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PLANT BREEDING NEWS EDITION 242 March 2013 An Electronic Newsletter of Applied Plant Breeding Clair H.

Hershey, Editor chh23@cornell.edu Sponsored by GIPB, FAO/AGP and Cornell Universitys Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics -To subscribe, see instructions here -Archived issues available at: FAO Plant Breeding Newsletter 1. NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESEARCH NOTES Reviews of broad issues in research and development 1.01 Launch of the International Year of Quinoa 1.02 Australias first Blueprint for the future of food and fibre

Review of breeding programs 1.03 High expectations among stakeholders as Phase II of the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project kicks off 1.04 Oregon State University develops high yielding, stripe rust resistant wheat 1.05 Maz tolerante a sequa podra estar disponible comercialmente en un ao 1.06 Farmers in Burkina Faso get improved cowpea varieties from IITA 1.07 New wheat varieties released in Central and West Asia region 1.08 La Fundacin Bill y Melinda Gates y la Fundacin Carlos Slim impulsan la investigacin y productividad agrcola 1.09 International Tomato Breeders' Roundtable forum held in Thailand for the first time in 55 years 1.10 Research shows new means to boost maize yields

Policy and IP issues 1.11 U.S. Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) creates new electronic subscription

GM issues 1.12 Major grocery chain in the US first to require GM labeling 1.13 Brazil has established itself as a leader in the adoption of biotechnology and reaches 36.6 million hectares

Genetic resources 1.14 Genetic diversity of capsicum peppers revealed

Trait selection 1.15 Study reveals epigenome changes control tomato ripening 1.16 Found: gene that boosts digestibility of sorghum 1.17 Global research effort takes up resistance challenge 1.18 Scientists discover gene responsible for C4 Photosynthesis 1.19 Gene switch-off produces healthier carbohydrates 1.20 Next generation soybean breeding: the potential of spectral analysis 1.21 New pepper study reveals spicy genetic secrets 1.22 Sequencing hundreds of chloroplast genomes now possible

Molecular/basic genetic research 1.23 Study reveals that epigenetics plays pivotal role in tomato ripening 1.24 Defying the laws of Mendelian inheritance 1.25 Plant scientists at CSHL demonstrate new means of boosting maize yields

1.26 Scientists identify genetic mechanism that contributed to Irish famine

2. PUBLICATIONS 2.01 Study of wild solanum species to identify sources of resistance against the green peach aphid, Myzus Persicae (Sulzer)

3. WEB AND NETWORKING RESOURCES 3.01 UC Davis Plant Breeding launches a new website

4. GRANTS AND AWARDS 4.01 Bursaries to support attendance at the Master Class on "Adaption to Drought"

5. POSITION ANNOUNCEMENTS 5.01 Monsanto plant breeding and related scientist positions

6. MEETINGS, COURSES AND WORKSHOPS 7. EDITOR'S NOTES

1 NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESEARCH NOTES 1.01 Launch of the International Year of Quinoa New York, New York, USA 20 February 2013 Quinoa can play an important role in eradicating hunger, malnutrition and poverty, FAO Director-General Jos Graziano da Silva said today at the official launch of the International Year of Quinoa at UN Headquarters. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, President Evo Morales of Bolivia and First Lady Nadine Heredia Alarcn de Humala of Peru were among the highlevel participants in a day-long series of events celebrating the Andean "super food", a highly nutritious, cereal-like crop that is rich in protein and micronutrients.

"Today we are here to recruit a new ally in the fight against hunger and food insecurity --quinoa," said Graziano da Silva, citing the crop's unique nutritional characteristics and adaptability. Quinoa is the only plant food that has all the essential amino acids, trace elements and vitamins, and also has the ability to adapt to different ecological environments and climates. Resistant to drought, poor soils and high salinity, it can be grown from sea level to an altitude of four thousand meters and can withstand temperatures between -8 and 38 degrees Celsius. As the world faces the challenge of increasing the production of quality food to feed a growing population in a changing climate, quinoa offers an alternative food source for those countries suffering from food insecurity. In Kenya and Mali, the crop is already showing high yields, the DirectorGeneral said, and initial FAO studies indicate that quinoa production could also be developed in the Himalayas, the plains of northern India, the Sahel, Yemen and other arid regions of the world. Gift from the Andes "This extraordinary grain has been a cultural anchor and a staple in the diet of millions of people throughout the Andes for thousands of years," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. "Quinoa is now poised for global recognition." The Secretary-General also highlighted the potential role of quinoa within the framework of his Zero Hunger Challenge, not only because of its nutritional value but also because most quinoa is currently produced by smallholder farmers. "The crop holds the promise of improved incomes - a key plank of the Zero Hunger Challenge," Ban said. He noted that many countries in South America are making strong progress toward meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing hunger by half, not only by increasing production, but also by reducing poverty and increasing access to nutritious food like quinoa. Quinoa was of great nutritional importance to pre-Colombian Andean civilizations, second only to the potato. Traditionally, quinoa grains are roasted and then made into flour for bread. It can also be cooked, added to soups, used as a cereal, as pasta and even fermented into beer or chicha, the traditional drink of the Andes. Today, quinoa has found a place in the gourmet kitchen and a role in the pharmaceutical and other industries. Cultivation of quinoa now extends beyond the Andean region and - besides Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia and

Argentina - it is also produced in the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Kenya and India. "Quinoa is an ancestral gift of the Andean people," President Morales said, highlighting the important role of indigenous people as custodians of the crop for more than 7000 years. A future sown thousands of years ago The effort to promote quinoa is part of a broader FAO strategy to promote traditional or forgotten crops as a means to combat hunger and promote healthy eating. "The International Year of Quinoa will serve not only to stimulate the development of the crop worldwide, but also as recognition that the challenges of the modern world can be confronted by calling on the accumulated knowledge of our ancestors and the small family farmers who currently are the major producers of the crop." The event in New York kicks off a yearlong series of cultural, artistic and academic activities, as well as scientific research, which FAO hopes will contribute to the well-being of thousands of smallholder farmers and to consumers worldwide. Special Ambassadors President Evo Morales of Bolivia and First Lady Nadine Heredia Alarcn de Humala of Peru, who have been named FAO Special Ambassadors for the International Year of Quinoa, were recognized for their contributions during a special ceremony. The First Lady highlighted the role of quinoa as a "viable and effective option for fighting hunger and malnutrition", and underlined the important role of women farmers in quinoa production. http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=34063&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.02 Australias first Blueprint for the future of food and fibre Australia February 14, 2013

Ensuring the Australian agriculture sector is a world leader in providing high quality food and fibre into the future is the goal of the Blueprint for Australian Agriculture the first industry-developed plan for the future of Australias farm sector. Launched in Canberra today by the National Farmers Federation (NFF) and the Blueprint partners, the Blueprint is the first plan for the future of the sector developed by the sector, and identifies the seven key areas which underpin the future success of agriculture in Australia. The Blueprint sets out the steps for the agricultural sector to take to ensure we have a strong future ahead. It has been developed as a result of input from almost 4,000 people across the agricultural sector, who identified the key challenges, opportunities and potential solutions to the issues we face, NFF President Jock Laurie said. It is an ambitious plan that identifies seven critical areas in which action must happen now to ensure we are well placed in the future: Innovation, Research, Development and Extension; Competitiveness; Trade and Market Access; People; Agriculture in Society; Natural Resources and Transformational Issues. The Blueprint participants have called for such action as an increase in investment in agricultural RD&E to help improve productivity growth and address issues like the changing climate. This is long overdue, with investment in rural R&D stagnating since the mid-1970s. They also wish to see upgrades in critical infrastructure and a reduction in red tape to help the sector remain competitive and the completion of key free trade (FTA) agreements, like the Korean FTA, to secure our market access. The inclusion of agriculture in the national school curriculum is considered a priority by the participants, to help build greater understanding of agriculture and encourage more students to seek careers in the sector. And the need to build strong, positive relationships with the wider community is seen as critical, underpinning much of our future success. Ensuring environmental sustainability is improved, promoted and rewarded right across the sector has emerged as a key opportunity, along with improving preparedness for extreme climatic events, like the bushfires and floods we have seen across five Australian states in the past month. And making sure the agricultural sector is well placed to respond to future uncertainties is a key component of the Blueprint, ensuring the sector remains diverse, resilient and adaptive to change, Mr Laurie said. The Blueprint for Australian Agriculture is available to download at www.nff.org.au/blueprint.

The Blueprint is an initiative of the NFF, in conjunction with Westpac, Woolworths and DAFF. In 2013, the NFF will conduct a series of forums, designed to bring the agricultural sector together to drive the Blueprint forward. The Blueprint legacy phase is supported by major partners Westpac, Woolworths, Bayer CropScience and Syngenta Australia. http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=33839&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) ++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.03 High expectations among stakeholders as Phase II of the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project kicks off Nairobi, Kenya February 27, 2013 During 4-8 February 2013, stakeholders of the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, for the Fifth Review and Planning Meeting to discuss achievements and challenges of the recently concluded WEMA Phase I (2008-2013) and to plan for the second phase of the project (2013-2017) which begins in March this year. In the past four years, WEMA has made several key achievements, including the successful application and approval of permits to conduct confined field trials for transgenic varieties in Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa. Kenya and Uganda are now in their third year of trials, South Africa in its fourth. The project has also managed to submit conventional drought tolerant maize hybrids into the national performance trials in Kenya. It is expected that farmers will have these WEMA conventional maize seeds by 2014, says Denis Kyetere, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) executive director. CKH110078, one of the hybrids developed from the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) materials, is in its final stage of approval in Kenya. Emily Twinamasiko, Ugandas National Agricultural Research Organization director general and WEMA Executive Advisory Board chair, was pleased with the achievements made in 2012 and commended all teams and the operations committee for their great efforts. Natalie DiNicola, Monsanto vice president for Africa and Europe, commented on the indicators of success: The project will never be successful until the farmer has a product to plant and options to choose from.

Getting the seed to the farmers was stressed also by Ephraim Mukisira, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) director, who called for speedy deployment of the varieties: KARI wants to see the product with the farmer. The scientists must work hard so that impact can be seen and be seen today. B.M. Prasanna, Global Maize Program director, thanked Monsanto for donating the drought tolerant and Bt genes. This is a tremendous opportunity to address some of the biggest challenges to African smallholder farmers [drought and stem borer infestation]. MON810 presents yet another great opportunity for WEMA to tap into the products from the Insect Resistant Maize for Africa project to develop a product that addresses many of the insect related constraints. He added that new but exciting challenges were posed by maize lethal necrosis, particularly because it has allowed the WEMA team to assure partners that the materials being produced are resistant to the disease. During a visit to trials at KARI-Kiboko, stakeholders observed WEMA varieties, many of which have outperformed some of the best local hybrid checks on the market. They also visited the confined field trials for Bt MON810 and drought tolerant MON87460 that are in their first and fourth seasons of trials, respectively. Shifting attention from successes to challenges, Stephen Mugo, CIMMYT principal scientist and co-chair of the WEMA Product Development team, spoke of the major lessons learnt by the team in Phase I that are crucial for the success of the second phase: continuous training in trials modernization and modern breeding techniques is necessary, as is a good quality assurance program for the exchange of germplasm between the private and public sectors to minimize the risk of inappropriate germplasm exchange. The stage is now set for Phase II after the meeting streamlined WEMA II milestones and developed the WEMA II 2013 work plans. Lawrence Kent from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation noted that with great privilege comes lots of responsibilities. We therefore expect great success from WEMA. This sentiment was shared by other stakeholders, who were impressed by the achievements of Phase I and thus have high expectations for Phase II. WEMA continues to be a success because of the combined and dedicated efforts within the partnership: the national agricultural research systems, CIMMYT, Monsanto, and AATF. All these partners have continued to work together, celebrating project gains and resolving any challenges together for the good of the larger goal and promise to smallholder farmers, a promise of food security and better livelihoods, stated Kyetere. A food secure continent is among the greatest inheritance and legacy we can leave the generations that are coming after us, our children and to our childrens children.

