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PLANT BREEDING NEWS

EDITION 227

31 August 2011An Electronic Newsletter of Applied Plant Breeding

Clair H. Hershey, [email protected]

Sponsored byGIPB,FAO/AGPand Cornell UniversitysDepartment of PlantBreeding and Genetics

-To subscribe, see instructionshere-Archived issues available at:FAO Plant Breeding Newsletter

1. NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESEARCH NOTES1.01 Global harvests, vulnerable to the weather - Responding to climatechange with new seed varieties1.02 Breeding plants beyond borders1.03 Seed CentralTM launched1.04 Roundtable meet focuses on building climate-resilient rainfed agriculture1.05 SolCAP project receives award1.06 FAO adopts the Bolivian proposal to declare 2013 International Year ofQuinoa

1.07 "Amazing Maize: The Science, History and Culture of Corn" - IndianaState Museum original exhibition opens Sept. 24, 20111.08 Better wheat breeding can help expand Indonesian market1.09 China reports on creation of agricultural intellectual property1.10 India may prosecute GM eggplant developers1.11 EU approval for UK variety testing1.12 Local seeds, social networks crucial in the recovery of crop diversity afternatural calamities1.13 China's first national gene bank established in Shenzhen1.14 Research helps breeders really know their onions to enhance global foodsecurity

1.15 Crop breeding could slash CO2 levels1.16 Monsanto to sell biotech sweet corn for U.S. consumers1.17 Why plant 'clones' arent identical1.18 Dissecting the genomes of crop plants to improve breeding potentia1.19 Plant biologists dissect genetic mechanism enabling plants to overcomeenvironmental challenge1.20 Potato growers to get insight into how genome will help them1.21 New genome sequence could improve important agricultural crops1.22 Biotechnology for sustainability1.23 U.S. National Corn Growers Association's "Off the Cob" podcast seriesexplores the new genome functionality tool

2. PUBLICATIONS
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://km.fao.org/gipb/http://km.fao.org/gipb/http://km.fao.org/gipb/http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/en/http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/en/http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/en/http://plbrgen.cals.cornell.edu/http://plbrgen.cals.cornell.edu/http://plbrgen.cals.cornell.edu/http://plbrgen.cals.cornell.edu/http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/agpc/doc/services/pbn.htmlhttp://www.fao.org/ag/agp/agpc/doc/services/pbn.htmlhttp://www.fao.org/ag/agp/agpc/doc/services/pbn.htmlhttp://www.fao.org/ag/agp/agpc/doc/services/pbn.htmlhttp://plbrgen.cals.cornell.edu/http://plbrgen.cals.cornell.edu/http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/en/http://km.fao.org/gipb/mailto:[email protected]

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2.01 A new book on seed production and supply with particular reference totropical conditions2.02 Adoption and impact of Bt cotton in India, 2002 to 2010

2.03 Socio-economic and farm level impact of Bt cotton in India, 2002 to 2010

3. WEB AND NETWORKING RESOURCES3.01Training webinars in plant breeding and genomics

4. GRANTS AND AWARDS4.01 Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship Call for 2012

5. POSITION ANNOUNCEMENTS5.01 Plant breeding and related jobs at Monsanto5.02 Breeder/Geneticist Weaver Popcorn Company, Inc. USA

5.03 Postdoctoral Research Position in Genetic Resources Policy, Universityof Illinois at Chicago5.04 Professor Genetics Plant Host-Pathogen Genetics or Plant Genetics

6. MEETINGS, COURSES AND WORKSHOPS

7. EDITOR'S NOTES

1 NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESEARCH NOTES

1.01 Global harvests, vulnerable to the weather - Responding to climatechange with new seed varieties

Monheim, GermanyJuly 27, 2011Agricultural commodities are great travellers:Soy goes to Europe, wheat to Africa and rice to North America. But the systemis fragile: speculators, rising energy and transport costs, and last but not leastextreme weather conditions are making trade in farm produce increasinglyfraught. The climate is becoming more and more unpredictable and threatens

harvests worldwide - and with them, the survival of countless people. The UNestimates indicate that the Horn of Africa may soon face the worlds worstfamine ever, as the region has been hit by the most severe drought in sixtyyears. More than ten million people have been affected and are now fleeingtheir homes.

Plants do not actually need very much to germinate and grow: nutrient-richsoil, sunlight and rain. But extreme weather conditions such as periods of heat,drought, heavy rainfall or hail can wipe out entire harvests in a short time.

The weather is both a friend and a foe to farmers, because everything they do

from sowing to harvest depends on it. The weather also has an impact on thepests and diseases that occur, and how much damage they can cause to

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yields of cereals, fruit and vegetables. The amount of food available to theworld depends above all on the climate.

Spiraling food pricesThe prices of most agricultural commodities have risen steadily over the pastfew years. One of the reasons for this lies in the growing world population.According to Dr. Joachim von Braun, Head of the International Food PolicyResearch Institute until 2009 and currently Director of the Center forDevelopment Research in Bonn, the worlds population will stabilize at aroundnine billion from 2050 onwards, but its food consumption will be the equivalentof that of twelve billion people today. Another factor in the rise of agriculturalcommodities is that the biofuel industry is booming on the back of rising oilprices.

In an attempt to control food price fluctuation, the agriculture ministers of thetwenty largest industrialized and emerging countries (G20) agreed in early July2011 to set up an international database called the Agricultural MarketInformation System, or AMIS for short. This will record production and stocklevels for rice, corn, wheat and soybeans, making the global agriculturalmarkets more transparent.

Poor yields caused by bad weather, fluctuating oil prices and shifting exchangerates affect food prices only in the shape of fairly short-term price hikes. Butpeople in emerging countries, who spend more than half of their income onfood, are hit particularly hard by such price rises. Consumers in the poorestcountries spend around 20 percent more on food in 2010 than they had donethe previous year. And according to the Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO), wheat and corn prices reached record levels in February this year.

But estimates from the United Nations and the U.S. Department of Agriculture(USDA) indicate that retail food prices in the United States rose by only 1.5percent last year. In addition, people in wealthy industrialized countries spenda far smaller proportion of their income on food.

More weather extremes

The latest price rises are due in part to poor harvests following unfavorableweather events: drought hit Russia in the summer of 2010 and later Argentina,while heavy rainfall in Canada and Australia at the start of the year causedsevere damage to arable land. Weather experts put this down to the La Niaphenomenon, in which the surface temperatures of the ocean from the westcoast of South America to the Philippines are lower than normal. This has far-reaching consequences: winter in the northern hemisphere is colder, whiledrought threatens South America and the south of the United States, andheavy rainfalls hit Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia. According to a trendresearch study carried out by Claire Schaffnit-Chatterjee, an analyst for dbresearch, extreme weather events will become more common as a result of

climate change, exerting greater influence on the price of agricultural products

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Summary of farm weather in the first half of 2011:The United States: hot in some parts, cold and wet in othersAmerican farmers had to struggle with widely differing weather conditions this

spring: the south was very dry and warmer than usual, with the risk of fire insome places. Farmers in the east, mid-west and northern California faceddifferent problems: heavy rain and cool temperatures, which meant that theyhad to wait until later than usual to sow corn and soy. Heavy rain and floodingalso delayed sowing in some parts of the grain belt.Conditions in the United States affect the worlds supply of feed cereals suchas corn, sorghum, barley, oats and rye. The USDAs assessment is gloomy.Experts forecast U.S. corn yields almost eight million tons down on theprevious year in 2011, a smaller barley harvest in the European Union (EU)and lower baseline stocks of corn in China, the worlds second largest cornproducer after the United States.

Growing conditions were also not ideal for winter wheat, as unfavorableconditions prevailed last autumn when the crop was due to be sown: droughtin the south and violent storms in the north. The weather was also very cold,with very little snow that can act as a blanket to protect seedlings. Rainfall waslow in the spring, and strong winds dried out fields that had been irrigated.

