text:
An Electronic Newsletter of Applied Plant Breeding
Clair H. Hershey, Editor
by GIPB, FAO/AGP and
-To subscribe, see instructions here
-Archived issues available at: FAO Plant Breeding Newsletter
1.01 Plant breeding recognised as key to future agricultural production
1.02 Breeding crops for the next decade
1.03 Visualizing Consolidation in the Global Seed Industry: 1996–2008
1.04 Can we feed the world without damaging it?
1.05 Third "olympic gold" to
1.06 Embrapa starts new rice breeding project for
1.07 Food Crops: Cassava in Vietnam: a successful story
1.09 The Genome Analysis Centre of BBSRC: capacity and capability challenge call
1.10 Revolutionary new tomato
genetics for protected culture to be featured at the ExpoAgro in
1.11 GRDC Crop Doctor: Pulse breeding
1.12 Chinese Ministry of Agriculture to establish 132 national demonstration counties for mechanized rice seedling breeding and transplanting
1.13 Potato material from the
International Potato Center (CIP) is helping farmers to enhance food and income
security in Central and
1.14 Funding for climate change research in agriculture gets major boost
1.15 Seed Amendment Bill to encourage public, private investment: Gondal
1.16 Bangladesh-India agreement on agri-biotech exchange
1.18 Quiet biotech revolution transforming crops
1.19 GM eggplants, potatoes on trial --Scientists foresee new chapter in farm sector
1.21 Herbicide resistant weeds threaten global crops
1.22 ISB News report, special issue: Biofortification of plants through genetic engineering
1.23 Promoting biotech and ensuring the future of farming
1.25 USDA/ARS plant collections help safeguard crops
1.26 Overseas collections play important role in controlling invasive species
in the
1.28 Seed Savers Exchange does their part for food security
1.29 Progress in resistance to post-harvest deterioration in cassava
1.30 Development of high-yielding C4 rice eyed
1.31 The plant that doesn't feel the cold
1.32 Cold snaps cause sterility in rice
1.33 New USDA/ARS-developed soybean line resists key nematode
1.34 Conquering
1.35 Genes for drought-tolerance, aflatoxin may mingle to boost corn production
1.36 Barley gives guidance to increasing wheat vigour
1.37 Genetic marker provides fungal disease guide
1.38 Tracking virus resistance genes in watermelon made easier with new molecular markers
1.39 Wheat researchers unlock the power of genetics
1.40 Scientists sequence the genome of the woodland strawberry, a model system for rosaceae plants
1.41 Molecular markers made easy: the Generation Challenge Programme's Molecular Marker Toolkit
1.42 New genetic map will speed up plant breeding of the world
1.43 Genome sequencing shows past genetic events made soybeans rich in versatile gene families
1.44 USDA scientists, cooperators sequence majority of soybean genome
1.47 Leadership changes at Crops for the Future
1.48 Invitation to join the International Phtyotechnology Society
1.49 GCP News Issue 43
1.50 UC Davis accepting applications
2.01 Science for Decision Makers - Plant Gene Technology: Improving the Productivity of Australian Agriculture
3.01 Arborea releases a gene catalogue for the conifer tree Picea glauca
4.01 Soy group offering $50,000 to study crop sciences
4.02 USDA/NIFA plans to release agriculture and food research initiative request for applications in February
4.03 Call for applications for the Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) Award
4.04 Global Rice Science Scholarship at IRRI
4.05 Graduate Assistantship, offered in the
(None submitted)
1.01 Plant breeding recognised as key to future agricultural production
The British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) has welcomed the findings of new farmer research which singles out plant breeding as the most important scientific development for future agricultural production.
The research, presented at the Oxford Farming Conference, involved a survey of 600 farmers by the National Farm Research Unit.
Increased yield and improved disease and pest resistance were highlighted by farmers as key priorities for future plant breeding programmes.
BSPB also strongly endorsed the report's conclusions
"There is clear evidence that crop genetic improvement – delivered to the market through commercial plant breeding programmes - will be the single most important factor in boosting future agricultural productivity. This research provides an encouraging indication that farmers recognise the critical need to support future investment in plant breeding," said BSPB chairman Dr Thomas Jolliffe.
"For some time, plant breeders have highlighted the
urgent need to bridge the current hiatus in research activity. Although commercial
plant breeding is a research-intensive activity, with around a third of turnover
invested in R&D, the limited revenue streams available from seed royalties
do not allow significant investment in speculative or long-term targets. As
a result, much of the new genetic information being generated at a basic level
in public sector research institutes is not being transferred into crops of
value to
"There are encouraging signs that our calls for significant new public investment in translational crop science have not gone unheeded among policy-makers and R&D fund-holders," said Dr Jolliffe.
"Continued support for the Crop Genetic Improvement Networks, the launch by BBSRC of a new Crop Improvement Club, and the recent establishment of a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Innovation Platform within the Technology Strategy Board all offer important opportunities to strengthen the R&D pipeline through collaboration between public and private sector research.
"But the timescales involved in plant breeding are such that we need to act now to deliver on the targets for 2030. The immediate challenge is to ensure that research with practical, on-farm impact is effectively co-ordinated and focused on the right priorities. BSPB members have a pivotal role to play in that process by providing a route to market for improved varieties and crop production systems," said Dr Jolliffe.
BSPB is the representative body for the
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.02 Breeding crops for the next decade
28 December 2009
PLANT breeder Bill Angus talks to Teresa Rush about his hopes for the next decade in terms of wheat breeding and how breeders will meet the challenges.
The next 10 years, in wheat breeding terms, will be about achieving a massive boost in production, against a backdrop of increasing environmental constraints.
Nonetheless, the next decade could potentially be one of the most exciting for wheat breeding developments, says Bill Angus.
"Worldwide wheat production is currently about 600 million tonnes. By 2030 we will need to produce 900m tonnes to meet the extra demand for food resulting from population growth.
need a second 'Green Revolution'. The first one stemmed the tide of hunger
- it was about dwarf wheat varieties, nitrogen, fungicides, agronomic changes
such as the development of field tramlines - and
"Now we've got a backdrop of environmental issues and some of these are actually antagonistic to the need to increase output," he says.
Recent pesticide and water legislation, which will limit the range of agrochemicals available to farmers, provide good examples of the constraints facing the industry. Plant breeders have been thrown a challenge to equip
farmers to produce more with fewer inputs, a challenge that can only be described as daunting, he says.
"What are we going to do about it? Well, we have to look at every possible opportunity we can, and that means revisiting some technologies discarded in the past.
"There are two in particular I think need to be looked at very, very seriously; one is hybrid wheat and the other is GM.
"We've got to have a mature discussion about GM and move away from the emotive stuff. We've got to get rid of the antagonistic positions of 'GM is the answer to all our dreams' in a stand-off with 'GM is Frankenstein food'. What we've got to say is GM must be considered as potentially one of the building blocks to help us achieve sustainable output.
we don't do that we are in severe danger of letting our fellow human beings
in the
"I think mass starvation and hunger are really going to be something we are looking at in 10 years time if we don't do something now."
There are already signs the plant breeding sector is adapting in order to meet the challenge. Most recently there has been increasing interest in the sector from R&D-based agrochemical businesses.
Within the last few months Monsanto has renewed its interest in wheat breeding via the acquisition of the US Westbred business, says Mr Angus.
What is driving this investment is a fundamental of the worldwide wheat market - the need globally to produce more wheat.
"We are starting to see companies coming back into wheat breeding because of this. The fundamentals say the price of wheat has got to rise, with demand increasing and supply chains becoming more limited.
"Therefore, the agrochemical companies will be looking to take a share of that increase in price. It's as simple as that."
Mr Angus admits, a few years ago he would have been highly critical of this encroachment into the seeds business. But, in today's economic climate, he sees global agrochemical businesses as organisations who, through their greater resources, could make a significant and complementary investment in wheat production.
"It's going to be very difficult under the current financial returns system for private sector breeders to meet the demands for increased production unless we can tap into public funding and/ or form strategic partnerships with those who have the money.
you look at corn (maize) yields in the
"Agrochemical giants, such as Monsanto, invest significant sums into research.That investment is manifested in the increasing output we are seeing in maize."
stark contrast, wheat breeding in the
Worldwide there are traits already identified in wheat, which with GM technology, and a refocusing of investments, could provide a significant yield boost within 10 years he maintains.
"I think we are developing an understanding of key traits - there's lots of talk about nitrogen use efficiency, water use efficiency and modified starch profiles, for example - but we're still very much in the proof of concept stage.We're not in position where we could say 'We've got these traits, off we go'.
"I'm not suggesting we should embrace GM - but I do think we should make sure we look at it as an option. There are technologies available to us. If I look, for example, at the molecular marker work we do here, it's brilliant in terms of giving additional information.
"Wheat breeding has become a much more sophisticated activity than it was 20 years ago. Now we need to find people who can balance traditional technologies with new technology, because the answers are going to come from the selective use of the different technologies available."
What is needed in the plant breeding industry during the course of the next 10 years is boldness, says Mr Angus.
"I think we need to be much bolder than we are being at the moment. We need to look at developing varieties with different photosynthetic pathways, different crop structures. We need to broaden the genetic pool, look outside of the current wheat germplasm into related grasses to see if we can build improved yield potential and, possibly, also source some better disease resistance than we've got at the moment."
Such developments will require funding and, with total royalty income from wheat amounting to £13-14 million per year, it is about time some of the revenue generated along the food chain is returned to plant breeders, he argues.
While limited funding for commercial plant breeding is a concern, so too is funding for, and targeting of, plant breeding research.
"We've lost our way in the public sector," he says. "We have become too interested in blue sky research topics that are meaningless to farmers.
"I think the public sector has got to really realign itself with what UK plc needs in terms of agriculture - output."
This realignment is already underway, with the formation of the Crop Improvement Club, the Technology Strategy Board and initiatives such as the Wheat Genetic Improvement Network (WGIN).
think if we take some of the technologies available to us now, we stand a
chance of increasing our average yield in the
we were to increase
"The potential is there, but the onus is on us to increase yields in environments where we can capture that yield potential.
"There will be parts of the world, where, because of global warming, we are not able to capture further yield potential.
"While politicians are talking in timescales extending forward over 10 or even 20 years and beyond, the reality for plant breeders is the deadline is much closer because of the time taken to develop new varieties. "If we don't do something in the next two to three years we'll really be struggling," says Mr Angus.
"If we say it takes seven years to produce a new variety, there are only three cycles left to get to 2030."
What of the wheat varieties of 10 years hence? Will they look and perform like the wheat varieties of today?
More robust and reliable disease resistance is certainly achievable. "I'd like to think in 10 years time we'll have varieties resistant to take-all but that may depend probably on acceptance of GM technology.
"I think we could be working with a range of modified starch profiles, so wheat may look the same but it may deliver to the marketplace a range of different quality characteristics.
"I also like to think we'll see varieties much more tuned into the marketplace and we will have moved away from generic 'feed' or 'bread' classification - but that depends on end users being prepared to invest in downstream breeding activity.
"If they're not, it'll be what we've had for the last 20 or 30 years. If they don't share with us what they want and they're not prepared to help the breeder get to where they want to be, it's not going to happen."
course, in the
The Recommended Lists have done a good job for farmers - but they are due for a radical rethink if they are to retain their value over the next 10 years he maintains.
Such an overhaul is unlikely, he says, but if only one thing could be changed it should be to include all varieties in all RL trials.
"What farmers want is more data, better data - and a better quality of interpretation of that data."
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.03 Visualizing Consolidation in the Global Seed Industry: 1996–2008
Philip H. Howard
Sustainability, 2009, 1, 1266-1287.
Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies, Michigan State University, 316 Natural Resources, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Abstract: The commercial seed industry has undergone tremendous consolidation in the last 40 years as transnational corporations entered this agricultural sector, and acquired or merged with competing firms. This trend is associated with impacts that constrain the opportunities for renewable agriculture, such as reductions in seed lines and a declining prevalence of seed saving. To better characterize the current structure of the industry, ownership changes from 1996 to 2008 are represented visually with information graphics. Since the commercialization of transgenic crops in the mid-1990s, the sale of seeds has become dominated globally by Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta. In addition, the largest firms are increasingly networked through agreements to cross-license transgenic seed traits.
Keywords: seed industry; consolidation; concentration; oligopoly; information graphics
1. Introduction
In the last 40 years, the commercial seed industry has transformed dramatically. It has shifted from a competitive sector of agribusiness, composed primarily of small, family-owned firms, to an industry dominated by a small number of transnational pharmaceutical/chemical corporations [1]. These corporations entered the industry by acquiring numerous smaller seed companies, and merging with large competitors. This consolidation is associated with a number of impacts that constrain the opportunities for renewable agriculture. Some of these include declining rates of saving and replanting seeds, as firms successfully convince a growing percentage of farmers to purchase their products year after year [2]; a shift in both public and private research toward the most profitable proprietary crops and varieties, but away from the improvement of varieties that farmers can easily replant [3]; and a reduction in seed diversity, as remaining firms eliminate less profitable lines from newly acquired subsidiaries [4]. A number of studies of consolidation in the seed industry have examined trends up until the turn of the 21st century [5-12], but the most recent, accelerating changes are not as well-characterized [13,14]. In addition, the hundreds of transactions that have reshaped the industry in recent years challenge human cognitive capacities, making the full extent of this process difficult to comprehend. One promising way to improve understanding of the current structure of the global seed industry is by representing patterns of ownership visually, using information graphics. This approach communicates large amounts of information more quickly, and with fewer burdens on our short-term memories, when compared to text alone [15]. Visualization is particularly useful for analyzing consolidation because it can simultaneously represent the specific events that have contributed to these changes, as well as their overall scope. In addition, it can facilitate the dissemination of such research findings to much wider audiences, which is critical for encouraging sustainability efforts [16]. In this article I first discuss several theoretical perspectives that help clarify recent seed industry changes. I then describe the methods used to visualize the mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures that have occurred among key firms since the mid-1990s. These information graphics are presented with profiles of key firms involved in recent structural changes, and analysis of the strategies they have employed to achieve greater control over the seed sector. The potential trajectories of current trends, and their implications for renewable agriculture are briefly discussed.
(For full paper, see http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/1/4/1266/pdf)
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.04 Can we feed the world without damaging it?
Pamela Ronald and Raoul Adamchak have every reason not to get along.
a plant scientist, has spent her past two decades manipulating rice from her
lab bench, bending the grain
Adamchak confesses, few have been more vociferously opposed to the genetic
engineering practiced by Ronald than his organic movement, which has steadily
grown in recent years to constitute an influential, if tiny, part of the
Such a union should not be shocking, the couple argues. And a more modest version -- sans marriage -- must be considered by any farmer or consumer hoping for a sustainable future for agriculture.
Industrial farming, with its heavy use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizer and irrigation, is exhausting the environment, and with billions more mouths to feed in the upcoming decades, the problem will only worsen unless the efforts of organic farming and genetic engineering are combined, they say.
worst thing for the environment is farming," said Ronald, a geneticist
at the
spread their message to two communities that rarely speak in measured terms,
Ronald and Adamchak have written a book, "Tomorrow
Adamchak and Ronald pursue in the book is in essence a unified theory of farming.
While critical of Western seed companies that have co-opted genetically modified
(GM) crops for questionable business practices, the couple argues that both
current and future generations of altered crops will, if responsibly managed,
allow much of the world
"The point of our book is that you really need to look at the goals of sustainability," Ronald said. "What matters is: Are we achieving sustainable agricultures that can feed the world without damaging it?"
and Adamchak are not alone in their call for a more nuanced understanding
of GM crops. Their work has inspired books by a varied clutch of professionals:
an environmentalist, a historian and a journalist. The books -- Stewart Brand
Brand, who heavily cites Ronald and Adamchak, is perhaps the most incendiary in his work. While he made his name as a leader of the environmental movement decades ago, founding the Whole Earth Catalog, in recent years Brand has sought a third way, supporting "heretical" technologies like nuclear power.
is full-throated in his defense of GM crops, writing: "I daresay the
environmental movement has done more harm with its opposition to genetic engineering
than with any other thing we
an agriculture historian at
"I admire them for fighting an immense uphill battle," McWilliams said. "I cannot think of another issue that really sets the organic lobby [so] on edge. ... Their attempt to blend organic agriculture with genetic engineering is really quite visionary."
(Continues. For the complete article see: http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/01/04/04greenwire-can-we-feed-the-world-without-damaging-it-99381.html)
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.05 Third "olympic gold" to
The International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO) will, at its World Congress in 2010, give the "Outstanding Doctoral Research Award" to Finnvid Prescher, PhD at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. He receives the prize for his thesis "Seed Orchards – Genetic Considerations on Function, Management and Seed Procurement", in the field of forest genetics. The award is open to PhD theses worldwide, and may be compared to winning an olympic gold medal! This is the third time in a row this award goes to a Swedish doctoral fellow in forest genetics.
the World Congresses held every 5th year, IUFRO awards PhD theses within some
special fields. At the three latest World Congresses, the award in the field
of "physiology and genetics" has been given to doctors in forest
genetics at the
Prescher is responsible for a large part of
has spent his career working in
Prescher and Kyu-Suk Kang
Contributed by Dag Lindgren
1.06 Embrapa starts new rice breeding project
The Brazilian Corporation for Agricultural Research,
Embrapa, leads a nationwide rice breeding program with the objective of developing
better rice cultivars for all of the rice farming systems in
The new project received the nickname of MelhorArroz,
a contraction for breeding better rice, in Portuguese, and has the ambitious
goal of becoming a reference in rice breeding worldwide. For achieving this
goal, Embrapa counts with the partnership of Irga (the Rice Institute of the
State of Rio Grande do Sul), Epagri (Santa Catarina State Agricultural Research
and Rural Extension Agency), several other research or rural extension companies
from the States of Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, Goiás and
The MelhorArroz Project have several target environments, including subtropical irrigated rice for the South, tropical irrigated rice for the center and the Northeast, upland rice for the center and the West, and rainfed lowland rice for the State of Maranhão. Breeding lines are selected for strict grain quality standards, namely, vitreous long and slender, non-sticky and soft cooking grains. Disease resistance is evaluated throughout the program. The breeding method is a modified pedigree scheme, with recombination in the F5 generation, inspired in the recurrent selection methods. Molecular markers will be used in several stages of the project, including monitoring the variability of synthetic populations, QTL mapping for pest resistance and grain quality, marker-assisted selection of disease resistance genes and fingerprinting of new varieties.
Although the project is focused on
Contributed by Pericles Neves
1.07 Food Crops: Cassava in Vietnam: a successful story
Contributed by Hoang Kim
The 90 projects will involve planting the strains locally to test them in different soil types. Farmers will receive guidelines on what to do if the country becomes affected by the fungus, Ug99, whose virulence has caused global concern (see Deadly wheat disease 'a threat to world food security').
overcome the significant threat of infection,
In addition to being fungus-resistant, BGRI stipulated that any new crop varieties should be higher yielding than other varieties.
"Not all resistant strains produce a significant [higher] yield, but Misr 1 and Misr 2 have successfully combined resistance to Ug99 and high yield production, reaching seven tonnes per hectare," Sabry said. The output of previous strains ranged from 6.5 to 6.8 tonnes per hectare.
"Measures are being taken to prevent the spread of disease," said Sabry. "We are trying to protect ourselves and the whole region by protecting our borders from the spread of the fungus."
was discovered in
The fungus mutates often but scientists hope that the two resistant varieties will provide a double barrier against infection.
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.09 The Genome Analysis Centre of BBSRC: capacity and capability challenge call
The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC) is a new national BBSRC centre for large-scale sequencing of plants, animals and microbes in partnership with the East of England Development Agency and the Norfolk Local Authorities.
has recently launched a Capacity and Capability Challenge (
Potential applicants are advised to contact the centre to discuss their proposals and requirements. A technical assessment form, completed in iteration with TGAC, must accompany completed applications.
For more information, contact: Emily Angiolini: email@example.com; 01603 450000
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.10 Revolutionary new tomato genetics
for protected culture to be featured at the ExpoAgro
Seed announces the release of a revolutionary new generation of determinate
grape cherry tomatoes Merlot, 1677, mini plum tomatoes
Our mission has always been to lower production costs,
lower picking costs, and improve yields for growers. Please join us at the
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.11 GRDC Crop Doctor: Pulse breeding
A crop rotation that includes pulses provides many benefits but the uptake by growers has been constrained, among other things, by drought, disease outbreaks and poor prices for some pulses.
However, the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) believes the role of pulses is more important than ever and is investing significant funds into research in this area.
Pulses include, amongst other crops, field peas, lentils, chickpeas, faba beans, lupins and peanuts.
They boost nitrogen levels as well as help in the management of weeds, pests and diseases. This is on top of an average yield increase of half to one tonne per hectare in the following cereal crop and an increase in protein of between 0.5 and 0.8 per cent.
Without improved varieties it would be increasingly difficult for pulses to remain internationally competitive or popular with growers, yet their importance to whole farm productivity and to food security is increasing.
To maximise efficiency and reduce duplication, the GRDC is working with state departments, universities, international organisations and buyers so that breeding programs are nationally coordinated.
The latest edition of GRDC's magazine Ground Cover includes a supplement outlining GRDC's investment in pulse breeding and associated projects aiming to expand the Australian pulse industry.
To go on the mailing list or obtain additional copies of Ground Cover, visit the GRDC website (www.grdc.com.au), call 1800 11 00 44 or email
Pulse Breeding Australia (PBA) is one model that's been established through industry collaboration and with significant GRDC and researcher provider investment. It's a single world-class breeding and germplasm enhancement program for temperate pulses – lentils, chickpeas, field peas, lupins and faba beans. Other models have been established for peanuts and mungbeans.
PBA was set up in 2006 and the first varieties developed under the model were released in 2009.
Rather than tendering for a commercialisation partner for each new variety, PBA has established a commercial partnership model by crop type. Partnerships are for a period of up to five years and include investment in the pre-commercial development of lines.
The arrangement means there is some sharing of risk, cost and effort between the breeding program and the commercial partner. This enables a larger number of lines to be progressed to the release stage earlier. It is anticipated that this model will reduce the time to market by between two and four years.
New investment will address industry priorities:
• the development of pulses with better adaptation to water limiting environments
• varieties with herbicide tolerance to improve in-crop weed control
• greater disease resistance
At the same time new varieties need to meet specific
market requirements, such as seed size and grain colour,
so PBA and Pulse
Ultimately, through its collaborations the aim of PBA is to expand and increase
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.12 Chinese Ministry of Agriculture to establish 132 national demonstration counties for mechanized rice seedling breeding and transplanting
News from the conference on mechanized rice seedling breeding and transplanting has confirmed that in 2010 the Ministry of Agriculture will have 132 national demonstration counties for mechanized rice seedling breeding and transplanting, with 100,000 yuan of subsidies to each county. The fund will mainly be used for demonstration, training and publicity, and operation subsidies. The cap for operation subsidies is not more than 40% of the total, and the fund should not be used to cover management expenditure.
The Ministry requires that local authorities should: first, work on their own for early arrangement on the selection of demonstration sites to prepare for the work of the coming year; second, fully use the subsidies for agro-machinery, while prioritizing the subsidies to rice seedling breeding and transplanting machines. Meanwhile, local resources should be tapped for more financial support to extend mechanized rice transplanting; third, explore appropriate cost-effective seedling breeding technology and matching mechanized planting technology, to identify proper local plans in order to improve the effectiveness of the application of the technology; fourth, make use of other policies concerning technology extension in rural areas, the new rural construction and promotion of subsidy policies to the purchase of agro-machinery, so that the public awareness to this issue can be enhanced, and; fifth, implement the projects according to relevant guidance of the Ministry, with appropriate use of the fund.
