genome
that contribute to flowering time." The team identified 29-56 quantitative
trait loci (QTLs) affecting flowering time.
Studying the more than 1,100 marker genes that characterize genetic inheritance,
the researchers found that generally, for the vast majority of the genome,
each parent contributed about half. But they also observed subtle differences,
"indicating that many genes had small effects on reproductive success."
In another paper, the researchers reported that they have uncovered for
the first time an important pattern in gene recombination, where large parts
of the genome fail to recombine near the center of a hybrid maize's chromosome.
This pattern is said to contribute to hybrid vigor.
The articles published by Science are available to subscribers
at http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1174320
and http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1174276
For more information, read http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/090806.2.htm
and http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Aug09/maizeGenetics.html
Source: Crop Biotech Update
7 August 2009:
Contributed by Margaret
Smith
Dept. Of Genetics
and Plant Breeding
Cornell University
Mes25@cornell.edu
1.18 Speciation by Polyploidy Common
in Plants, Study Finds
Polyploidy, the heritable increase in genome copy number, has long been
suspected to play a key role in the origin of new plant species. Around 40
to 80 percent of today's angiosperms are thought to be polyploid. However,
current estimates suggest that as few as three or four percent of plant species
came about through more recent polyploidy-related speciation events.
Recently, a team of researchers from the University of Münster in Germany,
University of Alaska in the US and University of British Columbia in Canada,
presented evidences that polyploidy is a major force in plant speciation.
The researchers showed that 15 percent of flowering plant species and more
than 30 percent of fern species are directly derived from polyploidy. The
researchers, led by Troy Wood, employed a combination of cytogenetic and phylogenetic
approaches to study the frequency of polyploidy across a diverse sample of
vascular plant genera, particularly with respect to appearance of new plant
species.
However, the researchers found that plant lineages starting with a polyploid
ancestor appear to be no more successful at producing species than diploid
plants. Loren Rieseberg, one of the paper's co-authors, noted "The fact
that polyploidy seems to have no effect on diversification rates should reduce
the number of enthusiastic commentaries about the 'advantages of polyploidy.'"
The paper published by PNAS is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0811575106
Read http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/11604.html
for more information
Source: Crop Biotech Update
20 August 2009:
Contributed by Margaret
Smith
Dept. Of Genetics
and Plant Breeding
Cornell University
Mes25@cornell.edu
1.19 Global team develops tools to unravel diversity of rice
Los Bańos, Philippines - By looking at what different types of rice have
in common, a team of international scientists is unlocking rice's genetic
diversity to help conserve it and find valuable rice genes to help improve
rice production.
Rice is the world's most important food crop. Understanding its valuable
genetic diversity and using it to breed new rice varieties will provide the
foundation for improving rice production in the future and securing global
food supplies.
Recently published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences (PNAS) are the findings of the research team, which scrutinized the
genomes of twenty different types of genetically diverse rice used in international
breeding.
For the IRRI press release visit http://beta.irri.org/news/
From IRRI:
Contributed by Margaret
Smith
Dept. Of Genetics
and Plant Breeding
Cornell University
1.20 First submergence-tolerant rice variety released in
the Philippines
Manila, The Philippines
4 August 2009
The first submergence-tolerant
rice variety in the Philippines was released during the 27th Council Secretariat
Meeting on July 7.
NSIC Rc194 (aka Submarino
1) is IR64 infused with submergence tolerance gene (Sub1), which was discovered
by the International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI) and the University of California-Davis
from an Indian rice variety FR13A.
“Submarino 1 is a
non-genetically engineered rice plant that can survive, grow and develop even
after 10 days of complete submergence in water at vegetative stage,” said
Dr. Nenita V. Desamero, DA-PhilRice
plant breeder and team leader of the on-farm testing of submergence rice in
the Philippines.
Under favorable condition,
Submarino 1 will have the same yield performance as IR64 (4.5 t/ha), but under
complete submergence, Submarino 1 will survive and recover.
Submarino 1 matures
in 112-116 days with a plant height of 90-95 cm. Desamero, however, advises
farmers not to grow Submarino 1 in blast- and tungro-stricken areas.
Before the 2008 wet
season (WS), Submarino 1 was first introduced to farmers in San Antonio, Nueva
Ecija, which is a catch basin of the neighboring municipalities during the
rainy season.
Recently, DA-PhilRice,
together with the 12 DA-Regional Field Units, has started conducting adaptation
trials of Submarino 1 and other Sub1 lines such as Swarna-Sub1, IR49830-7-1-2-3
and PhilRice lines in selected municipalities around the country.
For the seed increase
of Submarino 1, 0.3 ha is allotted for the production of breeder seeds and
0.5 ha for foundation seeds this 2009 wet season, but will expand in the 2010
dry season. More commercial seeds will be made available to target farmers
by 2010 WS.
The collaborative
project of DA-PhilRice and IRRI “Implementation plans to disseminate submergence
tolerant rice varieties and associated new production practices to Southeast
Asia” is funded by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
http://www.seedquest.com/News/releases/2009/august/27061.htm
Source: PhilRice via SeedQuest.com
1.21 The resistant rice of the future
Cross-breeding
could create rice varieties that can survive flooding and fungi.
Elie Dolgin
Japanese research teams have pinpointed the genes in hardy varieties of rice
that help the plants to outgrow rising paddy-field waters and fend off fungal
infections. Having these genes in more vulnerable rice varieties could save
billions of dollars and feed millions more people.
The two papers are "very welcome at a time of increasingly difficult
challenges to rice growing", says Michael Jackson, a plant physiologist
at the University of Bristol, UK.
In the first study, published in Nature1
on 19 August, Motoyuki Ashikari, at Nagoya University in Japan, and his colleagues
found two genes that help plants to keep their leaves above water when partially
submerged. In the second study, published in Science2
on 20 August, a team led by Shuichi Fukuoka at the National Institute of Agrobiological
Sciences in Tsukuba, Japan, has found a gene that helps some types of rice
fight off fungal infection — and successfully isolated it from a linked stretch
of
Snorkel genes
The Nature study focused on the threat posed by deep flooding, which
affects more than 25% of global rice-producing land. Most rice plants (Oryza
sativa) die if completely submerged for more than a few days. But some
rice varieties can survive the conditions by rapidly shooting up in height.
