Broccoli is in the eye of the beholder. A head of broccoli that might appeal to one person – perhaps because of its deep green color – may leave another cold, due to an asymmetrical shape or too-large buds.
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New Software Helps Plant Breeders Bring Out Their Best
Space Age Plant Breeding Lights the Way for Future Crops
NASA experiments to grow wheat in space were the inspiration for University of Queensland scientists to develop the world’s first ‘speed breeding’ procedures here on planet Earth.
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Using Nuclear Science in Marker-Assisted Plant Breeding
Plant breeders improve crops by using natural or artificially-induced genetic variation to develop new traits. But they face enormous difficulties when integrating these improved traits into the varieties.
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PAU Inks Pact for Commercialization of Chilli Hybrid and Onion Variety
The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today inked a pact with Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna and Arizona Seeds Private Limited, Village Inderpura, Nabha Road, District Patiala for the commercialisation of CH 27 (Chilli Hybrid) and PRO 7 (Onion Variety).
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BASF Opens Global State-of-the-Art Breeding Center for Cucumbers in Nunhem
BASF has opened a new state-of-the-art breeding center for cucumbers at its site in Nunhem. At around 50 million Euro, it is the largest investment in the hundred-year history of the Nunhem vegetable seeds business.
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Plant Breeding News: Agri university to step up breeder seed production
In a bid to overcome the shortage of quality seed of crops such as soya bean, groundnut and bengal gram in the State, the government has directed the State Seed Development Corporation (SSDC) and seed farms of the agricultural university to step up breeder seed production.
Due to the lack of sufficient quantity of breeder seed of these crops, the State has been forced to look elsewhere. Last month, the SSDC had invited bids for supply of 2 lakh quintals of soya bean seed from Madhya Pradesh, a major producer of the crop. This was because State agencies were internally able to procure only 25,000 quintals of quality soya bean.
On Monday, Agriculture Production Commissioner C. Parthasarathi held a meeting with officials from SSDC, Seed and Organic Certification Authority, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (IIOR) and International Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics. During the meeting, he said that as Telangana was aiming to become a global seed hub, problems in production of all varieties of seed should be addressed.
Mr. Parthasarathi asked the officials of agriculture research stations at Adilabad, Mudhole and Rudrur to take up production of 1,000 quintals of soya bean and 500 quintals of bengal gram breeder seed.
Similarly, officials of research station at Palem were asked to produce 4,000 quintals of groundnut breeder seed. He noted that the State had been depending on other States for breeder seed of bengal gram in the past.
The officials were asked to encourage production of Basara variety of soya bean, NBeG-47 and NBeG-3 varieties of bengal gram and K-9 and TAG-24 varieties of groundnut breeder seed in the State.
Plant Breeding News: Protecting Crop Varieties Boosts Plant Breeding
Uganda: An important aspect of the agriculture sector is the protection of new varieties of plants. Among others, it facilitates access to improved plant varieties, a key input in farming through protection of the breeder to exclusively benefit from commercial exploitation of their improved variety. This motivates the breeder to invest in research for new varieties, which are eventually made accessible to farmers through the system of plant variety protection.
African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (Aripo) Member countries, including Uganda, have adopted a protocol on the protection of new varieties of plants. This shall be known as the Arusha Protocol on the Protection of New Plant Varieties (Plant Breeders' Rights). The protocol was adopted by Aripo's Council of Ministers, which is chaired by Uganda's Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Kahinda Otafiire.
For Uganda to realise its potential as a regional food basket, protection of new varieties of plants regionally is key.Through the plant variety protection system, a breeder of a new plant variety once protected, has a right and opportunity to become the exclusive marketer of the plant, or license it to others.