In 2009, the Ministry had 145 counties for demonstration in the producing areas for rice, adding 10,000 seedling transplanting machines to the project areas, increasing 2.15 million mu of land for mechanized transplanting and 3.36 million mu of mechanized harvest, resulting in cost cut and efficiency increase worth 620 million yuan, 96 million yuan of matching fund from the local governments and 390 million yuan of private investment of the farmers. The technology has been matured with good development in machinery production and selling, becoming a highlight in the development of agricultural mechanization.
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.13 Potato material from the
La Molina, Lima, Peru
January 2010
A three-year CIP project is boosting potato production with varieties that have been bred and tested to better adapt to the drought and increased temperatures affecting countries such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Bangladesh. At least 200,000 farm families are expected to benefit from the project, which is producing more reliable harvests for farmers and more stable prices for consumers.
Potato is a highly nutritious staple and important
cash crop in
CIP scientists, partner institutions, and stakeholders
across the region are identifying and validating heat, drought, and salinity
tolerance traits in a comprehensive program of strategic exchange and testing
of advanced clones. They have also integrated geographic information systems
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.14 Funding for climate change research in agriculture gets major boost
Funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for
research on greenhouse gas mitigation in agriculture will increase by more
than 10-fold, according to an announcement on
K-State has been a national leader in this field of research, including extensive work on agricultural soil carbon sequestration, said Chuck Rice, K-State University Distinguished Professor of Agronomy and national director of the Consortium for Agricultural Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases. Rice was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
"At K-State, we have had one of the most active research and extension programs in the country on greenhouse gas mitigation in agriculture," Rice said.
"Our work has helped establish carbon sequestration rates for no-till and grasslands used by emerging carbon markets. We also have helped establish national baselines for soil carbon levels, guidelines on carbon sequestration in cropping systems, and ways to limit nitrous oxide emissions."
In conjunction with this work, K-State recently received
part of a $20 million National Science Foundation grant that helped further
The new increase in USDA funding for climate change
research in agriculture comes as the
Over the next four years, USDA will expand agricultural
climate change mitigation research by $90 million and contribute this research
to the
In conjunction with this announcement, USDA also released a new report titled "The Effects of Climate Change on U.S. Ecosystems."
This report summarizes the most recent scientific
findings on how climate change will affect agricultural systems in the
For more information on the USDA
New USDA report on the impact of climate change on agriculture
Based on a consensus of recent scientific research
and modeling, a new report from USDA concludes that climate change is already
Ecosystems," identifies many of the effects of
climate change on agriculture and other ecosystems in the
Some of the report´s main points:
For the complete report, see:
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.15 Seed Amendment Bill to encourage public, private investment: Gondal
While talking to the media the minister highlighted
the crucially important features of the bill. He said the bill was aimed at
making the seed legislation more effective under the changing scenario of
the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and to meet the requirements of the private
sector along with the emerging seed industry. The minister said that certain
amendments in the Seed Act, 1976 had been proposed and already approved by
the cabinet in its meeting held on
"The objectives of the amendments are to incorporate the wider participation of the private sector in agriculture and the latest development in seed technology and seed industry along with our international obligation under the WTO regime," he added.
The minister said the bill once passed would increase the role of the private sector through registration of seed companies, seed dealers and seed processing units. It would provide an opportunity to make available the pre-basic seed for the production of basic and certified seed in the private sector. It would also enhance the penalties for those selling sub-standard seed in the market and establish accredited seed testing laboratory in the private sector.
"The amendments would enable us to provide training to the people engaged in the seed industry and regulate the quality of transgenic varieties developed through genetic engineering," expressed the minister.
It would ensure the availability of quality seeds to the farmers, which is extremely important. The dependence on the seed import would also be decreased and would encourage an investment in the emerging national seed industry by multinational and private seed sector to invest and go for local seed production.
He said that the Plant Breeders Rights (
About importance of the bill, the minister said that it would encourage plant breeders and seed organisations of both public and private sectors to invest in research and plant breeding.
"It would contribute to the redevelopment and availability of new technologies and making additional resources available to support research in the country," said the minister.
The minister further added that the multinationals
and biotech seed companies could play their role for providing quality seed
only if they were assured of protection of their investment through
He said that
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.16 Bangladesh-India agreement on agri-biotech exchange
Bangladesh Agriculture Minister Matia Choudhury and
Indian Agriculture Minister Sharad Power signed an agreement in
In their earlier meeting, Mrs. Choudhury and Dr Mangala Roy, Secretary of India Agriculture Research & Education and Director of India Agricultural Research Institute expressed their views on the positive direction for the production and import of hybrid and GM crops to meet food shortage. "The Bangladesh Government will not be conservative in importing and releasing GM crops if it is found beneficial for the country," she stressed.
Scientists from both countries are trying to incorporate
the genes from the resistant sources to develop salinity and drought tolerant
rice varieties. BR11 was crossed with the submergence tolerant IRRI lines
to develop BR11Sub1 which can survive under 15 day submergence.
For more news from
Source: SeedQuest.com
The proposed change to the standards law by the Standardization
Administration of China (SAC) concerning "Regulations on Administration of
Formulating and Revising National Standards Involving Patents" caused a flurry
of concern and responses around the world prior to the deadline for public
comment of
In this column I will deal with a few of the most contested articles and provide a synopsis of the concerns of many organisations that deal with national standards and patents and those that trade with China. The latter part of this article will deal with Notice No. 618, posted on 15 November, which would implement an Indigenous Innovation Accreditation System.
In general, although SAC is trying to balance the requirements of society, which include the rights of individuals, owners of IP and institutional investors to invest in innovation by earning a reasonable fair return on their patented products with the right of all members of society to benefit from innovation and new technologies; the balance by all accounts has not been made with this proposed legislation.
Article 9, for example, is challenging the practice
of worldwide organisations such as
Article 9, a national standard cannot include any patented technology unless the patent holder agrees to grant licences with royalties "considerably lower than the customary license fee" or with no royalties at all. It is argued that most patent holders making a rational choice in the face of licensing revenue being well below the normal royalty expected by the patent holder or no royalty at all, many patent holders will choose not to licence their technology which will result in a lower quality standard and a great loss as the patent holder will seek a fair return on an investment elsewhere.
Some technologies will not allow for the latter which would force the patent holder to accept a lower standard and thereby seek to make up for their losses by selling their product for a higher price outside of China which could affect adversely China's own export business.
The Indigenous Innovation Product Accreditation Program,
on the other hand, will also it is argued hamper China's progress in advancing
science and technology capabilities by limiting access to the most advanced
and best products from around the world which will affect the Chinese standard
of living but has serious implications for non-Chinese companies investing
and operating in China. This is because Notice 618 stipulates that a Chinese
product's IP be developed and owned in
As China and the international community need to robustly
The Chinese have now responded to the above-mentioned
letter but appear not to have addressed the concerns of international industry.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman in a written statement of 14 December
stated that the accreditation system of the above notice "accords with
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.18 Quiet biotech revolution transforming crops
the past two decades, promises of crop improvement have been the domain of
genetically modified plants: mostly, crops supplemented with bacterial genes
to resist pests or weedkillers like Roundup. More than 85 percent of
But there is more than one way to transform a plant.
Using advanced biotechnology, long hidden in the background and only now starting to pay dividends, scientists are changing crops without tapping foreign genes -- and often without the regulatory oversight that is given to GM crops.
Many of these crops use latent effects of genes squirreled away in discarded seed varieties to create breeds that at first glance seem artificial. There is corn so infused with vitamin A precursors that it practically glows orange, rice that can survive more than two weeks of flooded conditions, and wheat that resists the advance of devastating aphids.
specialized crops are possible because researchers are mastering the science
of breeding. Using techniques collectively known as molecular breeding, geneticists
have started to return results in a variety of plants, said Ed Buckler, a
plant geneticist at
"We know that old-fashioned good breeding works," Buckler said. "And a lot of that is an intelligent numbers game" based on genetic theories elaborated by Gregor Mendel more than a century ago. Molecular breeding, he added, "is now a way to do that much faster."
Increasingly affordable with improved technology, molecular breeding is becoming the mode of business in the crop world, said Bonnie McClafferty, development head at HarvestPlus, a nonprofit funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that supports molecular breeding research into improving plant nutrition in Africa and Asia.
fact, molecular breeding is only the start of a bewildering diversity of biotech
approaches to crop development that defy the conventional notion of splicing
foreign genes into plants. This next generation could shake up what has become
a stalled debate -- call it the Roundup Ready stalemate -- by introducing
GM crops that, for example, use only their species
While the techniques draw from the same pool of knowledge, and travel together in scientific circles, many environmental groups do not oppose molecular breeding, while stridently critiquing current GM crops, according to Marco Contiero, the European biotech policy director for the environmental group Greenpeace.
"Genetic engineering is just a part of modern biotechnology," Contiero said. "We are against this specific application. We are not against marker-assisted selection."
scientists believe that molecular breeding and advanced genetic modification
will eventually form a powerful tandem, said David Baulcombe, a professor
of botany at the
genetic modification, you
After Mendel
thousands of years, crop breeding remained much the same: Farmers crossbred
plants with desirable traits like high yield, as often as not reproducing
those traits in offspring. Mendel clarified the situation, but conventional
breeding practices today, though stirred by developments like the green revolution
(see complete article at: http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/12/21/21greenwire-quiet-biotech-revolution-transforming-crops-15902.html
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.19 GM eggplants, potatoes on trial --Scientists foresee new chapter in farm sector
14 January 2010
Scientists said the move to introduce transgenic eggplant and potato crops is aimed at relieving farmers of insecticides and fungicides, boosting production and enabling consumers to get pesticide-free vegetables.
Eggplants, known as Bt eggplants, are now on trial in seven confined fields at various agriculture research stations. Bt eggplants are in its second year of trial in natural conditions.
Potatoes, termed Rb potatoes, are also on trial in
two confined fields, said Dr Md Al-Amin, head of biotechnology at Bangladesh
Agricultural Research Institute (
Prior to putting the crops on trial in confined fields, scientists kept the eggplants and potatoes in greenhouses after transforming the insect-resistant gene-Bacillus Thuringiensis in nine preferred varieties of eggplants and the Rb gene in two varieties of potatoes.
The scientist said the Bt eggplant crops yielded good results in previous field trials, expecting that the insect-resistant Bt eggplant could be given to farmers in the next three years, subject to government approval.
"We got good results in the confined field trials last year and found 85-95 percent infestation-free eggplants," said Al-Amin.
If Bt eggplant proves safe for human consumption and
harmless to the environment, it will be the first GM crop variety in
Environmental activists however opposed the move, arguing that genetically modified brinjals and potatoes will not be safe for human consumption and the environment.
"The way it will be modified leaves a toxic effect in brinjal, which aims at protecting crops from pest attacks. When an insect cannot eat crops, how will it be safe for human consumption," said Farida Akhter of Nayakrishi Andolon, a platform of farmers who practise ecological agriculture.
"Above all, farmers will lose their right to preserve seeds," she said, fearing that GM crops may lead to a mono crop culture by damaging the present multi-crop system.
"If crops fail, the farmers will suffer the most,"
said Farida, suggesting that policymakers look back at the cases where farmers
Scientists however differed with Farida regarding toxicity in the human body.
"By the method we have modified, there is no possibility of toxicity in humans," said Al-Amin.
"It requires a receptor to create a toxic effect on humans. But the human body does not have that receptor. Our findings show that it does not create any health hazard."