These plants are typically far less productive, however, so researchers have
sought the genes responsible for flood tolerance in the hope of introducing
them into high-yielding rice varieties.
In 2006, a team led by David Mackill at the International Rice Research Institute
in the Philippines discovered similar flood-tolerance genes — a genetic cluster
called Submergence 1 that allowed plants to survive for more than two weeks
by entering a dormant state when completely submerged3
(see 'Rice
made to breathe underwater').
Some varieties of rice can grow very tall to survive flooding.M.Ashikari
Ashikari
Julia Bailey-Serres, a molecular geneticist at the University of California,
Riverside, says that the Submergence and Snorkel genes can now be crossed
into common rice varieties to protect crops exposed to different flooding
scenarios. When flooding is deep and quick, Submergence genes might be best;
but when floodwaters climb in a progressive and prolonged fashion, Snorkel
genes will be more effective. "It provides two strategies and they both
have their importance," she says.
Intriguingly, the same plant hormone, ethylene, stimulates both the escape
strategies. "What has happened with natural selection apparently is that
that pathway is where things are tweaked evolutionarily," says Bailey-Serres.
The mutation in the Snorkel pathway probably came first, though, adds Ashikari.
Some wild rice species possess Snorkel genes, whereas only domesticated breeds
contain the Submergence genes, he says.
Fighting fungus
Flooding is not the only threat to the world
The team cloned a gene called Pi21, and showed that plants with two
rare deletions had around 10 times fewer blast lesions than wild-type rice,
yet these same plants tasted awful. Fukuoka
Both research teams are breeding more-durable rice varieties. No genetic engineering
is required, says Ashikari, because all of these genes can be transferred
by crossing. Once these new cultivars are made, however, they still need to
be tested — both in the paddy and on the plate. "We need to see how these
behave in field situations and how they can be used in a rice breeding programme,"
says Mackill.
- References
- Hattori, Y. et al. Nature
advance online publication doi:10.1038/nature08258
(2009).
- Fukuoka, S. et al. Science
325, 998-1001 (2009). | Article
- Xu, K. et al. Nature 442, 705-708
(2006). | Article | PubMed | ChemPort |
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090820/full/news.2009.841.html
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.22 Nigeria to roll out fungus-resistant soybean crops
17 August 2009
by Semiu Babalola
A variety of soybean
resistant to a devastating Asian rust will soon be widely available in West
and Central Africa. The rust, a fungal disease that entered Africa in 1996,
can wipe out 80 per cent of infected crops.
Scientists from the
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
(IITA) in Nigeria and the country
They say it will drastically
reduce the rust problem as it has resistance genes for all known types of
rust in Nigeria.
"The [rust resistant]
variety can be used for direct cultivation in tropical Africa or as a source
of resistance genes in soybean breeding programmes," says IITA soybean
breeder, Hailu Tefera. "It was previously released in Uganda by Makerere
University and has also already shown excellent performance in trials carried
out in southern Africa."
Nigeria, South Africa
and Uganda are the largest producers of soybean in Africa, according to the
UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
In 1999, farmers in
southwest Nigeria found the leaves of their immature soybean crop rapidly
turning brown and falling off, leaving only straggly stems. Tests confirmed
the cause was the rust fungus, Phakopsora pachyrhizi.
The breakthrough is
important because farmers can plant the new variety without applying expensive
anti-rust chemicals. In 2003 — just two years after Asian rust arrived — Brazil
lost US$2 billion in soybean harvests despite spending US$400 million on fungicides.
"The new cultivar
does not solve the general problem of [all] fungal disease on plants but it
does provide relief to farmers faced with the challenges of rust disease without
any other solution," Olumide Shokalu, the
He says the seeds
will be available to farmers by the start of the new cropping season in 2010.
The National Agricultural Seed Council and
But Nasiru Ibrahim,
of the department of agriculture at Nigeria
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=9743&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: Source: SciDev.Net
via SeedQuest.com
1.23 Creating the ultimate drought-resistant lawn/pasture
grass
Washington, DC, USA
17 August 2009
Bluegrass hybrids
ideal for pasture and for lawns could be developed faster using genetic markers
developed by an Agricultural Research Service
(ARS) scientist.
ARS geneticist Jason Goldman
at the agency’s Southern
Plains Range Research Station in Woodward, Okla., identified nine
Goldman’s goal is
a Kentucky bluegrass-like lawn or pasture grass that is highly tolerant to
drought. The research is part of the laboratory’s program for breeding perennial
cool-season forage grasses for the southern Great Plains as alternatives to
wheat and other annual crops.
Texas bluegrass is
native to southern Kansas, Oklahoma, western Arkansas and most of Texas. It
tolerates heat and drought, but produces seed that is difficult to harvest
and re-plant. It also lacks the turf quality of Kentucky bluegrass. Kentucky
bluegrass is not tolerant to heat and drought, but has excellent turf characteristics
and produces seed that is easy to harvest and clean.
Goldman’s goal is
to combine them into one variety with a broader geographic range than Kentucky
bluegrass, while retaining Kentucky bluegrass’ good qualities. The hybrid
must also retain Kentucky bluegrass’ ability to produce seed that breeds true,
ensuring identical progeny.
Goldman plans further
tests to cross Texas bluegrass with other bluegrass species in addition to
Kentucky bluegrass, and to see if the markers can be used for other purposes,
such as identifying markers linked to desirable or undesirable plant traits.
This research was
published in the journal Plant Breeding.
ARS is the principal
intramural scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=9739&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.24 ‘Fragrant’ GM maize against pests
Germany
20 August 2009
Researchers at the
German University of Neuenburg have used genetic technology to restore to
maize a scent that defends it from pests. The maize then attracts nematodes
that kill harmful insects in the root area of the plant.
