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.

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 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.

scholarly journals Genetically Modified Crops and Food Security in Nigeria; Facts and Myths

2020 ◽  
pp. 54-63
Author(s):  
B. O. Ehirim ◽  
M. Bashir ◽  
M. N. Ishaq ◽  
A. S. Gana ◽  
B. Z. Salihu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Genetically Modified Crops ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Agricultural Producers ◽  
Global Food

Biotechnology per se is not a panacea for the world’s problems of hunger and poverty. However, genetic engineering in particular offers outstanding potentials to increase the efficiency of crop improvement. Thus, biotechnology could enhance global food production and availability in a sustainable way. Studies have shown that transgenic crops are very appropriate for agricultural producers and consumers in developing countries as the entire technology can be packaged into the seed. It can easily be integrated into traditional smallholder farming systems through proper stewardship. Except for a few innovative transfer projects, the application of biotechnology until now remains concentrated in the industrialized world. However due to insufficient owned scientific and regulatory capacities, the increase in privatized international agricultural research and the strengthening of intellectual property rights of these organizations complicate the access of developing countries to biotechnology. Therefore, profound government and Institutional adjustments that cuts across new technologies and regulations are essential to ensuring that biotechnology does not bypass the resource poor, smallholder farmers in Africa and Nigeria in particular.

scholarly journals Genetic analysis of three maize husk traits by QTL mapping in a maize-teosinte population

BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolei Zhang ◽  
Ming Lu ◽  
Aiai Xia ◽  
Tao Xu ◽  
Zhenhai Cui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Molecular Breeding ◽  
Best Linear Unbiased Predictor ◽  
Maize Line ◽  
Maize Varieties ◽  
Outer Covering ◽  
High Heritability ◽  
Best Linear Unbiased ◽  
Variation Explained

Abstract Background The maize husk consists of numerous leafy layers and plays vital roles in protecting the ear from pathogen infection and dehydration. Teosinte, the wild ancestor of maize, has about three layers of small husk outer covering the ear. Although several quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying husk morphology variation have been reported, the genetic basis of husk traits between teosinte and maize remains unclear. Results A linkage population including 191 BC2F8 inbred lines generated from the maize line Mo17 and the teosinte line X26–4 was used to identify QTL associated with three husk traits: i.e., husk length (HL), husk width (HW) and the number of husk layers (HN). The best linear unbiased predictor (BLUP) depicted wide phenotypic variation and high heritability of all three traits. The HL exhibited greater correlation with HW than HN. A total of 4 QTLs were identified including 1, 1, 2, which are associated with HL, HW and HN, respectively. The proportion of phenotypic variation explained by these QTLs was 9.6, 8.9 and 8.1% for HL, HN and HW, respectively. Conclusions The QTLs identified in this study will pave a path to explore candidate genes regulating husk growth and development, and benefit the molecular breeding program based on molecular marker-assisted selection to cultivate maize varieties with an ideal husk morphology.

Distributional Weights in Benefit-Cost Analysis: Examples from Rwanda and Uganda

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles B. Moss ◽  
Andrew Schmitz
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Cost Analysis ◽  
Research And Development ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Systematic Variation ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Benefit Cost Analysis ◽  
Small Producer ◽  
Agricultural Research And Development ◽  
Benefit Cost

Abstract The question of how to allocate scarce agricultural research and development dollars is significant for developing countries. Historically, benefit/cost analysis has been the standard for comparing the relative benefits of alternative investments. We examine the potential of shifting the implicit equal weights approach to benefit/cost analysis, as well as how a systematic variation in welfare weights may affect different groups important to policy makers. For example, in the case of Rwandan coffee, a shift in the welfare weights that would favor small coffee producers in Rwanda over foreign consumers of Rwandan coffee would increase the support for investments in small producer coffee projects. Generally, changes in welfare weights alter the ordering for selecting investments across alternative projects.

scholarly journals Geography of international migration in the modern age of globalization

2019 ◽  
pp. 31-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Sintserov
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
International Migration ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
World Population ◽  
Financial Flows ◽  
Global Migration ◽  
The World ◽  
The Usa ◽  
International Migrants

The article deals with international migration during the last decades of the 20th and at the beginning of the 21st centuries and its economic-geographical analysis. The paper provides an overview of opinions about the dating of the contemporary era of global migration. It is shown that only after completion of spatial restructuring of migration processes and with the transition to sustainable growth of the share of international migrants in the world population, the modern increase of migration begins. On the basis of the UN statistics the main sources of migrants to the countries of Western Europe have been determined as well as shifts in the geographical structure of migrant population of the region that have taken place in the last quarter of a century. Two migration waves directed to the core of the European region from its southern and then from the eastern periphery are determined. The transformation of the USA population structure caused by the migration inflow from Latin America and Asia is described. The ratio of the main directions of global migration is shown: South-South, South-North, etc. At the same time, it is noted that a rather limited part of international migrations is associated with the asynchrony of demographic processes in the regions of the world. The article also discusses the remittances of migrants from developing countries to their homeland, forming powerful financial flows, which are second only to foreign direct investment. They play an especially important role in the economies of developing countries. The calculations show that the contribution of international migrants to the world economy far exceeds their share in the world population.

scholarly journals The Effect of Amino Acids and The Date of Planting on Yield and Some Yield Components of Three Maize Varieties