The move to introduce transgenic eggplants and potatoes,
with the strength to resist
To avoid such losses, farmers use huge quantities of insecticides in one of the mostly consumed vegetable -- eggplants. It not only creates a risk to consumer health but also forces farmers to spend up to Tk 60,000 a hectare.
Farmers count Tk 26,000 a hectare in fungicides to save potatoes from late blight disease attacks, scientists said.
The initiative to develop GM eggplants and potatoes
was taken based on technical collaboration with
Al-Amin said introduction of these two transgenic vegetables will boost production by preventing crop loss due to diseases. These crops will also relieve farmers of spending thousands of taka on insecticides and fungicides to avoid crop loss.
It will also enable consumers to get pesticide-free potatoes and eggplants, he said.
"Our main goal is to raise production by preventing losses from diseases in eggplants and potatoes. We also aim to minimise health hazards to consumers due to pesticides," said the scientist.
"We are getting good results in eggplant. We have also found potatoes moderately disease-resistant in trials last year," he said.
He expects that Bt eggplants could first be placed with the National Technical Committee on Bio-safety for approval next year.
"If we can prove that these transgenic crops are safe for human consumption and get environment clearance, we will be able to reach out seeds to farmers in the next three years," he said, referring to eggplants.
Source: SeedQuest.com
The Supreme Court said Friday it would consider overturning a court order that has blocked Monsanto Co. from selling alfalfa seeds that are genetically modified to resist its Roundup weed killer.
The nation's highest court said it would hear Monsanto's appeal of a ruling that prevented its Roundup Ready alfalfa from being planted since 2007.
The court's decision in this case also could affect a second ruling involving the biotech company's modified sugar beets.
Monsanto filed the petition with the U.S. Supreme Court in October, arguing that the 2007 injunction by Judge Charles Breyer should not have been ordered without first holding an evidentiary hearing. As a result, the ban imposed unnecessary restrictions and costs on alfalfa hay and seed growers, Monsanto said Friday. Monsanto petitioned the appellate court twice between 2007 and 2008 "to fully consider the scientific evidence and tailor any relief ordered pending the governmental agency completion of an EIS."
Prior to the injunction, Roundup Ready alfalfa was
planted by 5,500 growers across 263,000 acres. Alfalfa is the fourth-largest
crop grown in the
Opponents claim that Monsanto's genetically engineered
seeds contaminate other crops, and that Roundup Ready promote superweeds,
weeds that cannot easily be killed because they have developed a tolerance
to weedkiller. The Center for Food Safety filed a 2006 lawsuit on behalf of a coalition of non-profits
and farmers who wanted to retain the choice to plant non-modified alfalfa,
according to the center.
Monsanto defends its products, saying that cross-pollination is unlikely and that the environment benefits because less weedkiller would be used.
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.21 Herbicide resistant weeds threaten global crops
Weeds have evolved a new form of resistance to the
world's most important herbicide, glyphosate, according to research led by
Dr Todd Gaines, now of the WA Herbicide Resistance
Initiative (WAHRI) in The University of Western Australia's
In a paper published recently in the
This weed infests large areas of
In a commentary in the same issue of PNAS, UWA Winthrop Professor and WAHRI Director Stephen Powles, writes that in a world of more than six billion people, threats to food production have major repercussions, including famine, war and civil unrest.
"Glyphosate resistance evolution is a major adverse development because glyphosate is a one in a 100-year discovery that is as important for reliable global food production as penicillin is for battling disease," Professor Powles said.
"In soybean, maize, cotton and canola crops engineered to be glyphosate resistant, this herbicide removes infesting weeds without damage to the crop. The massive adoption of these crops has meant excessive reliance on glyphosate for weed control over vast areas. Globally, no weed control tools are as good as glyphosate and its potential loss because of resistance is a looming threat to global cropping and food production."
For more information:
- http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.0913433107
- http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/12/10/0906649107
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.22 ISB News report, special issue: Biofortification of plants through genetic engineering
The Accumulation of Novel Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Transgenic Plants
Johnathan Napier, Noemi Ruiz-Lopez, Tianbi Li, Richard Haslam, Olga Sayanova
One promising area of research pertains to the production of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, the so called fish oils, in transgenic plants. The goal is not the direct replication of the fatty acid profile found in marine microbes or fish, but rather the nutritional enhancement of vegetable oils by the inclusion of specific marine fatty acids not normally synthesized by higher plants. In such a scenario, the dietary intake of these healthy fats would be achieved by consumption of omega-3 LC-PUFA-enhanced vegetable oils, without a need for increased consumption of fish or supplements.
Biofortification of Vitamin B6 in Seeds
Hao Chen, Liming Xiong
Animals need a continuous supply of vitamin B6 in their
daily diet. Since plants are the major source of vitamin B6 for animals either
directly or indirectly, it is of great interest to increase vitamin B6 levels
in plants for improved nutrition value. By overexpressing
Iron Biofortification Of Rice By Targeted Genetic Engineering
Christof Sautter and Wilhelm Gruissem
Rice plants have been developed that contain six times
more iron in polished rice kernels. To accomplish this, two plant genes were
transferred into an existing rice variety. In the future, high-iron rice could
help to reduce iron deficiency in human nutrition, especially in developing
countries in
Feeding Future Populations With Nutritionally Complete Crops
Sonia Gomez-Galera, Shaista Naqvi, Gemma Farre , Georgina Sanahuja, Chao Bai, Teresa Capell, Changfu Zhu, and Paul Christou
Micronutrient deficiency diseases are rife in the developing world, causing millions of needless deaths and adding to miserable socio-economic conditions. Many strategies have been proposed to address nutrient deficiencies, including supplement distribution, fortification programs, and attempts to make crops more inherently nutritious. A relatively new approach is to create novel crop varieties that are more nutritious. The key is to take the part of the plant that is eaten and modify it to increase its ability to store minerals and capacity to synthesize vitamins.
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.23 Promoting biotech and ensuring the future of farming
The U.S. National Corn Growers Association's Biotechnology Working Group directs research efforts, promotes biotech acceptance and conducts informational campaigns on the benefits of biotechnology in agriculture. In 2010, the team, under the leadership of chairman Rob Korff, moves forward with efforts to promote the benefits of biotechnology while increasing farmer awareness of stewardship issues including the importance of proper refuge compliance.
Biotechnology Working Group discussed priorities for 2010 during the December
2009 Action Team meetings held in
"In the past few years, technology to protect a plant's ability to reach its full potential in adverse conditions has led to increased yield stability," said Korff. "With these advances comes the responsibility to educate growers on the importance of technology and of what the long term viability of these products means to our industry."
To protect the viability of these products, Korff's team will make a priority of stressing the importance of such important practices as refuge compliance.
"In past years, grower education on refuse compliance was our No. 1 priority," said Korff "This coming spring, refuge guidelines will change for a few products. We want to ensure that growers follow the stewardship guidelines in place to maintain today's technology until tomorrow's can take its place."
Additionally, Korff stressed that, while each team specializes in a specific area to ensure in depth knowledge and analysis of important issues, teamwork as an entire organization is imperative to successfully serving corn growers nationwide.
Source: SeedQuest.com
Svalbard Global Seed Vault has received
a major seed shipment while world leaders are gathered to tackle climate change
On Sunday 13th of December, more than 50.000 seed samples landed in Longyearbyen to find their place in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
The shipment contains seeds from crops adapted to dry climates. Among them is sorghum, a high energy crop, known for its wide adaptability and resistance to drought. This "camel among crops" could be a key to agricultural development in areas affected by aridity and saline soils.
Cultural plants for the future
Since the climate conditions change so rapidly, it is extremely important to ensure the genetic diversity of all the cultural plants of the world. In these genes, we will find the necessary qualities to make effective cultural plants in the future. This is absolutely necessary to secure a satisfactory food supply for the global population. Within the next 40 years, the world's food production must be doubled, says the Norwegian minister of agriculture and food, Lars Peder Brekk.
Among the depositors are two major agricultural research
centers, both working with adaptation of plants to dryer areas: ICARDA (
Genetic diversity is vital for solving the challenges to agriculture which climate change will cause. It is only through using this diversity that scientists can breed new varieties of our crops, able to thrive in dramatically different conditions expected in the future. This diversity is stored in seeds, and seeds from all continents are now stored in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, says Roland von Bothmer, professor of genetics and plant-breeding at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and part of the team responsible for running the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
Since the opening of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in February 2008, more than 430.000 unique seed samples have arrived at the Vault from seed banks all over the world. The purpose is to take care of and protect the seeds in the Arctic permafrost.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the ultimate security
net for the world
The Seed Vault offers free-of-charge back-up for the seed collections held in seed banks around the world.
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.25 USDA/ARS plant collections help safeguard crops
the months ahead, Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
scientists plan to collect walnuts from
will make the trips to collect plants with useful characteristics. The collected
material will become part of the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS),
a network of gene banks that plays an integral role in preserving genetic
traits that can be used to combat emerging pests, pathogens, diseases and
other threats to the world
The NPGS collections are made up of approximately 511,000 samples of seeds, tissues and whole plants kept at more than 20 ARS gene banks around the country. Many of the gene banks also receive support from universities and state agricultural experiment stations.
scientists use collection materials for research and mail out thousands of
samples of materials free of charge each year to researchers and educators
in the
ARS also funds approximately 15 expeditions every year to search for new samples of crops and crop relatives with unique traits, such as drought tolerance and pest resistance. The trips, coordinated by the ARS National Germplasm Resources Lab (NGRL) in Beltsville, Md., are conducted with collaboration from host countries and include benefits for these countries.
traits in the samples added to the NPGS may be incorporated into crop cultivars,
often many years later. For example, a peanut found in a Brazilian market
in 1952 is a source for resistance to a wilt virus for most of the peanuts
grown in the
for material are filed through the Germplasm Resources Information Network (
Read more about this and other ARS collections in the January 2010 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
is the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.26 Overseas collections play important role
in controlling invasive species in the
melaleuca began invading the Florida Everglades and surrounding areas, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists knew of one
place to look for a solution: the ARS Australian Biological Control Laboratory (
quinquenervia, commonly known as the "Australian broad-leaved
paperbark tree," is a serious invasive plant in
insects join tens of thousands of herbivorous and parasitic insects in
the past 24 years, the scientists at
biocontrol collections are housed at ARS labs in
ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Source: SeedQuest.com
Today marks the launch of the 'International Year of Biodiversity'. Biodiversity is of critical interest to farmers – since biodiversity and agriculture are interdependent and both are pivotal in addressing looming climate change and food security pressures.
National Farmers' Federation (
farmers are crucial to conserving ecosystems,"
"In fact, under the 2010 Federal Budget, we are calling on the Rudd Government to expand the Environmental Stewardship program to cover all endangered species and ecological systems listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
"Farm-gate environmental management is two-pronged. Firstly, sound natural resource management drives effective and efficient farm techniques, making farming viable and sustainable. Increasingly, environmentally-friendly practices are generating long-term profitability, improved drought resistance and making our resources more sustainable.
"Secondly, beyond the business, farmers are often required (by various local, state and federal laws) to lock-up large sections of their properties to preserve native vegetation… essentially having stewardship of those natural resources on behalf of all Australians.
"However, as a consequence, farmers lose the productive capacity of those areas from their properties, while incurring ongoing costs to conserve and protect the land, including pest and weed management and maintaining green corridors for wildlife conservation.
"Farmers are the first to recognise they have a duty of care to sustainably manage the environment, but they also need help when going over and beyond that duty of care. Farmers taking extra responsibility for environmental management deserve recognition of the costs involved, as well as their time and expertise in delivering sound frontline land care.
"As a nation, we have moved beyond the outdated myth that farmers are somehow divorced from the rest of the community in wanting to preserve our environment. In fact, farmers plant over 20 million trees every year just for conservation reasons, preserving the land for generations to come.
"Expanding the Environmental Stewardship program would recognise that farmers have been improving environmental sustainability on-farm and taking greater responsibility for ecological land management – delivering positive outcomes for farms, the community and the environment."