Europe: dry for too longSpring was much too dry and hot in northern France, Germany, Poland andsouth-east England in particular. The temperatures between February andApril were up to five degrees Celsius above the normal average, and only halfthe usual amount of rain fell, with some regions having barely 30 percent oftheir usual rainfall. Poor weather conditions in northern Europe also led toplant growth being 25 percent less than normal. The prospects for the oilseedrape harvest in Poland are particularly bleak, as experts expect yields to be 18percent down on 2010.The rainfall did at last start to increase in June, but that was too late to preventyield losses. According to Dr. Helmut Born, Secretary-General of the GermanFarmers Federation (DBV). In some parts of the country the rain was literallyjust a drop on a hot stone. In the west and south-west of Germany, rain wassometimes very heavy but just ran off the parched surface of the earth and

never reached the roots. Crops like winter barley ripened too soon, in aphenomenon which experts call premature ripening: cereal plants which havesuffered drought stress drop their kernels before they are fully formed, leadingto small kernels with a low starch content.

France was hit particularly hard by low rainfall. Analysts at Credit Suisseexpect that the wheat harvest could be up to 30 percent lower than normal ifthe drought persists.However, the situation in eastern Europe has improved. Russia has lifted itswheat export ban after just over a year, and the Ukraine will probably be ableto export more grain than at the same time last year. According to

Handelsblatt, last summer Russia suffered a once-in-a-century drought whichburnt 17 percent of its arable land and led to yields falling by more than a third.

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Asia: two different situationsPersistent drought, especially in the middle and lower sections of the Yangtze

river, had a massive impact on agriculture in south-east China. In late May theamount of water taken from the Three Gorges Dam was increased so thatdrought-hit farmland in many areas could be irrigated. Five provinces of centraland eastern China suffered the worst drought since 1961 in spring, with rainfallbeing less than half the usual level in some places.

The weather was extremely dry at the start of the year in India as well,especially in the west of the country. Yields of important Indian crops such ascotton, rice and sugar cane will only become clear after the summer monsoon,which brings long periods of rainfall from June to September.

In contrast, south-east Asia experienced unusually heavy rainfall, which isgood for rice grown in paddy fields. But persistently wet weather causes riceplants to ripen more slowly, delaying the harvest.

Boosting wheat growthIncreasing yields is a key goal for plant breeders. They want to produce cornand wheat plants that bear many ears and kernels. The impact of the climateand changing environmental conditions have encouraged breeders to work ondeveloping tougher varieties that are better able to cope with heat and droughtor are resistant to pests. Other goals include increasing resistance to winterconditions and shortening the time that plants take to ripen.For Bayer CropScience, cereals are a core area of its worldwide seed andplant research and development activities. A major step was the cooperationagreement with the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial ResearchOrganization), Australias national research body. Work has concentrated oncrops such as wheat, aiming to increase yields, improve drought tolerance,make more effective use of fertilizers and improve disease resistance.Bayer CropScience is working with another partner, Evogene Ltd., to use thelatest technology to identify naturally occurring genes in wheat or other plantsthat can stimulate these properties in wheat. It is also setting up its first wheat-breeding station in North America, close to Lincoln in the state of Nebraska.

Work at this station will focus on varieties of Ukrainian wheat that areparticularly resistant to cold and drought and have high potential yields, withthe aim of developing them so that they are suitable for growing in other partsof the world.

Key figures about wheat:Approximately 25 percent of global agricultural land is utilized for wheatcultivation, making wheat the largest food crop worldwide in terms of area.Wheat is the second most-produced cereal crop after corn with more than 650million tons produced every year. Wheat productivity is increasing at less than1 percent annually, while the annual productivity increase required only to

meet population growth is approximately double that percentage. Main wheat

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producing regions are Australia, the Black Sea Region, China, the EuropeanUnion, India and North America.

Links:The website of the U.S. Department of Agriculture contains current informationand reports about agricultural commodities, weather and statistics.www.usda.govThe Crop Prospect and Food Situation report sets out the food situation invarious countries.www.fao.orgThe World Banks 2010 World Development Report examines the linksbetween climate change, poverty and agricultural development.www.econ.worldbank.orgThe db research trend report (in German) describes the factors influencing

harvests, market trends and food prices.www.dbresearch.deVolksbank AG research has recently published a study (in German) into theprice trends of various agricultural commodities.wwwen.volksbank.com

http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=19463&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop=

Source: SeedQuest.com

(Return to Contents)

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1.02 Breeding plants beyond borders

MATTHEW CAWOOD29 Aug, 2011 04:00 AMSince the 1960s, commercial plant breeders working mostly with the world'sfive staple crops have produced about 8000 plant varieties.

Over the same time, peasant farmers have contributed nearly 2 million plantvarieties to the world's genebanks. That's the rich diversity that Australian plantbreeder Anthony Leddin wants to boost with his initiative, Plant BreedersWithout Borders.

Mr Leddin, a plant breeder with Valley Seeds in Yambuk, Victoria, saw theneed for plant-breeding expertise while doing volunteer work in Asia.

He observed a huge number of alternative plant species in use, with somelandraces preserved by communities for generations, but also noticed that the

crops' potential was constrained by lack of modern plant breeding knowledge.
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Drawing on the "Doctors Without Borders" concept, Mr Leddin conceived PlantBreeders Without Borders, an organisation that will help plant breeders fromaround the world work with communities in developing countries and provide

them with the equivalent of Plant Breeding 101.

Communities will continue to use traditional methods of growing andmultiplying crops, but splice modern knowledge into those methods to helpthem boost crop value.Mr Leddin also sees potential for follow-up work by agronomists to help withcrop management and storage.

By helping communities tackle issues like crop disease or storage propertiesthrough better breeding, Mr Leddin hopes that crops suited to specificecosystems and cultures will one day be making a much greater contribution

to the world's food production.

The project focuses on under-developed species to ensure it doesn't competewith the private-sector breeding work being undertaken on staple crops.

The range of plants, and their unrealised potential, is huge, Mr Leddin said.

Acacia varieties in Africa can provide an alternative source of flour, forinstance, and there are many vegetables eaten by indigenous communities inAfrica and Asia that have no equivalents outside the communities that usethem.

Some currently little-known plants may carry great future significance.

"If we start to get drier and drier growing environments, we may get to thestage where we have to look at growing alternative crops. That's where someof these indigenous species may be an option."

"It's only part of the food security puzzle. There are a hell of a lot of otherthings that have to be done, but it's a way of making a start."

Australian Business Volunteers have agreed to fund researchers to gooverseas for four weeks. While living overseas breeders are supported by thecommunities they are working with.

Mr Leddin has already been contacted by overseas plant breeders prepared todo work in the Southern Hemisphere outside their growing season.

Australian breeders will similarly fit into Northern Hemisphere seasons.

Contact Anthony Leddin: Tel (03) 5568 4112 or 0408 333 046 [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

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http://sl.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/grains-and-cropping/general/breeding-plants-beyond-borders/2270247.aspx


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1.03 Seed CentralTM launched

Seed Central, a joint project of the Seed Biotechnology Center at UC Davisand SeedQuest, is being launched to energize the seed industry clustersurrounding UC Davis.

The objectives are to:

strengthen the dialogue between UC Davis and the seed industry facilitate research collaborations and technology transfer between universityand industry strengthen the benefits of operating within a dynamic and innovative industrycluster for all participants.

Visitus to join Seed Central and learn about the benefits.

Source: Seed Biotechnology Center, UCD E-news, August 2011


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1.04 Roundtable meet focuses on building climate-resilient rainfedagriculture

Hyderabad, IndiaAugust 16, 2011Providing sustainable and science-based solutions and pro-poor approachesto climate change adaptation in rainfed agriculture was the focus of the

Roundtable on Climate Change and Rainfed Faming Systems held atICRISAT-Patancheru on 16 August 2011.

