scholarly journals Michael Denis Gale. 25 August 1943—18 July 2009

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
pp. 203-223
Author(s):  
Richard B. Flavell ◽  
John W. Snape
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Green Revolution ◽  
Genetic Maps ◽  
Wheat Varieties ◽  
International Agricultural Research ◽  
Crop Genetics ◽  
Chromosome Segments

Michael (Mike) Gale was an internationally well-known crop geneticist with a career devoted mostly to wheat genetics. However, he also studied rice, maize, pearl millet and fox millet for the benefit of agriculture in developing countries. He brought new knowledge and techniques into plant breeding that made a difference to crop improvement worldwide. Noteworthy is his team's leadership in (i) defining the genetic basis of dwarfism in wheat, the major genetic innovation underlying the previously achieved ‘green revolution’ in wheat production; (ii) expanding knowledge of ‘pre-harvest sprouting’, which occurs in many wheat varieties growing in temperate climates, which reduces their flour quality and value; (iii) developing the first comprehensive genetic maps of wheat based on isozymic and DNA-based molecular markers; and (iv) developing the comparative genetics of grasses based on the conserved order of genes on chromosome segments, consistent with the evolution of the species from a common ancestor. These discoveries had a major impact in plant genetics. His team also provided the worldwide cereal geneticists and breeding communities with technologies and genetic markers that accelerated the development of cereal genetics and facilitated more efficient plant breeding. He made major and influential contributions to international agricultural research, particularly targeted at developing countries, through his participation on international and national committees, including those of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research. His contribution helped to drive the international research agenda for crop genetics, plant breeding and plant science generally.

History and past achievements of plant breeding

2002 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy G. Reeves ◽  
Kelly Cassaday
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Green Revolution ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
Maize Breeding ◽  
Breeding Research ◽  
To Come

Developments in improving the world's three most important staple food crops—maize, wheat, and rice—are reviewed. A discussion of the origins and diffusion of maize and wheat and farmers' early plant breeding efforts is followed by an overview of the rise of the private sector in maize breeding, the development of international agricultural research, the Green Revolution in wheat and rice, the development of hybrid rice, and recent (1960-2000) achievements in international maize breeding research. Promising new tools for breeding improved food crops in developing countries are reviewed, including genomics and genetic engineering. Issues that will concern plant breeders—especially those focusing on the needs of developing countries—in years to come are discussed, including the rise of the private sector, intellectual property protection, and globalisation. The paper concludes with some thoughts on how plant breeding has changed in the course of the past century and must adapt to the needs of the present century.

Science and the Green Revolution 1945-1975

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
John H. Perkins
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Plant Disease ◽  
Green Revolution ◽  
Wheat Breeding ◽  
Wheat Varieties ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Major Factors

In the years after the end of World War II, farmers, agricultural scientists, and policy makers in many countries all knew, or learned, that higher yields of wheat were what they wanted, and they were successful in achieving them. Their specific motivations were different, but their objectives were not. Not only were the objectives clear, but a central method by which the higher yields were to be achieved was plant breeding. Plant breeding itself was an applied science that had to be nested within organizations that supported it and its allies in the agricultural, biological, and engineering sciences. By 1950 wheat breeders believed that the number of factors governing yield was small, which meant that the research avenues likely to be fruitful were also few in number. The amount of water available and the responsiveness to soil fertility, especially nitrogen, were in most cases the key ingredients for higher yields. For wheat, the ability of the plant to resist invasion by fungal pathogens was almost as important as water and soil fertility. Water and fertility were needed in every crop year, but damage from fungal pathogens varied with weather. Thus plant disease was not necessarily a destructive factor every year. Control of water, soil fertility, and plant disease was therefore at the center of research programs in wheat breeding. A wheat breeder would find success if his or her program produced new varieties that gave higher yields within the context of water, soil fertility, and plant disease existing in the area. Ancillary questions also existed and in some cases matched the major factors in importance. Weed control was always a problem, so high-yielding wheat had to have some capacity to resist competition from weeds. Similarly, in some areas and some years, insects could cause damage. Wheat varieties therefore had to be able to withstand them somehow. Other factors of importance to wheat breeders were habit of growth and the color and quality of the grain. Winter wheats were useful in climates that had winters mild enough to allow planting in the fall and thus higher yields the next summer.

