Low-Cost Methods for Molecular Characterization of Mutant Plants: Tissue Desiccation, DNA Extraction and Mutation Discovery: Protocols

Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Biological Techniques; Nucleic Acid Chemistr

Biotechnologies for Plant Mutation Breeding: Protocols

Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Agriculture; Genetic Engineering; Plant Genetics & Genomic

Low-Cost Methods for Molecular Characterization of Mutant Plants: Tissue Desiccation, DNA Extraction and Mutation Discovery: Protocols

Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Biological Techniques; Nucleic Acid Chemistr

Epigenetic regulation of adaptive responses of forest tree species to the environment

Epigenetic variation is likely to contribute to the phenotypic plasticity and adaptative capacity of plant species, and may be especially important for long-lived organisms with complex life cycles, including forest trees. Diverse environmental stresses and hybridization/polyploidization events can create reversible heritable epigenetic marks that can be transmitted to subsequent generations as a form of molecular “memory”. Epigenetic changes might also contribute to the ability of plants to colonize or persist in variable environments. In this review, we provide an overview of recent data on epigenetic mechanisms involved in developmental processes and responses to environmental cues in plant, with a focus on forest tree species. We consider the possible role of forest tree epigenetics as a new source of adaptive traits in plant breeding, biotechnology, and ecosystem conservation under rapid climate chang

The Asian Maize Biotechnology Network (AMBIONET): A Model for Strengthening National Agricultural Research Systems

This report reviews the impacts of the Asian Maize Biotechnology Network (AMBIONET), organized by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) with funding from the Asian Development Bank to strengthen the capacity of public maize research institutions in China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam to produce high-yielding, disease resistant, stress tolerant maize cultivars. It was found that, during its lifetime (1998-2005), AMBIONET clearly benefited researchers and institutions in participating countries, as well as CIMMYT. In addition, there was good progress toward developing improved cultivars. Asian farmers are just beginning to gain from the work, but their future benefits will likely pay for AMBIONET’s relatively modest expenditures many times over.Zea mays, Plant breeding, Biotechnology, Breeding methods, Research methods, Disease resistance, Yield increases, Research institutions, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Viet Nam, Asia, Crop Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, F30, F01,

Plant genetic resources for agriculture, plant breeding, and biotechnology: Experiences from Cameroon, Kenya, the Philippines, and Venezuela

"Local farming communities throughout the world face binding productivity constraints, diverse nutritional needs, environmental concerns, and significant economic and financial pressures. Developing countries address these challenges in different ways, including public and private sector investments in plant breeding and other modern tools for genetic crop improvement. In order to measure the impact of any technology and prioritize investments, we must assess the relevant resources, human capacity, clusters, networks and linkages, as well as the institutions performing technological research and development, and the rate of farmer adoption. However, such measures have not been recently assessed, in part due to the lack of complete standardized information on public plant breeding and biotechnology research in developing countries. To tackle this void, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in consultation with the International Food Policy Institute (IFPRI) and other organizations, designed a plant breeding and biotechnology capacity survey for implementation by FAO consultants in 100 developing countries. IFPRI, in collaboration with FAO and national experts contracted by FAO to complete in-country surveys, identified and analyzed plant breeding and biotechnology programs in four developing countries: Cameroon, Kenya, the Philippines, and Venezuela. Here, we use an innovation systems framework to examine the investments in human and financial resources and the distribution of resources among the different programs, as well as the capacity and policy development for agricultural research in the four selected countries. Based on our findings, we present recommendations to help sustain and increase the efficiency of publicly- and privately-funded plant breeding programs, while maximizing the use of genetic resources and developing opportunities for GM crop production. Policy makers, private sector breeders, and other stakeholders can use this information to prioritize investments, consider product advancement, and assess the relative magnitude of the potential risks and benefits of their investments." from Author's Abstractplant breeding, biotechnology, public research, Funding, Innovation systems, Capacity building, Biosafety,

Potential benefits of genetic modification (GM) technology for food security and health improvement in West Africa: Assessing the perception of farmers in Ghana and Nigeria