The meeting, organized by the JSW-Time of India Earth Care Initiatives 2011along with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics(ICRISAT), primarily aimed to identify adaptation and mitigation strategies tomanage the risk and protect the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers whopredominate in the rainfed regions. Measures to build the resilience of naturalresources and rainfed communities in India and other countries in Asia andAfrica against climate change were shared and discussed during the meeting.

Rainfed farming systems are the hot spots of poverty and are also the mostvulnerable to the impacts of climate change, ICRISAT Director General
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William Dar said in his inaugural address. In unlocking the potential of rainfedagriculture in achieving food security and improved livelihoods, he advocatedfor a holistic approach integrating the adoption of climate-resilient crops and

various soil, water and nutrient management strategies, with supportingpolicies and institutions.

Integrated water management through harvesting rainwater was alsohighlighted as an important strategy in building the resilience of rainfedcommunities and the natural resources.

Well-known panelists during the meeting include Dr. AK Singh, DeputyDirector General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR); Dr. PKJoshi, Senior Program Manager, IFPRI; Dr. B. Venkateswarlu, Director,CRIDA; and Dr. Sachin Oza, Executive Director, Development Support Center.

Drs Peter Craufurd SP Wani, ICRISAT scientists, led the discussion on focaltopics such as assessing local impacts of climate change at regional/ subregional levels, capacity building of all stakeholders including policymakers,development of climate-ready crops using new science tools, and buildinglocal institution and enabling policies to ensure equitable and inclusivedevelopment of smallholder farmers. Mr JK Tandon, CEO on CorporateSustainability, Jindal Steel Works discussed industry and developmentdilemmas related to climate change.

About 65 participants representing different stakeholders from Indiaparticipated in the roundtable meeting chaired by Dr Wani with RGopichandran of the Gujarat Energy Research & Management Institute(GERMI).




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1.05 SolCAP project receives award

SBC Research Director Allen Van Deynze and his colleagues in theSolanaceae Coordinated Agricultural Project (SolCAP) have received a 2011U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary's Honor Award, designed torecognize exceptional leadership in the science, public policy andmanagement needed to guide a rapidly evolving food and agricultural system.SolCAPdevelops genomic tools for plant breeding for potato and tomato.

SBCs Jeanette Martins provides staff support for SolCAPs educationalworkshops. Roger Chetelat, curator for the C.M. Rick Tomato Genetics
http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=19889&id_region=&id_category=&id_crophttp://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=19889&id_region=&id_category=&id_crophttps://faohqmail.fao.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=9d735cc5f4d64578aeabe5962ef2757e&URL=http%3a%2f%2fsolcap.msu.edu%2fobjectives.shtmlhttps://faohqmail.fao.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=9d735cc5f4d64578aeabe5962ef2757e&URL=http%3a%2f%2fsolcap.msu.edu%2fobjectives.shtmlhttps://faohqmail.fao.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=9d735cc5f4d64578aeabe5962ef2757e&URL=http%3a%2f%2fsolcap.msu.edu%2fobjectives.shtmlhttp://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=19889&id_region=&id_category=&id_crophttp://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=19889&id_region=&id_category=&id_crop

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Resource Center is also a key collaborator in SolCAP. UC Davis PlantSciences professors Jorge Dubcovsky and David Neale were also honored fortheir leadership of CAP projects on wheat, barley and conifers. For more

information and full article seeUC Davis Department of Plant Sciences.

Source: Seed Biotechnology Center, UCD E-news, August 2011


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1.06 FAO adopts the Bolivian proposal to declare 2013 International Yearof Quinoa

The Minister for Rural Development and Land, Nemesia Achacollo, said that130 countries endorsed the proposal within the period 37 session of the FAOtaking place in Rome. He said that in September the resolution of the FAO willbe reviewed at the General Assembly of the Organization of the UnitedNations (UN).

According to the official Prensa Latina, the quinoa-producing Andeancountries are being challenged to communicate about it and promote it withexhibitions worldwide. Bolivia is the world's leading producer of quinoa, anancient grain from the Andean highlands, which has regained a rise in theworld market for its excellent nutritional values.

The grain has been part of the human diet for some five thousand yearsbefore present; however, it only began to carry weight in international tradewhen its benefits were discovered. Since then, prices have risen for the "grainof gold," fetching up to $2,500 a ton versus $862 in 1999.

Contributed by Francisco [email protected]


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1.07 "Amazing Maize: The Science, History and Culture of Corn" -Indiana State Museum original exhibition opens Sept. 24, 2011

Indianapolis, Indiana, USAAugust 19, 2011This Indiana State Museum original exhibition opens Sept. 24, 2011 afteryears of in-house research and development. Amazing Maize: The Science,History and Culture of Corn outlines a 10,000 year genetic journey that

explores the relationship between people and corn, arguably the mostproductive domesticated plant and the greatest plant breeding achievement of
http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/

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all time. Visitors will be amazed at the scientific, economic and culturalsignificance and impact of corn on daily life, past and present.

Why Corn? Corn is the most productive and versatile crop grown around theworld. It is simultaneously both old and new and low tech and high tech. Itprovides a wide variety of foods, animal feed, industrial products and fuel.Amazing Maize will help visitors explore what makes corn such an amazingplant!

**If you are looking for an agricultural story between the Indiana StateFair and the Farm Progress Show, schedule now for a behind thescenes personal tour and photo opportunity.The exhibition gets the nod from national sponsors Case IH, DowAgroSciences and the Ford Motor Company, who agree the educational value

of the exhibit is important, as corn is considered to be the representative cropof the American continent.

Angela Harris, research engineer at the Ford Research and Innovation Centerin Dearborn, Michigan commented, "In recent years Ford has increased theuse of bio-based materials that are environmentally favorable plus meetdurability and performance requirements. Amazing Maize highlights theincreasing importance of efforts at Ford and elsewhere to look broadly formore such opportunities and we are pleased to support this educationalexhibit."

Dow AgroSciences is proud to support the Amazing Maize exhibit, said DowAgroSciences Finance and Public Affairs Director Gordon Slack. In the pasttwo years, the museum staff has done some amazing work to make the exhibita reality. In just a little more than a month from now, the Amazing Maize exhibitwill open to the public and will showcase a 10,000 year global journey thatexplores the relationship between people and corn. Dow AgroSciences ishappy to be part of this journey.

The Indiana State Museum is located in White River State Park in the heart ofdowntown Indianapolis. It is Indianas museum for science, culture and art,

offering a place where you can celebrate, investigate, remember, learn andtake pride in Indianas story in the context of the broader world. Even thebuilding is a showcase of the best Indiana has to offer in architecture,materials and sculpture. For more information, call 317.232.1637 or visitindianamuseum.org



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1.08 Better wheat breeding can help expand Indonesian market

By Mitch Grayson23 August 2011An economist says Australian wheat breeding programs need to focus moreon satisfying Indonesian customers.

Indonesia is by far Australia's largest wheat export customer, buying 2.4 milliontonnes per year, followed by exports to Japan of one million tonnes. Much ofthe wheat is made into noodles.

But principal economist with grower group GrainGrowers, Professor Gordon

MacAuley, says targeting types of wheat could open up many more markets.

"We should understand what they require for their different products," he said."Then the next step is when once we understand to make sure our plantbreeders are breeding to meet those requirements, then our farmers areproducing wheat which really is very suitable for producing products inIndonesia."

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201108/s3299875.htm



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1.09 China reports on creation of agricultural intellectual property

August 5, 2011China's Ministry of Agriculture launched a Report on China's AgriculturalIntellectual Property Creation Index (2010). The report says that under the

comprehensive sections of the Outline of National Intellectual PropertyStrategy and the Outline of Agriculture Intellectual Property Strategy, thecapability of Chinese agricultural knowledge creation has significantlyimproved during the country's 11th Five-Years (2006-2010).

