Presentation by Tina Barsby, NIAB, Cambridge, UK Delivered at the B4FA Media Dialogue Workshop, Kampala, Uganda - November 2012 www.b4fa.org

1. Dr Tina Barsby
Plant Science into Practice
Genetics, Plant Breeding and
Agriculture

2. Dr Tina Barsby
Plant Science into Practice
NIAB, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, UK

3. Agriculture: the most important
event in human history

4. Matthew 7:18-7:20 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a
corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good
fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye
shall know them.

6. Agriculture is at the Center of Many of Society’s
Most Important Debates
• Global food security
•Enhanced productivity
•Increased yield
•Sustainable production
• Water availability
•Drought-tolerant crops
• Biofuels
•Yield technologies to help meet
demand for both food and fuel
• Global warming
•CO2 footprint
•Fertilizer use
Exciting time for Agriculture & Plant Breeding

7. Dr Tina Barsby
Plant Science into Practice
Meeting the challenges
Food security: From “How to Feed the World in 2050” (FAO World Food
Summit document, Nov 2009)
• By 2050 the world’s population will reach 9.1 billion, 34 % higher than
today
• In order to feed this larger, more urban and richer population, food
production (net of food used for biofuels) must increase by 70 %
Environmental Challenges: (Climate Change 2007: Synthesis report,
IPCC)
• Climate change/agriculture’s global warming contribution
- Agriculture and forestry account for 31% of global anthropogenic
greenhouse gas emissions
• Declining resources: Water, nutrients, natural habitats, biodiversity
- Agriculture is responsible for 70% of freshwater withdrawal
(United Nations Environment Programme)

8. Meeting the Demands of a Growing Global Market
GROWING WORLD POPULATION (B)
9
RISING CEREAL DEMAND (MMT)
3000
8
2500
7
6
2000
5
1500
4
3
1000
2
500
1
1981
1999
2015
TRANSITION NATIONS
•
•
•
2030
1981
DEVELOPED NATIONS
1999
2015
2030
DEVELOPING NATIONS
World population continues to increase
Per capita food consumption continues to rise
Consumers continue to demand improved taste, convenience, and nutrition
“To feed the eight billion people expected by 2025, the world will have to double food production…”
CSIS - Seven Revolutions
Source: FAO, WHO

9. Scarcity
Security
The green revolution
Set Aside
Biofuels
Food Prices
Food Security
9
Subsidy and Surplus
Set aside, CAP changes

10. plant biodiversity
sunlight
science
plants
Agriculture, Land
Use & Society
Plants provide sustainable solutions
‘ultimate green & clean technology’

11. a solar energy source for manufacturing
sunlight
yesterday
today and tomorrow
plant biomass
fossil reserves
oil...refineries
CHEMICALS
biorenewables
bio...refineries
MATERIALS
FUELS

12. Dr Tina Barsby
Plant Science into Practice
‘Better seeds…better crops’
• Food crisis after WW1
• NIAB established by charitable
donations for ‘the improvement of
crops with higher genetic quality’
• Barriers to plant breeding, and to
access for growers to improved
varieties, were recognised barriers to
enhanced food production

13. Dr Tina Barsby
Plant Science into Practice
1931 Farmers leaflet
1932 Farmers leaflet
The First Farmers Leaflets

14. Genetic Software & Hardware

15. Feeding future populations means doubling the productivity of neglected but
nutritious crops such as yams and green bananas

16. • How’s my country doing? Is there an
Agriculture strategy?
– Availability
– Affordability
– Safety
– Choice
– Quality …

17. Dr Tina Barsby
Plant Science into Practice
•DuPont Food security index (there
are others)
•http://foodsecurity.eiu.com
Availability
Affordability
Safety and Quality

18. Norman E. Borlaug

19. Growth rates due to early years of the
Green Revolution (1961-1980)
3.5
3
2.5
2
Other inputs
Cultivars
1.5
1
0.5
0
Latin America
Asia
Middle East
Africa

20. Growth rates due to late years of the
Green Revolution (1981-2000)
2.5
2
1.5
Other inputs
Cultivars
1
0.5
0
-0.5
Latin America
Asia
Middle East
Africa

22. Wheat
Genetic history: plant breeding.
Dwarfing genes
reduced the
weight of straw,
changing the
distribution of
resources and
Dwarfing genes
resulting in:
allow increased:
•Higher grain
•Nitrogen fertiliser
yields.
levels.
In addition,
Which increased
pleiotropic effects
susceptibility to
of the dwarfing
disease. But plants
gene include
were protected by
more developed:
newly grains per
ear.
•Fungicide

23. •
•
•
•
What do plant breeders do?
How do they ‘introduce dwarfing genes’?
Where do these new genes come from?
Other questions?

