breeding

1. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Breeding Programs in the
Private Sector
Ousmane Boukar and Ismail Y. Rabbi

2. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Program Structure

3. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
• Type and scope of activities depend on:
– Crop
– Size of company
– Resources available
– Division of activities among different operating
units

4. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
R&D Pipeline
• Discovery
• Phase 1 – Proof of concept
• Phase 2 – Early development phase
• Phase 3 – Advanced development phase
• Phase 4 – Pre-launch
• Launch

5. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
• Four areas of the variety development
pipeline
– Breeding (including molecular breeding)
– Biotechnology
– Agronomy
– Analytical Technologies
– Informatics (Genetics, Biometrics,
Bioinformatics, Programmers...)

6. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Uses of markers in breeding pipelines
• Quality Assurance:
– Parentage analysis
– Genetic purity tests
• Germplasm analysis through DNA fingerprinting
– Arrangement of diversity (clustering, PCA, etc.)
– Protection of intellectual property (IITA == impact assessment
through adoption studies).
• Trait Analysis
– Association of traits with genomic regions (GWAS or QTL)
– Understanding of relationship among traits (linkage vs.
pleiotropy?)
– Understanding the causes of variation (aid in gene cloning)
• Breeding
– Assist in indirect selection of qualitative and quantitative traits
– Marker Assisted Backcrossing
• Seed chipping (non-destructive genotyping)

7. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
• Right research approach and organization
• Solving problem with better solutions
(always try to improve in throughput,
efficiency and targetting)
• Building on strengths

8. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Enabling environment
• Fostering excellence (Pioneer)
– Stimulating environment for R&D scientists
– Offering scientific opportunities: training and
development programs
• Breeding academy (breeding and germplasm
management) focuses on developing the critical
skills necessary for modern breeding
• 3PM Academy: Excellence in project, Program and
Portofolio management
• Syngenta fellows programs

9. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Priority Setting

10. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
• Research priority depends on growers and
consumers (Market)
• The direction of new research is guided by
our crop teams and based on customer
need, technology, regulatory requirements
and socio-political trends (Syngenta)
• Targets:
– Biotic stresses (weeds, insects, fungal
diseases, nematodes),
– Abiotic stresses (environmental pressures
such as drought or cold)
– Improved crop yield and quality.

11. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Data Management/Decision
Support

12. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
• Big focus of R&D is the management of all the
data being produced in research and development
using computational biology
– Phenotype (field and lab)
– Genotype
– Environment
– Soil
• Scientists produce, process, analyze, interpret,
and report more 2.5 million data-points each day
(Syngenta)
• All have centralized database
(phenotype/genotype/more)
• Informatics support group (mentioned before)

13. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Partnerships

14. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
• Universities
• Research institutes
• Private companies
– Collaborate with competitors (other breeding
companies)
• Germplasm conservation centers
– To acquire germplasm

15. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Resource Allocation

16. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
• Huge R&D investment
• (Thousand of) scientists in multi-
disciplines
• Streamlined product development pipeline
without duplication of efforts.
– Example: One quantitative
genetics/biometrics serve all crops and trait
development programs
– Centralized Analytical Technology Lab

17. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Example Monsanto

18. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Example Pioneer
• In the past five years, DuPont Pioneer
R&D has doubled investment, increased
greenhouse space by more than 60% and
increased research square footage by
more than 30%. DuPont Pioneer R&D is
now comprised of more than 4,400
researchers operating in 125+ research
sites in 25 countries on six continents

19. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Links with Allied Disciplines

20. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
• Functional areas:
– Agronomy
– Pathology
– Entomology
– Cell biology and tissue culture
– Applied genomics
– Plant transformation
– Quality analyses
– Regulatory affairs and intellectual property
issues
– Data base management, data analyses

21. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
• Collaboration across R&D
– Open innovation platform
– Formal R&D network
– Though seeders (external collaboration) -
Pioneer

22. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Product Orientation, Delivery, and
Stewardship

23. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
• Delivery options based on convenience and
efficiency
• Global distribution network with flexibility to
meet local needs
• Several sales professionals
• Wealth of information on product
• Numerous services to customers (expertise,
solutions, financing…)
• Link key players across the agricultural value
chain

24. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Product stewardship
• Clear responsibility from initial research to
discontinuation of a product
• Management of the life cycle of
technologies for maximum product value,
benefits, and longevity
• Pioneer:
– Grain marketing and approval
– Patents covered by technology agreement
– Product use guide

25. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
• Material safety data sheets
• Non-GMO validation certificates
• Insect resistance/weed management
• Best management practices for a
particular technology
• Seed treatment stewardship