The average annual growth of applications and authorization for new plant newvarieties are 4.89% and 29.16% in 2006 and 2010, respectively, while theaverage annual growth of applications for agricultural patent is 18.03%. Theseindicate that agricultural knowledge creation capability has become animportant support for sustainable development of agriculture in the country.The report also said that agri-biotechnology has become the key field in S&T

innovation. See the news and download the report in Chinese athttp://www.ccipa.org/html/tonggao/2011/0426/3236.html
http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201108/s3299875.htmhttp://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201108/s3299875.htmhttp://www.ccipa.org/html/tonggao/2011/0426/3236.htmlhttp://www.ccipa.org/html/tonggao/2011/0426/3236.htmlhttp://www.ccipa.org/html/tonggao/2011/0426/3236.htmlhttp://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201108/s3299875.htm

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Source: Crop Biotech Updatevia SeedQuest.com


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1.10 India may prosecute GM eggplant developers

New Delhi, IndiaAugust 25, 2011

India's National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) is considering unprecedentedlegal action against the developers of genetically modified (GM) eggplant(brinjal) for alleged violation of the country's biodiversity laws.

In February 2010, a Bangalore-based non-governmental organisation,Environment Support Group (ESG), filed a complaint with the KarnatakaBiodiversity Board, a state agency, charging that developers of the eggplant,also known as Bt brinjal, had taken samples of at least ten local varieties fromthe two southern states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, without seekingpermission from biodiversity authorities.

India's Bt brinjal was developed and tested by the Maharashtra Hybrid SeedsCompany (Mahyco), partially owned by US biotechnology company Monsanto,and by scientists at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, andTamil Nadu Agricultural University.

After investigating, the Karnataka Biodiversity Board wrote to the NBA in May2011, seeking further action.

The NBA discussed the issue in a meeting on 20 June 2011, whose minuteswere made public this month (11 August). According to the minutes, "NBA may

proceed legally against Mahyco/Monsanto and all others concerned to take theissue to its logical conclusion".

Mahyco and the University of Agricultural Sciences have denied any violationsof biodiversity laws in their replies to the Karnataka board.

Although India's Genetic Engineering Approval Committee cleared Bt brinjal forcommercial growing, in February 2010 India's former environment minister,Jairam Ramesh, announced a two-year moratorium on its use to give time forits safety to be accepted by the public and scientists.

"The law mandates that, when biodiversity is to be accessed in any manner forcommercial, research and other uses, local communities that have protected

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local varieties and cultivars for generations must be consulted and, if theyconsent, benefits must accrue to them as per the internationally applicableaccess and benefit-sharing protocol," ESG has said.

The NBA is yet to issue a legal notice, and its new chairman BalakrishnaPisupati, who took charge on 12 August and was formerly with the UNEnvironment Programme, told SciDev.Net that it is "collecting information andevidence".

"We are not delaying it, but we need more information to strengthen the case.And as it is the first case, we are learning lessons from it. But a decision canbe expected soon," he said.

ESG trustee, Leo Saldanha, said that "what should follow is criminal

prosecution as well as suspension of all applications for research".Monsanto, which has a 26 per cent stake in Mahyco, said it would notcomment on "speculative reports".

"We would also like to reiterate that reports suggesting that Bt brinjal isproduced by Monsanto in partnership with Mahyco are untrue," it added."Monsanto would like to clarify that Bt brinjal has been indigenously developedby Indian seed and biotech company, Mahyco, with the Cry1Ac gene accessedfrom Monsanto, in collaboration with multiple public sector institutions."


Source:SciDev.Netvia SeedQuest.com


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1.11 EU approval for UK variety testing

11 August 2011After a successful audit, NIAB has been awarded EU approval for its plantvariety DUS testing of a range of agricultural species, as part of a European-wide assessment by the European Union Community Plant Variety Office(CPVO).

For an agricultural variety to be added to a National List and be freelymarketed in the UK and EU, it must be tested to show it is distinct, uniform andstable (DUS) and have satisfactory value for cultivation and use (VCU). For agrant of Plant Breeders Rights to be awarded to a variety, it must meet theDUS standards for the species.
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DUS tests and VCU trials are carried out at approved centres on behalf ofnational authorities. The UKs testing is coordinated through Feras Varietyand Seeds Office in Cambridge and the tests are carried out by NIAB, SASA

and AFBI Crossnacreevy. As part of the auditing process, the EU auditorsvisited Fera Cambridge, NIAB and AFBI Crossnacreevy in Northern Ireland, toassess the level of compliance in adhering to the CPVO Technical Protocols.

The new directive states that each EU member states regulatory and testingbody should be regularly assessed to ensure their adherence to the CPVOTechnical Protocols and other requirements, explains Jennifer Wyatt,Certification and Agricultural DUS advisor at NIAB.

NIAB has a long and successful history in variety evaluation, seedcertification, seed testing and supporting the delivery of Plant Variety Rights

and Seeds Legislation, so were delighted to be awarded with a CPVOEntrustment Certificate forour cereals, oilseed rape, beans and sugar beetprogrammes.

CPVO Entrustment Certificates have also been awarded to SASA in Scotland,the UK centre for potatoes, peas, turnip rape, swede and vegetable plantvariety testing, and to AFBI Crossnacreevy in Northern Ireland for Loliumspecies and white clover.

For further information contact:Dr John Hutchins, Director of Operations, [email protected]

Jennifer Wyatt, Head of Certification and Agricultural DUS, [email protected]

NIABNIAB is a major international centre for plant science, crop evaluation andagronomy, with headquarters in Cambridge and regional offices across thecountry. NIAB spans the crop development pipeline, combining within a singleresource the specialist knowledge, skills and facilities required to support the

improvement of agricultural and horticultural crop varieties, to evaluate theirperformance and quality, and to ensure these advances are transferred intoon-farm practice through efficient agronomy.

With an internationally recognised reputation for independence, innovation andintegrity, NIAB is ideally placed to meet the industrys current and futureresearch, information and knowledge transfer needs.

As NIAB TAG we conduct field crops research and provide impartial varietyand crop husbandry information. The NIAB TAG knowledge base is drawnfrom extensive staff expertise, research data and field trials from over 20

locations in England. It is widely utilised by the agricultural community andthrough the NIAB TAG Network influences more than 20% of the UKs
https://faohqmail.fao.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=9d735cc5f4d64578aeabe5962ef2757e&URL=mailto%3ajohn.hutchins%40niab.comhttps://faohqmail.fao.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=9d735cc5f4d64578aeabe5962ef2757e&URL=mailto%3ajohn.hutchins%40niab.comhttps://faohqmail.fao.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=9d735cc5f4d64578aeabe5962ef2757e&URL=mailto%3ajennifer.wyatt%40niab.comhttps://faohqmail.fao.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=9d735cc5f4d64578aeabe5962ef2757e&URL=mailto%3ajennifer.wyatt%40niab.comhttps://faohqmail.fao.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=9d735cc5f4d64578aeabe5962ef2757e&URL=mailto%3ajennifer.wyatt%40niab.comhttps://faohqmail.fao.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=9d735cc5f4d64578aeabe5962ef2757e&URL=mailto%3ajohn.hutchins%40niab.com

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arable area.

For more information log onto www.niab.com or follow us on Twitter @niabtag


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1.12 Local seeds, social networks crucial in the recovery of cropdiversity after natural calamities

Ibadan, Nigeria08 August 2011Including seeds of local crop varieties in relief-seed packages distributed to

smallscale farmers after natural calamities could help indigenous crop diversityrebound faster. Additionally, existing social networks act as vital seeddistribution channels that hasten diversity recovery in disaster-affectedcommunities. These are among the findings of a recent study by IITA thatlooked into the loss and subsequent recovery of cowpea diversity inMozambique when massive flooding, followed by severe drought, hit most ofthe country about 11 years ago.