Maize plants release
certain scents to combat a variety of insects such as the maize root borer.
The larvae of this insect eat root hairs and bore into the root of the plant.
In North America,
the maize or ‘corn’ root borer is responsible for enormous harvest losses,
the value of which may reach more than a billion dollars per year. In collaboration
with the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, researchers
at the Neuenburg University discovered that many maize varieties in the USA
no longer produce such chemical cries for help against the root borer.
Scent gene from oregano
Researchers transferred
a gene from the oregano herb into a variety of maize. The gene controls the
release of the scent molecules and, according to the scientists, this new
strategy teams biological pest control with biotechnology. This genetically
modified maize already has been tested in field trials in the USA. The maize
attracted nematodes and displayed significantly less root damage from the
corn root borer. The number of root borers was reduced by 60 per cent in comparison
with conventional maize, which means that the effectiveness of the method
is approximately as high as is the case with the application of insecticides.
The researchers state that this new process provides novel possibilities in
the battle against the corn root borer.
In European varieties
of maize and in its forebears, the signal to attract the larva-killing nematodes
still is present. Therefore, this trait also could be re-crossed into the
American varieties through conventional breeding. However, according to the
scientists, one achieves this goal more quickly through gene technology.
The goal of the scientists
now is to improve the defense system of maize. They assume that this strategy
also may be applied in the protection of other plants.
See also on GMO-Compass:
Breeding
Aims: Pest Resistant Crops
Website: http://www.gmo-compass.org
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=9837&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.25 Breeding tomatoes that please
consumers
Montfavet, France
24 July 2009
For many years, tomato breeding programmes took greater account of yield,
disease-resistance, adaptation, greenhouse cultivation or commercial qualities
(appearance, homogeneity, lifespan, firmness) than of the flavour and aroma
of the fruits. It is therefore not surprising that some consumers complain
about a lack of flavour in the tomatoes currently available on the market.
The EU-
A clearer understanding of Europe-wide consumer preferences will allow
breeders to better take account of this criterion in their breeding schemes
and to identify the most relevant traits to be selected. In the context of
the European EU-
Other researchers working on this project studied how it would be possible
to enhance the flavour of tomatoes, because this is one of the traits targeted
by consumers. The flavour of a tomato is closely linked to its sugar content.
Some wild-type tomato varieties contain high levels of sugars or acids, but
these traits are always associated with small fruit size. It is thus not easy
to improve sugar content without detracting from fruit size. The scientists
thus tried to better understand this negative correlation by working on a
population of tomatoes arising from the crossing of two lines, Solanum lycopersicum
(cultivated tomato) and Solanum chmielewskii (a wild-type, non-comestible
species) from the genetic, genomic, metabolomic and physiological points of
view. They showed that the link between sugar content and fruit size varied
in different lines, and could depend not only on the number of cells in the
fruit, but also on water fluxes and competition between fruits. More detailed
approaches integrating genetics, genomics and physiology were also implemented
to analyse fruit firmness or their composition in secondary metabolites (aromas,
carotenoids and vitamins).
In parallel with this research, other scientists are creating the genomics
tools necessary for these studies. Several European laboratories (including
some in France) are participating in sequencing the tomato genome; populations
of mutants are thus being developed and characterised and the complicated
bioinformatics infrastructure necessary to manage the resulting mass of data
is being organised.
Source: UR1052 Fruit and
Vegetable Genetics and Breeding Unit UGAFL via SeedQuest.com
Project website: www.eu-sol.net
1.26 Fungus resistance gene found
in rice
24 August 2009
by Justine Davies
Scientists in Japan have found a way to create high-yielding rice with
long-lasting resistance to the devastating rice blast fungus.
Sufficient rice to feed 60 million people is destroyed by the blast fungus,
Magnaporthe grisea — also known as Magnaporthe oryzae — every year.
Some rice is naturally resistant but is often also of lower yield. Now
a team led by Shuichi Fukuoka from the National Institute of Agrobiological
Sciences in Japan has engineered good quality rice that is both resistant
to blast disease and high-yielding.
Their research was published in Science last week (21 August).
By comparing japonica rice that is resistant to blast disease with rice
that succumbs to infection, Fukuoka found that a change in a key gene called
Pi21 can mean the difference between devastating infection and mild disease.
Fukuoka says even plants with the resistant form of the gene become infected,
but "The damage they suffer is not so serious, making it possible to
reduce the amount of fungicide used by 50 per cent."
He says his team's findings will be particularly useful in mountainous
areas where blast disease is a serious threat.
There have been many previous attempts to engineer resistant rice strains
by making specific adjustments to plant immunity to allow the plants to recognise
and resist the fungus.
But according to Nick Talbot, professor of molecular genetics at Exeter
University in the UK, many of these modifications have a field life of just
2–3 years, as the fungus is quick to find ways to circumvent them and avoid
being recognised.
Having the resistant form of Pi21, however, means a plant increases its
defences against infection in general, making it much harder for the blast
fungus to find a way to take hold, says Talbot.
He says the Japanese researchers have made a big discovery with universal
applicability. When this is combined with other methods of engineering rice,
scientists may be in a position to "exclude blast infections in a durable
manner".
Fukuoka has also managed to isolate the resistant form of Pi21, meaning
it can be separated from other genes associated with poor yield. Previously
this has been difficult because when scientists have tried to transfer the
resistant Pi21 gene into new strains of rice, the genes affecting quality
have also hitched a ride.
Fukuoka says the fact that his research has shown the exact location of
the Pi21 gene means scientists can ensure it is not replaced by a more vulnerable
form when breeding new rice strains.