Australian farmers – frontline environmentalists
Australian farmers – food & fibre producers
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.28 Seed Savers Exchange does their part for food security
21 January 2010
Springmeier, a collection technician for Seed Savers Exchange, was performing a laboratory germination test.
It was like looking at a drop of water out of the entire
ocean. SSE
It is the largest non-governmental seed bank of its
kind in the
"Our mission is becoming more important every
year," said George DeVault, SSE
They sell seeds to support their mission through an annual catalog. The 2010 edition is in the mailing process. Of the 600 varieties it lists for sale, 200 are certified organic. Twenty varieties are new to the catalog.
SSE sells about 1 million picture packets of seeds a year, plus larger orders. Besides vegetable seed, the catalog sells transplants, books, flower seed, fruit seed, herb seed, garlic and gifts.
The organization also wants to promote the distribution
and sharing of seeds. For this, they
SSE maintains its seeds on an 890-acre farm near Decorah
known as Heritage Farm. It
Varieties sold through the catalog are grown in trial gardens to make sure gardeners receive plants as advertised. The seeds SSE sells are produced on site or by growers around the country and the world.
"If we don
These growers use SSE seed stock and follow the organization
Heritage Farm is also home to three seed storage vaults, staff offices and a seed house where orders are taken over the telephone, filled and shipped.
Approximately 15,000 people visit the farm each year.
Visitors can also use eight miles of hiking trails,
see a different type of heirloom poultry each year and view the farm
This year, the farm
To learn more, visit www.seedsavers.org.
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.29 Progress in resistance to post-harvest deterioration in cassava
In the last 10-15 years there has been a gradual shift in the priorities of cassava research at CIAT to incorporate biotechnology tools on one hand and to better satisfy the needs of the processing sector on the other. There is a generalized interest to transform cassava from a subsistence crop (whose main relevance is for food security), into a cash crop (that could have a larger impact by promoting rural development and contributing to poverty alleviation).
cassava to better satisfy the needs of the different processing sectors, specific
objectives were set for the cassava research at CIAT. High-value root quality
traits have been successfully identified. Additional traits, such as herbicide tolerance
and tolerance to post-harvest physiological deterioration (
roots are not meant to be reproductive organs. From the evolutionary point
of view, the function of the root is to store energy for the plant to resume
growth after periods of stress (i.e. drought, severe insect attacks, etc.).
When the root is cut from the stems, a rapid chain of reaction takes place
rendering the root unpalatable and unmarketable 1-3 days after harvest. Cassava
is generally grown in marginal environments, frequently characterized by large
distances to the processing centers and deficient transport infrastructure,
specifically roads. The short shelf-life of the roots severely limits the
marketing options by increasing the likelihood of losses and the overall marketing
costs. In addition, the access to urban markets and processing facilities
is restricted to production sites that are relatively close to them.
May 2009 several genotypes that had been identified as potentially carrying
tolerance to
antioxidant properties of carotenoids explain the tolerance to
feasible explanation for the tolerance in the mutagenized population would
be that one of the genes involved in the regulation of
results suggest that tolerance to
Contributed by Hernan Ceballos
Cassava Project leader
1.30 Development of high-yielding C4 rice eyed
3 January 2010
futuristic C4 rice which is seen to give rise to the second "green revolution"
that will save the globe
The C4 rice may take a long while before a commercial release, but it is targeted to give a yield of 50 percent higher than check varieties (benchmark for high yield).
Achim Dobermann in "Future Intensification of Irrigated Rice Systems" said that by 2020 rice yield in irrigated areas must increase to a yield potential of 12 metric tons (MT) per hectare in the dry season per hectare in the west season.
And C4 rice is needed in order to keep a high yield in delta areas which will be the most adversely impacted by climate change, according to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
As the major trait of C4 plants – mainly the efficient use of carbon (which represents the C in C4) for more efficient photosynthesis that will enhance rice productivity – is found outside the rice specie, perhaps the only way to develop this high-yielding rice may be through genetic engineering.
only tool we can see now that will allow us to see that kind of gene in rice
is through genetic modification so you can increase the capture of solar energy
(that will be turned into) biomass," said IRRI Deputy Director General
William G. Padolina in Growth Revolution Magazine
C4 rice is being developed to carry the trait normally found in C4 plants such as sorghum, corn, and sugarcane which have higher yield despite lower irrigation requirement unlike the conventional C3 rice which is water-thirsty.
Director General Robert S. Zeigler said what is alarming is that climate change
will have more negative impact in the highly rice-productive delta areas including
the Mekong Delta (covering Vietnam which is world
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.31 The plant that doesn't feel the cold
7January 2009
at the John Innes Centre in
Plants are exposed to huge variations in temperature through the seasons as well as big differences between night and day. To cope with this, they sense the temperature around them, and adjust their growth accordingly. Publishing in the journal Cell, they have now identified a thermometer gene, which could be crucial for breeding crops able to cope with the effects of climate change.
Plants can sense differences of just 1ºC, and climate change has already had significant effects, bringing forward when some plants flower and changing global distributions of species. While the effect of temperature on plants has been known for hundreds of years, it has been a mystery until now how temperature is sensed.
To solve this problem, Vinod Kumar and Phil Wigge at the John Innes Centre, an institute of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), looked at all of the genes in the model plant Arabidopsis to see which are switched on by warmer temperature. They connected one of these genes to a luminescent gene to create plants that give off light when the temperature is increased. In this way, the team could screen for mutants that could no longer sense the proper temperature. One mutant was particularly interesting, since it lost the ability to sense temperature correctly. The plant behaved as though it was hot all the time, and the scientists could see this as the plant was luminescent when it was warm and cold.
"It was amazing to see the plants," said Dr Vinod Kumar, who discovered the mutant plant. "They grew like plants at high temperature even when we turned the temperature right down."
plant has a single defect that affects how a special version of a histone
protein works. Histone proteins bind to
histone variant works as a thermometer by binding to the plant's
The temperature sensing histone variant was found to control a gene that has helped some plant species adapt to climate change by rapidly accelerating their flowering. Species that do not adjust their flowering time are going locally extinct at a high rate. Plants must continually adapt to their environment as they are unable to move around, and understanding how plants use temperature sensing will enable scientists to examine how different species will respond to further increases in global temperatures.
"We may be able to use these genes to change how crops sense temperature," said Dr Wigge. "If we can do that then we may be able to breed crops that are resistant to climate change."
The John Innes Centre, www.jic.ac.uk, is an independent, world-leading research centre in plant and microbial sciences with over 800 staff. JIC is based on Norwich Research Park and carries out high quality fundamental, strategic and applied research to understand how plants and microbes work at the molecular, cellular and genetic levels. The JIC also trains scientists and students, collaborates with many other research laboratories and communicates its science to end-users and the general public. The JIC is grant-aided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is the
Babraham Institute, Institute for Animal Health,
Reference: H2A.Z-Containing
Nucleosomes Mediate the Thermosensory Response in Arabidopsis Vinod
Kumar and Philip Wigge, Cell 2010, 140(1) to be published
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.32 Cold snaps cause sterility in rice
12January 2010
The latest from Rice Today, the magazine of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
extreme cold snaps in
Rice Today's January-March 2010 edition explores how tropic-loving rice is being adapted to cold environments to boost rice yields in Korea and across rice-growing nations in Africa where rice is exposed to cold temperatures.
Demonstrating the extent of the "cold" issue, Rice Today also publishes maps of rice production in cold temperate regions and high-altitude areas in the tropics that experience cold temperatures. We also hear from rice farmers in the upland regions of the Philippines who are eagerly awaiting cold-tolerant rice varieties to help prevent yield losses.
Furthermore, taking a look at the upland regions of Chiang Mai, Thailand, life for farmers is already looking more promising. Their path out of poverty – by diversifying into high-value vegetable crops while still producing rice to ensure personal food security – is shared through an exposé on IRRI's rice landscape management research to improve livelihoods.
African rice farmers and researchers are also addressing food security issues as they work together to adapt African rice production to climate change.
climate change researcher, Dr. Reiner Wassmann,
shares his thoughts on what the absence of agriculture
in the final agreement of the
On rice trade matters, Dr. Samarendu Mohanty, IRRI economist, outlines an initiative to develop a digital rice information gateway that can provide real-time rice crop monitoring and generate short- to medium-term projections on production, consumption, trade, and prices under different scenarios. In his medium-term outlook, Dr. Mohanty says that "rice prices will continue to rise as production fails to keep pace with demand growth because of low yield growth and limited area expansion."
This issue's Pioneer Interview features retired economists Randy Barker and Robert Herdt as they reminisce about their IRRI days and reflect on the evolution of IRRI's social science research.
this issue, we report more about the kickoff of IRRI's
50th anniversary celebrations, starting with the 6th International
All of these, plus the latest news, views, and books, are available now in Rice Today's January-March 2010 edition. Free online registration for the full content and notification of future issues of Rice Today is now available. Subscribers' copies are being mailed.
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.33 New USDA/ARS-developed soybean line resists key nematode
A new soybean line developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists is good news for growers. The line, JTN-5109, is effective against the most virulent soybean cyst nematode, called LY1.
soybean cyst nematode is a pervasive soybean pest worldwide. In the
all nematode-resistant soybean varieties currently available contain resistance
genes from one of two sources—soybean lines "
is the latest soybean line developed by geneticist Prakash Arelli and
his team at the ARS Crop Genetics Research Unit's
satellite laboratory in
populations are genetically variable and have adapted to reproduce on resistant
soybean cultivars over time. And in recent years, the LY1 nematode populations
were found in
provided yields of 26 bushels per acre in field studies conducted in 2008
collaborated with scientists at the University of Tennessee,
State University, Iowa
State University, and the University
of Missouri, as well as the ARS Corn and Soybean Research Unit at
ARS is the chief intramural scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This research supports the USDA priority of promoting international food security.
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.34 Conquering
Wageningen, The
Plant Research International has discovered the gene that makes tomatoes pink. Plant breeding companies are showing a great deal of interest in this gene; they are hoping to use it to conquer the Chinese and Japanese markets.
Tomatoes generally turn red but a mutation in the tomato
genome makes them turn pink instead. This mutation was described in the literature
as early as 1925 but it was still not known what caused it. In this month
Pink tomatoes are unknown in the
Regulating gene
His group carried out biochemical studies of pink tomatoes
and discovered that one important flavonoid was missing. Further research
showed that a whole series of genes involved in the production of this compound
were no longer expressed. It finally turned out that a single regulating gene
was responsible for switching these genes on and off.
Eighteen months ago Bovy was involved from the sidelines in the development of a purple tomato that produces extra flavonoids, giving it a promising effect on health as demonstrated in animal experiments. English colleagues have taken the lead in developing this tomato further. / Albert Sikkema
This article was written by the editorial staff of
Resource, the bi-weekly newspaper for
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.35 Genes for drought-tolerance, aflatoxin may mingle to boost corn production
plan to put two and two together in a study that will likely yield improved
Two traits that impact corn will be examined by two researchers hoping to use basic scientific discoveries to improve products at the farm level.
Drought tolerance and aflatoxin resistance are the targets of the study by Texas AgriLife Research scientists who have been awarded a $500,000 grant for the project by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The idea is to use basic science which identified the drought- and aflatoxin-related genes in the lab of Dr. Michael Kolomiets and apply them in corn breeding through the expertise of Dr. Seth Murray. Kolomiets is a plant pathologist and Murray, the project's lead investigator, is a corn genetics researcher.
"We plan to use basic knowledge we learned from previous studies and translate that through breeding corn for drought tolerance and aflatoxin resistance," Kolomiets said.
The "basic knowledge" stems from discoveries Kolomiets has made in researching a 13-member family of genes called LOX, or lipoxygenase.