http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=34425&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.04 Oregon State University develops high yielding, stripe rust resistant wheat Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) have developed Kaseberg, a new soft white winter wheat that is both higher-yielding and resistant to stripe rust, a serious fungal disease that can cut yields in half. In field trials, Kaseberg thrived in different regions, including eastern and western Oregon, southern Idaho, and south central Washington. It averaged 136 bushels on an acre of land with high rainfall or irrigation, 14 more bushels than a similar variety. Under low rainfall conditions Kaseberg averaged 91 bushels per acre, or 6 bushels more than a similar Oregon variety. Named after Oregon's longtime family of wheat growers, the new cultivar was developed to appeal to millers and bakers. Kaseberg is better for cookies and crackers than similar wheat varieties from Oregon because it has weaker gluten and finer flour particles when milled. For more information, read the news release available at: OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY DEVELOPS HIGH YIELDING, STRIPE RUST RESISTANT WHEAT http://westernfarmpress.com/management/new-wheat-cultivar-resists-striperust-bakes-well Source: Crop Biotech Update February 27, 2013 Contributed by Margaret Smith Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, Cornell University Mes25@cornell.edu (Return to Contents) +++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.05 Maz tolerante a sequa podra estar disponible comercialmente en un ao Los resultados definitivos de la siembra experimental de maz mejorado genticamente por el Cinvestav estarn listos en un par de meses

Mxico. La siembra experimental de maz mejorado genticamente por el Centro de Investigacin y Estudios Avanzados (Cinvestav) avanza sin alteraciones y comprueba la tolerancia del cultivo a fro extremo y sequa, por lo que se prev que en el plazo de un ao este maz est disponible en el mercado, seal la doctora Beatriz Xoconostle Czares. De acuerdo con la investigadora, lder de este proyecto de mejoramiento gentico, a pesar del fro y estrs hdrico que ha prevalecido en el norte de Mxico, el maz mejorado ha presentado un buen desempeo, por lo que luego de obtener los resultados definitivos en un par de meses, cuando sea la cosecha de la siembra experimental se dar paso a la siembra a nivel piloto. La investigadora del Departamento de Biotecnologa y Bioingeniera del Cinvestav confa en que los permisos legales para la siembra se otorguen de manera fluida, para que en un periodo estimado de un ao, este maz mejorado genticamente pueda ser comercializado. Respecto a los pronunciamientos en contra de los cultivos biotecnolgicos, la doctora Xoconostle mencion que cuando los investigadores opinan a favor de stos, se les descalifica con el argumento de que les paga alguna transnacional, que no saben del tema o tienen un inters oculto. En este sentido, refiri que opiniones de activistas como el ingls Mark Lynas han logrado detener el uso de la tecnologa de transgnicos en algunos pases de Europa, frica y Latinoamrica. Sin embargo agreg recientemente Lynas admiti estar equivocado, luego que, con base en evidencia cientfica, se ha demostrado que los organismos mejorados genticamente usan menos pesticidas, disminuyen costos de produccin, aumentan la productividad y aprovechan mejor el agua y la tierra. Al respecto, destac que pequeos y medianos agricultores de pases como China, India o Argentina han sido los ms beneficiados con el uso de biotecnologa agrcola, al conseguir aumentar alrededor de 30 por ciento el volumen de sus cosechas. Finalmente, la especialista consider necesario que Mxico desarrolle semillas propias para reducir la dependencia de los mercados externos, adems de superar vacos legales y considerar a los organismos genticamente modificados como una alternativa real para solucionar los problemas del campo mexicano. http://www.2000agro.com.mx/agroindustria/maiz-tolerante-a-sequia-podriaestar-disponible-comercialmente-en-un-ano/

Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) ++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.06 Farmers in Burkina Faso get improved cowpea varieties from IITA Burkina Faso recently released two improved cowpea varieties to promote better nutrition and boost farmers' income. The two varieties, IT99K-573-2-1 and IT98K-205-8, were developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) with funds from Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. Both cowpea varieties are early maturing, high yielding, and resistant to Striga, a parasitic weed that limits cowpea's yields. Burkina Faso farmers have given the new varieties local names, Yiis yande for IT99K-573-2-1 and Niizwe for IT98K-205-8, which means end to hunger. Dr. Satoru Murukana, a scientist from Japan International Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) said that the improved varieties offer a lot of benefits for farmers, such as escaping drought, early harvesting, and more income. More details about this news can be read at: FARMERS IN BURKINA FASO GET IMPROVED COWPEA VARIETIES FROM IITA http://www.iita.org/news-feature-asset//asset_publisher/B3Bm/content/farmers-in-burkina-faso-get-iita-improvedcowpea-varieties?#.UQczix09I2h Source: Crop Biotech Update January 30, 2013 Contributed by Margaret Smith Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, Cornell University Mes25@cornell.edu (Return to Contents) +++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.07 New wheat varieties released in Central and West Asia region Several new varieties from the International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP) were released in 2011-12. IWWIP, based in Turkey, is a joint program of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock of Turkey, CIMMYT, and ICARDA, focusing on developing winter/facultative germplasm for the region as well as serving as a vehicle for global germplasm exchange.

The following new varieties combine high yield with resistance to yellow rust (the dominating disease in the region) and suitable end-use quality. There were 55 released varieties originating from IWWIP, which occupy an area close to 2 million hectares: Georgia: Sauli 9 Iran: Rijaw and Tak-Ab Kazakhstan: Konditerskaya Kyrgyzstan: Petr Turkey: Ay Yildyz and Eraybey In some areas of the region, warmer winters allow to successfully grow spring wheat varieties with some degree of cold tolerance. Three high yield potential new varieties originating from CIMMYT were released in 2012: Georgia: Lomtagora 149 Uzbekistan: Matonat Source: Crop Biotech Update January 30, 2013 Contributed by Margaret Smith Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, Cornell University Mes25@cornell.edu (Return to Contents) +++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.08 La Fundacin Bill y Melinda Gates y la Fundacin Carlos Slim impulsan la investigacin y productividad agrcola El Batn, Texcoco, Estado de Mxico 13 de febrero de 2013

El CIMMYT fue la cuna de la Revolucin Verde y, con esta alianza, se impulsa sustancialmente por medio de infraestructura de vanguardia y mayor capacidad de investigacin, la productividad agrcola. Este apoyo permitir la incorporacin de ms investigadores nacionales e internacionales en programas que se desarrollan en el CIMMYT en Texcoco y que influyen en la agricultura de todo el mundo. En la obra destacan los laboratorios e invernaderos de biociencias y bioseguridad.

Al inaugurar el nuevo complejo del Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento del Maz y Trigo (CIMMYT) en Texcoco, Estado de Mxico, la Fundacin Bill & Melinda Gates y la Fundacin Carlos Slim, reafirmaron su apoyo a la investigacin de vanguardia. Con nuevas obras que tuvieron un costo de 25 millones dlares, este complejo con tecnologa de punta en biociencia, est situado a tan slo 45 kilmetros de la Ciudad de Mxico.

Al evento asistieron el Lic. Enrique Martnez y Martnez, Secretario de Agricultura, Ganadera, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentacin (SAGARPA) y el Dr. Eruviel vila Villegas, Gobernador Constitucional del Estado de Mxico. Este complejo de biociencias permitir a los investigadores acelerar la reproduccin de estas importantes semillas, gracias a la caracterizacin ms precisa de sus rasgos genticos, as como su tolerancia al calor y las sequas, su resistencia a plagas y enfermedades, sanidad de la semilla, as como las propiedades nutricionales de los granos y la calidad industrial. El CIMMYT fue cuna de la Revolucin Verde en los aos 60 y ahora, con esta alianza, se impulsa sustancialmente la productividad agrcola por medio de infraestructura de vanguardia y mayor capacidad de investigacin. El complejo est formado por invernaderos altamente especializados para realizar fitomejoramiento y experimentos con patgenos que pueden causar prdidas devastadoras en los cultivos de maz y de trigo. Una extensin de aproximadamente 5,500 m2 de los nuevos laboratorios se utilizar para una serie de proyectos de investigacin innovadora que incluye, por ejemplo, el Laboratorio de Calidad Nutricional de Maz, destinado al anlisis de los nutrientes que se utilizan en los procesos de biofortificacin de maz destinado a mejorar la salud humana. Estamos entusiasmados por esta alianza, dijo Bill Gates, copresidente, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Al reunir la experiencia colectiva de cada una de nuestras organizaciones, podemos impulsar nuevas innovaciones, la transformacin de las vidas de los agricultores en Mxico y el resto del mundo. La inversin en el desarrollo agrcola es una de las inversiones de ayuda ms eficaces que podemos hacer, lo cual le permitirn a las familias de agricultores pobres a cultivar y vender ms alimentos, y a construir comunidades autosuficientes y ms prsperas. Carlos Slim seal: "Esta alianza para impulsar la investigacin y el desarrollo en el CIMMYT, con la colaboracin de cientficos nacionales y extranjeros dedicados a la mejora de semillas y a la generacin de tcnicas ms eficientes, es el eslabn para trasladar este conocimiento en todo el mundo a todos los productores agrcolas, especialmente a los pequeos y medianos, as como para impulsar el crecimiento econmico, el empleo, la autosuficiencia alimentaria y las exportaciones del sector. " El impacto del compromiso que hoy realizan ambas fundaciones trascender las fronteras de Mxico. Esta nueva infraestructura permitir la incorporacin de un mayor nmero de. Investigadores nacionales y extranjeros en programas que influyen en la agricultura de todo el mundo. Complejos procesos que requieren equipo de alta especialidad y las ms modernas herramientas, podrn realizarse en este

campus, a menores costos, lo que posicionar a Mxico en un papel estratgico en la regin. Se estima que las actividades de capacitacin del CIMMYT se duplicarn, ya que tambin se increment la disponibilidad de habitaciones, aulas y espacios adecuados para seminarios y talleres. Seremos testigos de la introduccin de prcticas agrcolas modernas y ms sustentables, como la agricultura de precisin y la agricultura de conservacin, respaldada por las tecnologas de telefona inteligente en los campos de los agricultores y herramientas digitales en los laboratorios, que nos darn acceso a la diversidad gentica del trigo y el maz, para ayudar a las comunidades agrcolas ms pobres del mundo, seal el Dr. Thomas Lumpkin. Cabe sealar que en Mxico, la SAGARPA y el CIMMYT colaboran con el programa Modernizacin Sustentable de la Agricultura Tradicional (MasAgro), en el que convergen, con un horizonte multianual, estos propsitos de estudio y prctica, destac el Lic. Enrique Martnez y Martnez. Hoy, con el apoyo de ministerios de agricultura, como la SAGARPA en Mxico, y de comprometidos aliados del sector privado, el CIMMYT est a la vanguardia del renacimiento de la investigacin agrcola. http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=33886&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) +++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.09 International Tomato Breeders' Roundtable forum held in Thailand for the first time in 55 years Chiang Mai, Thailand 6 February 2013 World leading tomato experts from Europe and America, meet in Chiang Mai to discuss the latest in tomato breeding technology at the 44th Tomato Breeders Roundtable Forum, hosted by East West Seed For the first time since 1955, the International Tomato Breeders Roundtable (TBRT) is held in Asia, with a total of 90 world-recognized tomato breeders and plant scientists from Europe and America and over 50 plant scientists and geneticists from Thailand, gathering in Chiang Mai to attend the 44th Tomato Breeders Roundtable Forum held from 6-8 February 2013. The Tomato Breeders Roundtable started as an informal meeting of tomato breeders in the USA. Over the past five decades the TBRT has become an

important meeting for the tomato researchers and breeders from public institutions and industry across the world. The informal characteristics of the TBRT which has been preserved over five decades, offers a great forum for participants to discuss the latest developments in tomato breeding and associated breeding technology. Today, it is one of the worlds most recognized forum for the leading researchers, scientists in genetics and genomics and highly regarded tomato breeders to meet, update and exchange new knowledge and new technology. The discussions focus on the development of improved tomato varieties that have stronger resistance against diseases and pests, resulting higher yields and contributing to better food nutrition for the increasing world population. The meeting was formally opened by the Minister of Science and Technology, Mr. Woravat Auapinyakul. High-profile presenters include Dr. Jay Scott, professor of horticulture from the University of Florida, to present current approaches for developing bacterial spot resistant tomato cultivars. Dr. Scott is a known figure in the US for tomato breeding, and much of his recent work has involved the discovery of molecular markers linked to disease resistance genes. Other presenters include Dr. David Francis (Ohio State University, USA) to present on Population Level Analysis to Move from Massive Sequence Data Sets to Application; Dr. Richard Finkers (Wageningen University, Netherlands) to present the 150+ Tomato Genome (re-)Sequence Project; Dr. Douglas Maxwell (University of Wisconsin, USA) on the Application of Next Generation Sequencing of a Begomovirus-Resistant Inbred to Design a KASPar Assay for SNP Detection of the Ty1-Ty3 Region; Dr. Moshe Lapidot (Volcani Institute, Israel) on Pelargonium zonate spot virus Transmitted via Seed and Pollen in Tomato; Dr. Varagur Ganesan Malathi (Indian Agricultural Research Institute) on Biology and Pathogenesis of Whitefly Transmitted Begomoviruses; Dr. Peter Hanson (Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center) on Recent Progress in Mapping Begomovirus Resistance and Marker-Assisted Selection for Bacterial Wilt Resistance in Tomato; and others. Thai presenters include Dr. Julapark Chunwongse (Kasetsart University) on Molecular Marker Application for Tomato Improvement in Thailand), and Dr. Channarong Seepiban (Kasetsart University) on Survey of Thrips Species and Plant-Infecting Tospoviruses in Tomato, Pepper and Cucurbit Production Fields in Thailand. The TBRT is hosted by East West Seed, the market leader for tropical vegetable seeds in Asia. East-West Seed is one of Asias leading vegetable seed companies, distributing high quality seeds to over 60 countries worldwide. This year is the 30th anniversary of East-West Seed in Thailand, and during this time we have helped to revolutionize Southeast Asia s vegetable seed market by pioneering localized hybrids and introducing varieties that allow farmers to be more productive. Innovation is the core of