In this country, farmers usually receive relief seed packages as stop-gapmeasure to mitigate the effects of natural disasters that often wipe-out theircrops. However, most of the seeds in these relief packages are generally ofintroduced and genetically uniform varieties purchased from markets orprovided by seed companies or by well-meaning relief agencies, which slowthe recovery of crop diversity.

Interestingly, the study also noted that the speedy recovery of Mozambicancowpea diversity after the back-to-back disasters of 2000 was largely due tothe exchange of seeds among farmers through gifting and other socialinteractions involving friends, family members, and relatives within the samecommunity or adjacent communities.

Dr Morag Ferguson, a molecular biologist with IITA and one of the studys leadresearchers, says farmers in Africa traditionally grow many crops and severalvarieties of each crop on the same plot of land to cope with unforeseeneconomic or environmental instabilities. They usually set aside part of theirharvest to serve as seed for the next cropping season. They also share ortrade some of these seeds with friends and relatives. When natural disastersstrike, many farmers often lose the seeds that they have set aside and areforced to rely on relief seed, buy from the market, or receive seeds as giftsfrom friends and relatives.

We found that the substantial recovery of cowpea genetic diversity two years

after the calamities was mainly due to the informal exchange of seeds amongfarmers that served as a social-based crop diversity safety backup. It is

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therefore important that seed relief strategies recognize and capitalize on thisexisting traditional network based on social relations to help restore diversityespecially after natural upheavals, she said.

The study was initiated in 2002, two years after the floods-then-droughtdisaster, in Chokwe and Xai Xai districts of the Limpompo River Valleyareasthat were among those severely affected. The findings of the research havebeen published in the current edition of Disaster, a publication of theOverseas Development Institute (ODI).

The research established that nearly 90% of the farmers in the affected areasreceived cowpea relief seed immediately after the back-to-back calamities.Two years after, only one in every five of the recipient farmers were stillgrowing the seeds, while more than half sourced their seeds from markets.

However, this did little in restoring cowpea diversity in the affectedcommunities as the seeds bought by farmers from the market, which comesfrom other districts that grew just one or a few select varieties, were mostlyuniform.

On the other hand, about one-third of the affected farmers obtained seedsfrom friends and relatives living within the same locality to restock their farmsthe same people that they have been exchanging seeds with prior to thedisasters. This practice was the main reason why cowpea diversity wasrestored in these areas, the study showed.

Dr Ferguson says that such a social relations-based seed distribution systemis already in play in an approach developed and implemented by the CatholicRelief Services (CRS) in partnership with other relief agencies in which seedvouchers are exchanged for seed at Seed Fairs. In this approach, farmersfrom nearby districts not affected by disaster and with excess seed, come tothe Seed Fair to sell seed to disaster-affected farmers in exchange forvouchers, which they then cash-in with the relief agency.

This approach recognizes that farmer seed systems are robust and resilient,and can provide seed even in emergency situations. And this study shows that

such an approach will be more effective in restoring diversity faster and moreefficiently than a system based on direct distribution only, she says.

The study was the first of its kind to investigate in detail the effects of disasterson crop diversity and its recovery. It combined agronomic observations (forexample looking at the seeds colour, size, pattern, and shape) withbiotechnology tools to determine the seeds genetic makeup.



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1.13 China's first national gene bank established in Shenzhen

20 June 2011

Chinas first national gene bank was established in Shenzhen during theChina Bioindustry Convention 2011 (BioChina), which concluded yesterday.

The bank is based on data and facilities of the Beijing Genomics Institute(BGI), the worlds largest genome-mapping institute working with sophisticatedgenome-sequencing apparatus.

The city government and BGI will raise 15 million yuan (US$2.3 million) for thefirst-phase development of the bank, according to plans approved by theNational Development and Reform Committee (NDRC) in January.

With the establishment of the bank, China would be able to better protectresearch and utilize its genetic resources, boost the genetics industry andsafeguard the nations genetic information, said Qi Chengyuan at Fridaysestablishment ceremony. Qi is the head of the high-tech industry departmentof the NDRC.

Before the establishment of the gene bank in Shenzhen, the only threenational gene banks were in the United States, Japan and Europe.

President of BGI, Yang Huanming, said the bank aimed to take the lead in thedevelopment of the international biological industry.

BGI differed from conventional companies in the field because it could handledata in vast quantities and industrialize its research, Xinhua quoted analysts assaying.

On Friday, the city government officially invited 18 academics attendingBioChina to become senior consultants on the development of the biologicalindustry in Shenzhen.

BioChina concluded with the signing of 22 cooperation agreements in thebiological industry, totaling more than 28.2 billion yuan, a press conferencewas told yesterday.

The next BioChina would be held in Taizhou in Jiangsu Province.

http://www.whatsonshenzhen.com/tag-

China%20Bioindustry%20Convention.html
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Source:www1.szdaily.com

Contributed by Allen Van Deynze

Seed Biotechnology [email protected]


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1.14 Research helps breeders really know their onions to enhance globalfood security

Warwick, United Kingdom

August 2, 2011Research led by the Warwick Crop Centre in the School of Life Sciences at theUniversity of Warwick has developed a unique collection of information aboutthe disease resistance of 96 of the worlds onion varieties. It will be a crucialresource for commercial growers and seed producers trying to combat one ofthe most difficult diseases affecting onion crops. This work may also have key-benefits of reduced fertiliser consumption and enhanced drought tolerance.

The work on onions, in this research funded by Defra (The Department forEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs), is being carried out by Dr Andrew Taylora Research Fellow in the University of Warwicks School of Life Sciences, whohas tested and recorded key traits of 96 varieties of onion from Europe,Australia, New Zealand, Africa , India, the US and Japan. The data providesinformation that will be crucial to growers seeking to create onion varieties thatcan resist Fusarium oxysporum (which causes basal rot in onions), and whichalso respond well to Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi - beneficial fungi. Animproved interaction with these fungi assists nutrient uptake in onionspotentially decreasing the amount of fertiliser required. These fungi can haveother beneficial effects such as increased disease resistance and droughttolerance.

This research will not only help individual commercial growers and seedproducers but will also contribute significantly to global food security,particularly in situations where rising temperatures are an issue. Enhancedresistance to Fusarium oxysporum will be of importance in dealing with risingtemperatures as basal rot is more active and acute in warmer conditions.Dr Andrew Taylor will present his work at the Onion Global 2011 conference inDeidesheim Germany which runs from 16th-18th August. The work forms partof a larger Defra funded study at the University of Warwick entitled theVegetable Genetic Improvement Network (VeGIN) looking at understandingand cataloguing useful traits in a range of vegetables that seed producers canuse to inform their breeding strategies.

Dr Andrew Taylor from Warwick Crop Centre said:
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We have developed a unique onion diversity set from material sourced fromacross the globe. We now have a extremely useful library of the variation intraits including resistance to Fusarium oxysporum (the cause of ), response to

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (beneficial fungi which help nutrient uptake) andseed/seedling vigour, all of which will be extremely useful to growers and seedproducers dealing with changing conditions and threats to onion crops.Warwick Crop Centre Director Dr Rosemary Collier said:

I am delighted that VeGIN is already providing results that can have a directimpact on the global efforts to enhance food security. This is just the first ofwhat will be a range of outputs from this Defra funded work at the WarwickCrop Centre that will be of significant benefit to growers across the planet.A Defra spokesperson said:

This important research shows how farmers can farm smarter producingcrops that are naturally resistant to rot and disease can help them reduce theamount of fertiliser and pesticides they need in our changing climate.