24. Pedigree method

25. Participatory maize breeding in Africa
• Prioritize most important stresses
under farmers’ conditions
• Manage trials on experiment
station and evaluate large numbers
of cultivars,
• Select the best, and …
• Involve farmers
– Mother trials in center of farming
community grown under best-bet
input conditions
– Farmer-representative input
conditions
– Farmer-managed baby trials
• Partnership with extension, NGOs,
rural schools, and farmer
associations
The Mother / Baby trial design
Collaborative, on-farm evaluation of maize cultivars
Performance under
farmers’ conditions
and farmers’
acceptance

26. Holistic Research
“No matter how excellent the
research done in one scientific
discipline is, its application in
isolation will have little positive
effect on crop production. What
is needed are venturesome
scientists who can work across
disciplines to produce
appropriate technologies and
who have the courage to make
their case with political leaders
to bring these advances to
fruition. ”
Norman E. Borlaug

27. •Father of the Green revolution:
Norman Borlaug.
•Where did he find the dwarf geneDiversity! Japanese
accession..Gene Banks
•How did he make possible to grow
dwarf wheat in a variety of
environments?

28. Fundamental role of Diversity &
Selection
Reference: Michael Balter (2007) Seeking Agriculture’s Ancient Roots, Science 316, 1830-1835

29. Crop Biodiversity
The Seed Vault at Svalbard
Global Crop Diversity Trust

30. Sources of novel variation
•
•
•
•
International germplasm
Landrace, or traditional varieties
Wild relatives
Progenitor species

34. Maize has more molecular diversity than
humans and apes combined
1.34%
0.09%
1.42%
Silent Diversity (Zhao PNAS 2000; Tenallion et al, PNAS 2001)

35. • Organisation and importance of Diversity
• Selection is a powerful tool but need to
understand & know what to select for.

36. Courtesy Tobert Rocheford and
Catherine Bermudez Kandianis
Keith Weller
Keith Weller
Scott Bauer
Doug Wilson

37. ‘all life depends on sunlight
and a green leaf’
biology is the science of the
natural world & critical to the
future of agriculture.

39. Plant Breeding: Mining
Diversity
•
•
SHW back-crossing by CIMMYT
Identified reduced group of
94 for back-crossing to Xi19 &
Paragon by diversity analysis
•
Develop UK adapted synthetic
backcross derived lines
(SHW-D) approx. 6,000 lines
•
SHW back-crossing by NIAB
Genotypic and phenotypic
assessment of 440 CIMMYT
primary SHW
Assess agronomic
characteristics of SHW-D
including pest & disease
resistance, yield components,
drought tolerance and
nitrogen use efficiency

40. Paragon x SHW BC1F2 selections
Delayed senescence
Increased grain sites

41. Drought in Africa between now and 2090
Red, Orange =
More prone to
drought
Blue =
Wetter and less
prone to
drought
Hadley Centre, Met Office, UK

42. Evaluation of drought
tolerance
High spike photosynthesis
Stem reserves
High preanthesis biomass
Cellular traits: osmotic adjustment, heat tolerance, etc.
Leaf traits: wax, rolling,
thickness, etc.
Early ground cover
Long coleoptile
Large seed
Water relations:
stomatal conductance,
etc.

43. Drought assessment at
CIMMYT Mexico
Drought trials at Obregon, N. Mexico
Tractor-mounted Giddings soil corer

44. Conventional pedigree selection
Reproduced from Koebner & Summers 2003

45. Marker- Aided Selection
• Locating
and
tagging the
genes
• Genes??

46. Genes (Every organism carries inside
itself what are known as genes)
• DNA is divided into
sections called
genes.
• Each gene codes
for a protein
• Each protein has a
function

47. DNA - the code for life
• The DNA code consists
of just 4 building
blocks:
– A, C, T and G.
A C T G
...GCCTTACG…
....ACTGCCTGGAAC….
….TGACGGACCTTG….
Source: Microsoft Encarta
• Whether we are
bacteria, fungi
earthworms, mushrooms
or humans our DNA has
the same building
blocks, just in a
different order.
Source: Microsoft Encarta

48. Chromosome changes: mutations

49. • A new characteristic is the result of a gene
mutation
• Genes can be amplified and ‘seen’ as
molecular markers.
• Breeders are choosing genes or
combinations of genes which give the
characters the farmer needs

51. Vavilov 1887-1943
•Soviet botanist & geneticist
•Discovered and identified
centres of origin of cultivated
plants
•Criticised the nonMendelian concepts of
Lysenko
•Arrested in 1940, died of
malnutrition in prison in
1943.