Link to full article in Science
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=9947&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source:SciDev.Net via SeedQuest.com
1.27 Shatter resistant Brassicas
An international team of scientists has made a major advance in understanding
the problem of pod shatter in Brassica crops such as oilseed rape. As well
as losing 10-25% of valuable seeds, it results in runaway `volunteer' seedlings
that contaminate the next crop in the rotation cycle. Using the related model
plant Arabidopsis, Lars Řstergaard and JIC colleagues have discovered
that by artificially producing the plant hormone, auxin, in a specific region
of the fruit, they can stop the fruit opening, completely sealing the seeds
inside. ...more
Advances is available in both PDF and as a
web version at www.jic.ac.uk/corporate/about/publications/
Source: Advances, Issue 13: Summer 2009
1.28 Discovering Soybean Plants Resistant
to Aphids
Insect resistance breeding is always a race against time before the currently
resistant variety loses its efficacy against new insect biotypes. This is
what researchers at the University of Illinois experienced. After the initial
discovery of soybean aphids in the summer of 2000, the researchers screened
18,000 different accessions and came up with two soybean lines, Dowling
and Jackson, having the same resistance genes, and PI200538 with a different
resistance gene against the aphid. Soybean varieties adapted to the Midwest
were recipients of resistance genes from Dowling and were able to control
the prevailing aphid biotype.
However, a new aphid biotype was found to be resistant to the Dowling resistance
genes. It was fortunate that the third soybean line PI200538 can overcome
the new aphid biotype. Breeding strategies are now geared towards stacking
the two insect resistance genes into one soybean variety. "We hope that
we can develop a plant with a number of resistance genes so that if any one
of them breaks down, the plant would still be resistant." UI scientist
Brian Diers said. He further added that, "Farmers have been controlling
soybean aphids by spraying insecticides. If we can deploy resistance, this
could reduce the use of these insecticides, which will have many environmental
benefits."
For details see the press release at: http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news4863.html
Source: Crop Biotech Update
14 August 2009:
Contributed by Margaret
Smith
Dept. Of Genetics
and Plant Breeding
Cornell University
Mes25@cornell.edu
1.29 The bridge between basic photosynthesis
research and crop breeding∗
Rodomiro Ortiz§, Matthew Reynolds, Jonathan H. Crouch and Thomas
A. Lumpkin∫
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Apdo. Postal
6-641, 06600 Mexico, D.F., Mexico
“The key role of the CGIAR in providing
food security through continued increased production of the major staples
must be sustained, but with an increasing emphasis as a provider of novel
genes for adaptation and yield enhancement.”
CGIAR, 2006, p. 25
High on the list of top-10 evolutionary milestones for helping make and
keep the Earth lush (Leslie 2009), photosynthesis is the process by which
plants, some bacteria, and some protistans use sunlight to produce sugar that
cellular respiration converts into ATP –the "fuel" used by all living
things. Although photosynthesis plays an important role as provider of energy
as well as assimilates for growth and reproduction, the influence of abiotic
stresses, such as salinity and water deficits, and biotic stresses, such as
insect herbivory, on photosynthesis remains unclear (Lawlor 2009).
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (or Rubisco, hereafter)
acts as the primary CO2-fixing enzyme of C3 photosynthesis in about 90% of
terrestrial plants, including major staple crops such as barley, rice, soybean,
and wheat. C3 photosynthesis' ability to use O2 as a substrate instead of
CO2 results, however, in photorespiration—an energy-wasting process. C4 plants—such
as maize, pearl millet, sorghum, and sugarcane—achieve higher photosynthetic
capacities and better water- and nitrogen-use efficiencies than C3 species
(Black 1973). Photorespiration is largely suppressed in the C4 cycle, accumulating
CO2 at the site of Rubisco and inhibiting its oxygenase activity. C4 photosynthesis
is however is as sensitive to water stress as its C3 counterpart or even more
so (Ghannoum 2009).
*************
∗ Paper to be given at a workshop on applying photosynthesis research to
improvement of food crops: to assess the potential for improvement of selected
food crops by increasing photosynthetic capacity, and to define strategies
for developing and applying the photosynthesis research. Canberra, ACT, Australia
2-4 September 2009. Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
– Crawford Foundation – Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
§ New mailing address: Rodomiro Ortiz, Martín Napanga 253, Apt. 101, Miraflores,
Lima 18, Perú
∫ Invited speaker and corresponding author email: t.lumpkin@cgiar.org
Contributed by Rodomiro
Ortiz
CIMMYT
1.30 Scientists devise efficient way of learning about complex
corn traits
Raleigh, North Carolina
6 August 2009
There
Instead, in two research
papers published this week in the journal Science, North Carolina State University crop scientists
and colleagues show that lots of small changes in a number of gene regions
affect complex traits – like flowering time or reproductive ability – in corn.
Finding out more about
the mechanisms behind complex traits like flowering time – as well as even
more difficult-to-map traits like yield or drought tolerance, for example
– has the potential to help plant breeders build the best traits into tomorrow
Holland and Dr. Major
Goodman, NC State professor of crop science, joined with researchers from
Cornell University, the University of Missouri and other institutions to assemble
a set of genetic maize varieties called the maize nested association mapping
population. They found a number of chromosomal regions – called quantitative
trait loci (QTL) – affecting flowering time in corn.
Identifying QTLs can
help scientists get closer to figuring out the actual genes involved in certain
traits. Holland likened it to looking for a specific house in a large city,
with the QTL providing the correct street, but not necessarily the right house.
The scientists found
that an average of 29 to 56 QTLs affected flowering time; the effects of these
QTLs were small.
That finding contrasts
with studies of Arabidopsis, or mustard weed, the ubiquitous lab rat of the
plant world. In that plant, small numbers of QTLs have large effects on genetic
variance.
The scientists also
studied more than 1,100 marker genes that characterize genetic inheritance.
In other words, the researchers wanted to know if genes from one parent are
inherited more frequently than genes from another parent.
While they predicted
that more genes from one parent would be inherited, the study showed that,
for the vast
Holland says that
the nested association mapping population will be a resource for scientists
to both build a better corn plant and to show how changes in the genome produce
differences in individual plant families. That, in turn, will help scientists
make more accurate predictions about complex traits.