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1.15 Crop breeding could slash CO2 levels

Manchester, United KingdomAugust 3, 2011Breeding crops with roots a metre deeper in the ground could loweratmospheric CO2 levels dramatically, with significant environmental benefits,according to research by a leading University of Manchester scientist.

Writing in the journal Annals of Botany, Professor Douglas Kell argues thatdeveloping crops that produce roots more deeply in the ground could harvestmore carbon from the air, and make crops more drought resistant, whiledramatically reducing carbon levels.In principle, any crops could be treated in this way, giving more productiveyields while also being better for the environment.

Although the amount of carbon presently sequestered in the soil in the naturalenvironment and using existing crops and grasses has been known for sometime, Professor Kells new analysis is the first to reveal the benefits to theenvironment that might come from breeding novel crops with root traits

designed to enhance carbon sequestration.

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Professor Kell, Professor of Bioanalytical Science at the University as well asChief Executive of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences ResearchCouncil (BBSRC), has also devised a carbon calculator that can show the

potential benefits of crops that burrow more deeply in the ground.With this, he has calculated that depending on the time it takes them tobreak downbreeding crops that could cover present cropland areas but thathad roots a metre deeper in the soil could double the amount of carboncaptured from the environment. This could be a significant weapon in the fightagainst climate change.

The soil represents a reservoir that contains at least twice as much carbon asdoes the atmosphere, yet mainly just the above-ground plant biomass isharvested in agriculture, and plant photosynthesis represents the effectiveorigin of the overwhelming bulk of soil carbon.

Breeding crop plants with deeper and bushy root ecosystems couldsimultaneously improve both the soil structure and its steady-state carbon,water and nutrient retention, as well as sustainable plant yields.

Professor Kell argues that widespread changes in agricultural practice areneeded, in an environment in which edible crop yields also need to increasesubstantially and sustainably, and where transport fuels and organic chemicalswill need to come from modern (rather than fossil) photosynthesis.

It is known that massive CO2 reductions in the atmosphere over geologicaltime have happened because of the rise of deep-rooted trees and floweringplants.

Most cultivated agricultural crops have root depths that do not extend muchbeyond one metre. Doubling this, Professor Kell argues, would dramaticallyreduce CO2 levels.Existing studies, which have doubted the benefits of deep roots in carbonsequestration, do not make soil measurements much below a metre, and thekinds of root depths proposed by Professor Kell would more than double that.

He said: This doubling of root biomass from a nominal 1m to a nominal 2m isreally the key issue, together with the longevity of the roots and carbon theysecrete and sequester below-ground.

What matters is not so much what is happening now as what might beachieved with suitable breeding of plants with deep and reasonably long-livedroots. Many such plants exist, but have not been bred for agriculture.

In addition to the simple carbon sequestration that this breeding could implypossibly double that of common annual grain crops such plants seem tomobilise and retain nutrients and water very effectively over extended periods,

thus providing resistance to drought, flooding and other challenges we shallface from climate change.

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While there is a way to go before such crops might have, for example, thegrain yields of present day cereals, their breeding and deployment seems a

very promising avenue for sustainable agriculture.

The paper, Breeding crop plants with deep roots: their role in sustainablecarbon, nutrient and water sequestration, by Douglas B. Kell, is beingpublished in the September issue of Annals of Botany (volume 108, issue 3)and is freely available online athttp://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/08/03/aob.mcr175.full.The carbon sequestration calculator is athttp://dbkgroup.org/carbonsequestration/rootsystem.html

http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=19573&id_region

=&id_category=&id_crop=



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1.16 Monsanto to sell biotech sweet corn for U.S. consumers

By Jack Kaskey - Aug 4, 2011Monsanto Co. (MON), the worlds biggest vegetable seed maker, said it willbegin selling genetically modified sweet corn in the U.S. this year, the firstproduct it has developed for the consumer market.

The sweet corn seeds are engineered to kill insects living above and belowground and to tolerate applications of the companys Roundup herbicide,Consuelo Madere, Monsanto vice president for vegetables, told reporters atcompany headquarters in St. Louis today. They will be introduced to growersserving the U.S. fresh corn market starting in the autumn, she said.Monsanto previously sold only engineered crops that are processed into

sugars and oils, used asanimal feedor made into fibers. The new seeds willinitially target the 250,000-acre market for fresh corn in the eastern U.S.,Madere said. Monsanto is in discussions with companies that would can orfreeze the corn, she said.

Monsanto will compete with pest-killing sweet corn seeds thatSyngenta AG(SYNN)of Switzerland has sold for more than a decade, she said.

Sweet corn is a much smaller market than the market for grain corn, which isforecast to be planted on 90.7 million acres this year, according to U.S.Agriculture Department data.
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Monsanto currently sells squash that has been engineered to resist viruses, aproduct that came with its 2005 acquisition of Seminis.

Developing biotech vegetables costs about $100 million and requires a decadeto reach the market, Madere said. Monsanto spends more than 95 percent ofits vegetable research on conventional breeding in 23 crops, she said.Conventional- breeding projects include tomatoes that taste better and resistviruses, sweeter melons, crisper romaine lettuce and blight- resistant peppers,she said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-04/monsanto-to-introduce-engineered-sweet-corn-in-u-s-this-year.html



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1.17 Why plant 'clones' arent identical

Oxford, United KingdomJuly 29, 2011A new study of plants that are reproduced by cloning has shown why clonedplants are not identical.

Scientists have known for some time that clonal (regenerant) organisms arenot always identical: their observable characteristics and traits can vary, andthis variation can be passed on to the next generation. This is despite the factthat they are derived from genetically identical founder cells.

Now, a team from Oxford University, UK, and King Abdullah University ofScience and Technology, Saudi Arabia, believe they have found out why this isthe case in plants: the genomes of regenerant plants carry relatively highfrequencies of new DNA sequence mutations that were not present in the

genome of the donor plant.

The team report their findings in this weeks Current Biology.

Anyone who has ever taken a cutting from a parent plant and then grown anew plant from this tiny piece is actually harnessing the ability such organismshave to regenerate themselves, said Professor Nicholas Harberd of OxfordUniversitys Department of Plant Sciences, lead author of the paper. Butsometimes regenerated plants are not identical, even if they come from thesame parent. Our work reveals a cause of that visible variation.

Using DNA sequencing techniques that can decode the complete genome ofan organism in one go (so-called whole genome sequencing) the researchers
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analysed clones of the small flowering plant thalecress (Arabidopsis). Theyfound that observable variations in regenerant plants are substantially due tohigh frequencies of mutations in the DNA sequence of these regenerants,

mutations which are not contained in the genome of the parent plant.

Where these new mutations actually come from is still a mystery, saidProfessor Harberd. They may arise during the regeneration process itself orduring the cell divisions in the donor plant that gave rise to the root cells fromwhich the regenerant plants are created. We are planning further research tofind out which of these two processes is responsible for these mutations. Whatwe can say is that Nature has safely been employing what you might call acloning process in plants for millions of years, and that there must be goodevolutionary reasons why these mutations are introduced.

The new results suggest that variation in clones of plants may have differentunderlying causes from that of variation in clones of animals where it isbelieved that the effect of environmental factors on how animal genes areexpressed is more important and no similar high frequencies of mutations havebeen observed.

Professor Harberd said: Whilst our results highlight that cloned plants andanimals are very different they may give us insights into how both bacterial andcancer cells replicate themselves, and how mutations arise during theseprocesses which, ultimately, have an impact on human health.

A report of the research, Regenerant Arabidopsis Lineages Display a DistinctGenome-Wide Spectrum of Mutations Conferring Variant Phenotypes, ispublished this week online in Current Biology.