East-West Seeds growth over the last three decades, said Mr. Simon Jan De Hoop, the companys vice president for research and development. The company develops and produces vegetable seeds with higher yields, better tolerance to disease and pests, longer shelf life, extended growing seasons and better eating quality. These qualities have made vegetable farming a sustainable, high-value enterprise for thousands of Thai farms. A high-potential crop Globally, tomato is grown over 4.7 million hectares of land, producing about 160 million tons of fresh tomatoes, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO). Of this, one third is processed into tomato products like paste and sauces. The international trade of these tomato products alone exceeds $ 5.5 Bn annually. Asia is the biggest producer of tomato in the world, with more than half of global production based here. In Thailand, the land area devoted to commercial production of tomatoes has grown sharply since 2009. In 2010, almost 13,000 hectares was planted to tomato (UN-FAO). North and Northeast are the most important areas for tomato production in Thailand. The country produced 175,737 tons of tomatoes (based on 2010 figures). There is an estimated 13,000 to 26,000 Thai farmers planting tomatoes. Aside from fresh tomato production, the production of tomato seed for export is even more significant for Thailand. In 2011, Thailand exported 53 tons of tomato seeds, valued at THB 561.6 million according to the Thailand Seed Trade Association. Thailand holds a key position as a high quality hybrid seed producer, has good infrastructure and is a conducive business environment for research companies, said Mr. de Hoop. This is why Thailand is important as an R&D and innovation base for East-West Seed. Our breeding programs for tomato are focused on better fruit quality, higher yield, and development of resistances to disease and pests. When plants have stronger resistance to diseases, farmers not only have better productivity but also have less need for chemical pesticides. For consumers, that means cleaner, more nutritious vegetables, said de Hoop. Bridging innovation from East and West Conference chairman of TBRT 2013, Dr. Darush Struss, biotechnology and molecular plant breeding manager at East-West Seed, reveals that the company was chosen for this special event following its staging of a successful international conference on Solanaceae in Thailand in 2011 in cooperation with NSTDA, Maejo and Chiang Mai universities with over 300 participants.

This conference offers a tremendous opportunity for Thailands scientific communities and those who are involved in vegetable breeding, as well as horticultural scientists and students, to acquire first-hand information regarding advanced breeding technology, said Dr. Struss The meeting is expected to contribute to stronger ties between researchers and plant Breeders in the public and private sectors. East -West Seed is very proud to host this significant forum and hope that it helps put Thailand strongly on the map as a scientific event organizer, added Dr. Struss. About East-West Seed East-West Seed is market leader for tropical vegetable seeds in Asia. Using the most advanced technologies in vegetable plant breeding, East-West Seed creates value for farmers by producing Better Seeds for Better YieldTM. The companys strategy is based on breeding suitable varieties that allow farmers to be more productive, thereby contributing to agricultural sustainability. East-West seeds are plant in the field of over 30 million farmers worldwide. The company is Asia based with over 2,000 employees and 12 R&D stations in 7 countries. We live and work in the markets we serve. To learn more about our business, please visit www.eastwestseed.com. About The Tomato Breeders Roundtable (TBRT) The Tomato Breeders Roundtable started as an informal meeting of tomato breeders in 1955 in the USA. Over the past five decades the TBRT has become an important meeting for the tomato researcher and breeders from public institutions and industry across the world. The informal characteristics of the TBRT which has been preserved over five decades, offers a great forum for participants to discuss the latest developments in tomato breeding and associated breeding technology. http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=33873&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) +++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.10 Research shows new means to boost maize yields Scientists at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in New York have finally proven a simple hypothesis for making significant increases in maize yields. Led by CSHL Professor David Jackson, the team looked at how quantitative variation in the pathways regulating plant stem cells contributes to its growth and yield. According to Jackson, "Our simple hypothesis was that an

increase in the size of the inflorescence meristem will provide more physical space for the development of the structures that mature into kernels." Dr. Peter Bommert, a former postdoctoral fellow in the Jackson lab, performed an analytical technique on maize variants that revealed quantitative trait loci (QTLs), and the analysis pointed to a gene that Jackson has been interested in since 2001, when he was first to clone it, a maize gene called FASCIATED EAR2 (FEA2). The research has shown that by producing a weaker-thannormal version of the FEA2 gene, it is possible, to increase meristem size, and get a maize plant to produce ears with more rows and more kernels. The news release about this research is available at http://www.cshl.edu/Article-Jackson/plant-scientists-at-cshl-demonstrate-newmeans-of-boosting-maize-yields. Results of this research appear online in the February issue of Nature Genetics. The paper can be viewed at:http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/vaop/ncurrent/index.html Source: Crop Biotech Update February 13, 2013 Contributed by Margaret Smith Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, Cornell University Mes25@cornell.edu (Return to Contents) +++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.11 U.S. Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) creates new electronic subscription Washington, DC, USA February 15, 2013 The Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) has created a new electronic subscription.This listserv will allow PVPO to more effectively communicate information to its stakeholders. Subscribers will receive emails when there are updates to the PVPO website or important program announcements. After subscribing, they will receive an email that giving them the option to view from the website and/or unsubscribe. Please spread the word about the PVPO Listserv. Anyone interested in subscribing may do so by visiting the PVPO website at www.ams.usda.gov/PVPO.

Click on the PVPO Listserv link in the Resources box on the right-hand side and that will take you to the subscription page. Information and questions regarding plant variety protection or the listserv can be sent to PVPOmail@ams.usda.gov. http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=33883&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.12 Major grocery chain in the US first to require GM labeling Whole Foods Market, the grocery chain, on Friday became the first retailer in the United States to require labeling of all genetically modified foods sold in its stores, a move that some experts said could radically alter the food industry. A. C. Gallo, president of Whole Foods, said the new labeling requirement, to be in place within five years, came in response to consumer demand. Weve seen how our customers have responded to the products we do have labeled, Mr. Gallo said. Some of our manufacturers say theyve seen a 15 percent increase in sales of products they have labeled. Genetically modified ingredients are deeply embedded in the global food supply, having proliferated since the 1990s. Most of the corn and soybeans grown in the United States, for example, have been genetically modified. The alterations make soybeans resistant to a herbicide used in weed control, and causes the corn to produce its own insecticide. Efforts are under way to produce a genetically altered apple that will spoil less quickly, as well as genetically altered salmon that will grow faster. The announcement ricocheted around the food industry and excited proponents of labeling. Fantastic, said Mark Kastel, co-director of the Cornucopia Institute, an organic advocacy group that favors labeling. The Grocery Manufacturers Association, the trade group that represents major food companies and retailers, issued a statement opposing the move. These labels could mislead consumers into believing that these food products are somehow different or present a special risk or a potential risk, Louis Finkel, the organizations executive director of government affairs, said in the statement. Mr. Finkel noted that the Food and Drug Administration, as well as regulatory and scientific bodies including the World Health Organization and the

American Medical Association, had deemed genetically modified products safe. The labeling requirements announced by Whole Foods will include its 339 stores in the United States and Canada. Since labeling is already required in the European Union, products in its seven stores in Britain are already marked if they contain genetically modified ingredients. The labels currently used show that a product has been verified as free of genetically engineered ingredients by the Non GMO Project, a nonprofit certification organization. The labels Whole Foods will use in 2018, which have yet to be created, will identify foods that contain such ingredients. The shift by Whole Foods is the latest in a series of events that has intensified the debate over genetically modified foods. Voters defeated a hard-fought ballot initiative in California late last year after the biotech industry, and major corporations like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, spent millions of dollars to fight the effort. Other initiatives have qualified for the ballot in Washington State and Missouri, while consumers across the country have been waging a sort of guerrilla movement in supermarkets, pasting warning stickers on products suspected of having G.M.O. ingredients from food companies that oppose labeling. Proponents of labeling insist that consumers have a right to know about the ingredients in the food they eat, and they contend that some studies in rats show that bioengineered food can be harmful. Gary Hirshberg, chairman of Just Label It, a campaign for a federal requirement to label foods containing genetically modified ingredients, called the Whole Foods decision a game changer. Weve had some pretty big developments in labeling this year, Mr. Hirshberg said, adding that 22 states now have some sort of pending labeling legislation. Now, one of the fastest-growing, most successful retailers in the country is throwing down the gantlet. He compared the potential impact of the Whole Foods announcement to WalMarts decision several years ago to stop selling milk from cows treated with growth hormone. Today, only a small number of milk cows are injected with the hormone. Karen Batra, a spokeswoman for BIO, a trade group representing the biotech industry, said it was too early to determine what impact, if any, the Whole Foods decision would have. It looks like they want to exp and their inventory of certified organic and non-G.M.O. lines, Ms. Batra said. The industry has always supported the voluntary labeling of food for marketing reasons.

She contended, however, that without scientific evidence showing that genetically modified foods caused health or safety issues, labeling was unnecessary. Nonetheless, companies have shown a growing willingness to consider labeling. Some 20 major food companies, as well as Wal-Mart, met recently in Washington to discuss genetically modified labeling. Coincidentally, the American Halal Company, a food company whose Saffron Road products are sold in Whole Foods stores, on Friday introduced the first frozen food, a chickpea and spinach entree, that has been certified not to contain genetically modified ingredients. More than 90 percent of respondents to a poll of potential voters in the 2012 elections, conducted by the Mellman Group in February last year, were in favor of labeling genetically modified foods. Some 93 percent of Democrats and 89 percent of Republicans in the poll, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent, favored it. But in the fight over the California initiative, Proposition 37, the opponents succeeded in persuading voters that labeling would have a negative effect on food prices and the livelihood of farmers. That fight, however, has cost food companies in other ways. State legislatures and regulatory agencies are pondering labeling on their own, and consumers have been aggressive in criticizing some of the companies that fought the initiative, using Twitter and Facebook to make their views known. Buoyed by what they see as some momentum in the labeling war, consumers, organic farmers and food activists plan to hold an eat-in outside the F.D.A.s offices next month to protest government policies on genetically modified crops and foods. Whole Foods, which specializes in organic products, tends to be favored by those types of consumers, and it enjoys strong sales of its privatelabel products, whose composition it controls. The company thus risks less than some more traditional food retailers in taking a stance on labeling. In 2009, Whole Foods began submitting products in its 365 Everyday Value private-label line to verification by the Non GMO Project. But even Whole Foods has not been immune to criticism on the G.M.O. front. A report by Cornucopia, Cereal Crimes, revealed that its 365 Corn Flakes line contained genetically modified corn. By the time the report came out in October 2011, the product had been reformulated and certified as organic. Today, Whole Foods shelves carry some 3,300 private -label and branded products that are certified, the largest selection of any grocery chain in the country.