52. Many plant species have
been domesticated
around the world
All of the principal crops we
rely on today come from
domesticated species

53. Domestication: the first plant
breeders
The practice of artificial selection has been practiced by
farmers for thousands of years and has transformed
wild plants into the crops we depend on today through
this process of domestication

54. Crop origins and diversification: multiple births
Science 316, 1830-1835
ESEB Congress, Uppsala,
Sweden, August 2007

55. Domestication
traits: traits that
distinguish seed &
fruit crops from
their progenitors

56. Little overlap between centres of origin & today’s
productive agriculture.
Nature Vol 418, 700-707
ESEB Congress, Uppsala,
Sweden, August 2007

57. • Genetics: the science underlying plant
breeding.

58. Heredity
•Heredity is the
passing of traits
to offspring
(from its parent
or ancestors).
Offspring resemble their parents more than they
resemble unrelated individuals (why is this so?)

59. Charles Darwin
Evolution is driven by natural selection

60. Darwin’s mentor
Great Teachers often feature in the development of Great People!

61. Dr Tina Barsby
Plant Science into Practice
•Agriculture depends on plant
breeding, choosing the best, crossing
the best with the best and hoping for
the best…
•With a little guidance from genetics!
•And the blessing of good soil and
rainfall.

62. Sexual reproduction in plants

64. F1 Hybrids
ESEB Congress, Uppsala,
Sweden, August 2007

65. USA: Historic Maize Yields
6
5
Yield
(tonnes/ha)
4
3
2
1
0
1875
To put your footer here go to View > Header and Footer
1925
1975
65

66. Hybrid vrs Open pollinated maize
On the left, a
local landrace
variety
On the right a
new, hybrid
maize variety
developed by
CIMMYT
with PASS
funding.

67. Concepts of Hybrid Production - Hybrid Vigour (Heterosis)
Hybrid Vigour is the superiority of progeny (offspring) (F1)
over the mean of its two parents (P)
heterozygous
heterosis
inbreeding depression
homozygous
selfing

68. History of Hybrids in Sorghum
5000
United States
4500
3500
3000
2500
2000
Inbred Varieties
1500
Hybrid Cultivars
1000
500
Year
1997
1993
1989
1985
1981
1977
1973
1969
1965
1961
1957
1953
1949
1945
1941
1937
1933
0
1929
Yield (kg/ha)
4000

69. Hybrid Seed Production
– Getting the cross
• Hybrids are produced by hand emasculation
in corn.
• In wheat, chemicals are used to sterilize the
pollen.
• Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is used for
hybrid seed production in sorghum and
pearl millet.

70. Training of Seed Growers in Hybrid Production
Crossing A and B lines
Heat sterilization of pollen using polythene bag
Identifying the different parts of the sorghum plant

72. Gregor Johann Mendel,
(b. 22 July 1822; d. 6 January 1884)
Moravia, Austro-Hungarian Empire
Brno (Czech Rep.)
Experimemts, 1856-1870
Originator of the concept of the gene
(autosomal inheritance)
Birthplace of Modern Genetic Analysis
Augustinian monastry garden, St. Thomas,
Brünn, Austria

73. Mendel’s Laws
• Law of equal segregation (First Law)
The two members of a gene pair
segregate from each other into the
gametes; so that half the gametes carry
one member of the pair and the other
half of the gametes carry the other
member of the pair.
• Law of Independent Assortment (Second Law)
- different gene pairs assort
independently during gamete
formation

74. Reasons for choosing to study garden pea
• Can be grown in a small area
• Produce lots of offspring
• Easily identifiable traits
• Can be artificially crosspollinated

75. A pea flower with the keel cut and opened
to expose the reproductive parts

76. Artificial cross pollination

77. Genes (The genes are codes or messages. They carry
information. The information they carry is used to tell
the organism what chemicals it needs to make in order
to survive, grow or reproduce )
• Genes make us who
we are
• We receive our
genes from our
parents
• The same is true for
all animals, plants
and microbes

78. The seven character differences studied by Mendel

79. purple-flowered (f) x white flowered (m)