The project is a collaboration between scientists at Oxford UniversitysDepartment of Plant Sciences, Oxford Universitys Wellcome Trust Centre forHuman Genetics, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology(KAUST), Saudi Arabia. The research was supported by KAUST and the UKsBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.Clones of the plant 'thalecress' were analysed. Photo: Alberto Salguero




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1.18 Dissecting the genomes of crop plants to improve breeding

potential

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Norwich, United Kingdom31st July 2011Scientists on the Norwich Research Park, working with colleagues in China,

have developed new techniques that will aid the application of genomics tobreeding the improved varieties of crop needed to ensure food security in thefuture. By dissecting the complicated genome of oilseed rape they have beenable to produce maps of the genome that are needed for predictive breeding.

Traditional breeding involves crossing two varieties and selecting the bestperforming among the progeny. Predictive breeding is a more advancedtechnique where specific parts of the genome most likely to contain beneficialgenes are identified.

Genomic sequencing and the availability of genetic linkage maps can play a

major part in predictive breeding efforts by linking beneficial traits to specificparts of the genome. Researchers and breeders use genetic markers toconstruct linkage maps, which help to identify useful genes. They are also vitalto marker-assisted crop breeding, where the maps and markers can greatlyaccelerate the breeding in of new improved traits.

However, for key crops such as bread wheat and oilseed rape, the use of thiskind of genomics-based predictive crop breeding is severely hampered due tothe complicated genomes that these species possess. Many important cropplants are polyploid, possessing several sets of chromosomes. Bread wheat,for example, contains three pairs of chromosomes derived from multiplehybridisation events that occurred between two other wheat species relativelyrecently in its ancestry. To try to overcome this problem, a team from the JohnInnes Centre and The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC), which arestrategically supported by the BBSRC, combined sequence data from differentsources to construct genetic linkage maps.

The team led by Professor Ian Bancroft worked on oilseed rape, which as wellas being an important oil crop also plays a key role in crop rotation strategies.Its oil has industrial applications and its straw can be used for biofuelproduction. Like bread wheat, oilseed rape (Brassica napus) has a

complicated genome, having recently been formed from related speciesBrassica rapa and Brassica oleracea.

The strategy adopted by the group involves integrating the available sequencedata for oilseed rape with that of its ancestral progenitors, and also that of amore distantly-related species for which high-quality genome sequence data isavailable, in this case the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

Instead of trying to sequence the DNA, the team focussed on the RNAtranscribed from the DNA when the genetic code is expressed. The completeset of all of this transcribed RNA is known as the transcriptome.

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TGAC used the Illumina GAII platform for the study, producing a series ofconsistently high quality sequence datasets from expressed genes.The team analysed the transcriptome in juvenile leaves, which gives an

overview of all of the genes that are expressed in that tissue. Using thesequence variation the researchers were able to construct genetic linkagemaps in oilseed rape, eventually identifying over 23,000 markers. This allowedthem to align the oilseed rape genome with that of Arabidopsis thaliana andalso to sequence data from oilseed rapes two progenitor species.

This method of dissecting the genome of polyploid crops is likely to be equallyapplicable to other important crops. Bread wheat is a prime candidate for this,using the model grass Brachypodium distachyon in the place of Arabidopsis.

Dissecting the genome of oilseed rape like this opens up the possibility of

using predictive breeding techniques that will really help with the production ofimproved varieties said Prof. Bancroft.

This study was published in Nature Biotechnologyand funded by the BBSRC,the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the ChinaNational Basic Research and Development Program.




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1.19 Plant biologists dissect genetic mechanism enabling plants toovercome environmental challenge

Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USAAugust 1, 2011

Grassy tillers1 suppresses branching, enabling maize to grow taller whenshade encroaches --a key to teosintes ancient domesticationWhen an animal gets too hot or too cold, or feels pangs of hunger or thirst, ittends to relocateto where its cooler or hotter, or to the nearest place wherefood or water can be found. But what about vegetative life? What can a plantdo under similar circumstances?

Plants cant change the climate and they cant uproot themselves to move to amore favorable spot. Yet they do respond successfully to changes inenvironmental conditions in diverse ways, many of which involve modificationsof the way they grow and develop.

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Plant biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have nowdiscovered at the genetic level how one species of grass plant responds to thechallenge to growth posed by shade. Central to this work is the teams

identification of the role played by a gene called grassy tillers1, or gt1, whoseexpression, they confirmed, is controlled by light signaling.

The discovery of gt1s role is full of implication, for it occurs in maize, one ofthe worlds most important food crops, and the genetic trick it performs, whichresults in changing the plants shape, suggests how maizes ancestor in thegrass family was domesticated by people in Mexico and Central Americathousands of years ago. The discovery also suggests a present-day strategyfor improving yield in switchgrass, a biofuel source.

In maize or corn, as it is commonly referred to in North America it has long

been known at the level of effects, but not causes, how an unimpressive grassplant called teosinte was improved upon genetically through trial and error tobecome a prime source of food for the human race. As anyone who has seena corn field knows, modern maize plants grow in close proximity, in long rows,and tend to produce robust, branchless stalks which yield one or two largeears apiece.

The domestication of maize from its wild ancestor teosinte resulted in astriking modification of the plants architecture, and this fact provided a startingpoint for our work, says CSHL Professor David Jackson, who led the researchteam which also included scientists from Cornell University; the University ofWisconsin, Madison; North Carolina State University; the University ofCalifornia, San Diego and Pioneer Hi-Bred. The teams findings appear todayonline ahead of print in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

One can plainly see that maize plants produce very few lateral branches attheir base. The sparseness of tillers, as these branches are called by plantbiologists, is the first clue: plants with many lateral branches dont tend to growwell in close proximity, for their branches and leaves tend to throw any closeneighbors into shade, thus limiting access to sunlight, their common primeenergy source. By severely limiting its lateral branching, maize is able to

redirect its energy to the primary shoot, which grows taller and escapes theshade.

It is actually human selection that has done this, explains Jackson. Althoughmaize plants produce tiller buds, the nascent branches fail to grow out, whichresults in the plants familiar dominant central stalk. The team knew thatmaize plants in which gt1 is mutated generate several tillers and additional earbranches; this suggested that gt1 expression is normally associated with thesuppression of tiller growth. This was confirmed in tests in which gt1expression was measured in plants grown in the laboratory equivalent ofshade.

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Another maize gene called teosinte branched1, or tb1, is also known toregulate tiller bud growth and lateral branching in maize, and to be active inresponse to internal signals indicating the presence of shade. The next

question was whether the two genes act in a common pathway, or separately.The expression of each was measured when the other was experimentallyinactivated. We found that gt1 doesnt get activated unless tb1 is active; butthat tb1 can act without gt1, says Jackson. Taken together, our experimentsindicated that the two genes are indeed part of a common pathway, in whichgt1 is downstream of tb1it is not expressed until after tb1 is expressed.

Knowing that ancestral teosinte is a highly branched and tillered plant, theteam tested the hypothesis that it was the gt1 gene that was specifically (ifunwittingly) selected by ancient agriculturalists in their trial-and-error attemptsto domesticate a wild grass to produce a new source of food. By sequencing

gt1 from diverse lines of modern maize and wild teosinte, we obtainedsignificant evidence that gt1 was selected during domestication, according toJackson.

Tillering is an important trait in the grass family, and by modifying tillerproduction agriculturalists have increased yield in grasses such as maize andrice. Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind that modification maynow provide us with a means to increase biomass production in switchgrass orother potential biofuel crops, Jackson adds.grassy tillers1 promotes apical dominance in maize and responds to shadesignals in the grasses appears online ahead of print in Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences August 1, 2011. The authors are: Clinton J.Whipple, Tesfamichael H. Kebrom, Allison L. Weber, Fang Yang, Darren Hall,Robert Meeley, Robert Schmidt, John Doebley, Thomas P. Brutnell and DavidP. Jackson. The paper can be accessed online at:www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1102819108

This research was supported by generous grants provided by the NationalScience Foundation and the US Department of Agriculture.