Mr. Gallo said Whole Foods did not consult with its suppliers about its decision and informed them of it only shortly before making its announcement Friday. He said Whole Foods looked forward to working with suppliers on the labeling. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/09/business/grocery-chain-to-require-labelsfor-genetically-modified-food.html?hp&_r=1& Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.13 Brazil has established itself as a leader in the adoption of biotechnology and reaches 36.6 million hectares Brazil February 20, 2013 In 2012, the fourth consecutive year, the Brazilian agriculture was the most boosted global growth of the area planted with GM varieties (GM), with a 21% increase compared to 2011, reaching a record of 36.6 million hectares, an increase of over 6.3 million. No other country has achieved such growth, which contributes to performance that Brazil is recognized as a global leader in the adoption of biotechnology. The data was released on Wednesday (20) in the latest report of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). The varieties grown in the country are soy, corn and cotton. The survey also indicates the record of world production, 170.3 million hectares in 2012, representing a growth rate of 6%, or 10.3 million hectares more than 160 million registered in 2011. Compared with the year 1996, the total planted in 2012 represents a magnification of 100 times the acreage. This makes the technology of transgenic fastest adopted crop in the history of modern agriculture because of its economic, social and agronomic. Brazil ranks second in the ranking of area planted with transgenics, behind only the United States, although the difference between the two countries will gradually diminishing over the years. # Country Area 2012 * 2011 * Area Area 2010 * GM crops planted 1 U.S. 69.5 69 66.8 Soybeans, corn, cotton, canola, squash, papaya, alfalfa and beet 2 Brazil 36.6 30.3 25.4 Soybeans, corn, cotton 3 Argentina 23.9 23.7 22 9 Soybeans, corn and cotton 4 Canada 11.6 10.4 8.8 Canola, corn, soybeans and sugar beets 5 India 10.8 10.6 9.4 Cotton 6 China 4.0 3.9 3.5 Cotton, papaya , poplar, tomato, green pepper

* million hectares Among the aspects that contribute to the good performance of the country with regard to the adoption of the technology is stable and rigorous regulatory system, the seeds adapted to different realities and Brazilian investment in research. Notably, Embrapa developed a bean genetically modified (GM) virus that is resistant to the first event totally agronomic biotechnology developed by a public research institution. ISAAA Another highlight of this year's survey is the dominance of developing countries as drivers of adoption biotechnology. Of the 28 countries planted biotech crops last year, 20 are developing countries. With this performance, the first time, developing countries, led by Brazil, Argentina, India, China and South Africa, planted more than half of the area planted to these varieties (52%). Highlights World Five EU countries planted a record 129,071 acres of transgenic corn, 13% more than in 2011. Spain led the EU with 116,307 hectares of GM maize, 20% more than in 2011. Two new countries, Sudan (insect resistant cotton) and Cuba (insect resistant maize) planted transgenic for the first time in 2012. The United States continues to lead the planted area and the rate of technology adoption, with 69.5 million hectares with an average of 90% adoption for all cultivars. India planted a record 10.8 million hectares of transgenic cotton with an adoption rate of 93%. Only in 2011, the adoption of GM varieties has reduced CO2 emissions by 23.1 billion pounds, equivalent to removing 10.2 million cars from the road, saving 108.7 million hectares of land and contributing to poverty reduction of 15 million small farmers. http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=34078&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) +++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.14 Genetic diversity of capsicum peppers revealed Scientists from the University of California-Riverside have characterized the diversity of genes found in a collection of common cultivated pepper varieties. The study, which sampled 30,000 genes of theCapsicum annum species, provided information about the crop's genetic diversity and the relationships among different types of peppers. This genetic information will be critically

important to plant breeders for developing hardier, higher yielding plants for production around the world. There are 38 reported species of Capsicum peppers, including Capsicum annum -- the most commonly cultivated pepper species in the world. These species include a variety of peppers that are grown worldwide and valued as fresh vegetables, spices, medicinals and ornamental plants. Earlier studies indicate that the wild ancestors of all peppers grew in tropical South America, in a region centered in what is now Bolivia. Access the journal article at: GENETIC DIVERSITY OF CAPSICUM PEPPERS REVEALED http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0056200 Source: Crop Biotech Update February 27, 2013 Contributed by Margaret Smith Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, Cornell University Mes25@cornell.edu (Return to Contents) ++++++++++++++++++++ 1.15 Study reveals epigenome changes control tomato ripening A new study by researchers at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research (BTI) and the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) reveals that epigenetics, a set of chemical changes to a plant's DNA, play an important role in tomato ripening, giving the signal to the fruit when the time is right to turn red. James Giovannoni, ARS molecular biologist and his colleagues took up the question of whether epigenetics might play a role in tomato ripening. Researchers injected unripe tomatoes with a compound that inhibits the enzymes that methylate DNA, and the tomatoes ripened prematurely, an indication that DNA methylation regulates ripening. The group is following up on the findings to check if it may eventually be possible to improve other fruit crops by targeting methylation in ripening genes. Results of the study was published on the January 27 issue of the journal Nature. The news release can be read at: http://bti.cornell.edu/changes-in-epigenome-control-ripening-in-tomatoes/ STUDY REVEALS EPIGENOME CHANGES CONTROL TOMATO RIPENING

Source: Crop Biotech Update January 30, 2013 Contributed by Margaret Smith Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, Cornell University Mes25@cornell.edu (Return to Contents) +++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.16 Found: gene that boosts digestibility of sorghum Agricultural scientists in Australia have found a gene that boosts the digestibility of sorghum. The scientists said that they have identified a tiny variant in a gene which controls the enzyme pullulanase that helps to break down starch in sorghum, making it more digestible. The research team's next step would be cross-breeding commonly grown sorghum strains with the variety that has the genetic variant to boost the crop's value as a food source. Sorghum is a tough cereal grown in dry areas of Africa, Asia, and North America. It is drought tolerant but ranks lower than rice, corn, and wheat as food because the human digestive system cannot absorb many of its calories. More information is available at http://phys.org/news/2013-02-rubbergenome.html FOUND: GENE THAT BOOSTS DIGESTIBILITY OF SORGHUM Source: Crop Biotech Update February 13, 2013 Contributed by Margaret Smith Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, Cornell University Mes25@cornell.edu (Return to Contents) +++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.17 Global research effort takes up resistance challenge Australia February 18, 2013 The evolution of herbicide resistance in weeds in crops poses a real threat to global food production and security, but the battle against it can and must be won. This was the message from Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI) director Stephen Powles in his opening address (editors: 18 February) to the

Global Herbicide Resistance Challenge conference, supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Especially in the major global grain crops such as rice, wheat, maize and soybean, herbicide resistant weeds are a real threat to productivity, Professor Powles said. In Australia, herbicide resistance is a major problem in cereal cropping systems across the country, especially in ryegrass. We must win the battle against herbicide resistance, just as medical science must win the battle against antibiotic resistance. To do so we need good science coupled with good agronomy and good engineering. We need well trained people at all levels from high science, right through to dedicated farmers implementing a range of practices. This is why we are gathered here this week, with 100 speakers and 66 poster presentations addressing all areas of the science of herbicide resistance and its management in global food production. Professor Powles said research was learning how to manage a number of aspects of herbicide resistance, and there had been successes including in the area of harvest weed seed control systems in Australian cropping systems. This weeks conference the first of its kind in 30 years and the first ever in the southern hemisphere reflects a global reinvigoration of research and international collaboration on herbicide resistance, he said. Being held at The Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle, Western Australia from February 18 to 22, the Global Herbicide Resistance Challenge is an international, multidisciplinary research conference addressing herbicide resistance. Major issues being discussed include the threat of herbicide resistance and its impact on global grain production, alternatives to chemical weed control and the latest gene modification advances. For more information visit www.herbicideresistanceconference.com.au http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=33928&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) ++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.18 Scientists discover gene responsible for C4 Photosynthesis

A recent breakthrough in agricultural research is expected to greatly help the planet's quest to feed modern diets to additional mouths while using the same amounts of water, fertilizer and arable land as a group of scientists from Cornell University was able to identify a gene which is crucial to a more efficient photosynthesis kn own as C4 photosynthesis. The gene, called Scarecrow, is the first gene discovered to control a special leaf structure, known as Kranz anatomy, which is essential to C4 mechanism in plant's photosynthesis. Plants photosynthesize using one of two methods: C3, a less efficient, ancient method found in most plants, including wheat and rice; and C4, a more efficient adaptation employed by grasses, maize, sorghum and sugarcane that is better suited to drought, intense sunlight, heat and low nitrogen. According to the researchers, if C4 photosynthesis is successfully transferred to C3 plants through genetic engineering, farmers could grow wheat and rice in hotter, dryer environments with less fertilizer. View Cornell University's news release at http://www.pressoffice.cornell.edu/pressoffice/releases/release.cfm?r=72281 Source: Crop Biotech Update January 30, 2013 Contributed by Margaret Smith Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, Cornell University Mes25@cornell.edu (Return to Contents) +++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.19 Gene switch-off produces healthier carbohydrates Aarhus, Denmark February 4, 2013 For the first time ever scientists have succeeded in producing a crop containing only healthy carbohydrates. Easily digestible starch, which is the lesser healthy version of carbohydrates, was avoided by switching off specific genes in barley. We need protein, fat and carbohydrates there is no way around that. But does the form that these nutrients take really matter? Yes, it does. Carbohydrates differ in their digestibility, and therefore in their healthiness. Scientists at Aarhus University have developed a method which they have used to produce a unique type of barley containing only the healthy form of carbohydrate.

The most common form of carbohydrate in our food is starch, which is the main ingredient in bread, pasta and potatoes. However, not all forms of starch are healthy. The easily digestible type contains primarily amylopectin. This is rapidly broken down in the gut and assimilated into the bloodstream as sugar. High levels of blood sugar may lead to obesity and diabetes. The less easily digestible starch contains primarily amylose. This tends to pass through the small intestine to end up in the large intestine. Here it is instead broken down by bacteria, which has positive effects on health. The healthiest carbohydrate The challenge for the scientists was in creating a plant that contained starch consisting mainly of amylose, without affecting yields. They used barley as a model plant an important crop that is used for both food and fodder. We were interested in seeing how much amylose we could create. We have never before seen a plant that was able to create starch containing exclusively amylose, says scientist Kim Hebelstrup from Aarhus University. He and his colleagues from Aarhus University and University of Copenhagen are therefore the first ever to create a plant containing pure amylose. The innovation made use of genetic and biotechnological methods that enabled specific genes in the barley to be switched off. The novel method allows several genes to be switched off in one go rather than just the one gene as has hitherto been the practice. New healthy foods. To study the digestibility of the amylose-rich starch, laboratory tests were performed where enzymes were added to the starch. And rightly enough, the starch turned out to be more difficult to digest. The next step will be to undertake nutritional studies and to extend the use of the method to other crops. - The knowledge we have created can be used on similar plants such as wheat, maize and rice, which are some of the most important food staples in the world, says Kim Hebelstrup. A more detailed description of the method developed, can be found in an article published in the scientific journal BMC Plant Biology here. The project received financial support from The Danish Council for Independent Research | Technology and Production Sciences, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education. The research was a collaboration between Aarhus University and associate professor Andreas Blennow from University of Copenhagen.

