scholarly journals Opportunities and Challenges to Improve a Public Research Program in Plant Breeding and Enhance Underutilized Plant Genetic Resources in the Tropics

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1584
Author(s):  
Ivania Cerón-Souza ◽  
Carlos H. Galeano ◽  
Katherine Tehelen ◽  
Hugo R. Jiménez ◽  
Carolina González
Keyword(s):  
Plant Breeding ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Research Impact ◽  
Germplasm Bank ◽  
Public Funds ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Priority List

The American tropics are hotspots of wild and domesticated plant biodiversity, which is still underutilized by breeding programs despite being conserved at regional gene banks. The improvement of those programs depends on long-term public funds and the maintenance of specialized staff. Unfortunately, financial ups and downs complicate staff connectivity and their research impact. Between 2000 and 2010, Agrosavia (Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria) dramatically decreased its public financial support. In 2017, we surveyed all 52 researchers from Agrosavia involved in plant breeding and plant genetic resource programs to examine the effect of decimating funds in the last ten years. We hypothesized that the staff dedicated to plant breeding still suffer a strong fragmentation and low connectivity. As we expected, the social network among researchers is weak. The top ten central leaders are predominantly males with an M.Sc. degree but have significant experience in the area. The staff has experience in 31 tropical crops, and 17 are on the list of underutilized species. Moreover, although 26 of these crops are in the national germplasm bank, this has not been the primary source for their breeding programs. We proposed five principles to improve connectivity among teams and research impact: (1) The promotion of internal discussion about gender gaps and generation shifts to design indicators to monitor and decrease this disparity over time. (2) The construction of long-term initiatives and synergies with the Colombian government to support the local production of food security crops independent of market trends. (3) Better collaboration between the National Plant Germplasm Bank and plant breeding researchers. (4) A concerted priority list of species (especially those neglected or underutilized) and external institutions to better focus the collaborative efforts in research using public funds. (5) Better spaces for the design of projects among researchers and training programs in new technologies. These principles could also apply in other tropical countries with public plant breeding research programs facing similar challenges.

scholarly journals Seed longevity of maize conserved under germplasm bank conditions for up to 60 years

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filippo Guzzon ◽  
Maraeva Gianella ◽  
Jose Alejandro Velazquez Juarez ◽  
Cesar Sanchez Cano ◽  
Denise E Costich
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Seed Viability ◽  
Storage Conditions ◽  
Seed Longevity ◽  
Germplasm Bank ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Different Temperatures ◽  
Germination Experiments

Abstract Background and Aims The long-term conservation of seeds of plant genetic resources is of key importance for food security and preservation of agrobiodiversity. Nevertheless, there is scarce information available about seed longevity of many crops under germplasm bank conditions. Methods Through germination experiments as well as the analysis of historical monitoring data, we studied the decline in viability manifested by 1000 maize (Zea mays subsp. mays) seed accessions conserved for an average of 48 years at the CIMMYT germplasm bank, the largest maize seedbank in the world, under two cold storage conditions: an active (–3 °C; intended for seed distribution) and a base conservation chamber (–15 °C; for long-term conservation). Key Results Seed lots stored in the active chamber had a significantly lower and more variable seed germination, averaging 81.4 %, as compared with the seed lots conserved in the base chamber, averaging 92.1 %. The average seed viability detected in this study was higher in comparison with that found in other seed longevity studies on maize conserved under similar conditions. A significant difference was detected in seed germination and longevity estimates (e.g. p85 and p50) among accessions. Correlating seed longevity with seed traits and passport data, grain type showed the strongest correlation, with flint varieties being longer lived than floury and dent types. Conclusions The more rapid loss of seed viability detected in the active chamber suggests that the seed conservation approach, based on the storage of the same seed accessions in two chambers with different temperatures, might be counterproductive for overall long-term conservation and that base conditions should be applied in both. The significant differences detected in seed longevity among accessions underscores that different viability monitoring and regeneration intervals should be applied to groups of accessions showing different longevity profiles.

scholarly journals Review: Cost-Effective Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Platform for Field Plant Breeding Application

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 998 ◽  
Author(s):  
GyuJin Jang ◽  
Jaeyoung Kim ◽  
Ju-Kyung Yu ◽  
Hak-Jin Kim ◽  
Yoonha Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
New Wave ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Modern Agriculture ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
High Throughput Phenotyping