"These findings
will be a big help in the future," Holland says. "We can now take
a complicated trait, identify gene regions involved in the trait, and then
use that information in breeding to ensure the best combinations of genes
from different sources or varieties."
The research was funded
by the National Science Foundation and the USDA-ARS.
"The Genetic
Architecture of Maize Flowering Time"
James Holland and
Major Goodman, North Carolina State University; et al
Published: Aug. 7,
2009, in Science
Abstract
Flowering time is
a complex trait that controls adaptation of plants to their local environment
in the outcrossing species Zea mays (maize).We dissected variation for flowering
time with a set of 5,000 recombinant inbred lines (maize Nested Association
Mapping population, NAM). Nearly a million plants were assayed in eight environments
but showed no evidence for any single large effect quantitative trait loci
(QTLs). Instead, we identified evidence for numerous small-effect QTLs shared
among families; however, allelic effects differ across founder lines. We identified
no individual QTLs at which allelic effects are determined by geographic origin
or large effects for epistasis or environmental interactions. Thus, a simple
additive model accurately predicts flowering time for maize, in contrast to
the genetic architecture observed in the selfing plant species, rice and Arabidopsis.
"Genetic Properties
of the Maize Nested Association Mapping Population"
James Holland and
Major Goodman, North Carolina State University; et al
Published: Aug. 7,
2009, in Science
Abstract:
Maize genetic diversity
has been used to understand the molecular basis of phenotypic variation and
to improve agricultural efficiency and sustainability. We crossed 25 diverse
inbred maize lines to the B73 reference line, capturing a total of 136,000
recombination events. Variation for recombination frequencies was observed
among families, influenced by local (cis) genetic variation. We identified
evidence for numerous minor single-locus effects but little two-locus linkage
disequilibrium or segregation distortion, which indicated a limited role for
genes with large effects and epistatic interactions on fitness. We observed
excess residual heterozygosity in pericentromeric regions, which suggested
that selection in inbred lines has been less efficient in these regions because
of reduced recombination frequency. This implies that pericentromeric regions
may contribute disproportionally to heterosis.
Website: http://www.ncsu.edu
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=9452&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source:
SeedQuest.com
3.01 Hortivar, a new database on performance of horticultural
cultivars
A database on performances
of horticultural cultivars in relation to agroecological conditions, cultivation
practices, the occurrence of pests and diseases, and timing of production
Tainan, Taiwan
21 August 2009
Chris Ojiewo, Vegetable Breeder (vBSS)
AVRDC – The World
Vegetable Center
Regional Center for
Africa
Hortivar is a database
hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
on performances of horticultural cultivars in relation to agroecological conditions,
cultivation practices, the occurrence of pests and diseases, and timing of
production.
Vegetables are one
of the six categories of horticultural crops covered in Hortivar.
It is a platform for
horticultural knowledge management and exchange and has been created to improve
the accessibility and dissemination of data/information on varietal performance
of horticultural crops and enhance their use, especially in tropical and sub-tropical
zones.
For AVRDC – The
World Vegetable Center, Hortivar is an interesting communication tool.
During the Vegetable Breeding and Seed Systems (vBSS) Innovation Platform
meeting held at AVRDC Regional Center for Africa in Arusha on 31 July
2009, the Hortivar web site was presented to the 19 participants. “While all
showed strong interest in such a platform and appreciated the efforts by FAO
and its partners to provide horticulturalists with a useful tool, some expressed
their concern about the importance of quality control when new data is fed
in,” says Dr. Chris Ojiewo, vBSS Vegetable Breeder and Hortivar Project Coordinator
at the Center.
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=9839&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=
Source: The World
Vegetable Center Newsletter via
SeedQuest.com
3.02 Materials from Molecular Breeding Platform workshop (5–7 March 2009) now
online
For those readers wishing to learn more about the proposed GCP Molecular
Breeding Platform (
3.03 Molecular-assisted breeding workshop, 29th June–3rd July 2009, Zaragoza,
Spain: Resources now available
Twenty-six participants from around the globe participated
in this Subprogramme 5-supported workshop. Course materials, including abstracts,
presentations and pictures, are accessible at GCP’s Capacity-building Corner.
More
4.01 Support to attend the Plant Molecular Breeding workshop to be held in Cairo,
November, 2009
Dear Professors and Colleagues
The Italian side has accepted to participate in the Plant Molecular Breeding
workshop to be held in Cairo, November, 2009 for 3 days (Nov 15-17). Several
Key Professors from Italy will attend the workshop.
The Italian side will cover its air tickets, while the Egyptian side will
take care of the accommodations, coffee breaks, lunch, poster, internal
accommodation, Gala Dinner and so on.
The Academy of Science and Technology in Egypt will partially fund some
of these activities. Meanwhile, we are still looking for further support from
different agencies inside Egypt to sponsor the workshop.
In this email, I may announce for a Fund Raising campaign to support the
workshop. The academy will supervise on your contribution.
Contributed by Amr Farouk Abdelkhalik
Ministry Of Higher Education And Scientific Research
Egypt
Preliminary agenda for: Year
of Science Italy – Egypt
Conference: Molecular Breeding For Cereal Development in the Mediterranean Area
Location: Egypt, Cairo, November 15-17, 2009
Riccardo Aleandri
Elisabetta Lupotto
Rice research and varietal development
in Italy
Mario Motto
Gene discovery for improving
kernel-quality related traits.
Annamaria Mastrangelo
Genomic approaches for improvement of
durum wheat.
Maria Grazia D’Egidio
Durum wheat quality in raw material
and products
Paolo Ranalli
Genomic advances in crop plants for industrial end uses: case studies.
Contributed by Amr Farouk Abdelkhalik
Ministry Of Higher Education And Scientific Research
Egypt
4.02 Cooperation call for Africa
through FP7 (Seventh
Framework Programme).
The EU has launched a specific cooperation call for Africa through FP7
(Seventh Framework Programme). You may find more details
in the following link
(http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.FP7DetailsCallPage&call_id=268
).