http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=34477&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) +++++++++++++++++++++ 1.20 Next generation soybean breeding: the potential of spectral analysis Manhattan, Kansas, USA February 14, 2013 Used in everything from baked goods to trendy edamame and livestock feed to cooking oil, the huge array of uses for soybeans has scientists looking for the most efficient ways to grow them. That interest inspired the Kansas State University soybean breeding program to team up with the spectral analysis lab of Kevin Price, K-State professor of agronomy, to explore ways to increase the efficiency of the soybean breeding line selection process. The most time-consuming, land-intensive and expensive aspect of our breeding program at K-State is in harvesting the many thousands of early generation lines, weighing the seed and determining yield, said Bill Schapaugh, K-State soybean breeder. If we can find a way to separate out 50 percent or more of the very low-yielding lines without the need to combine harvest and weigh the seed, that would reduce the time and cost of our breeding program considerably, Schapaugh said. Spectral analysis, a method of analyzing the electromagnetic radiation coming from plants and other objects, is being used in the K-State Agronomy Department to determine the level of photosynthetic activity of vegetation in many different situations. The work is conducted with financial support from the Kansas Soybean Commission. We decided to work with Dr. Prices spectral analysis team to try using this new technology in our soybean breeding nursery, Schapaugh said. The goal was to find out how effective this technology might be in predicting yields, stress tolerance and disease resistance as a way to eliminate unpromising lines early in the process. To do this, the K-State team, including graduate students Nan An, Brent Christenson, and Nathan Keep, used a ground-based spectroradiometer to gather spectral data in the visible and infrared spectra at various stages of growth, and correlated the results with actual yield data. They have spent the last two years trying to determine exactly what data to collect and how often,

and whether any of the spectral regions being measured would have a good correlation to yield. Spectral analysis doesnt have to be accurate enough to separate lines with a yield difference of just one or two bushels per acre. If it can separate lines with a yield difference of five to 10 bushels, that would be a great help in the preliminary stages of line evaluation, Schapaugh said. The initial model, developed by Christenson, correlated various spectral data at different growth stages with actual yields. The correlation using that model was not perfect, but was close enough to encourage further work. With this model, and using only the spectral data taken at the seed fill stage to make selections, we would have retained all of the highest yielding varieties by selecting the best half, Schapaugh said. If we can repeat the kind of results we have achieved in the training population with experimental varieties from other populations, the precision should be accurate enough to cull out lines having a low yield potential at the earliest stage of evaluation. If we can discard low-yielding lines without having to harvest them and weigh the seed for yields, this will have tremendous value to the breeding program in terms of saving time, space and money, he said. The K-State team is expanding its research into this new technology, developing more robust models, using different types of sensors, adding genotypes, and evaluating the methods of measurement. Also, this summer, the team members plan to test the use of aerial sensors in addition to the ground-based sensors. Price has been working on various aerial spectroradiometer applications in agriculture. Our goal is to be able to use spectral analysis to achieve a dramatic reduction in the cost of producing a unit gain in yield potential, and the results so far are promising, Schapaugh said. http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=33858&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) +++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.21 New pepper study reveals spicy genetic secrets Davis, California, USA February 14, 2013

From the small, spicy Thai chiles to the portly, mild bell pepper, researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a family tree of sorts for peppers and characterized the diversity of genes found in a collection of common cultivated pepper varieties. Findings from the study, which sampled 30,000 genes of the Capsicum annum species, reveal intriguing details about the relationships between these different types of peppers and the incredible genetic diversity among the spicy peppers. This genetic information will be critically important to plant breeders for developing hardier, higher yielding plants for production around the world. For example, many sources of drought- and disease-resistance are found in the tiny, wild, spicy peppers that are difficult to cultivate and not appealing to consumers. But transferring these traits through cross-pollination into more commonly cultivated peppers can take years. This process can be done more quickly and affordably with the ability to use DNA markers to follow genes important to producing different types of cultivated peppers. The study, published this week in the online scientific journal PLOS ONE, is now available at http://bit.ly/UjDgud. The exciting part of the study is in the biology, said plant scientist Allen Van Deynze, lead researcher on the study. We have already identified marked differences in regions of the chromosomes that control fruit shape and production of capsaicin, the compound that makes peppers hot. There are 38 reported species of Capsicum peppers, including Capsicum annum -- the most commonly cultivated pepper species in the world. These species include a variety of peppers that are grown worldwide and valued as fresh vegetables, spices, medicinals and ornamental plants. Earlier studies indicate that the wild ancestors of all peppers grew in tropical South America, in a region centered in what is now Bolivia. Until now, there has been relatively little molecular data characterizing the genetic diversity of Capsicum peppers. In this study, the researchers selected genetic probes -- strands of DNA -- from more than 30,000 genes in 40 diverse Capsicum annum lines and placed them on a small glass slide. This microarray, or gene chip, was then used in a comprehensive DNA analysis to identify DNA differences -- genetic markers that can be used to determine similarities and differences among the 40 Capsicum annum lines. This work, along with ongoing efforts to place these genes on chromosomes within the pepper genome, will provide tools to facilitate breeding for pepper quality and cultivation. Significant results of the study: All of the cultivated pepper varieties tested share a similar amount of genetic change relative to their common, although unknown, ancestor.

Within the group of plants that produce sweet, nonspicy peppers, there was three times less diversity than within the group of pepper lines bearing pungent, or spicy, peppers. Of the well-defined groups of spicy pepper types, the Anaheim and ancho group are most closely related to the sweet bell pepper types. In general, lines with similar looking peppers were closely related. However, the two semi-wild pepper lines known to be resistant to the funguslike pathogen Phytophthora capsici have very similar peppers but are genetically distinct.

Other researchers on this UC Davis study were: Theresa Hill, Hamid Ashrafi, Sebastian Reyes-Chin-Wo, Ji-Qiang Yao and Kevin Stoffel, of the Center for Seed Biotechnology in the Department of Plant Sciences; and Maria-Jose Truco, Alexander Kozik and Richard Michelmore, of the Genome Center. Funding for the study was provided by the University of California Discovery program, with matching funds from these firms: Rijk Zwaan BV, Enza Zaden BV, DeRuiter Seeds BV, from the Netherlands; Vilmorin Co. of France; and Nunhems USA, Seminis Vegetable Seeds Inc. and Syngenta Seeds Inc., from the U.S. http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=33869&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) +++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.22 Sequencing hundreds of chloroplast genomes now possible New method allows plant biologists to 'capture' and sequence the DNA of hundreds of complete chloroplast genomes at one time USA January 31, 2013 Researchers at the University of Florida and Oberlin College have developed a sequencing method that will allow potentially hundreds of plant chloroplast genomes to be sequenced at once, facilitating studies of molecular biology and evolution in plants. The chloroplast is the compartment within the plant cell that is responsible for photosynthesis and hence provides all of the sugar that a plant needs to grow and survive. The chloroplast is unusual in containing its own DNA genome, separate from the larger and dominant genome that is located in every cell's nucleus.

Chloroplast DNA sequences are widely used by plant biologists in genetic engineering and in reconstructing evolutionary relationships among plants. Until recently, though, chloroplast genome sequencing was a costly and timeintensive endeavor, limiting its utility for plant evolutionary and molecular biologists. Instead, most researchers have been limited to sequencing a small portion of the chloroplast genome, which in many cases is insufficient for determining evolutionary relationships, especially in plant groups that are evolutionarily young. In contrast, complete chloroplast genome sequences harbor enough information to reconstruct both recent and ancient diversifications. New DNA sequencing technologies, termed "next-generation" sequencers, have made it considerably cheaper and easier to sequence complete chloroplast genomes. While current methods using next-generation sequencers allow up to 48 chloroplast genomes to be sequenced at one time, the new method will allow potentially hundreds of flowering plant chloroplast genomes to be sequenced at once, significantly reducing the per-sample cost of chloroplast genome sequencing. This new method, reported in the February issue of Applications in Plant Sciences (available for free viewing as part of the February Issue in Progress at http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.3732/apps.1200497), relies on efficient separation of chloroplast DNA from other DNA in the cell using short DNA "baits" that were designed from chloroplast genomes that have already been sequenced. These molecular baits effectively concentrate the chloroplast DNA before sequencing (a process termed "targeted enrichment"), dramatically increasing the number of samples that can be sequenced at once. Greg Stull, a graduate student at the University of Florida and lead author of the study, summarizes the versatility of the new system: "With this method, it should be possible for researchers to cheaply sequence hundreds of chloroplast genomes for any flowering plant group of interest." The method was specifically designed by the authors of the study such that almost any flowering plant chloroplast genome can be sequenced, regardless of species. Flowering plants represent the largest (~300,000 species) and most ecologically dominant group of land plants, and include all major crop plants. Applications in Plant Sciences (APPS) is a monthly, online-only, peerreviewed, open access journal focusing on new tools, technologies, and protocols in all areas of the plant sciences. It is published by the Botanical Society of America (www.botany.org), a non-profit membership society with a mission to promote botany, the field of basic science dealing with the study and inquiry into the form, function, development, diversity, reproduction, evolution, and uses of plants and their interactions within the biosphere. The first issue of APPS published in January 2013; APPS is available as part of BioOne's Open Access collection

(http://www.bioone.org/toc/apps/current). http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=33425&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: American Journal of Botany via EurekAlert! (Return to Contents) ++++++++++++++++++++ 1.23 Study reveals that epigenetics plays pivotal role in tomato ripening Ithaca, New York, USA January 29, 2013 By Merry Buckley Changes in epigenome control tomato ripening Everyone loves a juicy, perfectly ripened tomato, and scientists have long sought ways to control the ripening process to improve fruit quality and prevent spoilage. A new study by researchers at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research (BTI) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), both on the Cornell campus, reveals that epigenetics, a set of chemical changes to a plant's DNA, plays a pivotal role in tomato ripening, signaling to the fruit when the time is right to redden. The discovery opens the door to new ways of thinking about how to develop varieties of tomatoes that can survive the trip from the farm to the grocery store with flavor and texture intact. The paper was published Jan. 27 on the journal Nature Biotechnology's website. Scientists have discovered a set of chemical changes to a plant's DNA plays a pivotal role in tomato ripening, signaling to the fruit when the time is right to redden. Photo: Yun-Ru Chen, BTI "Most previous breeding efforts were focused on the DNA sequence variation in the genome," says Zhangjun Fei, a co-author on the paper and an associate professor at BTI. "This opens a new era. Now it's possible to use epigenetic variation rather than just changes in DNA sequence to breed better crops." In recent years, scientists have discovered that in addition to the instructions contained in an organism's DNA, there is also a layer of epigenetic information superimposed on that DNA that can control how and when genes are expressed. In one common epigenetic modification, methyl groups are

attached to sites on an organism's DNA, and heavy methylation can essentially shut down a gene. In his laboratory at BTI, ARS molecular biologist James Giovannoni and his colleagues took up the question of whether epigenetics might play a role in tomato ripening. The ripening hormone ethylene is made in plant tissues but can also be applied in tomato processing to ripen the fruit for market. Very young tomatoes, with immature seeds, do not ripen in response to ethylene, and scientists have tried without success to understand the genetic trigger that signals to the tomato flesh that maturation has been reached. To test whether epigenetics might be at work in this ripening trigger, researchers injected unripe tomatoes with a compound that inhibits the enzymes that methylate DNA. The tomatoes ripened prematurely, a strong indication that DNA methylation regulates ripening. The compound itself would never be used to control ripening, but it does demonstrate the underlying principle that methylation is critical. "Once we realized that the inhibitor can disrupt the mysterious mechanism that regulates fruit ripening, we decided to find the most crucial ripening genes that are controlled by the transcription factor RIN (ripening inhibitor) and examine how methylation changes during fruit development. Suddenly, everything became clear." says co-author Silin Zhong, a BTI scientist and research fellow of the Human Frontier Science Program organization. Zhong and others found that tomato fruits undergo a major epigenetic overhaul during ripening, losing cytosine DNA methylation in many locations on the genome, particularly in promoters targeted by RIN. What's more, this epigenetic reprogramming does not happen in tomato mutants that are deficient in ripening. "This change in DNA methylation, and specifically of promoters of ripening genes, is what makes the fruit respond to ethylene and then ripen," says Giovannoni. "We believe we have identified a new component of the ripening switch -- one that may serve as an additional target or tool to regulate tomato shelf life and quality." The group is following up on the findings. "We want to check whether this is a general pattern" in other types of fruits, Fei says. If so, it may eventually be possible to improve other fruit crops by targeting methylation on ripening genes, fine-tuning the process to achieve a better product. Merry Buckley is a science writer based in Ithaca. http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=33432&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com

(Return to Contents) ++++++++++++++++++++ 1.24 Defying the laws of Mendelian inheritance United Kingdom February 4, 2013 Two articles published in F1000Research support controversial claims that could redefine what we know about Mendelian inheritance in single Arabidopsis thaliana plants. In 2005, Susan Lolle and colleagues from Purdue University published a paper in Nature, concluding that Arabidopsis thaliana plants do not obey the laws of Mendelian inheritance (the idea that all genes are inherited from their parents). Instead, Lolle found that these plants were demonstrating genetic traits from older generations, which shouldnt be possible according to our current understanding of how genes are passed on. At the time of publishing, the paper was recommended by 20 F1000Prime Faculty Members, and it is still one of the all-time top 10 papers on the site despite also being dissented. In the wider scientific community the paper was met with some criticism, alternative theories to explain the findings were offered, and there were calls for more evidence. Many believed the findings to be the result of contamination from other seeds, the introduction of unrelated genetic material into the breeding line (out-crossing), or another novel DNAbased genetic phenomenon. Lolle and new colleagues from the University of Waterloo have now published a follow-up paper on F1000Research, having spent several years conducting numerous experiments that they believe provide further evidence to support the original findings and disprove some of the other suggested theories. In Lolle et al.s paper, De novo genetic variation revealed in somatic sectors of single Arabidopsis plants, they have used DNA markers to demonstrate the presence of multiple genetic traits in single Arabidopsis plants. The article has now been approved by three independent leading names in the field, Andy Pereira (University of Arkansas), Igor Kovalchuk (University of Lethbridge), and David Oppenheimer (University of Florida), who provided formal referee reports and it will now be indexed in PubMed, Scopus and other major indexers. All peer review for F1000Research is conducted post-publication; referees comments are openly published and can be viewed (and commented on by others) at the bottom of each article, and authors have the opportunity then to modify their article and publish a new version as appropriate.