He said one LOX family member is connected to a plant's drought response while another is linked to aflatoxin development.
geneticist basically has to break something to see how it works," Kolomiets
said. "So in this case, we were able to shut down each gene in the lab to
decipher what its function is for the plant biology and the plant
It seems that one of the LOX genes is "hijacked" when droughty conditions are ripe for the Aspergillus fungi to ride into the plant with its toxins. Yet another member of the gene family is the reason for plant aging and death once the plant is under severe drought stress.
Lipids – the fats and oils in plants like corn, soybeans, peanuts, tree nuts and cotton – are sought out, it seems, by pathogens like fungi. So, Kolomiets reasons, preventing the gene hijacking – via a mutation of the gene that has been shut down – will help corn plants avoid problems with these weather-related maladies.
is a recurring problem for corn producers – especially in the southern
Murray and Kolomiets will begin the four-year project in January. They will be assisted by Dr. Tom Isakiet, Texas AgriLife Extension Service plant pathologist, who will train graduate students for the project.
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.36 Barley gives guidance to increasing wheat vigour
Increasing the vigour of cereal crops can lead to more efficient water use and increased grain yields. It can also reduce weeds and increase nutrient uptake.
Dr Richard Richards is leader of the CSIRO's High Performance Crops Program. His focus is on breeding higher yielding wheat and gaining a better understanding of the genetic variations in wheat growth, development and yield.
His team has produced unique wheat plants by combining
different traits that control vigour, from varieties found in
Speaking on the GRDC's latest Driving Agronomy 2010 audio compact disc for the southern region, Dr Richards believes these super vigorous wheats are different to other varieties anywhere else in the world and have deeper, more extensive root systems and more extensive branching.
The key to unlocking this new vigour in wheat actually came from barley. Dr Richards observed barley growing side by side with wheat and noted barley was more vigorous with extra tillers and was better yielding than wheat in dry environments. The team worked out how barley achieved its higher vigour and then set about recreating that in wheat.
Dr Richards says crop vigour is important in making
best use of rainfall. In many years in southern
He says it is a balancing act to choose the right variety of wheat for the range of climate conditions possible during a growing season. In dry years, the super vigorous wheats under development could yield less than current conventional varieties if sown in mid May. But if sown later, they are likely to yield better than current varieties. However in average rainfall years, the super vigorous wheats are expected to perform better than current varieties.
The CSIRO team has also been working on wheats that do not require as much phosphorus, and is leading the world with its results.
Dr Richards says there are two mechanisms in varieties
for improving P use efficiency. However, they are not currently found in any
of the wheats grown in
While it is early days, the team has discovered the
P solubilising mechanism in varieties from
The team is aiming to have elite germplasm into field testing in breeding programs in three years' time. They have already started crossing varieties and hope to breed 2-3 generations per year, instead of one.
GRDC's supplements Agronomy and Wheat Breeding are free and can be downloaded from GRDC's website, www.grdc.com.au, or ordered from Ground Cover Direct, freecall 1800 110044 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
The GRDC Driving Agronomy 2010 audio compact disc for the southern region is available free (plus postage and handling) through GRDC's Ground Cover Direct. Order code is GRDC474.
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.37 Genetic marker provides fungal disease guide
Following the 2009 harvest, many grain growers are evaluating the performance of their varieties as part of their decision making for next year's crops.
GRDC Western Panel Deputy Chairman Professor Richard Oliver says growers could also use a range of decision support information around disease resistance and agronomic performance to add rigour to their on-farm observations.
Oliver, who also heads up the Australian Centre for Necrotrophic
Fungal Pathogens at
The protein, known as ToxA, is produced by both the fungi that cause these diseases – Stagonospora nodorum and Pyrenophora tritici-repentis – and interacts with wheat lines with the Tsn1 Gene, making them more susceptible to the two diseases.
Using the ToxA protein as a sensitivity marker, Professor Oliver's team has identified wheat varieties which are sensitive to ToxA and therefore more susceptible to Stagonospora nodorum blotch and Tan Spot.
"It's another method of more accurately zeroing in on the causes of susceptibility," Professor Oliver said.
"The identification of the gene that is associated with susceptibility gives breeders an easy way to eliminate susceptible wheat lines early in the breeding process."
can be used in conjunction with existing Department of Agriculture and Food
"Growers with crops affected by Stagonospora nodorum blotch and Tan Spot can now choose from a list of cultivars that are insensitive to ToxA and therefore have less severe disease symptoms.
"More such cultivars are expected as wheat breeders begin to consciously select for lines which have lost the Tsn1 gene," Professor Oliver said.
Details of the research results, including the list of ToxA insensitive cultivars, can be found at http://wwwacnfp.murdoch.edu.au/Necrotrophic%20News%201.pdf
More news from: GRDC (Grains Research & Development Corporation)
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.38 Tracking virus resistance genes in watermelon made easier with new molecular markers
Finding watermelon genes that confer resistance to the devastating zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) has just been made easier, thanks to molecular markers developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and university and international cooperators.
ZYMV, a member of the Potyvirus family, seriously affects the commercial production of cucurbit crops like watermelon worldwide. Potyviruses are the largest of the 34 plant virus families currently recognized, most of which are transmitted by aphids. Cucurbit plants infected with ZYMV lose their ability to photosynthesize, resulting in yellow mosaic on leaves, stunted plant growth, unmarketable and deformed fruit, or even early plant death.
ARS plant virologist Kai-Shu Ling and geneticist Amnon Levi, with the agency's U.S. Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, S.C.; geneticist Karen Harris, now with the ARS Crop Genetics and Breeding Research Unit in Tifton, Ga.; and geneticist Michael Havey, with the ARS Vegetable Crops Research Unit in Madison, Wis., collaborated with scientists in France and at North Carolina State University to sequence and clone a gene called eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), which the scientists believe confers resistance to ZYMV in watermelon.
scientists have also identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, pronounced
"snips") that are potentially responsible for resistance to ZYMV
in watermelon. SNPs are variations in
on these SNPs mutations, two molecular markers, named
Details of this study, which was partially funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), can be found in the scientific journal Theoretical and Applied Genetics.
is USDA
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.39 Wheat researchers unlock the power of genetics
tried-and-true methods of traditional plant breeding have created hundreds
of improved wheat varieties for
developments in plant breeding, however, have scientists at
K-State Plant Pathologist Harold Trick has teamed up with ARS researcher John Fellers, for example, to "silence" genes as a method of controlling Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus. This work is part of a larger project that received $52,000 from the Kansas Wheat Commission in FY 2009.
Essentially, Trick, Fellers and their colleagues have dissected the Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus genome, isolating several proteins within, and are attempting to engineer wheat plants to shut off the genes.
"If you can switch off any of the genes, there is a good chance you can prevent the virus from replicating," Trick says. Thus, the virus could be pre-empted before it ever starts within these lines of wheat.
The work is tedious, time-consuming and difficult. But the potential rewards to wheat farmers are vast.
"This could give us a new source of resistance to Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus," says Trick, who adds that preliminary experiments are showing good levels of resistance. K-State and ARS researchers are working on other genetic enhancements for wheat, including, including scab resistance, rust resistance and better grain filling during hot weather.
There is a catch, however: currently, genetically modified wheat has not gained acceptance by the federal regulatory agencies that monitor such activity. Furthermore, approval by the USDA, FDA and EPA is many years and several million dollars away for federal regulatory compliance.
the world
is necessary research. Once transgenic wheat is widely accepted, we want to
be ready to put traits into elite lines. The concept alone doesn
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.40 Scientists sequence the genome of the woodland strawberry, a model system for rosaceae plants
The genome of a model plant related to peach, cherry and cultivated strawberry has been sequenced by a consortium of international researchers that includes scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
scientists announced the sequencing of the genome of woodland strawberry over
the weekend at the Plant and Animal Genome Conference in
Fragaria vesca, commonly known as the woodland or alpine strawberry, is a member of the Rosaceae family, which consists of more than 100 genera and 3,000 species. This large family includes many economically important and popular fruit, nut, ornamental and woody crops, such as almond, apple, peach, cherry, raspberry, strawberry and rose.
F. vesca has many traits that make it an attractive model system for functional genomics studies. Its small size and rapid life cycle enable researchers to conduct genetic analyses with great efficiency and low cost. To determine the importance of a gene of interest, F. vesca can be transformed in order to modulate the activity of that gene in the plant. Most importantly, F. vesca has a relatively small genome, yet shares most gene sequences with other members of the Rosaceae family, making it an important tool for addressing questions regarding gene function.
molecular biologist Janet Slovin,
with the Genetic Improvement of Fruits and Vegetables
Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., created the nearly
inbred line used in the F. vesca genome sequencing project. Named "
Although the F. vesca genome is a model genome for the Rosaceae group, critical regulatory gene functions will probably differ, hypothesizes Slovin. Scientists can use the genome sequence to identify these genes, to test their function in F. vesca, and to develop molecular genetic markers for more rapid breeding of crops belonging to the Rosaceae group. Slovin will use the genome to study and improve heat tolerance during fruit production in strawberry.
ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The research supports the USDA priorities of promoting international food security and responding to climate change.
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.41 Molecular markers made easy: the Generation Challenge Programme's Molecular Marker Toolkit
The Generation Challenge Programme (GCP) of the CGIAR invites you to take a look at one of its latest resources from Subprogramme 5: the GCP Molecular Marker Toolkit (MM Toolkit). The GCP MM Toolkit aims to provide easy and unlimited access to existing information on publicly available molecular markers ready for use for marker-assisted selection in 19 food security crops, and aims to serve of particular use to developing country biotechnologists and plant breeders who often face difficulties in accessing such current information.
For more details, we encourage you to visit the MM Toolkit homepage at http://www.generationcp.org/sp5/?da=09148937.
GENERATION: Cultivating Plant Diversity for the Resource-Poor
A CGIAR Challenge Programme
by CIMMYT, the International Maize and
Contributed by Kate Durbin
GCP Communications Assistant
1.42 New genetic map will speed up plant breeding
of the world
Plant scientists at the
The map is being used to accelerate plant breeding of Artemisia and rapidly develop the species into a high-yielding crop. This development is urgently needed to help meet escalating demand for effective malaria treatments.
Though preventable and treatable, malaria is a serious global health problem, estimated to kill almost a million people every year. The most effective drugs for treating malaria are Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACTs). Increased funding for malaria treatments means demand for ACTs is expected to double from last year's figures, to around 200 million treatments, by 2012. However, meeting this increased demand will be a challenge: artemisinin is extracted from the plant Artemisia annua, but yields are low, making production expensive. In recent years, Artemisia production has been uneconomic and planting areas have declined, raising fears of shortages.
Plant scientists at the
Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP) in the Department of Biology
at the
The map has been validated in glasshouse experiments that found the top-performing plants had elevated frequencies of genetic indicators for high yield. The project is led by Professor Dianna Bowles and Professor Ian Graham. Professor Graham says "The map is already proving to be an essential tool for us. With our new understanding of Artemisia genetics, we can produce improved, non-GM varieties of Artemisia much faster than would otherwise be possible." This speed is essential. "We intend to get high-yielding seed to farmers in the next 2-3 years in order to supply soaring demand for malaria treatments" explains Professor Dianna Bowles. "This is a really tight deadline and we can only do it with the benefit of the new knowledge provided by the map." The work demonstrates how modern genetics is shortening the timescales needed to turn a wild plant species into a domesticated crop.