Utilization of remote sensing is a new wave of modern agriculture that accelerates plant breeding and research, and the performance of farming practices and farm management. High-throughput phenotyping is a key advanced agricultural technology and has been rapidly adopted in plant research. However, technology adoption is not easy due to cost limitations in academia. This article reviews various commercial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms as a high-throughput phenotyping technology for plant breeding. It compares known commercial UAV platforms that are cost-effective and manageable in field settings and demonstrates a general workflow for high-throughput phenotyping, including data analysis. The authors expect this article to create opportunities for academics to access new technologies and utilize the information for their research and breeding programs in more workable ways.

scholarly journals Creation of a Network of Seed Sites for In-Situ Conservation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Genetic Resources in Lithuania

Botanica ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juozas Labokas ◽  
Birutė Karpavičienė
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
World Health ◽  
Dual Function ◽  
Aromatic Plant ◽  
Priority List ◽  
National Priority ◽  
National Priority List

AbstractTwenty six seed (genetic) sites were established for long-term in-situ conservation of medicinal and aromatic plant (MAP) genetic resources in Lithuania over the period 2006–2017. The sites vary in size from 0.4 to 38.0 ha with an average of 7.2 ha. Most of the sites (73%) occur in the existing protected areas. They represent 10 of 22 physical geographical areas of Lithuania and accommodate 120 priority MAP species, which is about 89% of the national priority list. Prioritization of MAP species was based on the monographs of European Pharmacopoeia, European Medicines Agency, World Health Organization as well as German Phytotherapeutic Monographs and other regional and national medicinal plant references. A concept was followed of the dual function and perception of food as medicine, and, vice versa, an approach based on a co-evolutionary relationship between human food and medicine. It was established that only 46 priority species, or 34% of the national priority list, were represented by five and more populations, which is considered as minimum for long-term in-situ conservation. The future conservation planning efforts should focus on at least 15 unrepresented species, 49 species represented at 1–2 sites each and 25 species represented at 3–4 sites each. The MAP site network should expand by covering preferably the remaining 12 physical geographical areas of the country.

scholarly journals Predicting the future of plant breeding: complementing empirical evaluation with genetic prediction

2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Cooper ◽  
Carlos D. Messina ◽  
Dean Podlich ◽  
L. Radu Totir ◽  
Andrew Baumgarten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Quantitative Genetics ◽  
Empirical Evaluation ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Maize Breeding ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Development Models ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Germplasm Diversity

For the foreseeable future, plant breeding methodology will continue to unfold as a practical application of the scaling of quantitative biology. These efforts to increase the effective scale of breeding programs will focus on the immediate and long-term needs of society. The foundations of the quantitative dimension will be integration of quantitative genetics, statistics, gene-to-phenotype knowledge of traits embedded within crop growth and development models. The integration will be enabled by advances in quantitative genetics methodology and computer simulation. The foundations of the biology dimension will be integrated experimental and functional gene-to-phenotype modelling approaches that advance our understanding of functional germplasm diversity, and gene-to-phenotype trait relationships for the native and transgenic variation utilised in agricultural crops. The trait genetic knowledge created will span scales of biology, extending from molecular genetics to multi-trait phenotypes embedded within evolving genotype–environment systems. The outcomes sought and successes achieved by plant breeding will be measured in terms of sustainable improvements in agricultural production of food, feed, fibre, biofuels and other desirable plant products that meet the needs of society. In this review, examples will be drawn primarily from our experience gained through commercial maize breeding. Implications for other crops, in both the private and public sectors, will be discussed.

scholarly journals Opportunities and challenges for improving a Colombian public research program in plant breeding and plant genetic resources lead by Agrosavia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos H. Galeano ◽  
Katherine Tehelen ◽  
Hugo R. Jiménez ◽  
Carolina González ◽  
Ivania Cerón-Souza
Keyword(s):  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Research Program ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Participatory Plant Breeding ◽  
Public Research ◽  
Germplasm Bank ◽  
Academic Degree ◽  
Breeding Research ◽  
Sentiment Score

AbstractAgrosavia (Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria) is the Colombian state institution in charge of the agricultural research at the national level, including plant breeding. Since 2014, Agrosavia started to increase its research staff and has reset the leadership of public research to solve the needs of the agricultural sector population, focusing on small producers. However, the current team working on plant breeding and plant genetic resources are facing some challenges associated with generation gaps and the lack of a collaborative working plan for the next years. To identify the opportunities and actions in this research area, we surveyed all the 52 researchers working in Agrosavia in this area in 2017. We analyzed the opinions of researchers to detect the strengths and weaknesses of the program using a sentiment score. We also examined the networking to test both how consolidated the group is and if among top leaders are gender parity and also have a higher academic degree. Results showed that there is a mixed community of old and new researchers with clear gender bias in the proportion of male-female. Within the network, the interactions are weak, with several subgroups where the top-ten of both central leaders and the most influencer are frequently males with mostly an M.Sc. degree but with significant experience in the area. Researchers have an interest in 31 crops. From them, 26 are in the national germplasm bank, but this bank is not the primary source for their breeding programs. The top-five of plants with increasing interest are corn, cocoa tree, golden berries, oil palm, and sugarcane. Researchers also want to establish collaborations with 54 different institutions, where the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, which is the top public university in the country, is on the head. Researchers also perceived weaknesses in the marker-assisted selection, experimental design, and participatory plant breeding, but those criticisms have a positive sentiment score average of 1.55 (0.3 SE) across 31 texts analyzed. Based on all results, we identified five critical strategic principles to improve the plant-breeding research program. They include a gender diversity policy to hire new researchers strategically to reduce the gender gap and strength the generational shift. Better collaboration between the national germplasm bank and plant breeding research. A coordinate plan where the studies focus on food security crops that the government supports independently of market trends. And finally, adequate spaces for the project’s design and training programs. Hence, we recommend the creation of a consultant group to implement these policies progressively in the next years.

scholarly journals A Two-Part Strategy using Genomic Selection in Hybrid Crop Breeding Programs

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen Powell ◽  
R. Chris Gaynor ◽  
Gregor Gorjanc ◽  
Christian R. Werner ◽  
John M. Hickey
Keyword(s):  
Genomic Selection ◽  
Genetic Gain ◽  
Genetic Variance ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Stochastic Simulations ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Crop Breeding ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Multiple Generations

AbstractHybrid crop breeding programs using a two-part strategy produced the most genetic gain, but a maximum avoidance of inbreeding crossing scheme was required to increase long-term genetic gain. The two-part strategy uses outbred parents to complete multiple generations per year to reduce the generation interval of hybrid crop breeding programs. The maximum avoidance of inbreeding crossing scheme manages genetic variance by maintaining uniform contributions and inbreeding coefficients across all crosses. This study performed stochastic simulations to quantify the potential of a two-part strategy in combination with two crossing schemes to increase the rate of genetic gain in hybrid crop breeding programs. The two crossing schemes were: (i) a circular crossing scheme, and (ii) a maximum avoidance of inbreeding crossing scheme. The results from this study show that the implementation of genomic selection increased the rate of genetic gain, and that the two-part hybrid crop breeding program generated the highest genetic gain. This study also shows that the maximum avoidance of inbreeding crossing scheme increased long-term genetic gain in two-part hybrid crop breeding programs completing multiple selection cycles per year, as a result of maintaining higher levels of genetic variance over time. The flexibility of the two-part strategy offers further opportunities to integrate new technologies to further increase genetic gain in hybrid crop breeding programs, such as the use of outbred training populations. However, the practical implementation of the two-part strategy will require the development of bespoke transition strategies to fundamentally change the data, logistics, and infrastructure that underpin hybrid crop breeding programs.Key messageHybrid crop breeding programs using a two-part strategy produced the most genetic gain by using outbred parents to complete multiple generations per year. However, a maximum avoidance of inbreeding crossing scheme was required to manage genetic variance and increase long-term genetic gain.

scholarly journals A hybrid optimal contribution approach to drive short-term gains while maintaining long-term sustainability in a modern plant breeding program

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Santantonio ◽  
Kelly Robbins
Keyword(s):  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Genomic Selection ◽  
Genetic Gain ◽  
Genetic Variance ◽  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Breeding Program ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Plant Breeding Program

1AbstractPlant breeding programs must adapt genomic selection to an already complex system. Inbred or hybrid plant breeding programs must make crosses, produce inbred individuals, and phenotype inbred lines or their hybrid test-crosses to select and validate superior material for product release. These products are few, and while it is clear that population improvement is necessary for continued genetic gain, it may not be sufficient to generate superior products. Rapid-cycle recurrent truncation genomic selection has been proposed to increase genetic gain by reducing generation time. This strategy has been shown to increase short-term gains, but can quickly lead to loss of genetic variance through inbreeding as relationships drive prediction. The optimal contribution of each individual can be determined to maximize gain in the following generation while limiting inbreeding. While optimal contribution strategies can maintain genetic variance in later generations, they suffer from a lack of short-term gains in doing so. We present a hybrid approach that branches out yearly to push the genetic value of potential varietal materials while maintaining genetic variance in the recurrent population, such that a breeding program can achieve short-term success without exhausting long-term potential. Because branching increases the genetic distance between the phenotyping pipeline and the recurrent population, this method requires sacrificing some trial plots to phenotype materials directly out of the recurrent population. We envision the phenotypic pipeline not only for selection and validation, but as an information generator to build predictive models and develop new products.