MANAGING AN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH PROGRAMME FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: AN INSTITUTE WITHOUT WALLS

2006 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. STIRLING ◽  
D. HARRIS ◽  
J. R. WITCOMBE
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Renewable Natural Resource ◽  
The Impact

There is no one widely accepted method of managing international agricultural research and numerous different models exist. Here we review one in particular, referred to as the ‘institute without walls’, from the perspective of the UK Department for International Development's (DFID) Renewable Natural Resource (RNR) Research Strategy (1990–2006). We begin with a brief history of the RNR Research Strategy from 1990 to 2004. We then draw on nearly 15 years experience of managing one of the programmes within the RNR Research Strategy to assess critically the impact of externally and internally imposed organizational and management changes on the performance of the DFID Plant Sciences Programme (PSP). The current RNR Research Strategy (1995–2006), with its emphasis on demand-led research, has greatly increased the relevance and effectiveness of DFID's natural resources research. A comparison between the PSP in 2004 and the early 1990s inevitably concludes that the programme has been transformed: unlike in 1991, research is now firmly demand-driven, much is based in developing countries and farmers are benefiting from the research. Over time, the outputs of the long-term strategic research have been applied in practical plant breeding and participatory crop improvement programmes. Key to the success of the PSP has been the provision of continuous, long-term funding which has allowed projects time to develop and produce outputs of real value to end users. Alongside this, the ability of the PSP to build long-term, in-country partnerships has ensured the effective adoption of its research outputs. We conclude that the successes of the PSP have largely derived from (i) identification of research that is clearly demand driven, (ii) continuous long-term funding that has allowed research to move from the strategic to adaptive phase, (iii) continuity of management, and (iv) the flexibility to develop a wide range of partnerships, both in-country and overseas, based on their ability to deliver.

scholarly journals The Role and Contribution of Plant Breeding and Plant Biotechnology to Sustainable Agriculture in Africa

Afrika Focus ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Kyetere ◽  
E. Okogbenin ◽  
J. Okeno ◽  
K. Sanni ◽  
J. Munyaradzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Green Revolution ◽  
Plant Biotechnology ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
High Yields ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Modern Breeding

Africa’s economy is driven by agriculture, a sector that constitutes 32% of the continent’s GDP. The ongoing Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) in Africa hinges on a system change (from subsistence farming to agribusiness) approach that explores high productivity to strengthen the African economy. During the “Green Revolution” period, increased global yields of cereal crops were achieved through the interactions of breeding and agronomy. However, in the face of current challenges, such as climate change and need for new market niches, there is an increasing exigency to explore modern plant breeding (including biotechnology) to develop new varieties with the capacity for high yields in reduced chemical-input systems and with the genetic diversity needed to maintain yield stability in Africa ́s fluctuating climatic conditions. Biotechnology has significantly shortened the time required for the development of new cultivars, varieties and hybrids. Modern breeding tools include Double Haploid technology, marker assisted breeding, genomics, genetic engineering and genome editing. It is these tools that help accelerate the development of market responsive varieties needed for sustainable agriculture in Africa that will be highlighted. KEY WORDS: TECHNOLOGY, CROP IMPROVEMENT, GENETICS, MODERN BREEDING TOOLS.

scholarly journals Biofortification: High zinc wheat programme – The potential agricultural options for alleviating malnutrition in Pakistan

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qadir Bux Baloch ◽  
Muhammad Iqbal Makhdum ◽  
Muhammad Yaqub Mujahid ◽  
Sibgha Noreen
Keyword(s):  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Zinc Deficiency ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Wheat Varieties ◽  
Wheat Grains ◽  
High Zinc ◽  
The Government ◽  
Breeding Techniques

<p>The deficiency of micronutrients (zinc, iron, iodine and vitamin A) is persistently afflicting millions of people living across Africa, Southern Americas, Asia and Pakistan. Among these, the zinc deficiency syndrome is occurring by 47.6, 41.3, and 39.2% in pregnant, non-pregnant and children under 5 years, respectively in Pakistan. The reason being that majority of the people subsists on cereal-based diets, i.e., wheat. The commercially grown wheat varieties contain zinc about 25 mg/g, whereas about 40 mg/g zinc is required in daily diet.</p><p>The potential risk of zinc deficiency could be mitigated through certain interventions i.e., mineral drugs, food supplements, diversity in diets, production of fortified foods, and genetic biofortification of staple food crops. Among these, quantum increase in zinc content in wheat grains through genetic manipulation would be basics to alleviate zinc deficiency in the malnourished communities. The objective of the programme is to enhance the concentration of zinc nutrient from 25 to 40 mg/g in wheat grains through conventional plant breeding techniques.</p>Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Islamabad in collaboration with Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and International Maize &amp; Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and HarvestPlus, Pakistan started R&amp;D works to develop biofortified high zinc wheat varieties containing around 40 mg/g in the year 2009. The biofortified wheat crop is developed through conventional plant breeding techniques. The germplasm inherited with high zinc nutrient are crossed with high yielding and adopted to ecological conditions. The varieties are high yielding, and inheriting zinc around 40 mg/g in the grains under both irrigated and rainfed production environments. The Government of Punjab has also given high priority to develop and consume biofortified high zinc wheat in its multi-sectoral Nutrition Strategy Plan 2015, as potential agricultural option to address malnutrition in the Punjab province.