The scientists at
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.43 Genome sequencing shows past genetic events made soybeans rich in versatile gene families
Among the many plants that humans have found useful
enough to domesticate, soybean (Glycine max) is a wonder. Like other legumes,
it has the important ability to make some of its own essential nutrients by
hosting nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Soybean is also a virtual chemical factory,
so rich in proteins that it is a major source of protein for animal feed,
and so rich in oils that it is used to produce much of the world
If it seems as if nature could hardly have made agriculture
a more useful plant, at last we may now be able to understand why. The first
complete sequencing of the soybean genome has now made available the fine
details of the soybean
The sequencing of the soybean genome will be announced
in a paper forthcoming in the January 14 issue of the journal Nature. Authored
by Jeremy Schmutz of the Joint Genome Institute and the
In particular, researchers found evidence of two separate
instances, one about 59 million years ago and the other about 13 million years
ago, when the plant
Most higher animals and plants (including humans) have
two copies of their genetic code in most of their cells through most of their
life cycle (they are "diploid"), but polyploid organisms have a
extra copies, usually in multiples of two so the material can be evenly divided
during sexual reproduction. In each of the polyploid events in the soybean
The more recent gene-copying event in the soybean lineage was almost certainly an event known as "allopolyploidy," where the duplicated set of genes came from a separate organism that was genetically similar, but probably a distinct species from the other genetic donor. In this condition, the new set of genes are essentially still duplicates, but may be somewhat varied in their specific code.
What makes soybean somewhat unique as a polyploid,
according to Jessica Schlueter, a faculty member in Bioinformatics at the
"One of the characteristics that we
Schlueter stresses, however, that soybean
The team found a particularly high number of genes
that provide the genetic codes for soybean
"You can see across the genomic sequence these major blocks that have been duplicated and remain within the genome," Schlueter said. "This is one of the big take-home messages that we had. The soybean genome has a unique structural characteristic that we have not seen in a sequenced plant genome before."
Since most plants with histories of genome duplication
lose many of their extra gene copies relatively quickly, a major question
remaining is why the soybean has not dumped its extras. Schlueter points out
that the oldest identified occurrence of polyploidy in the soybean lineage
occurred 59 million years ago, a time near the point where legume family itself
first emerged, and the event may be related to the development of these plants
The nodules are a particularly valuable evolutionary development, since they give legumes the ability to produce their own biologically usable form of nitrogen, an element that is essential for biological processes (especially protein production) but is also frequently scarce in a usable form. Developing a feature that allowed a biological partnership with nitrogen-fixing bacteria was a game-changer for the legumes.
"One of the concepts with polyploidy is that you
get unique morphological characteristics because the plant has twice the genetic
information" Schlueter said, "Large seeds, large flowers, the ability
to grow in various temperature conditions, and so on. It
In the soybean lineage, the team found that many of the duplicated genes were preserved and allowed to diversify after each of the two polyploidy events.
If soybean may have kept its duplicated genes because
it was able to diversify many of them into new genes that gave the organism
useful new capabilities, the question is what were those new capabilities,
and how are they related to the plant
As one of the bioinformaticians on the soybean genome
project, Schlueter
The team used a "molecular clock" to establish
dates for when genes had been duplicated, measuring specific differences between
genes that are known to be essentially random and therefore have a predictable
rate of occurrence. For example, certain single substitutions of the
In the next stage of her research on the genome, Schlueter will be looking in finer detail at differences between diverged genes and looking for clues regarding the process of gene divergence and its effects.
"In my lab I
The big question is," she noted, "why are they both still there?"
Far from being simply an abstract academic question, the issue is potentially a very large one for bioscience and particularly for the biotech industry, as the soybean is a model plant for understanding how natural processes can lead to biochemical diversity.
"There was an article in Newsweek recently that
essentially said
"But on the flip side, from an evolutionary biology
perspective, there are some very important evolutionary processes that need
to be revealed," she said. "It
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.44 USDA scientists, cooperators sequence majority of soybean genome
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are part of a team that has sequenced the majority of the soybean genome, providing an unprecedented look into how this important legume crop converts four critical ingredients—sunlight, water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen—into protein and oil, the basic building blocks for many consumer products. The research team from 18 federal, state, public and private organizations published their research today in the journal Nature.
"Soybean and other legumes play a critical role
in global food security and human health and are used in a wide range of products,
from tofu, soy flour, meat substitutes and soy milk to soy oil-based printing
ink and biodiesel," said Molly Jahn, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for
Research, Education and Economics. "This new information about soybean
This sequencing of the soy genome is the culmination
of more than 15 years of collaborative research. The team used a so-called
"whole-genome shotgun" (WGS) approach to sequence 85 percent of
the 1.1 billion nucleotide base pairs that spell out soy
Geneticists Randy Shoemaker, Perry Cregan (photo), David Hyten, Steven Cannon and David Grant with USDA
The Department of Energy
According to USDA's Shoemaker, who is with the ARS
Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research
Unit in Ames,
Iowa, integrating the new sequence with existing physical and genetic maps
of soy will move researchers closer to linking observable physical traits
of soy to their associated genes and alleles—alternate versions of genes.
Ultimately, this will speed the development of new soybean cultivars offering
higher seed yields, increased protein and oil contents, better adaptability
and improved disease resistance, particularly to Asian soybean rust (ASR),
which threatens
"Overlaying the sequence onto available maps will expedite identification and orientation of genetic markers such as single nucleotide polymorphisms, which are often located near genes that control agronomically important traits," Shoemaker said.
Using such markers, soy breeders can rapidly determine which offspring plants have inherited these traits without growing them to maturity, saving time, money and resources.
Some key discoveries already gleaned from the whole-genome
sequence include the first soybean gene conferring resistance to
Photo by Keith Weller
Source: SeedQuest.com
The genome sequencing can shed light on the cassava
plant as a source of biomass energy. It also lays the foundation for enhancing
No other country has published research of the cassava genome sequencing so far, Peng said.
The sequenced varieties are Ku50 (high starch content
cassava), W14 (original cassava) and
The three varieties
Cassava is extensively grown in southern
Source: SeedQuest.com
University of British Columbia researchers have received $10.5 million in funding from Genome Canada through the Government of Canada, Genome BC and international partners to enable them to create the first reference genome of the sunflower family – work that will pinpoint agriculturally important genes and could result in a hybrid sunflower that provides both biofuel and food products.
The sunflower family includes 24,000 species – making it the largest plant family in the world. It is one of only a handful of economically important plant families where a reference genome is not available.
A UBC team led by Canada Research Chair Loren Rieseberg will use new and conventional technologies to sequence, assemble and annotate the genome of the cultivated sunflower. This new information will drive advances in crop improvement, weed control and the development of woody sunflower species as a new biofuel.
One of the potential applications of this research includes the creation of a hybrid variety of sunflower, grown as a dual-use crop. The wild Silverleaf species of sunflower, known for its tall, woody stalks that grow three to 4.5 metres tall and up to 10 centimetres in diameter, could be crossbred with a commercially valuable sunflower plant that produces high-quality seeds, capitalizing on the desirable traits of both species.
"The intent is to have the basis for a breeding program within four years," says Rieseberg, a professor in the Department of Botany. "The seeds would be harvested for food and oil, while the stalks would be utilized for wood or converted to ethanol. As a dual-use crop it wouldn't be in competition with food crops for land."
In addition, this fast-growing annual crop would be
highly drought-resistant, thanks to desirable traits from the Silverleaf variety,
and would therefore be suitable for use in subsistence agriculture in places
like Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in much of
Nolan Kane, a post-doctoral fellow with the UBC Department
of Botany, is one of the co-investigators on the project and together with
colleagues at the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) in
"The sunflower genome is 3.5 billion letters long – slightly larger than the human genome," says Kane. "The sunflower family is the largest plant family on earth – encompassing several important crops and weeds. Mapping its genome will create a very useful reference template for the entire plant family, which will enable us to work on closely related species."
The work is also being funded by the
"This significant investment from Genome
"Genome BC is very pleased to support this innovative project, which will capitalize on Canada's strong genomics infrastructure and leadership in sunflower genomics, in collaboration with other experts worldwide," says Dr. Alan Winter, President and CEO of Genome BC. "The potential applications of this research are extremely important, both globally and locally."
Source: SeedQuest.com
1.47 Leadership changes at Crops for the Future
Dr Hannah Jaenicke is moving on from Crops for the Future on 31 March
After more than four years as Director of the International Centre for Underutilised Crops (ICUC) and more recently as Interim Global Coordinator of Crops for the Future (CFF), Dr Hannah Jaenicke will be leaving the position at the end of March of this year. Given her role in masterminding the concept of CFF and then taking the idea through to actual implementation of the organisation, we feel that it is appropriate to summarise some of these achievements below.
Based in
With the cessation of funding for GFU and the departure of its coordinator in early 2008, Dr Jaenicke had, as Director of ICUC, to virtually single-handedly establish CFF. This meant, among many demanding tasks, to develop a 5-year strategic plan, organising independent reviewers and a panel to find an appropriate hosting organisation and geographical location for CFF, and, of overriding importance, to secure funding from donors to support the organisation. It is a measure of her abilities that she managed to achieve these objectives, whilst still maintaining a research program for ICUC, and developing a new program for CFF.
Through these significant achievements, Dr Jaenicke has provided a very substantial foundation for CFF which will begin to operate formally from the regional
office of its hosting organisation, Bioversity International, in Serdang,
Malaysia in July 2010. From
Although Dr Jaenicke is moving
on at the end of March, CFF is very fortunate that
it can continue to maintain linkages with her through her involvement in several
projects on underutilised crops -including the CoDI
project supported by DFID
Finally, on behalf of our colleagues on the former Board and Steering Group of ICUC and GFU, respectively, and of the current interim governing body of CFF, we wish to take this opportunity to express our gratitude and appreciation for the remarkable contributions that Dr Jaenicke has made in establishing CFF and highlighting the importance of underutilised crops throughout the world.
New Global Coordinator for Crops for the Future: Dr Michael Hermann
noted in the notice above, a new Global Coordinator for CFF
will begin work on
Hermann also has experience in policy work on underutilised
crop species. In particular, he has been spearheading advocacy efforts in
conjunction with UNCTAD, donors and trade promotion
bodies for legislative change of EU food safety
legislation that has emerged as a non-tariff barrier to trade in biodiversity
products. Over the past two years, he has been jointly contracted by Bioversity International and the Secretariat of the Convention
on Biological Diversity (SCBD) to work in
Although Dr Hermann will take up his position as Global Coordinator for CFF on 1 April, he is also required to complete his contract with Bioversity-SCBD which terminates at the end of June. It has therefore been agreed that he will divide his time equally between CFF and Bioversity-SCBD from 1 April to 30 June.
Statement from John Palmer and George Rothschild on behalf of interim governing body for Crops for the Future
1.48 Invitation to join the International Phtyotechnology Society
Dear Colleague:
The future of natural resources and of the planet rests on innovation in science and technology towards clean practices for agriculture and industry, towards prevention and remediation of pollution. Plants can provide tools and approaches for improving sustainability of anthropic activities, and phytotechnologies have been proposed since over 20 years as a solution.
International Phytotechnology Society (
is why we invite you, all researchers in academies, public institutions, companies,
to become a member of
behalf of the Executive Board of
Prof Nelson Marmiroli
For further contact: email@example.com
Contributed by Elena Maestri
1.49 GCP News Issue 43
From GCP
1. GCP's 3rd Call for GSS proposals–Deadline extended
reasons outlined in our recent announcement,
the deadline for submission of proposals for GCP's 3rd Call for Genotyping
Support Service proposals has been extended to
2. Recruitment–GCP seeks Communications Assistant
GCP Communications Unit has a vacancy for a Communications Assistant. The
role entails a variety of communications and public relations functions within
the organisation, involving writing and editing for both print and electronic
media. Deadline for applications:
3. GCP SP2 Leader recognised for scientific contribution through Fellowship award
Subprogramme 2 Leader Rajeev Varshney was the proud recipient of an award
from the highly esteemed National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS),
4. GCP cassava researchers to reap benefits from completion of draft genome sequence
research under GCP's Cassava Challenge Initiative is set for a boost following
the recent completion of the first draft of the cassava (Manihot esculenta)
genome sequence by a team of researchers – an achievement which has led to
a grant of US$1.3 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to
hosts workshop at
group of GCP scientists joined forces at the recent Plant & Animal Genome
Conferences (
6. GCP-funded project featured in French press
A partially GCP-funded project on banana genome sequencing received attention recently in wide circulation magazine Biofutur. More.
