Linking Basic Research to Crop Improvement Programs for the Less-Developed Countries: Biological Control of Insects

1980 ◽  
pp. 153-172
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Odhiambo
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Less Developed Countries ◽  
Biological Control Of Insects ◽  
Improvement Programs

scholarly journals Utility of basic research in plant/crop physiology in relation to crop improvement: a review and a personal account

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mabrouk A. El-Sharkawy
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Crop Physiology ◽  
Physiological Research

Agricultural research and development plays an essential role in a nation's economic development, providing for food security for an ever-increasing population. In developed countries, the gap between potential and actual yield is largely closed because of a combination of advanced technologies, high-yielding new varieties and the application of agrochemicals in highly mechanized production systems. In most of these countries, agricultural production exceeds national demand, resulting in excess products for export. In many of the developing countries, however, agricultural productivity is still far below what it should be because of multiple technical and socio-economic constraints. Food deficits are the norm in poor and middle-income countries, requiring expensive food imports. To partially alleviate this situation, agricultural research must be strengthened. As branches of basic sciences, plant and crop physiology have often been criticized for being non-effective in translating their findings into improving crop productivity, which would enhance agricultural progress. This paper addresses this issue by presenting an assessment of past achievements of physiological research and their impacts on crop improvement and food production. Shortcomings and limitations of isolated, non-relevant research are discussed, along with scientist views on how effective physiological research should be conducted and integrated within breeding-based multidisciplinary research teams. Examples of successful research in crop physiology and their contributions towards increasing crop productivity are given. All this points to the need for steadfast funding of basic research by public and private sectors of developed countries.

'Restrictive Business Practices', report by the UNCTAD Secretariat, April 1972.

1973 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-316
Author(s):  
G. M. Radhu
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Less Developed Countries ◽  
International Firms ◽  
The World ◽  
The Sixties ◽  
Financial Power ◽  
Administrative Structures

The report by the UNCTAD Secretariat, submitted to the third session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development held in Santiago (Chile) in April 1972, deals with the restrictive business practices of the multinational corporations with special reference to the export interests of the developing countries. Since the world war, there has been a tremendous growth in the size and activities of many international firms. They have grown from the national corporation to the multidivisional corporation and now to the multinational corporation. With each step they acquired greater financial power, better technology and know-how and more complex administrative structures. They have subsidiaries and branches all over the world. In the course of the sixties they became one of the dominant factors in determining the pattern of world trade. At the same time, their increasingly restrictive business practices, which tended to adversely affect world trade and the export interest of less developed countries, attracted the attention of the governments both in developed and less developed countries and serious concern was shown at the international level. It is against this background that the UNCTAD undertook the study on the question of restrictive business practices.

scholarly journals Genomics and breeding innovations for enhancing genetic gain for climate resilience and nutrition traits

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pallavi Sinha ◽  
Vikas K. Singh ◽  
Abhishek Bohra ◽  
Arvind Kumar ◽  
Jochen C. Reif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Genetic Gain ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Breeding Cycle ◽  
Climate Resilience ◽  
Heritability Estimation ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
Statistical Designs ◽  
Novel Alleles

Abstract Key message Integrating genomics technologies and breeding methods to tweak core parameters of the breeder’s equation could accelerate delivery of climate-resilient and nutrient rich crops for future food security. Abstract Accelerating genetic gain in crop improvement programs with respect to climate resilience and nutrition traits, and the realization of the improved gain in farmers’ fields require integration of several approaches. This article focuses on innovative approaches to address core components of the breeder’s equation. A prerequisite to enhancing genetic variance (σ2g) is the identification or creation of favorable alleles/haplotypes and their deployment for improving key traits. Novel alleles for new and existing target traits need to be accessed and added to the breeding population while maintaining genetic diversity. Selection intensity (i) in the breeding program can be improved by testing a larger population size, enabled by the statistical designs with minimal replications and high-throughput phenotyping. Selection priorities and criteria to select appropriate portion of the population too assume an important role. The most important component of breeder′s equation is heritability (h2). Heritability estimates depend on several factors including the size and the type of population and the statistical methods. The present article starts with a brief discussion on the potential ways to enhance σ2g in the population. We highlight statistical methods and experimental designs that could improve trait heritability estimation. We also offer a perspective on reducing the breeding cycle time (t), which could be achieved through the selection of appropriate parents, optimizing the breeding scheme, rapid fixation of target alleles, and combining speed breeding with breeding programs to optimize trials for release. Finally, we summarize knowledge from multiple disciplines for enhancing genetic gains for climate resilience and nutritional traits.

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