Applying innovations and new technologies for international collaborative wheat improvement

2006 ◽  
Vol 144 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. REYNOLDS ◽  
N. E. BORLAUG
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Green Revolution ◽  
Crop Management ◽  
International Collaborative

Despite the successes of the Green Revolution, about a billion people are still undernourished and food security in the developing world faces new challenges in terms of population growth, reduced water resources, climate change and decreased public sector investment. It is also becoming widely recognized that poverty is a cause of environmental degradation, conflict and civil unrest. Internationally coordinated agricultural research can play a significant role in improving food security by deploying promising new technologies as well as adapting those with well-established impact.In addition to the genetic challenges of crop improvement, agriculturalists must also embrace the problems associated with a highly heterogeneous and unpredictable environment. Not only are new genetic tools becoming more accessible, but a new generation of quantitative tools are available to enable better definition of agro-ecosystems, of cultivar by environment interactions, and of socio-economic issues, while satellite imagery can help predict crop yields on large scales. Identifying areas of low genetic diversity – for example as found in large tracts of South Asia – is an important aspect of reducing vulnerability to disease epidemics. Global strategies for incorporating durable disease resistance genes into a wider genetic background, as well as participatory approaches that deliver a fuller range of options to farmers, are being implemented to increase cultivar diversity.The unpredictable effects of environment on productivity can be buffered somewhat by crop management practices that maintain healthy soils, while reversing the consequences of rapid agricultural intensification on soil degradation. Conservation agriculture is an alternative strategy that is especially pertinent for resource-poor farmers.The potential synergy between genetic improvement and innovative crop management practices has been referred to as the Doubly Green Revolution. The unique benefits and efficiency of the international collaborative platform are indisputable when considering the duplications that otherwise would have been required to achieve the same impacts through unilateral or even bilateral programmes. Furthermore, while the West takes for granted public support for crucial economic and social issues, this is not the case in a number of less-developed countries where the activities of International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs) and other development assistance organizations can provide continuity in agricultural research and infrastructure.

scholarly journals Development of Efficient Genotyping Workflow for Accelerating Maize Improvement in Developing Countries

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Queen Nkem Obi ◽  
Abebe Menkir ◽  
Deborah F. Babalola ◽  
Melaku Gedil
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Fast Track ◽  
Molecular Breeding ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
World Population ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Maize Varieties ◽  
Aflatoxin Accumulation

Abstract BackgroundMolecular breeding has been recognized as one of the pillars to accelerate the rate of genetic gain in crop improvement towards meeting the need to feed an ever-growing world population. Establishing low-cost and flexible genotyping platforms in small and public laboratories and regionally can stimulate the application of molecular breeding in developing countries where many plant breeding projects require low to medium density markers for genomics-assisted selection and quality control (QC) activities. ResultsHere we present an optimization of the entire genotyping workflow (from sample collection to genotyping and data analysis) to accelerate the QC and genomic-assisted selection process, which can readily be adopted by National agricultural research system (NARS) partners in developing countries to fast-track molecular marker-based genotyping for crop improvement. An in-house KASP genotyping system combined with optimized sample collection and DNA preparation processes expedited the genotyping workflow from over five weeks (when outsourcing) to approximately three weeks (5 days per week) for a total of 637 samples. The QC experiment using a subset of 28 KASP SNPs validated for maize revealed the genetic identity of 4 maize varieties taken from 5 seed sources. Another subset of 10 KASP SNPs was sufficient in verifying the parentage of 388 F1 lines. The marker-based selection of high PVA maize lines identified nine lines harboring the favorable allele of the crtRB1 gene, which could serve as donor lines for the maize PVA breeding program. The ongoing marker-assisted backcrossing experiment to introgress resistance to aflatoxin accumulation in elite tropical maize lines has so far identified twenty-four maize lines harboring the favorable alleles associated with resistance to aflatoxin accumulation, and are currently undergoing field evaluation. The optimized genotyping workflow has so far generated over 1700 datapoints.ConclusionThe result of this work could serve as a prototype to fast-track maize improvement activities of IITA’s MIP group, and facilitate DNA fingerprinting for adoption tracking of improved crop varieties. It will also provide public and small laboratories in developing countries with the knowledge of efficient genotyping workflow to accelerate crop improvement activities.