80. Summary and conclusions of Mendel’s experiments
•After crossing pure parental strains, the
F1 produced 100% of one character.
•After self-pollinating the F1, both
characters showed up in a 3:1 ratio.
•Because the same types of ratio kept
coming up, Mendel believed that there
must be some mathematical formula or
explanation for the observed data
•The first assumption made by Mendel
was that there must be a ”pair of factors”
that controls the trait in pea plant. This
“pair of factors” idea helped him
formulate his principles

81. Dominant and recessive traits

83. Mendel’s Laws
• Law of equal segregation (First Law)
The two members of a gene pair
segregate from each other into the
gametes; so that half the gametes carry
one member of the pair and the other
half of the gametes carry the other
member of the pair.
• Law of Independent Assortment (Second Law)
different gene pairs assort
independently during gamete
formation

84. Information from genes.

86. Serendipity: Natural Hybridisation
 Many modern crop species are the result of ancient (or
recent) hybridisation events.
Oilseed Rape
Cotton
Wheat
Maize

87. Wheat a classic allo-hexaploid
Science Vol 316, 1862-1866
ESEB Congress, Uppsala,
Sweden, August 2007

89. The New Rice for Africa
Monty Jones
2004

90. Selective breeding is a powerful tool
ESEB Congress, Uppsala,
Sweden, August 2007

91. ‘Doubly Green Revolution’
Sir Gordon Conway
• The aim
•repeat the success of the Green
Revolution
•on a global scale to include Africa
•in many diverse localities
• and be
•equitable
•sustainable
•and environmentally friendly

92. Daily calorie intake in developing world
Rice
45%
Wheat
29%
Maize
11%
Cassava
3%
Sorghum
2%
Potato
2%
Sweet potato
2%
Millet
2%
Soybean
2%
Bean
1%

93. t/ha
US maize yields still rising –
why?
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
-1.0
Source: Defra & USDA
2006
2004
2002
2000
1998
1996
1994
1992
1990
1988
-0.5
1986
0.0

94. “The Three Pillars of Yield”
BREEDING
AGRONOMICS
BIOTECHNOLOGY
Strategically breed plants
to create new, more robust
seeds that perform better –
and longer – in the field.
Use precision ag, planting density,
plant health protection, and
conservation tillage to make acres
more productive.
Supplement breeding
advancements by adding
special beneficial genes
to the plant.
ALL THREE ARE CRITICAL IN DELIVERING YIELD TODAY – AND TOMORROW

95. The Importance of Genetics
Products
Germplasm Development
Traditional &
Molecular Breeding
Genetics
Genetic diversity
Analytical Screens
Biochemistry
Variety Development
Yield Trials
Product Testing
Molecular Genetics
Market Identification
by Trait, Crop,
species
Transgenic Plant
Development
Cell Culture
Molecular Biology
Genetics
Gene Discovery
Plant Biology
Genomics
• 24 ABI 377 Automated sequencers
• 20,000 Lane per week capacity

96. Bioinformatics
DNA
Sequencing
and ‘Omics
© ISTOCKPHOTO
DAVID MARCHAL
SNP
Genotyping

97. The Life sciences revolution
Unlocking the genetic potential
of the biosphere
Exciting time
Molecular biology
Computer science
Plant
Breeding
Mathematics
Sustainable food
production

98. Contemporary Science
ATGGATCTATCCCTGGCTCCGACAACAACAACAAGTTCCGACCAAGAACAAGACAGAGACCAAGAATTAACCTCCAACATGGAGCAAGCAGCAGCTCCGGTCCCAGCGGAAACAACAACAACCTTCCGATGATG
ATGATTCCACCTCCGGAGAAAGAACACATGTTCGACAAAGTGGTAACACCAAGCGACGTCGGAAAACTCAACAGACTCGTGATCCCTAAACAACACGCTGAGAGTATTTCCCTCTAGACTCCTCAAACAACCAAA
ACGGCACGCTTTTGAACTTCCAAGACAGAAACGGCAAGATGTGGAGATTCCGTTACTCGTATTGGAACTCTAGCCAGAGCTACGTTATGACCAAAGGATGGAGCCGTTTCGTCAAAGAGAAAAAGCTCGATGCA
GGAGACATTGTCTCTTTCCAACGAGGCATCGGAGATGAGTCAGAAAGATCCAAACTTTACATAGATTGGAGGCATAGACCCGACATGAGCCTCGTTCAAGCACATCAGTTTGGTAATTTTGGTTTCAATTTCAATT
TCCCGACCACTTCTCAATATTCCAACAGATTTCATCCATTGCCAGAATATAACTCCGTCCCGATTCACCGGGGCTTAAACATCGGAAATCACCAACGTTCCTATTATAACACCCAGCGTCAAGAGTTCGTAGGGTAT
GGTTATGGGAATTTAGCTGGAAGGTGTTACTACACGGGATCACCGTTGGATCATAGGAACATTGTTGGATCAGAGCCGTTGGTTATAGACTCAGTCCCTGTGGTTCCCGGGAGATTAACTCCGGTGATGTTACC
GCCGCTTCCTCCGCCTCCTTCTACGGCGGGAAAGAGACTAAGGCTCTTTGGGGTGAATATGGAATGTGGCAATGACTATAATCAACAAGAAGAGTCATGGTTGGTGCCACGTGGCGAAATTGGTGCATCTTCTT
CTTCTTCTTCAGCTCTACGACTAAATTTATCGACTGATCATGATGATGATAATGATGATGGTGATGATGGCGATGATGATCAATTTGCTAAGAAAGGGAAGTCTTCACTTTCTCTCAATTTCAATCCATGA
DNA – a common language across living organisms in the biosphere
genome programmes link understanding of biology to agriculture
implications for:
- livestock
- arable
- forestry
- aquaculture