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1.20 Potato growers to get insight into how genome will help them

Dundee, Scotland, United Kindgom

August 9, 2011

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The future of potato breeding and how the mapping of the potato genome willhelp growers is set to be the focus of discussion atPotatoes in PracticethisThursday (11 August).

The event, Britains biggest field event for the potato industry, is being hostedby The James Hutton Institute at Balruddery Farm near Dundee.

Scientists at The James Hutton Institute played a key role in the potatogenome project, leading the UK strand of the work as part of the internationalPotato Genome Sequencing Consortium.

The work, published in the journal Nature last month, holds great promise forspeeding up the process of developing new potato varieties, which at themoment can take 10-12 years using traditional methods.

Dr Glenn Bryan, who led the potato genome work at JHI said, Mapping thepotato genome means we can now start to identify genes that are responsiblefor certain traits, for example disease resistance or drought tolerance. We canthen use that information to help introduce desirable traits into new varieties ofpotato.

JHI potato breeder, Dr Finlay Dale, said the genome project had directimplications and future benefits for growers. The availability of the genome willhelp bring new and better varieties to the market as well as considerablyspeeding up the breeding process.

Improvements to breeding varieties will be evident through the more rapid andmore reliable identification of the important genes and also the more efficientidentification of superior parental lines than previously possible.

Potatoes in Practice provides a unique opportunity to meet a wide range ofgrowers and industry representatives face to face to help outline the potentialbenefits of the genome work.

More than 700 growers, advisors, overseas visitors and industry

representatives attended last years Potatoes in Practice and it is anticipatedthis years event, the first hosted by The James Hutton Institute since itsformation in April, will be even bigger.

The James Hutton Institute has research centres in Dundee and Aberdeen. Itwas formed earlier this year by the coming together of the Macaulay Land UseResearch Institute and SCRI, the Scottish Crop Research Institute. It employsabout 600 scientists, researchers and support staff and is one of the biggestfood, land and environment research centres in Europe. The James HuttonInstitutes registered office is in Dundee.

http://www.hutton.ac.uk/events/potatoes-practice-2011http://www.hutton.ac.uk/events/potatoes-practice-2011http://www.hutton.ac.uk/events/potatoes-practice-2011http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=19700&id_region=&id_category=&id_crophttp://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=19700&id_region=&id_category=&id_crophttp://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=19700&id_region=&id_category=&id_crophttp://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=19700&id_region=&id_category=&id_crophttp://www.hutton.ac.uk/events/potatoes-practice-2011

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1.21 New genome sequence could improve important agricultural crops

An international team of scientists, funded in the UK by the Biotechnology andBiological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), has sequenced the genomeof a Chinese cabbage variety of a plant called Brassica rapa, a close relativeof oilseed rape. The research, which is published today (28 August) in thejournal Nature Genetics, could help improve the efficiency of oilseed rape

breeding, as well as that of a host of other important food and oil crops.

The project was conducted by an international consortium involvingresearchers working across four continents, with the majority of the datagenerated in China. The UKs contribution came from scientists at the JohnInnes Centre in Norwich and Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire, both ofwhich receive strategic funding from BBSRC.

Oilseed rape is an important source of vegetable oils for cooking and industrialapplications and its production has doubled in the last 15 years. It is anunusual hybrid which contains the entire genomes of two other plants:Brassica rapa and another closely related species called Brassica oleracea. Bysequencing Brassica rapa, researchers are able to access half of oilseedrapes genes without having to wrestle with its large and complicated genome.

Professor Ian Bancroft led the research at the John Innes Centre. He explainsOilseed rape is the second most important oil crop in the world and the mostimportant in Europe. Sequencing its genes will provide breeders with the toolsto improve the efficiency of developing new varieties, but this is difficultbecause it has a really complicated genome. Thankfully, because it is a hybrid,nature has already divided up the oilseed rape genome into two more

manageable chunks, one of which we have now sequenced.

Brassica rapa and oilseed rape are both brassicas, a group which alsoincludes broccoli, turnip, sprouts and cabbages. Together, this important groupof plants accounts for more than 10 percent of the worlds vegetable andvegetable oil production and, despite their apparent diversity, they are allclosely related. This enables scientists to apply the insights they gain bysequencing one species, such as Brassica rapa to improving the breedingefficiency of a range of crops essential to ensuring global food security.

Professor Bancroft continues Few people would confuse a turnip with a

cauliflower and yet, despite coming in a range of shapes and sizes, brassicasare all very closely related. This means that the many of the 41,000 genes

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which we found in Brassica rapa will also be found in other brassicas and theinsights we gain from having this sequence could be useful for improvingeverything from plants grown to produce chainsaw oils to the sprouts on your

Christmas dinner.

The Brassica rapa sequence was produced using a technology which breaksthe DNA into small segments before reassembling the complete genome.Throughout its evolution Brassica rapa has triplicated its genome meaning thatthe task of assembling the final picture posed a particular challenge to thescientists and the technology.

Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of the Biotechnology and BiologicalSciences Research Council, said Plants have a tendency to multiply theirgenomes as they evolve. This means that many important agricultural crops

like wheat, potato and oilseed rape have much larger and more complexgenomes than most animals, including humans.

Helping breeders produce new varieties of these staple crops will be essentialto ensuring our future food security, so scientists must use their ingenuity tofind ways to overcome the challenges posed by these massive genomes. Thisresearch shows what can be achieved by applying the latest technology andby combining the expertise of scientists across the world.

Contact

BBSRC External RelationsMike Davies, Tel: 01793 414694, email: [email protected] Mendoza, Tel: 01793 413355, mobile: 07785 710536, email:[email protected] Goode, Tel: 01793 413299, email: [email protected]

About BBSRCBBSRC invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf ofthe UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge to promote economicgrowth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and

beyond.

Funded by Government, and with an annual budget of around 445M, wesupport research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes.BBSRC research and the people we fund are helping society to meet majorchallenges, including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives.Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming,food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.

For more information about BBSRC, our science and our impactsee:http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk
https://webmail.so.bbsrc.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=a40146b5deea44349cf726ca4776f2b7&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.bbsrc.ac.ukhttps://webmail.so.bbsrc.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=a40146b5deea44349cf726ca4776f2b7&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.bbsrc.ac.ukhttps://webmail.so.bbsrc.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=a40146b5deea44349cf726ca4776f2b7&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.bbsrc.ac.ukhttps://webmail.so.bbsrc.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=a40146b5deea44349cf726ca4776f2b7&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.bbsrc.ac.uk

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For more information about BBSRC strategically funded institutessee:http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/institutes

About the John Innes Centre

The John Innes Centre,www.jic.ac.uk, is a world-leading research centrebased on the Norwich Research Parkwww.nrp.org.uk. JIC received a total of28.4M investment from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences ResearchCouncil in 2010-11. The JICs mission is to generate knowledge of plants andmicrobes through innovative research, to train scientists for the future, and toapply its knowledge to benefit agriculture, human health and well-being, andthe environment. JIC delivers world class bioscience outcomes leading towealth and job creation, and generating high returns for the UK economy.

About Rothamsted Research

Rothamsted Research is almost certainly the oldest agricultural researchstation in the world. Over its 160 year history, Rothamsted Research has builtan enviable reputation for world-class scientific research to deliver knowledge,innovation and new practices to increase crop productivity and quality, and todevelop environmentally sustainable solutions for agriculture. RothamstedResearch receives a total of 23.8M in strategic programme grants from theBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Contributed by Andrew ChappleNorwich BioScience InstitutesE [email protected]


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1.22 Biotechnology for sustainability

Genetically engineered (GE) crops have been in commercial production since

1996 and much information is available regarding ways they are benefitingfarmers and consumers. As global agriculture continues to be challenged toenhance sustainability and reduce pressures on land, water and fuel, studiesare showing that GE crops will be one part of the solution. To date,

PB News 227 Aug 11

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