Formation and composition of training flax collection

2020 ◽  
pp. 61-71
Author(s):  
L.M. Kryvosheieva ◽  
V.I. Chuchvaha ◽  
N.M. Kandyba
Keyword(s):  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Gene Pool ◽  
Phenotypic Variability ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Economic Traits ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
History Of

Aim. Based on the results of multi-year research into the flax gene pool, to form a flax training collection to provide breeding scientific organizations and educational institutions with collection samples as well as with information about the bast crop gene pool. Results and Discussion. The studies were conducted in the crop rotation fields for breeding and seed production of the Institute of Bast Crops of the NAAS (Hlukhiv, Sumska Oblast) in 1992-2018. The field measurements and laboratory analyses were carried out in accordance with conventional methods of field and laboratory studies of collection flax samples.The article presents the results on the formation of a training collection of flax at the Institute of Bast Crops of the NAAS, which has 117 accessions (11 botanical species and three varieties) from 22 countries. In addition to species diversity, the collection includes accessions with different levels of expression of valuable economic and biological characteristics. It also includes accessions selected by phenotypic variability of individual characters or their combinations. The multi-year research into the flax collection accessions resulted in identification of sources of highly-expressed valuable economic traits, which are of interest for the plant breeding course. The history of flax breeding in Ukraine is shown, where breeding varieties that are most widespread or were significant breeding achievements in solving certain problems, are presented. The collection can be used as a visual aid for the plant breeding course in educational programs; in addition, it can provide starting material for scientific and educational institutions. The collection is registered with the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine (certificate No. 00273 dated 04/11/2019). Conclusions. The studies of accessions from the national flax collection allowed us to build up a training collection and register it with the NCPGRU. The collection represents a wide range of biological and economic features of the gene pool of this crop. The collection can be used in the educational process of educational agricultural and biological institutions. The multi-year research into the national flax collection resulted in identification of sources of highly-expressed valuable economic traits, which are of interest to the plant breeding course. The history of flax breeding in Ukraine got covered, and breeding varieties that are most widespread or were significant breeding achievements in solving certain problems are presented.

Current situation with the core collection of spring triticale of the National Center of Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine

2018 ◽  
pp. 75-85
Author(s):  
S.V. Chernobai ◽  
V.K. Riabchun ◽  
T.B. Kapustina ◽  
V.S. Melnyk ◽  
O.E. Shchechenko
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Breeding Lines ◽  
Growing Season Length ◽  
Long Term Storage ◽  
Foreign Countries ◽  
Spring Triticale

Goal. To build up a spring triticale genetic bank to provide breeding, scientific and educational institutions with initial material and to preserve the existing diversity. To update the database of accessions with a set of valuable economic and morphological features. Results and discussion. The methodology and results of the collection formation and evaluation of spring triticale accessions in the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine of Plant Production Institute nd. a V. Ya. Yuriev are presented. The formed collection includes 1,935 accessions from 27 countries: 42 varieties and 1,478 breeding lines from Ukraine, 92 varieties and 248 lines from foreign countries and also 75 genetic lines. The collection was formed by major valuable economic features (plant height, growing season length, spike threshing, yield, 1000-grain weight, disease resistance, technological properties, etc.). Accessions with the majority of morpho-biological and valuable economic features were selected. All the accessions in the collection are certificated. 1,762 accessions were packed for storage into the National Depository; 1,507 of them were packed for long-term storage. Conclusions. The gene pool of spring triticale from the collection of the Gene Bank of Plants of Ukraine is widely used for breeding. This allows conducting hybridization of genetically and ecologically remote forms with various expressions of features and obtaining whole new breeding material. Involvement of collection accessions in breeding allows generating new genetic sources of valuable economic features.

Online Publication of Monuments

2020 ◽  
pp. 355-369
Author(s):  
Willeke Wendrich
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
3D Modeling ◽  
Online Publication ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
3D Scanning ◽  
Architectural Drawings ◽  
3D Gis ◽  
Unity 3D ◽  
Long Term Preservation

This chapter outlines the advantages of digital epigraphy in the context of the original monuments. It analyzes the perception of epigraphic publication of monuments, taking into account new technologies. 3DVR models can be created using architectural drawings and measurements (CAD and 3D modeling), 3D scanning, and Structure for Motion (SfM). These systems present different advantages and challenges, which are discussed. Current options for publication include VSim, 3D GIS, and Unity 3D platforms. The issues of peer review of publications and long-term preservation of data are addressed. The chapter concludes with a consideration of the issue of potentially misleading impressions given by 3DVR representations.

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