99. Democratisation of genomics
Roche 454: Metagenomics,
amplicon sequencing, BAC
sequencing
Illumina: HiScanSQ for genomes, transcriptomes or GBS / MiSeq for
amplicons, small genomes, focused GBS and pilot experiments
Ion Torrent: PGM for metagenomics, small genomes, BACS / Proton (due Sep ‘12!) for genomes, transcriptomes

100. Genes provide the foundation of new products for
farmers
Genes
Protein
yield?
tolerance to drought?
flowering time?
Trait
biomass utility?
improved agronomy?
tolerance to cold?
Product

101. In Era of Gene-Based Breeding, Amount of Data Explodes, Accelerating
Ability to Realize Step-Change Improvements
Traits
GENOMES/YEAR
Genome for
every yield plot
Reference
genomes for
each crop
•Heterosis
•Phenotypic & metabolic
plasticity
•Perenniality
Genomes
targeted for
specific traits
(disease)
•Evolution breeding
systems
•Ecological
competitive ability
•Intra & intergenotypic
Competition
PREDICTION POWER ACCELERATING
• Gene prediction knowledge will grow exponentially
• Unlocks the opportunity for gene-based breeding
•Nutrient
mobilisation
Crop & Root
ideotypes
Water utilisation

102. Pau Euralis
Ag Chem & Seed Industry May 2000
July 1996
100% Equity
August 1996
100% Equity
Interstate
Payco Payco
Interstate
GarstSeed Co.
Seed
Garst
Mendel Biotech
AstraZeneca
PLC
The Netherlands
August 1996
100% Equity
June 1997
$78 M 100% Equit y
United Kingdom
Mogen International NV
Paradigm Genetics
ExSeedGenetics LLC
December 1997
July 1998
$1.4 Best
( )
April 1996
$30 M 50% Equity
November 1996
$50 M 5% Equit y
May 1997
$242 M 45% Equit y
Total cost $322 Million
Plant Breeding
International
Cambridge, .
Ltd.
Ltd
July 1998
$525 M 100% Equity
Monsanto/
Pharmacia
United Kingdom
June 1998
First Line Seeds, .
Ltd.
Ltd
Canada
Novartis AG
November 1998
50% Equit y
August 1998
100% Equity
Agritrading
Italy
(Syngenta
AG)
Wilson Seeds, Inc.
1998
100% Equity
July 1999
100% Equity
December 1998
40% Equit y
Brazil
Asgrow Seed
Company LLC
DeKalb Genetics
Corporation
France
July 1997
Affymetrix
CuraGen
Koipesol
/Agrosem
/Agra
Spain
November 1996
$240 M 100% Equity
Custom Farm Seed
July 1999
20% Equit y
U.S. Cooperative
System:
Croplan
Genetics, FFR,
March 1996
$1.2 B 40% Equit y
May 1998
$2.5 B 100% Equity
Total cost $3.7 Billion
Jacob Hartz
Seed Co., Inc.
Monsoy
France
July 1999
80% Equit y
Switzerland
November 1997
JV wit h FT
Sementes
Corn States Hybrid Service, Inc.
Sarl.
Corn States International .
Sarl
Eridania
Beghin
-Say
Land O’ Lakes
November 1998
50% Equit y
January 1997
$1.02 B 100% