Audio
United against Hunger ¿ 2010 World Food Day theme
1. Mutant baby banana plants for a better bananaThe Vienna based-IAEA/FAO Joint Division, has supported crop improvement programs in 95 Member States. One of these crops is banana, a staple food frequently at risk due to multiple factors. The plantlets had been grown at the IAEA¿s laboratory south of Vienna, Austria, as part of the plant breeding programme that also investigates drought tolerance and disease resistance.
2. Nuclear Science to tackle wheat rust: Ug99
Around ten years ago, a new strain of stem rust, known as Ug99, was detected in Eastern Africa and has spread to over six countries. One aim of the FAO/IAEA joint group is to develop Ug99 resistant wheat varieties by using radiation to induce mutations in seeds. Around half a million seeds from 13 different countries have been planted in Kenya, in order to search for Ug99 resistant plants. IAEA¿s Louise Potterton interviews Miriam Kinyua, a biotechnologist from Kenya, who leads the planting and selection process of the FAO/IAEA project:
Around ten years ago, a new strain of stem rust, known as Ug99, was detected in Eastern Africa and has spread to over six countries. One aim of the FAO/IAEA joint group is to develop Ug99 resistant wheat varieties by using radiation to induce mutations in seeds. Around half a million seeds from 13 different countries have been planted in Kenya, in order to search for Ug99 resistant plants. IAEA¿s Louise Potterton interviews Miriam Kinyua, a biotechnologist from Kenya, who leads the planting and selection process of the FAO/IAEA project:
Produced by:
FAO
Reference:
9231