A separate article by Carina Barth and her former group at West Virginia University (Barth is now with ConRuhr North America) has been published at the same time on F1000Research, and may go some way to supporting Lolles findings, although the referees were more mixed in their reaction to this study. In their article The novel Arabidopsis thaliana svt2 suppressor of the ascorbic acid-deficient mutant vtc1-1 exhibits phenotypic and genotypic instability, Barth et al. attempted to isolate Arabidopsis plants that could in some way compensate for a diminished capacity to synthesize vitamin C in order to better understand the genetic regulation of this process in those plants that do perform the function. They found that a number of their plants compensated by apparently reverting back to an ancestral genome containing the trait responsible for successful biosynthesis of vitamin C, even though they had been bred from plants with a defect in this trait. They conclude that this kind of genetic instability could be explained by hidden information somewhere in the organisms genome, perhaps even Lolles RNA cache theory. These papers could have significant implications for plant biology, genetics and agriculture. If confirmed, the findings will completely alter our understanding of how organisms inherit their genes. In addition, the findings could have practical implications for the future. These theories could be adapted to help us better understand how plants (and crops) cope with environmental stress, with relevance to global warming, the moving crop belts and global food security. To find out more about these two papers and read our referees reports, see http://bit.ly/14Di70T. http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=33507&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) ++++++++++++++++++++ 1.25 Plant scientists at CSHL demonstrate new means of boosting maize yields Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA February 3, 2013 A team of plant geneticists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has successfully demonstrated what it describes as a simple hypothesis for making significant increases in yields for the maize plant.

Called corn by most people in North America, modern variants of the Zea mays plant are among the indispensable food crops that feed billions of the planets people. As global population soars beyond 6 billion and heads for an estimated 8 to 9 billion by mid-century, efforts to boost yields of essential food crops takes on ever greater potential significance. The new findings obtained by CSHL Professor David Jackson and colleagues, published online today in Nature Genetics, represent the culmination of over a decade of research and creative thinking on how to perform genetic manipulations in maize that will have the effect of increasing the number of its seeds which most of us call kernels. Plant growth and development depend on structures called meristems reservoirs in plants that consist of the plant version of stem cells. When prompted by genetic signals, cells in the meristem develop into the plants organs leaves and flowers, for instance. Jacksons team has taken an interest in how quantitative variation in the pathways that regulate plant stem cells contribute to a plants growth and yield. Our simple hypothesis was that an increase in the size of the inflorescence meristem the stem-cell reservoir that gives rise to flowers and ultimately, after pollination, seeds will provide more physical space for the development of the structures that mature into kernels. Dr. Peter Bommert, a former postdoctoral fellow in the Jackson lab, performed an analytical technique on several maize variants that revealed what scientists call quantitative trait loci (QTLs): places along the chromosomes that map to specific complex traits such as yield. The analysis pointed to a gene that Jackson has been interested in since 2001, when he was first to clone it: a maize gene called FASCIATED EAR2 (FEA2). When the FEA2 gene is missing (left), ear is deformed, featuring 30 irregular rows of kernels. Ears of plants with "weak" variants of the gene are of normal length and have straight rows of kernels -- more of both in the ear (left) with a comparatively weaker version of the gene. Not long after cloning the gene, Jackson had a group of gifted Long Island high school students, part of a program called Partners for the Future, perform an analysis of literally thousands of maize ears. Their task was to meticulously count the number of rows of kernels on each ear. It was part of a research project that won the youths honors in the Intel Science competition. Jackson, meantime, gained important data that now has come to full fruition.

The labs current research has now shown that by producing a weaker -thannormal version of the FEA2 gene one whose protein is mutated but still partly functional -- it is possible, as Jackson postulated, to increase meristem size, and in so doing, get a maize plant to produce ears with more rows and more kernels. How many more? In two different crops of maize variants that the Jackson team grew in two locations, with weakened versions of FEA2, the average ear had 18 to 20 rows and up to 289 kernels as compared with wild-type versions of the same varieties, with 14 to 16 rows and 256 kernels. Compared with the latter figure, the successful FEA2 mutants had a kernel yield increase of some 13%. We were excited to note this increase was accomplished without reducing the length of the ears or causing fasciation a deformation that tends to flatten the ears, Jackson says. Both of those characteristics, which can sharply lower yield, are prominent when FEA2 is completely missing, as the teams experiments also demonstrated. Teosinte, the humble wild weed that Mesoamericans began to modify about 7000 years ago, beginning a process that resulted in the domestication of maize, makes only 2 rows of kernels; elite modern varieties of the plant can produce as many as 20. A next step in the research is to cross-breed the weak FEA2 gene variant, or allele, associated with higher kernel yield with the best maize lines used in todays food crops to ask if it will produce a higher-yield plant. Quantitative variation in maize kernel row number is controlled by the FASCIATED EAR2 locus appears online in Nature Genetics on February 3, 2013. The authors are: Peter Bommert, Namiko Satoh Nagasawa and David Jackson. The paper can be viewed at: http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/vaop/ncurrent/index.html The research described in this release was supported in part by funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (grant NRICGP 2003-3504-13277); the National Science Foundation Plant Genome Program (grant DBI-0604923); and the German Science Society. http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=33539&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) ++++++++++++++++++++

1.26 Scientists identify genetic mechanism that contributed to Irish famine Research by UC Riverside plant pathologists is the first to show that RNA silencing regulates plant defense against the notorious Phytophthora pathogens Riverside, California, USA February 6, 2013 When a pathogen attacks a plant, infection usually follows after the plants immune system is compromised. A team of researchers at the University of California, Riverside focused on Phytophthora, the pathogen that triggered the Irish Famine of the 19th century, and deciphered how it succeeded in crippling the potato plants immune system. The genus Phytophthora contains many notorious pathogens of crops. Phytophthora pathogens cause worldwide losses of more than $6 billion each year on potato (Phytophthora infestans) and about $2 billion each year on soybean (Phytophthora sojae). The researchers, led by Wenbo Ma, an associate professor of plant pathology and microbiology, focused their attention on a class of essential virulence proteins produced by a broad range of pathogens, including Phytophthora, called effectors. The effectors are delivered to, and function only in, the cells of the host plants the pathogens attack. The researchers found that Phytophthora effectors blocked the RNA silencing pathways in their host plants (such as potato, tomato, and soybean), resulting first in a suppression of host immunity and thereafter in an increase in the plants susceptibility to disease. Phytophthora has evolved a way to break the immunity of its host plants, Ma explained. Its effectors are the first example of proteins produced by eukaryotic pathogens nucleated single- or multi-cellular organisms that promote infection by suppressing the host RNA silencing process. Our work shows that RNA silencing suppression is a common strategy used by a variety of pathogens viruses, bacteria and Phytophthora to cause disease, and shows, too, that RNA silencing is an important battleground during infection by pathogens across kingdoms. Study results appeared online Feb. 3 in Nature Genetics. What is RNA silencing and what is its significance? RNA is made from DNA. Many RNAs are used to make proteins. However, these RNAs can be regulated by small RNA (snippets of RNA) that bind to them. The binding leads to suppression of gene expression. Known as RNA gene silencing, this suppression plays an important role in regulating plant growth and development. When RNA silencing is impaired by effectors, the plant is more susceptible to disease.

Basic RNA silencing processes are conserved in plant and mammalian systems. They serve as a major defense mechanism against viruses in plants and invertebrates. RNA silencing has also been implicated in anti-bacterial plant defense. The discovery by Mas lab is the first to show that RNA silencing regulates plant defense against eukaryotic pathogens. Phytophthora effectors have a motif or signature a specific protein code that allows the proteins to be delivered into host cells, Ma said. A similar motif is found in effectors of animal parasites, such as the malaria pathogen Plasmodium, suggesting an evolutionarily conserved means for delivering effectors that affect host immunity. Next, her lab will work on extensively screening other pathogens and identifying their effectors direct targets so that novel control strategies can be developed to manage the diseases the pathogens cause. Ma was joined in the study by UC Riversides Yongli Qiao, Lin Liu, Cristina Flores, James Wong, Jinxia Shi, Xianbing Wang, Xigang Liu, Qijun Xiang, Shushu Jiang, Howard S. Judelson and Xuemei Chen; Fuchun Zhang at Xinjiang University, China; and Qin Xiong and Yuanchao Wang at Nanjing Agricultural University, China. The research was supported by a National Science Foundation grant to Ma and grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to Judelson and Chen. In 2011, UCR received a $9 million USDA grant to research late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans, that mainly attacks potatoes and tomatoes. Last year, UCR released avocado rootstocks that can help control Phytophthora root rot, a disease that has eliminated commercial avocado production in many areas of the world. http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=33623&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents) ========================= 2 PUBLICATIONS 2.01 Study of wild solanum species to identify sources of resistance against the green peach aphid, Myzus Persicae (Sulzer) Alireza Askarianzadeh, A. Nicholas

E. Birch, Gavin Ramsay & Mehrnoosh Minaeimoghadam Published online: 24 October 2012 # Potato Association of America 2012 Abstract The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Homoptera: Aphididae), damages potato worldwide. In this study, we investigated 21 Commonwealth Potato Collection (CPC) accessions from seven wild Solanum species in order to identify sources of resistance against the green peach aphid. Test plants of wild potato species were grown from seed. After 4 weeks, 5 wingless adult aphids were put onto each test plant. The number of aphids was counted after 24 h, 7 and 10 days. At the second screening stage, plants were tested after 4 weeks growth, using the same aphid bioassay as in the first stage screen. Results showed that the most resistant Solanum species to M. persicae were S. trifidum and S. palustre and the most susceptible species tested was S. sanctae-rosae. Stability of the detected aphid resistance during plant development was measured by the correlation of repeated tests S. jamesii (CPC 7166) and S.trifidum (CPC 7123) were significantly more correlated than other accessions tested. The number of glandular hairs on these two resistant species was low and medium respectively. Therefore, resistance of these CPC accessions does not appear to depend on the presence of glandular hairs. Based on glasshouse tests, these two CPC accessions may be useful for novel aphid resistance traits in potato to M.persicae. Contributed by Nick Birch Nick.Birch@hutton.ac.uk (Return to Contents)

3. WEB AND NETWORKING RESOURCES 3.01 UC Davis Plant Breeding launches a new website Davis, California, USA January 30, 2013 The recent launch is part of a larger Plant Breeding effort to reach out to potential undergraduate and graduate students, while also providing information for the industry on professional educational opportunities, such as the new Program Management for Plant Breeders course. Im thrilled with the new look of the website, said Allen Van Deynze, director of research for UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center. This is a valuable tool for researchers, students and anyone interested in the work we do here in plant breeding.