7. GCP gets set for an interesting first quarter!
We're in for a busy year in 2010! GCP staff and collaborators brace themselves for the business of the new year with preparations at full throttle for the following GCP events:
Events and opportunities from GCP's network of collaborators and beyond
8. RUFORUM Community Action Research Programme–Call for proposals
RUFORUM Community Action Research Programme (CARP) is seeking concept notes for a competitive call. Deadline: 15th February 2010. More
Upcoming events
1.50 UC Davis
accepting applications for
Davis is currently accepting applications for two
date, 38 agricultural professionals from 12 countries have participated in
the first two classes of this premier program. Class
Davis is partnering with European seed companies, institutions, and associations
to offer the
Dan Gardner, Dairyland Seed Company, "I recently received a significant promotion within the alfalfa breeding program in my company, Dairyland Seed, 18 months after my graduation from the UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy. My promotion was directly linked to my participation in Class I of the Academy. The Academy training gave me the knowledge and skills to significantly advance my plant breeding career. I was able to keep my great job with Dairyland, attend the six training sessions and advance my career without taking two years off to earn a master's degree in plant breeding. My employer is also extremely pleased with the results."
Anthony Tse, owner, Clover Seed Co., Ltd., "The PBA is the perfect program for those already doing conventional breeding; but lack the academic background and training. This is why I sent Ruby over without hesitation. After two years she is working independently and progressing very well with our breeding work. The best part of the program is that the participants apply what they learn directly to their breeding careers."
size is limited to 20 to ensure individualized instruction. See http://pba.ucdavis.edu to apply to either PBA Class
Contributed by Joy Patterson
Editor's note: See addional
details in Section 6.
2.01 Science for Decision Makers - Plant Gene Technology: Improving the Productivity of Australian Agriculture
The Bureau of Rural Sciences, Department of Agriculture,
Fisheries, and Forestry in
Among the topics include an introduction to conventional
breeding to plant gene technology, global and Australian status of GM technology,
regulations of GM crops in
Download the publication at
Source: SeedQuest.com
3.01 Arborea releases a gene catalogue for the conifer tree Picea glauca
The Arborea project is announcing
the release of a gene catalogue for the conifer tree Picea glauca (white
spruce, of the Pinaceae family). White spruce is
a major forest tree species which spans the northern half of the entire North-American
continent. It is one of the most widely used by
The gene catalogue, developed in collaboration with
Gydle inc., integrates sequence data sets produced by Arborea (www.arborea.ca)
and Treenomix (www.treenomix.ca), two large-scale Genome
· EST sequences, also available in the EST section of Genbank;
· Clone sequences, produced from EST sequences and representing transcript sequences in positive mRNA orientation;
· Clusters are groups of clones representing the same gene. Each cluster has a representative clone.
The data files available in this release contain the following information.
Download files at ftp.gydle.com/pub/arborea
· Cluster representative, cDNA clone and EST sequences (fasta format)
· cDNA clone and EST Cluster contents (csv format)
· Annotations to be released at a later date
· Readme files
Related developments: 32K genes oligo-microarray
A whole-genome gene microarray comprised of 70-mer oligonucleotides has been developed jointly by Arborea and Treenomix. Look for information on this microarray on the Arborea website in the near future.
Citation and acknowledgement using this Gene catalogue data
Please acknowledge the use of these data as "Arborea white spruce gene catalogue".
Arborea: Brian Boyle, John MacKay
Gydle: Philippe Rigault
Contribution institutions
The following institutions have participated in this research: Université Laval, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Centre de Recherche du CHUL, FPInnovations - Paprican, Gydle Inc., Ministère des ressources naturelles et de la faune du Québec, University of Alberta.
The following institutions have contributed to funding
of Arborea research: Genome Canada, Genome Québec,
Canadian Forest Service, Alberta Forestry Research Institute, Ministère des ressources naturelles et de la faune du Québec, FPInnovation - Paprican, Agriculture
Contributed by Fabienne.Mathieu
Université Laval Québec
4.01 Soy group offering $50,000 to study crop sciences
if you
The association has pledged to fund five scholarships a year for four years at the UI, said Ron Moore, chairman of the Illinois Soybean Association.
The Illinois Soybean Association Scholarship, for incoming freshmen and transfer students, is $12,000 for the first year, followed by $10,000 a year for up to three more years as long as the student meets the requirements. In addition, the recipients can receive up to $8,000 total over four years to help cover tuition, fees and other educational expenses.
scholarship is believed to be the largest single scholarship available to
students in the UI
want to attract the brightest people we can," said Ron Moore, a
scholarships are funded by the
board has noticed over the last several years a decline in the enrollment
in crop science programs. As we look long-term into the future, that may have
detrimental effects on the number of researchers working on soybean quality
and soybean production issues,"
scholarship is an amazing opportunity for students interested in our programs,"
said Fred Kolb, professor and undergraduate teaching coordinator in the
Although the UI this past year saw a jump in the number of enrollments in crop sciences, historically enrollment has been declining as the number of people coming from or familiar with production agriculture declines. Kolb attributed the recent increase to the horticulture students merging into the department. About 40 of the 156 undergraduate students in crop sciences are studying horticulture, he said.
The demand comes from government agencies, agriculture supply companies such as Growmark and seed companies like Monsanto, Syngenta and Pioneer. Seed companies are looking for people who are interested in working to improve genetics, Emmert said.
from urban or suburban areas may not be aware of the employment opportunities
associated with crop sciences,
scholarships are available to students of all backgrounds,
Scholarships do have a way of generating interest in programs, according to Emmert.
The scholarship application deadline is Jan. 15 for incoming freshmen and March 1 for transfer students. More information is available at http://futurestudents.aces.illinois.edu and http://students.aces.illinois.edu/scholarships.
Illinois Soybean Association Scholarship recipients must meet certain requirements, which include an ACT score of 28 or higher for incoming freshmen and a grade-point average of 3.4 for incoming transfer students. Students must have a demonstrated interest in crop sciences. Internal transfer students must fulfill the requirements and follow the procedures for transferring into crop sciences.
More information about the scholarship is available by contacting Emmert at jemmert<@>illinois.edu or 244-4540.
similar scholarship will be offered at Southern Illinois University,
Source: SeedQuest.com
4.02 USDA/NIFA plans to release agriculture and food research initiative request for applications in February
USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) expects to release its request for applications (RFA) for the 2010 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) no later than mid-February 2010 and will commit up to $800 million in funding for new grants, contingent on annual appropriations in following years.
AFRI is NIFA's flagship competitive grant program and was established under section 7406 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, otherwise known as the 2008 Farm Bill. AFRI will support work in the following priority areas: plant health and production and plant products; animal health and production and animal products; food safety, nutrition, and health; renewable energy, natural resources, and environment; agriculture systems and technology; and agriculture economics and rural communities. Programs focused on these areas will use a disciplinary-based approach to building a foundation of knowledge critical for solving current and future problems.
Within these priority areas, AFRI will support interdisciplinary, multi-functional projects in five "societal challenge" areas to achieve significant and measurable outcomes and achieving goals. The five goals include:
NIFA will issue a series of RFAs to address these program areas. Grants in 2010 will be larger in size with funding up to $25 million and longer in duration with five year grants awarded that are eligible for renewal upon achieving specific goals. NIFA expects such grants will lead to greater collaboration among institutions and organizations and will integrate basic and applied research with deliberate education or extension programs.
In addition, up to $5 million in funding opportunities for pre- and postdoctoral fellowship grants will be offered. This program area will create a cadre of "NIFA Fellows" poised to become the next generation of agricultural scientists, educators and practitioners.
All RFAs will be available on NIFA's Web site and on Grants.gov. Some program areas require letters of intent, which will be requested no sooner than three weeks after the RFA's release. Submission of full proposals to those program areas will be no sooner than six weeks after the letter of intent deadline, with deadline dates determined based on proposal complexity. Applicants will be allowed a minimum of 90 days to prepare proposals for large, complex projects. For program areas that do not require letters of intent, proposal submission deadlines will be no sooner than four weeks after the RFA's release and will be determined with consideration of application complexity.
For more information about the AFRI funding opportunity, visit the NIFA Web site at http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/afri/afri.html.
federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs,
NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting
Source: SeedQuest.com
4.03 Call for applications for the Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) Award
The Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) is pleased to announce the call for applications for the first annual Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) Award for early-career women wheat researchers.
This award, established in 2010, provides professional development opportunities for women working in wheat during the early stages of their career. The award is named after Jeanie Borlaug Laube, mentor to many, and daughter of Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug. Jeanie Borlaug Laube has served as Chair of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative since October 2009.
Selection criteria:
Up to three awards may be granted in a given year. However, the number of awards granted may be fewer in number depending on the quality of applications received.
of the Jeanie Borlaug Laube WIT award are invited to the annual BGRI technical
workshop, to be held in
apply, please complete the attached application and submit along with a letter
of recommendation. Applications must be received by
Electronic submissions may be sent to: email@example.com
Applications may be sent by mail to:
Jeanie Borlaug Laube WIT Award
c/o Ronnie Coffman, Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat Project
252 Emerson Hall
For any questions, please contact:
Sarah Nell Davidson, PhD
Associate Director
Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat Project
31A Warren Hall
t: +1 607 255 1064
m: +1 607 279 5577
f: +1 607 255 1005
Skype: sarah.nell.davidson
Contributed by Jennifer Nelson
Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat Project
4.04 Global Rice Science Scholarship at IRRI
The Global Rice Science Scholarships aim to produce a new generation of rice scientists who are experts in a specific scientific discipline and well-rounded in their understanding of the broader issues of rice science for development. The scholarships seek to attract the brightest young agricultural scientists and mold them into future leaders at all levels of rice research and development.
Bayer global rice science scholar will be based at the International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI) in the
Study level: The scholarship is for a PhD degree.
One scholarship slot available:
A PhD scholarship for a promising young scientist to become a future leader in public or private sector rice improvement R&D, with special emphasis on rice breeding and associated disciplines such as plant pathology, entomology, physiology, or biotechnology.
Scholarship period: 3 years
Scholarship benefits: Round-trip air fare to/from Manila; pre- and post-departure allowance to cover visa, in-transit costs, etc.; monthly stipend to cover lodging, laundry, and food/subsistence; local medical and accident insurance; local travel as required; book allowance; computer and network access; research support; and shipping costs (one-time support given at the end of the program).
closing date:
For more information please contact firstname.lastname@example.com or visit www.training.irri.org
Contributed by Anilyn D. Maningas
of Scholars
International Rice Research Institute
4.05 Graduate Assistantship, offered in the
The Monsanto Graduate Assistantship, offered in the
A total of 14 assistantships—each providing a $24,000
annual salary, individual health insurance, and funds for all required fees
and tuition—will be awarded to both
• Earn a minimum 3.5 grade point average in all master's level graduate course work
• Demonstrate an aptitude for research
• Provide three letters of recommendation from professors or employers with knowledge of applicants research and academic abilities
• Successfully complete the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
• Successfully meet all other requirements for admission
to graduate studies at
Application Procedure:
Applicants should follow all of the guidelines and
procedures to apply for graduate studies in a department offering a plant
breeding degree at
Additional items to be provided by the applicant are:
• A statement providing sufficient background information to demonstrate the student's aptitude to conduct plant breeding or cotton production research
• Identification of the area of plant breeding research to be
pursued and its importance to the agricultural industry
• A one- to two-page letter of support from the department sponsor or major professor which includes a dissertation title and objectives
Students applying to the Department of Soil and
Crop Sciences must send these additional items to the attention of Wayne
Smith, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, 2474