In such call you need to find your African and EU partners.
FP7-AFRICA-2010
- Environment
(including Climate Change)
- Health
- Food,
Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology
Information Package | Electronic Proposal Submission Service (EPSS)
Additional Documents | Get Support | Build Your Consortium
FP7-AFRICA-2010
EPSS is now available
for this call for proposals
Identifier: FP7-AFRICA-2010
Publication Date: 30
July 2009
Budget: € 63
000 000
Deadline: 14
January 2010 at 17:00:00 (Brussels local time)
OJ Reference: OJ C177 of 30 July 2009
Coordinated call: No
Joint call: No
Technical Call: No
Specific Programme(s):
Cooperation
Themes: Environment
(including Climate Change); Health; Food, Agriculture and Fisheries,
and Biotechnology
Restrictions to Participation: See eligibility criteria in the work programme
Information Package
Key documents required for the preparation of your proposal.
In order to receive a complete Information Package for this call, you will
need to select the following elements:
1. The call fiche (only available
in .pdf format)
2. The work programme (.pdf format)
3. FP7 factsheets in your preferred
language - an overview of the basic features of this programme (.pdf format)
4. The Guides for Applicants relevant
to the funding schemes used in this call (.pdf format)
Get Support
- View and print relevant National
Contact Points.
- To ensure compliance with ethical issues, further information
is available on http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ethics_en.html
Source: ACSS Biweekly
news: issue No. 16
6.
MEETINGS, COURSES
New listings may include some
program details, while repeat listings will include only basic information.
Visit web sites for additional details.
(Various Dates) University of Nebraska–Lincoln
offers four plant breeding mini-courses for seed industry professionals
University
of Nebraska-Lincoln
Distance Education
& Life-Long Learning Program
Professional development opportunities in plant breeding
at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
offers four plant breeding mini-courses that are excellent professional development
opportunities for seed industry personnel, producers and other agribusiness
professionals. The courses are available via distance delivery, so participants
are able to further their educational and career goals without having to be
present in a traditional classroom. Students have the option of participating
in lectures in real time, as well as viewing archived lectures online. The
courses are available for noncredit professional development, CEU credit,
and regular academic credit at UNL. Instructors are Dr.
The
noncredit registration fee for each course is $150*. Special package pricing
is available for the three mini-courses offered during the Fall 2009 semester.
For
more information or to register, please visit the above-listed Web site or
contact Cathy Dickinson, cdickinson2@unl.edu.
Online courses for Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 include:
Self-Pollinated CropBreeding
·
August 25 –September 24, 2009
·
Course covers the common breeding methods used to improve self-pollinated
crops, such as wheat, rice and barley, and the theoretical basis for self-pollinated
crop breeding.
Germplasm and Genes
·
September 29 – November 3, 2009
·
Course focuses on the importance of creating the necessary
genetic variation resources for conventional and modern plant breeding programs.
Cross-Pollinated CropBreeding
·
November 5 – December 10, 2009
·
Course emphasizes standard breeding methods and theories associated
with population movement of cross-pollinated crops and self-pollinated crops
that are forced to cross-pollinate.
Advanced PlantBreeding Topics
·
March 3 – April 8, 2010
·
Topic for 2010 is heterosis. Course will focus on the genetic
hypotheses and quantitative genetic analyses of heterosis, new tools for studying
heterosis, prediction of heterosis and hybrid performance, heterotic groups
and organization of germplasm, and the mechanisms for making hybrids.
Contact:
Cathy
Dickinson
Admin.
Associate
Department
of Agronomy & Horticulture
University
of Nebraska–Lincoln
279
Plant Sciences Hall
Lincoln,
NE 68583
Voice:
402.472.1730
E-mail:
cdickinson2@unl.edu
http://www.seedquest.com/News/releases/2009/july/26934.htm
++++++++++++
7-9 September 2009. International
Conference on Heterosis in Plants: Genetics and molecular causes and optimal
exploitation in breeding, University of Hohenheim. Stuttgart, Germany.
www.uni-hohenheim.de/heterosis
8–10 September 2009. 2nd World Seed Conference: Responding to the challenges
of a changing world, FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy
Visit the 2nd World Seed Conference website for more information.
9 September 2009. Registrations open for the first of the John Innes
Centenary Events More»
Advances is available in both PDF and HTML format at www.jic.ac.uk/corporate/about/publications/
21–25 September 2009. 1st International Jujube Symposium, Agricultural
University of Hebei, Baoding, China. www.ziziphus.net/2008
24-27 September 2009. Foundations
Centennial Meeting: A celebration of 100 years of private grape breeding with
North American Vitis, Sweet Briar College and Chateau-A, Virginia.
http://chateau-z.com/downloads/Foundations%20Centennial%20Meeting%20announcement.pdf
(New) 28-30 September 2009. 2nd Congress of the Seed
Association of the Americas (
The highlights, activities
and facilities, as well as registration information, can be found by visiting
the Congress’s web page at: www.saaseed.org/2docongreso
This is an ideal opportunity
to meet with government and industry leaders throughout Northern, Central
and South America.
28 Sept. – 1 Oct. 2009. 9th
African Crop Science Society Conference, Cape Town, South Africa. Conference
theme: Science and technology supporting food security in Africa.
http://www.acss2009.up.ac.za.
(New) 5-9
October 2009. Regional Training
Course on Mutation Breeding for Crop Disease Resistance,
11-16 October 2009. Interdrought-
(New) 12-15 October
2009. International
conference on food security and climate change in dry areas, Amman Jordan.
An international conference, focusing on food security issues projected
to be affected by climate change, particularly in the dry areas, will be held
from 12–15 October 2009 in Amman, Jordan. The event will be hosted by Jordan’s
Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with ICARDA and other partners.
More information at http://www.icarda.cgiar.org/Announcement/2009/IntlConfrnc_FoodSecurity/FoodSecurityAndClimateChangeInDryAreas_2009.htm
13-16
October 2009.