The faculty section highlights the interdisciplinary nature of the program, which draws on researchers from Agronomy, Plant Biology, organic agriculture, and evolutionary genetics, to name a few of the several programs, centers and affiliated activities. The history section, meanwhile, includes a complete list detailing the hundreds of plant varieties UC Davis breeders have released to the public domain. The site gives people the ability to better connect with Plant Breeding and its resources, said Kitty Schlosser, the web developer who spearheaded the redesign project. With a stronger online presence, Plant Breeding can now better meet the demands of an information-driven field, while allowing the public to more easily follow the news and events coming out of the program. To see the new site, go to http://plantbreeding.ucdavis.edu/ http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=33735&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com (Return to Contents)

4. GRANTS AND AWARDS 4.01 Bursaries to support attendance at the Master Class on "Adaption to Drought" August 2013 An invitation to young scientists in Drought research to attend a Master Class on Adaption to Drought in Perth, Australia August 27th 31st, 2013. A Master Class on Adaptation to Drought leverages attendance at INTERDROUGHT-IV Conference in Perth, Australia of participants from the developing world and of key Australian and International lecturers and covers the latest crop drought phenotyping techniques, drought management and aspects of molecular breeding for drought. The Master Class is run by the International Centre for Plant Breeding Education and Research (ICPBER), University of Western Australia, Murdoch University and the Department of Agriculture and Food WA. See http://www.icpber.plants.uwa.edu.au/workshops#adaptation-drought for Master Class information and bursary conditions/criteria. We invite suitable nominees to submit their CV in English with the emails of two referees to admin-icpber@uwa.edu.au by March 15th, 2013.

See http://www.interdrought4.com/ for details of InterDrought IV Conference: Contributed by William Erskine Director Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA) University of Western Australia, M080 william.erskine@uwa.edu.au (Return to Contents)

5. POSITION ANNOUNCEMENTS 5.01 Monsanto plant breeding and related scientist positions Requires a Ph.D. or M.S. in plant breeding and genetics, or related fields For more information: www.monsanto.com/careers United States: http://jobs.monsanto.com/ or

Plant Breeder - Line Development - Carman, Manitoba -Carman, Manitoba, Canada - Job ID: 00FQ0 Plant Breeder - Line Development - Glyndon, MN - Glyndon, MN - Job ID: 00FQ4 Discovery Breeder - Stanton, MN - Job ID: 00FFP Trait Integration Breeder - St. Louis or Ankeny, IA - Job ID: 009B0 Trait Characterization Scientist - St. Louis, MO - Job ID: 00ELK Agronomic Traits Gene Discovery Scientist - St. Louis, MO - Job ID: 00FXH Trait Geneticist - Woodland, CA - Job ID: 00E3D DH System Improvement Lead (Vegetables Division) - Woodland, CA - Job ID: 005ES - bioinformatics, big data, statistical genetics, modeling, etc. Crop Yield Statistical Modeler - St. Louis, MO - Job ID: 00F0A Research Scientist - Environmental Modeling Scientist - St. Louis, MO - Job ID: 009FY Statistical Geneticist Varoious Locations - Job ID 008EA, 00EI900DIV,

Predictive Analytics - Scientific Business Analyst - St. Louis, MO - Job ID: 0073T Global Analytics Lead - St. Louis, MO - Job ID: 00FCD Pipeline Analytics Lead-St. Louis, MO - Job ID: 00DBQ International: India: Technology Support Lead - Bangalore, India - Job ID: 009AM PANSEA and India Data and Marker Lead - Bangalore, India - Job ID: 00B0L Trait Geneticist - Solanaceous Crops (Vegetables Division) - Bangalore, India Job ID: 00CPC China: Hot Pepper Breeder - Shandong, China - Job ID: 006NS Tomato Breeder - Shandong, China - Job ID: 006NQ Cucumber breeder - Shandong, China - Job ID: 006NY Tropical Sweet Corn Breeder - Shandong, China - Job ID: 009XT Brazil - Line Breeder Lead - Soy Breeding SI Brazil - Job ID: 004HO Philippines - Line Development Breeder General Santos City, Philippines Job ID: 009E9 Israel - Pepper Breeder (Vegetables Division) - Israel - Job ID: 005OG Kenya - WEMA Research Associate Nairobi, Kenya, Africa Job ID: 00E4P South Africa Plant Pathologist - Petit, South Africa Job ID: 00A13 Argentina - Line Development Breeder - Crdoba, Argentina - Job ID: 0082E Germany - Commercial Breeder Knzing, Germany - Job ID: 00EGO Contributed by Donn Cummings Global Breeder Sourcing Lead Monsanto donn.cummings@monsanto.com (Return to Contents)

6. MEETINGS, COURSES AND WORKSHOPS New listings may include some program details, while repeat listings will include only basic information. Visit web sites for additional details. This section includes three subsections: A. DISTANCE LEARNING/ONLINE COURSES

B. COURSES OF THE SEED BIOTECHNOLOGY CENTER AT UC DAVIS C. OTHER MEETINGS, COURSES AND WORKSHOPS A. DISTANCE LEARNING/ONLINE COURSES ++++++++++ Applications now being accepted for Iowa State University's On-line Graduate Program in Seed Technology and Business Ames, Iowa, USA January 8, 2013 Applications are being accepted until March 15 for admission in May 2013. For more information about the Master of Science Degree and graduate certificates in Seed Science and Technology and in Seed Business, contact Simi Venkatagiri at sgiri@iastate.edu, 515-294-5681, seedgrad@iastate.edu, www.seedgrad.iastate.edu http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=32757&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: Newsletter of the American Seed Trade Association ++++++++ Plant Breeding Methods - Distance Education version CS, HS 541-section 601 DE; 3 credits; lecture only Prerequisite: a statistics course North Carolina State University will be offering CS,HS 541, Plant Breeding Methods in a distance education version this fall. The instructor is Todd Wehner (tcwehner@gmail.com). Courses usually taken before CS,HS 541 are genetics and statistics. Courses taken after often include HS 703 (breeding asexually propagated crops), CS,HS 719 (germplasm and biogeography), CS,HS 720 (molecular genetics), CS,HS 745 (quantitative genetics), CS,HS 746 (advanced breeding), CS,HS 748 (pest resistance, now PP590), CS,HS 860 (breeding lab 1), and CS,HS 861 (breeding lab 2). For more information on HS 541 Plant Breeding Methods, see: http://distance.ncsu.edu/courses/fall-courses/HS.php For more information on distance education at NC State University, see:

http://distance.ncsu.edu/ For more information on Todd Wehner, see: http://cucurbitbreeding.ncsu.edu/ +++++++++++ Plant Breeding Overview - Distance Education version HS 590-801,601; 1 credit; lecture only Prerequisites: undergraduate biology, genetics North Carolina State University will be offering HS 590, Plant Breeding Overview in a distance education version this fall. The instructor is Todd Wehner (tcwehner@gmail.com). For more information on HS 590 Plant Breeding Overview, see: http://distance.ncsu.edu/courses/fall-courses/HS.php For more information on distance education at NC State University, see: http://distance.ncsu.edu/ For more information on Todd Wehner, see: http://cucurbitbreeding.ncsu.edu/ Contributed by Todd C. Wehner Dept. Hort. Sci., Box 7609 North Carolina State Univ. Raleigh NC 27695-7609 919-741-8929 (phone) 919-515-2505 (fax) tcwehner@gmail.com CucurbitBreeding.ncsu.edu ++++++++++ Distance Education in Plant Breeding at Texas A&M Available Degrees: Master of Science in Plant Breeding (Non-Thesis Option) Master of Science in Plant Breeding (Thesis Option) Contact to: Wayne Smith

Department of Soil and Crop Sciences 2474 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-2474 Tel. 979.845.3450 Fax 979.458.0533 cwsmith@tamu.edu David Byrne Department of Horticultural Sciences 2133 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-2133 Tel. 979.862.3072 dbyrne@tamu.edu LeAnn Hague Distance Education Coordinator Department of Soil and Crop Sciences 2474 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-2474 Tel. 979.845.6148 Fax 979.458.0533 Leann.hague@tamu.edu Additional Website eLearning at Texas A&M University: http://elearning.tamu.edu/ +++++++++++ University of Nebraska-Lincoln launches online plant breeding and genetics certificate program http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=27326&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: SeedQuest.com ++++++++++++ Plant Breeding Methods - Distance Education version CS, HS 541-section 601 DE; 3 credits; lecture only For more information http://distance.ncsu.edu/courses/fall-courses/HS.php For more information on distance education at NC State University, see: http://distance.ncsu.edu/ For more information on Todd Wehner, see: http://cucurbitbreeding.ncsu.edu/

Plant Breeding Overview - Distance Education version HS 590-801,601; 1 credit; lecture only For more information on HS http://distance.ncsu.edu/courses/fallcourses/HS.php Dr. Todd C. Wehner Professor and Cucurbit Breeder Department of Horticultural Science North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC 27695-7609 919-741-8929 tcwehner@gmail.com +++++++++++ Master of Science in Plant Breeding at Iowa State University (distance program) Contact information is: msagron@iastate.edu toll-free: 800-747-4478 phone: 515-294-2999 http://masters.agron.iastate.edu Maria Salas-Fernandez Assistant Professor Department of Agronomy Iowa State Univ. msagron@iastate.edu +++++++++++ Online Graduate Program in Seed Technology & Business Iowa State University http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=48323218&msgid=597705&act=BDP Contact us today for more information about how you can apply: Paul Christensen Seed Technology and Business Program Manager Ph 515-294-8745 seedgrad@iastate.edu +++++++++++ (Return to Contents)

B. COURSES OF THE SEED BIOTECHNOLOGY CENTER AT UC DAVIS UC Davis European Plant Breeding Academy Class 3 is open for registration, the class size is limited. Dates: Gent, Belgium October 21-26, 2013 Angers, France March 3-8, 2014 Gatersleben, Germany June 23-28, 2014 Enkhuizen, the Netherlands October 6-11, 2014 Almeria/Barcelona, Spain March 2-7, 2015 Davis, USA June 22-27, 2015 A discount is available for registrations before March 31, 2013. For more information on the UC Davis European Plant Breeding Academy or the Plant Breeding Academy in the United States visit http://pba.ucdavis.edu or contact Joy Patterson at jpatterson@ucdavis.edu. +++++++++ (NEW) September 17 19, 2013, Program Management for Plant Breeders, UC Davis Course objective Enhance management skills of professional scientists who are leading and directing plant breeding and laboratory programs in modern agricultural research and development programs of agribusiness companies and the public sector.

Understanding where your plant breeding or research program fits in the overall strategy of the organization. Establishing a vision and goal for your program and defining your key strategies and capacities. Understanding the financial aspects of your program. Management of budgets, expense control and tracking, capital project management and period reporting. Reading and understanding a financial statement and managing your resources within the goals of your organization. Leading and managing people towards a common goal. Understanding the principles of effective hiring, retention, evaluation, promotion,

training, mentorship and motivation. Conflict resolution and handing difficult situations. Dealing with and embracing change and creating a culture of innovation.

Creating effective and efficient programs. Understanding the principles of work flow, scheduling, safety, and legal compliance. Understanding Intellectual Property Issues, Contract issues, Treaties and Agreement.

Format Interactive delivery including lectures and problem solving. The curriculum and material was developed specifically for this course. The instructors are recognized experts, experienced industry breeders and R&D Managers. For questions and additional information go to SBC or contact Susan DiTomaso. +++++++++++ October 2013, Class III of the European Plant Breeding Academy Registration is now open for Class III of the European Plant Breeding Academy. This program begins in October 2013. There is an early-bird registration discount available until March 31, 2013. For more information on the European Plant Breeding Academy contact Joy Patterson or visit the PBA. +++++++++++ (NEW) January 20 24, 2014, Seed Business 101 Field Crops and Horticulture, Monterey, CA Attracting and retaining talented new employees is a critical challenge for the seed industry. The Seed Business 101 course was created, with input from industry executives, to accelerate the careers of promising new employees and young managers. By selecting and sponsoring your personnel to attend this course, companies acknowledge past performance and invest in accelerated professional development. The course also offers invaluable insights and perspective to seed dealers and companies offering products and services to the seed industry, including seed treatments, crop protection, seed enhancement and technology, machinery and equipment, etc. New course dates: For questions and additional information go to SBC or contact Susan DiTomaso. ++++++++++++ European Plant Breeding Classes

For more information and application process visit http://pba.ucdavis.edu/PBA_in_Europe/PBA_in_Europe_Class_II/ ++++++++++ Seed Central series of monthly events The program for the next several months can be viewed at: http://www.seedcentral.org/calendarofevents.htm To learn more about Seed Central, please visit www.seedcentral.org

C.