We assessed the perception of farmers towards potential adoption of genetic modification (GM) technology for improving health, food security and agricultural productivity using a semi-structured interview. A total sample of 54 small-scale farmers participated in 6 focus group meetings (FGMs) and 23 in-depth interviews at six locations in Ghana and Nigeria (West Africa). Our results reveal that most farmers have a very poor understanding of GM technology which they often misunderstood as traditional plant breeding biotechnology. While most respondents focused on the potential benefits of GM technology including high-yielding varieties, better nutritional value and shorter growing cycle crop traits, only a few respondents were concerned about the potential health and environmental risks of GM technology. Root and tuber crops such as cassava, yam and sweet potato were mostly discussed for health improvement and food security through GM technology. This study emphasizes the need to recognize challenges such as lack of awareness, inadequate training, low level of education and poor extension services among others in introducing new technology including GM technology to resource poor farmers in African countries like Ghana and Nigeria. We conclude that failure to address these challenges will impede the adoption of GM technology. Therefore, Ghanaian and Nigerian government(s) must put in place policy measures to address these problems.Keywords: Food security, health improvement, genetic modification (GM) technology, Ghana, Nigeria, West Africa farmersAfrican Journal of Biotechnology, Vol. 13(2), pp. 245-256, 8 January, 201

Quantitative trait loci for flowering time and inflorescence architecture in rose

The pattern of development of the inflorescence is an important characteristic in ornamental plants, where the economic value is in the flower. The genetic determinism of inflorescence architecture is poorly understood, especially in woody perennial plants with long life cycles. Our objective was to study the genetic determinism of this characteristic in rose. The genetic architectures of 10 traits associated with the developmental timing and architecture of the inflorescence, and with flower production were investigated in a F 1 diploid garden rose population, based on intensive measurements of phenological and morphological traits in a field. There were substantial genetic variations in inflorescence development traits, with broad-sense heritabilities ranging from 0.82 to 0.93. Genotypic correlations were significant for most (87%) pairs of traits, suggesting either pleiotropy or tight linkage among loci. However, non-significant and low correlations between some pairs of traits revealed two independent developmental pathways controlling inflorescence architecture: (1) the production of inflorescence nodes increased the number of branches and the production of flowers; (2) internode elongation connected with frequent branching increased the number of branches and the production of flowers. QTL mapping identified six common QTL regions (cQTL) for inflorescence developmental traits. A QTL for flowering time and many inflorescence traits were mapped to the same cQTL. Several candidate genes that are known to control inflorescence developmental traits and gibberellin signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana were mapped in rose. Rose orthologues of FLOWERING LOCUS T (RoFT), TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (RoKSN), SPINDLY (RoSPINDLY), DELLA (RoDELLA), and SLEEPY (RoSLEEPY) co-localized with cQTL for relevant traits. This is the first report on the genetic basis of complex inflorescence developmental traits in rose

Genetic diversity analysis in tossa jute (Corchorus olitorius L.) germplasm lines

An experiment was conducted to examine the magnitude of genetic diversity and characters contributing to genetic diversity among 81 tossa jute genotypes. Cluster analysis based on Euclidean squared distances and ward’s method, the genotypes were grouped into ten distinct clusters. Analysis reveals that stick weight contributes maximum to the phenotypic diversity (65.52%) followed by green weight (13.64%) and fibre yield (10.10%). Among the clusters Cluster IX recorded highest mean fibre yield (19.91g) followed by Cluster VII (18.94g) and these clusters also recorded high mean values for plant height, basal diameter, green weight and stick weight. The highest inter- cluster distance was 186.80 (between clusters II and X) followed by 161.26 (between clusters IV and X), indicating the wide genetic diversity among these clusters. The highest intra-cluster distance was observed in cluster II (20.34) and the lowest in cluster X (3.17). The average inter-cluster distances were higher than the average intra-cluster distances, which shows the presence of wide genetic diversity among the genotypes of different clusters than those of the same cluster. The first two principal components, whose Eigen values are greater than one, accounted for 74% of the total variation among the five characters. The information obtained from diversity analysis is useful in planning further breeding programme for tossa jute improvement