12th International Cereal Rusts and Powdery Mildew Conference,
Antalya, Turkey
12th
ICRPMC-2009, Antalya (http://www.icrpmc2009.org and http://www.crpmb.org
(New) 19-23 October 2009. Commission on Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture, Twelfth
Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, Italy
More info: Homepage;
Invitation;
Provisional
agenda
(New) 26-31
October 2009. First RCM on Isolation
and Characterization of Genes Involved in Mutagenesis of Crop Plants,
St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America. Scientific Secretary: P.J.L. Lagoda
1-5 November 2009. Footprints
of Plant Diversity in the Agricultural Landscape. (A symposium of the
CSSA/ASA/SSSA annual meetings, Pittsburgh, PA, USA).
Division contact: 2009 Division Chair Ann Marie Thro,
(New) 2
November – 4 December. Joint FAO/IAEA
International Training Course on Novel Biotechnologies and Molecular Technologies
for Enhancing Mutation Induction Efficiency, Seibersdorf, Austria. Technical
Officer: Chikelu Mba
2
November – 6 December 2009. UPOV distance learning course
Introduction
to the UPOV System of Plant Variety Protection under the UPOV Convention
The UPOV Distance Learning course (DL-205 - Introduction to the UPOV System of Plant
Variety Protection under the UPOV Convention)
(New) 2-6 November 2009. REDBIO Argentina
Target group: Professionals, technicians and advanced students.
Mode: theoretical and practical classes, with final evaluation and certificate.
Load time: 35 h.
Course official language: Spanish language.
Maximum students number: 15.
Accreditation: 85% attendance at lectures, 100% attendance for practical
sessions and final evaluation.
Registration Deadline: September 14, 2009.
Organization and Coordination: Adriana Kato, Alejandro Escandón, Marisol
Alderete and Mariana Perez de la Torre.
Theoretical and practical tuition: ar$ 500. Accredited members of REDBIO
Argentina AC: ar$ 350. Theoretical Cost: ar$ 300. Accredited members of REDBIO
Argentina AC: ar$ 210. Or the equivalent in U.S. dollars.
For more details, please contact: akato@cnia.inta.gov.ar, aescandon@cnia.inta.gov.ar,
malderete@cnia.inta.gov.ar, mpdelatorre@cnia.inta.gov.ar
Contributed by Lejandro Salvio Escandón
Instituto de Floricultura
(CIRN-INTA)
República Argentina
Presidente de REDBIO
Argentina AC
6
to 9 November, 2009, Lima Peru. 15th Triennial Symposium of the International
Society for Tropical Root Crops: Tropical Roots and Tubers in a Changing Climate: A
convenient opportunity for the World, The
International Potato Center, Lima, Peru. http://www.cipotato.info/
9-12
November 2009. OECD-GenomeAssociation-OZ09, The International Centre for
Plant Breeding Education and Research (ICPBER), The University of Western Australia, Perth. www.oecd-genomeassociation-oz09.com
9-13
November 2009. TDWG Annual Conference, Congress Center ‘Le Corum’ in downtown Montpellier,
France. Organized by Agropolis International and Bioversity International.
Detailed
information at: www.tdwg.org/conference2009
(New) 16-17 November 2009. Application of Genomics
Technologies in Plant breeding, Sixth training course of ICRISAT-CEG,
ICRISAT Campus at Patancheru, Greater Hyderabad, India.
ICRISAT's Center of
Excellence in Genomics (CEG, www.icrisat.org/ceg), supported by the Department
of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, is pleased to announce its Sixth
Training Course. The course will provide participants a hands-on opportunity
to gain expertise in the use of molecular markers (SSRs, SNPs and DArTs),
gene/QTL mapping and marker-assisted breeding. The course will focus on the
experimental design and data analysis components of molecular markers, rather
than the actual marker data generation technology. The course also introduces
concepts and prospects of modern genomics tools such as Next Generation Sequencing
technologies and bioinformatics tools and databases in plant breeding. Special
attention will be given on the requirements to utilize a high-throughput marker
service facility such as the one established at the CEG. Since the establishment
in 2007, the CEG has already trained >100 scientists from India and other
developing countries in the area of applications of genomics technologies
in crop improvement.
The Sixth Training
course is open to mainly Indian scientists however, few scientists from developing
countries who have a demonstrable ability to use the techniques taught and
the CEG marker services. Selected Indian participants will be provided
2nd class AC train fare by the shortest route to/from ICRISAT, boarding
and lodging at ICRISAT. Candidates selected from other developing countries
will need to get the sponsorship from either their organization or some other
funding agencies for their travel expenses and the ICRISAT-CEG will be taking
care of their boarding and lodging at ICRISAT. Last date for submitting on
line application is 15 September 2009 at www.icrisat.org/ceg .
For details contact:
Rajeev Varshney, Leader- Centre of Excellence in Genomics and Principal Scientist
(Applied Genomics), ICRISAT, Patancheru, India (e-mail: r.k.varshney@cgiar.org).
Contributed by Rajeev
K. Varshney
Principal Scientist
(Applied Genomics)
International Crops
Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Leader, Sub Programme
2: Genomics towards Gene Discovery, Generation Challenge Programme (GCP, www.generationcp.org)
Mailing Address: Centre
of Excellence in Genomics (CEG), Building # 300
ICRISAT, Patancheru
- 502 324, Greater Hyderabad, INDIA
Tel: 0091 40 30713305;
Fax: 0091 40 3071 3074/ 3075
(New) 16-20
November 2009. Fourth and Final
RCM on Pyramiding of Mutated Genes Contributing to Crop Quality and Resistance
to Stress Affecting Quality, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Scientific
Secretary: Q.Y. Shu
24-26
November 2009. 60th Plant Breeders
Conference, Raumberg, Gumpenstein, Austria
Registration form online at
www.saatgut-austria.at
2-4
December 2009. First ECOSA International
Seed Trade Conference (ECOSA2009), Residence Lara &
Cotact:
Zewdie Bishaw, Head, Seed Section, ICARDA, z.bishaw@cgiar.org
(New)
20-21 December 2009. National Workshop on“Spices and Aromatic plants
in 21st century India”, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics,
S K N College of Agriculture, (Rajasthan Agricultural
University), Jobner 303329
Invitation
Spices and aromatic plants have played an important
role in Indian economy for a long time. These crops are an important export
earner for the agricultural economy of India. While our country is the largest
producer of spices it is also the largest consumer, to the extent that it
becomes imperative to import spices for domestic use.