2021 ◽  
Vol 904 (1) ◽  
pp. 012066
Author(s):  
Y A Al-Janabi ◽  
N M Abood ◽  
M I Hamdan
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Spring Season ◽  
Planting Dates ◽  
Maize Varieties ◽  
Biological Yield

Abstract The experiment was carried out according to the randomized complete block design (R.C.B.D) and the arrangement of split-split plot with three replications, at the Field Crops Research Station of the Agricultural Research Department - Abu Ghraib during the spring season for the years 2019 and 2020. With the aim of studying the effect of amino acids, planting dates and their effect on some of the yield characteristics and its components for three varieties of maize in the spring season. Planting dates (March 15, March 25 and April 5) occupied the main plots, while amino acids and the control treatment (proline, arginine, and distilled water) occupied the sub-plot, whereas the varieties (Rabi, Baghdad 3 and Fajr 1) occupied the sub-sub-plot, and the most important results were summarized as follows:The two cultivars, Rabi and Fajr-1, achieved a significant increase in most of the yield characteristics and its components for the seasons. The addition of the amino acid proline also led to a significant increase in most of the studied traits (the number of grains in ear, weight of 500 grains, total grain and biological yield, and harvest index), planting dates also have a significant effect on most of the studied traits. The first date (15/3) recorded increase in the number of grains per ear, the weight of 500 grams, and the grain and biological yield. The plants of the Rabi variety when cultivated on March 15 th and sprayed with the amino acid proline achieved the highest average for the grain yield, which reached 7.48 ton. ha-1 for spring 2019.

scholarly journals Çukurova İkinci Ürün Koşullarında Yetiştirilen Silajlık Mısır (Zea mays L.) Çeşitlerinin Verim ve Silaj Kalite Performanslarının Değerlendirilmesi

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (sp1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Yasin Korkmaz ◽  
Tugay Ayasan ◽  
Sait Aykanat ◽  
Mustafa Avcı
Keyword(s):  
Protein Content ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Protein Yield ◽  
Dry Matter Yield ◽  
Crude Protein Content ◽  
Silage Maize ◽  
Maize Varieties

The research was carried out in the Eastern Mediterranean Agricultural Research Institute-Hacı Ali location with 4 replications according to the randomized block trial design in 2013-2014. 13 public and 1 private sector maize variety were used as material in the trials. According to the results of the analysis, it was determined that the maize varieties examined showed statistically significant differences in plant properties, dry grass and silage quality. Average plant height, number of leaves, leaf ratio, stem diameter, number of cob, stem ratio, cob ratio and green grass yield were 249.9 cm, 12.97 plant/piece, 19.24%, 22.08 mm, 0.93 plant/unit, 38.40% and 4,251.57 kg/da respectively. According to the analysis, it was observed that the average crude protein content, ADF ratio, NDF ratio, crude ash content, digestible dry matter ratio, crude protein yield, dry matter rate, dry matter yield and hay yield were 8.80%, 34.91%, 59.7%, 7.2%, 61.7%, 993.9 kg/ha, 29.4%, 11,640 kg/ha 12,570 kg/ha in dry grass, respectively. For the silage of varieties, the average crude protein content, ADF ratio, NDF ratio, pH, digestible dry matter rate, dry matter ratio, crude protein yield and Fleig score were 8.22%, 29.27%, 50.48%, 3.57, 66.1%, 28.14%, 926 kg/ha and 118.35, respectively. Burak, Sasa 1 and Ada 334 genotypes performed better in terms of green yield per hectare (53,650, 50,290 and 45,630 kg/ha) and dry matter yield (14,710, 12,810 and 12,410 kg/ha). These varieties can be recommended to producers as silage maize varieties under second crop conditions in Çukurova region of Turkey.

MALNUTRITION IN THE WORLD'S CHILDREN

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1969 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-133
Author(s):  
George M. Wheatley ◽  
Louis K. Diamond ◽  
Lytt I. Gardner ◽  
Clifford G. Grulee ◽  
Robert N. Hamburger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Young Children ◽  
National Development ◽  
Retarded Child ◽  
The United States ◽  
Child Growth ◽  
World Population ◽  
Child Victims ◽  
Protein Calorie Malnutrition

Protein-Calorie malnutrition coupled with infection is the greatest killer of infants and young children and the major cause of retarded child growth and development in today world. It has been estimated that by 1968 there would be 276,000,000 child victims of serious malnutrition in 29 developing countries. Its greatest toll is during the weaning period and in children below the age of 2 years. Some of these young children will die. Others, who survive severe disease, may sustain brain damage which impairs learning, limits achievement, and condemns them to the fate of their parents, thus perpetuating a cycle which interferes with national development itself. The occurrence of protein-calorie malnutrition is not limited to developing countries, particular ethnic groups, or tropical climates. This affliction is found in the United States, although less frequently and rarely in extreme degree when compared to developing countries. More accurate information about its prevalence in the United States will soon be available. The causes of protein-calorie malnutrition can be described within a variety of different conceptual frameworks: political, economic, educational, socio-cultural, agricultural, industrial, and medical-nutritional. The interrelation of the size of the world population and its food supply is so vital a factor that inadequate programs of family planning increase the likelihood of malnutrition. Programs to eliminate malnutrition must be delineated within these different frameworks, and each must be brought into appropriate collaboration with the others. Obviously, no statement of ours can cover this multiplicity of factors completely. We can speak only as pediatricians to whom any degree of malnutrition is unacceptable.

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