OTHER MEETINGS, COURSES AND WORKSHOPS

(NEW) March 20-22, 2013, Climate-smart conference to examine threats to agriculture, University of California, Davis Davis, California, USA February 28, 2013 Scientists and policymakers from around the world will gather March 20-22 at the University of California, Davis, to grapple with the threats of climate change for global agriculture and recommend science-based actions to slow its effects while meeting the worlds need for f ood, livelihood and sustainability. The Climate-Smart Agriculture Global Science Conference, planned in coordination with the World Bank, builds on a 2011 international meeting on this theme in the Netherlands. Climate change, which brings severe weather events and more subtle but equally menacing temperature changes, presents unprecedented challenges to the global community, said UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi. In California, where we rely heavily on snowmelt for irrigation to grow half of our nations fruit and vegetables, we are acutely aware that scientists and policymakers must join forces to lessen the potential effects of climate change, she said. Katehi will open the conference on Wednesday, March 20, along with Thomas Vilsack, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (via video). Catherine Woteki, USDA undersecretary, will speak Thursday evening, March 21. Other speakers will include: Ben Santer, climate researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and a member of the National Academy of Sciences; Joseph Alcamo, chief scientist for the United Nations Environmental Program; and Patrick Caron, general director for research and strategy of the

French Agricultural Research Center for International Development. Also speaking will be outstanding scientists from dozens of universities and research institutes from around the world. Conference topics will focus on the implications of cutting-edge agricultural, ecological and environmental research for improved design of policies and actions affecting agricultural management and development; identifying farm and food-system issues, determining research gaps; highlighting emerging research initiatives; and developing transformative policies and institutions. The conference will conclude with participants developing and endorsing a declaration regarding the key research and policy messages that result from conference presentations and discussions. This declaration is expected to point toward science-based policies and actions for global agriculture that will mitigate climate change and encourage adaptation to maintain food security, livelihoods and biodiversity. http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=34430&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= SeedQuest.com ++++++++++++ (NEW) March 25th, 2013, Plant Breeding Symposium, University of Minnesota The Applied Plant Science Graduate Student Association at the University of Minnesota is pleased to extend an invitation to the 6th annual University of Minnesota Plant Breeding Symposium, "Innovative Phenotyping: Catching up to the Genomics Era" sponsored by Dupont Pioneer. The symposium will be held in the North Star Ballroom in the St. Paul Student Center on Monday, March 25th from 8:30am to 5:00pm or is also available online through a webinar. This event will provide the opportunity to connect with colleagues and hear about current research from some of the field's leading experts. This year's symposium promises to address many of the challenges researchers face with phenotyping. We would like to extend an invitation to graduate students at other universities to join the poster session. Students wishing to submit a poster will need to provide a title and list of authors as part of the registration process. The list of speakers includes Jesse Poland (USDA-ARS and Kansas State University), Kathleen Brown (Penn State University), Renee Lafitte (Dupont Pioneer), Glenn Howe (Oregon State Univeristy), Patrick Schnable (Iowa State University) and Jim Bradeen (University of Minnesota-Twin Cities).

Attendees are asked to pre-register for the event and webinar at http://symposia.appliedplantsciences.umn.edu/2013-university-of-minnesotaplant-breeding-symposium/ For any additional questions please contact Celeste Falcon (falco058@umn.edu) or Liana Nice (nicex007@umn.edu). Contributed by Amy Jacobson jaco0795@umn.edu ++++++++++++ (NEW) April 10th , 2013, A quarter century of Participatory Plant Breeding: Traditions with future, towards sustainable systems, SOLIBAM Symposium, ESACs Auditorium, Coimbra, Portugal www.esac.pt/3SOLIBAM Press release: Symposium "A quarter century of Participatory Plant Breeding: Traditions with future, towards sustainable systems" will be held at 10th of April 2013, in the auditorium of the Coimbra College of Agriculture - IPC, on the context of the European project SOLIBAM. The Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) has more than a quarter century. Portugal, via Silas Pgo work, was one of the pioneer countries worldwide. The PPB work has contributed to the rapprochement between science and farmers, while valuing local traditions and indigenous resources. This symposium will be held under the FP7 European project SOLIBAM 2010 to 2015 (Strategies for improvement and cultural practices in organic farming and low consumption externalities) which brings together 23 international institutions. The presence of some of the most respected researchers worldwide will present the state of art of PPB and identify future prospects, which may be an inspiration to farmers, scientists and other stakeholders involved in this issue. Site: www.esac.pt/3SOLIBAM Contributed by Pedro Mendes-Moreira pmoreira@esac.pt ++++++++++ (NEW) April 12th, 2013, Modern Tools in Plant Breeding Symposium" - UC Davis' Graduate Student Plant Breeding Symposium Davis, California, USA February 22, 2013

It is the 2nd Annual UC Davis Graduate Student Plant Breeding Symposium, and it will be held April 12th in the ARC Ballroom, UC Davis, Davis CA. The title this year is Breeding Technologies for Improving Global Crop Production. The talks will also be available via webinar. Registration and more information at: http://plantbreeding.ucdavis.edu/ Students, academics, and industry folk are all welcome. http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=34188&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: California Seed Association Seed Shorts +++++++++++++++ May 27-30, 2013, International symposium on genetics and breeding of durum wheat Rome, Italy. See http://dwis.accademiaxl.it/index.php +++++++++++ (NEW) June 2-5, 2013, Annual Meeting of the U.S. National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB) will be held on in Tampa, Florida Hosted by University of Florida USA February 18, 2013 Registration is open for the 2013 Annual Meeting of the NAPB and PBCC. Please visit our web site at http://www.plantbreeding.org/napb/Meetings/pbccmeeting2013.html for details on registration and booking your hotel room. For those traveling by air, please note that travel from the Tampa International Airport is provided by the Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport free of charge (http://www.sheratonsuitestampa.com/), so you wont need to book a taxi or other service. Attached is a draft of the meeting program. Our thanks to Dr. David Francis for his work on the speakers committee and to all of the 2013 speakers! It looks to be a great program.

Abstract submission is open until April 30th, so please plan accordingly. For graduate students and recent post-docs, abstracts can be submitted for a poster only, or for the abstract can be entered in the oral competition. Poster presenters will also have the opportunity to present a 1-minute summary of their poster during the meetings. See the website for details. Barry L. Tillman, Ph.D Associate Professor Peanut Breeding and Genetics North Florida Research and Education Center; Agronomy Department UF/IFAS 3925 Hwy. 71, Marianna, FL 32446 Meeting registration: find the link at www.plantbreeding.org or https://portal.sciencesocieties.org/Conference/RegistrationProcessOverview.a spx?id=130 http://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=33943&id_region =&id_category=&id_crop= Source: Newsletter of the U.S. National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB) +++++++++++++++ June 9-13, 2013, The 7th International Triticeae Symposium (7ITS), Sichuan Agricultural University (SAU), Chengdu, China The 7th ITS will cover four scientific research topics: Session I: Systematics and Phylogeny Session II: Biodiversity and Conservation Session III: Genetics and Genomics Session IV: Breeding and Utilization Information can be found on the website: http://xms.sicau.edu.cn/7ITS/ Contributed by Helmut Knuepffer knupffer@ipk-gatersleben.de +++++++++ June 10-13 2013, Pre-breeding fishing in the gene pool, EUCARPIA Genetic Resources section meeting, Sweden, Alnarp (+ accommodations in Malm) The EUCARPIA PGR meeting will gather scientists, breeders and people from the genebank community from all around Europe and the world. Theme of the meeting is Pre-Breeding - fishing the gene pool where we will discuss how we can better use our genetic resources to cope with problems that mankind is facing.

Contributed by Helmut Knuepffer knupffer@ipk-gatersleben.de ++++++++++ 1922 August 2013, Next year's BGRI, Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi, India. Technical Workshop to recognize the 50th anniversary of Norman Borlaug's work in South Asia. will be held at the BGRI South Asia program center in New Delhi +++++++++ (NEW) August 27th 31st, 2013, "Adaption to Drought", Perth, Australia Master Class on Adaptation to Drought leverages attendance at INTERDROUGHT-IV Conference in Perth, Australia of participants from the developing world and of key Australian and International lecturers. Covers the latest crop drought phenotyping techniques, drought management and aspects of molecular breeding for drought. The Master Class is run by the International Centre for Plant Breeding Education and Research (ICPBER), University of Western Australia, Murdoch University and the Department of Agriculture and Food WA. See http://www.icpber.plants.uwa.edu.au/workshops#adaptation-drought for Master Class information and bursary conditions/criteria. We invite suitable nominees to submit their CV in English with the emails of two referees to admin-icpber@uwa.edu.au by March 15th, 2013. See http://www.interdrought4.com/ for details of InterDrought IV Conference: Contributed by William Erskine Director Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA) University of Western Australia, M080 william.erskine@uwa.edu.au +++++++++++ September 2-6, 2013, InterDrought-IV Conference, Perth, Western Australia. For more information, visit http://dtma.cimmyt.org/index.php/workshops/announcements/159-interdroughtiv-conference Source: Crop Biotech Update January 16, 2013:

Contributed by Margaret Smith Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, Cornell University Mes25@cornell.edu +++++++++++ 14-17 October 2013, 11th African Crop Science Society Conference, Yaound, Cameroon For additional Information you can contact Dr. Leke Walter Nkeabeng, VicePresident ACSS Council, Chairman LOC Cameroon; P. O. Box 2123 Messa Yaounde, Cameroon; Tell: +237 79704342 (C),+237 94035711 (C), Email: lekwat@yahoo.com Contributed by Kasem Zaki Ahmed Faculty of Agriculture Minia University, El-Minia, Egypt ahmed_kz@yahoo.com +++++++++++ (Return to Contents)

7. EDITOR'S NOTES Plant Breeding News is an electronic forum for the exchange of information and ideas about applied plant breeding and related fields. It is a component of the Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB), and is published monthly throughout the year. The newsletter is managed by the editor and an advisory group consisting of Chikelu Mba (chikelu.mba@fao.org), Elcio Guimaraes (e.guimaraes@cgiar.org), Margaret Smith (mes25@cornell.edu), and Ann Marie Thro (athro@reeusda.gov). Oriana Muriel is the Associate Editor (oriana.muriel@alumni.pitt.edu) The editor will advise subscribers one to two weeks ahead of each edition, in order to set deadlines for contributions. Subscribers are encouraged to take an active part in making the newsletter a useful communications tool. Contributions may be in such areas as: technical communications on key plant breeding issues; announcements of meetings, courses and electronic conferences; book announcements and reviews; web sites of special relevance to plant breeding; announcements of funding opportunities; requests to other readers for information and collaboration; and feature articles or discussion issues brought by subscribers. Suggestions on format and content are always welcome by the editor, at PBNL@listserv.fao.org. We would especially like to see a broad participation from

developing country programs and from those working on species outside the major food crops. Messages with attached files are not distributed on PBN-L for two important reasons. The first is that computer viruses and worms can be distributed in this manner. The second reason is that attached files cause problems for some email systems. PLEASE NOTE: Every month many newsletters are returned because they are undeliverable, for any one of a number of reasons. We try to keep the mailing list up to date, and also to avoid deleting addresses that are only temporarily inaccessible. If you miss a newsletter, write to me at chh23@cornell.edu and I will re-send it. REVIEW PAST NEWSLETTERS ON THE WEB: Past issues of the Plant Breeding Newsletter are now available on the web. The address is: http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/FAOINFO/AGRICULT/AGP/AGPC/doc/services/ pbn.html Please note that you may have to copy and paste this address to your web browser, since the link can be corrupted in some e-mail applications. We will continue to improve the organization of archival issues of the newsletter. Readers who have suggestions about features they wish to see should contact the editor at chh23@cornell.edu. To subscribe to PBN-L: Send an e-mail message to: listserv@listserv.fao.org. Leave the subject line blank and write: SUBSCRIBE PBN-L YOUR NAME. If you wish to subscribe anonymously, write: SUBSCRIBE PBN-L ANONYMOUS. To unsubscribe: Send an e-mail message as above with the message UNSUBSCRIBE PBN-L. Lists of potential new subscribers are welcome. The editor will contact these persons; no one will be subscribed without their explicit permission.

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