Several aromatic plants are being cultivated on
a commercial scale, yet the net area under these crops is negligible. Most
of the crops require less water hence they are suited to drier regions of
the country, hence provide a unique opportunity to diversity the cropping
pattern.
Looking into the importance of spices and aromatic
plants in our economy, a National Workshop on “Spices and Aromatic plants
in 21st century India” has been planned to be held at Jobner during
20-21st December, 2009. the workshop is sponsored by Directorate of Arecanut
and Spices Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India, Calicut.
The workshop will provide an opportunity for promotion of commercial cultivation,
processing and export avenues of seed spices and Medicinal Plants.
The Seminar will consist of invited lectures and
presentations by contributors in the form of lectures as well as poster presentations.
In order to encourage young scientists, best posters will be awarded. The
technical sessions will be followed by a farmer-scientist interaction where
the farmers will be benefited by direct interactions with the scientists coming
from various parts of the country.
Theme Areas:
The seminar proposes to discuss the present
status and future strategies for the improvement of spices and aromatic plants in the light of the
following themes-
· Genetic resources and crop improvement
· Crop production and protection
· Commercial exploitation of spices and aromatic
plants
· GAP, HACCP and export standards
· AEZs and Govt agencies in crop promotion
· Organic farming
Call for Papers:
Abstracts and full length research papers are invited
for oral and poster presentations. The abstracts should be typed separately
in 250 words and should be submit ted by 15th September, 2009.
All the accepted papers will be published in the form of proceedings.
Full length papers should not exceed eight pages. The papers should
be typed in MS word in Arial font size 12 in 1.5 space in A4 size paper.
The full length papers should reach the Organizing Secretary (email: Jobnerworkshop@yahoo.in) on or before 30th
September 2009.
Dates to remember:
Seminar: 20th and 21st December, 2009
Submission of abstracts: 15th September,
2009
E-mail: jobnerworkshop@yahoo.in
jobnerworkshop@gmail.com
Submission of full length papers: 30th
September 2009
Contact Address:
Dr. E V Divakara Sastry, Organizing Secretary
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics
S K N College of Agriculture
Rajasthan Agricultural University
Jobner 303329
Workshop e-mail addresses: The abstracts may
be sent to these email addresses-
Jobnerworkshop@yahoo.com
Jobnerworkshop@gmail.com
Workshop web address– www.sknjobner.org (to be updated soon)
Contributed by E V Divakara
Sastry, Organizing Secretary
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics
S K N College of Agriculture
Rajasthan Agricultural University
Jobner 303329
(New) 2-5 February 2010. International Conference on "Green Plant Breeding Technologies",
Vienna, Austria.
"Green Plant
Breeding Technologies" will cover the following topics:
- Doubled Haploids
in Plant Breeding
- Molecular Markers
in Plant Breeding
- Gene Mapping in
Plant Breeding
- Quantitative
- Marker Assisted
Selection
- Crossing Barriers:
Male Sterility
- Crossing Barriers:
Self Incompatibility
- Plant Genetic Resources,
Natural Variability
- Genotype x Environment
Interactions, Heterosis
- Alternative Breeding
Technologies
- Breeding for Physiological
and Morphological Traits
- Breeding for Resistance
to Diseases
- Asexual Reproduction
in Plant Breeding
Amongst the invited
speakers are internationally known names such as H. Geiger, J.B. Nasrallah,
G. Pelletier, M. Koorneef, D.J. Mackill, P. Ozias-Akins, R.J. Nelson, R. Dirks,
C.D. Chase, B. Stich, A.R. Fernie, P.C. Struik, R.A. van der Hoorn, J. Snape
and others. The program combines plenary lectures, poster sessions, and sightseeing
tours of the beautiful city of Vienna.
Approximately 500
participants are expected including almost 40 speakers and many presentations
selected from abstracts, which can be submitted to the organisers until October
29th, 2009.
The conference webpage
(http://www.univie.ac.at/greenbreeding/)
offers additional information on the city of Vienna, travel arrangements,
the conference venue, registration and accommodation.
Alisher Touraev, Chair
of the organizing committee
John Snape, Co-chair
of the organizing committee
For any questions
please contact Mondial: gpbt2010@mondial-congress.com
or the conference
organizers: greenbreeding.plantmolbio@univie.ac.at
Contributed by Claudia
Zudrell
zudrell@mondial-congress.com
(UPDATE) 23-26 February
2010. International Conference
on Molecular Aspects of Plant Development, Vienna, Austria.
The early bird registration
deadline on November 26th is approaching quickly!
Register soon to still
benefit from the early bird fee!
Be sure to send in
your abstract in time too! For submission, send your abstract to the following
email address: mapd.plantmolbio@univie.ac.at
Please, click for
registration now:
http://www.univie.ac.at/mapd/Registration.html
Find
all relevant information as well as the registration link on thecongress homepage
under http://www.univie.ac.at/mapd/
For
any questions please contact Mondial mapd2010@mondial-congress.com
or
the conference organizers mapd.plantmolbio@univie.ac.at
26
to 30 April 2010. The 5th International Food Legumes
Research Conference (IFLRC V) and 7th European Conference on Grain Legumes
(ECGL
2-5 August 2010. 10th International
Conference on Grapevine Breeding and Genetics, Geneva, New York, USA.
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/grapebreeding2010/.
2010. Hanoi,
Vietnam to host 3rd International Rice Congress in 2010
The 3rd International Rice
Congress (IRC2010) will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2010, coinciding with
the 50th anniversary of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
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