scholarly journals Biofortification: High zinc wheat programme – The potential agricultural options for alleviating malnutrition in Pakistan

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Qadir Bux Baloch ◽  
Muhammad Iqbal Makhdum ◽  
Muhammad Yaqub Mujahid ◽  
Sibgha Noreen
Keyword(s):  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Zinc Deficiency ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Wheat Varieties ◽  
Wheat Grains ◽  
High Zinc ◽  
The Government ◽  
Breeding Techniques

<p>The deficiency of micronutrients (zinc, iron, iodine and vitamin A) is persistently afflicting millions of people living across Africa, Southern Americas, Asia and Pakistan. Among these, the zinc deficiency syndrome is occurring by 47.6, 41.3, and 39.2% in pregnant, non-pregnant and children under 5 years, respectively in Pakistan. The reason being that majority of the people subsists on cereal-based diets, i.e., wheat. The commercially grown wheat varieties contain zinc about 25 mg/g, whereas about 40 mg/g zinc is required in daily diet.</p><p>The potential risk of zinc deficiency could be mitigated through certain interventions i.e., mineral drugs, food supplements, diversity in diets, production of fortified foods, and genetic biofortification of staple food crops. Among these, quantum increase in zinc content in wheat grains through genetic manipulation would be basics to alleviate zinc deficiency in the malnourished communities. The objective of the programme is to enhance the concentration of zinc nutrient from 25 to 40 mg/g in wheat grains through conventional plant breeding techniques.</p>Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Islamabad in collaboration with Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and International Maize &amp; Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and HarvestPlus, Pakistan started R&amp;D works to develop biofortified high zinc wheat varieties containing around 40 mg/g in the year 2009. The biofortified wheat crop is developed through conventional plant breeding techniques. The germplasm inherited with high zinc nutrient are crossed with high yielding and adopted to ecological conditions. The varieties are high yielding, and inheriting zinc around 40 mg/g in the grains under both irrigated and rainfed production environments. The Government of Punjab has also given high priority to develop and consume biofortified high zinc wheat in its multi-sectoral Nutrition Strategy Plan 2015, as potential agricultural option to address malnutrition in the Punjab province.

Impacts of breeding on international collaborative wheat improvement

2006 ◽  
Vol 144 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. REYNOLDS ◽  
N. E. BORLAUG
Keyword(s):  
Disease Resistance ◽  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Developing World ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Green Revolution ◽  
Wheat Breeding ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
International Agricultural Research ◽  
Wheat Improvement ◽  
Modern Varieties

For over 40 years a collaborative network of publicly funded international wheat scientists has made a significant contribution to food security in the developing world. Thousands of modern wheat varieties (MVs) have been released for use in both favourable and marginal environments on well over 50 million hectares. The yield increases associated with genetic improvement in yield potential and adaptation to biotic and abiotic stresses are well documented. Millions of small-scale farmers in the developing world have benefited. While this so-called ‘Green Revolution’ displaced landraces in favour of more productive MVs, these and other genetic resources, held in trust by international organizations, have been utilized to improve the inherent genetic diversity of modern varieties. Furthermore, the result of increased yields reduced the need to bring natural ecosystems under cultivation, by as much as a billion hectares.Although international wheat breeding has its origins in the 1940s, recognition of a common scientific basis of agricultural problems worldwide was highlighted by the creation of International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs) which included the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) established in 1965. This grew into a larger network called the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) now comprising 15 IARCs, including the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) established in Syria in 1977, another key player in the international wheat and barley breeding network. Two of the major coordination responsibilities of CIMMYT are maintaining the world collection of wheat genetic resources – a public good protected by international treaty – and the facilitation of the International Wheat Nurseries.After the initial impact of the Green Revolution in high production zones through exploitation of Rht-B1 and Rht-D1 dwarfing genes in conjunction with disease resistance, international breeding encompassed more challenging environments through, for example, international shuttle breeding between Brazil and Mexico to overcome problems associated with acid soils that restricted adoption of MVs. Another example is drought, which affects at least 30 million ha of wheat in the developing world. The approach focused initially on exploiting the inherent yield potential and disease resistance of MVs and later combined this with new stress-adaptive traits from wild wheat ancestors through wide crossing techniques. Adoption of modern varieties has increased substantially in drier areas between 1990 and 1997. In all environments, possibly the greatest threat to productivity is disease, especially those caused by fungal pathogens. International wheat breeding has placed great emphasis on genetic control of disease since resource-poor farmers generally lack the means to control diseases chemically.

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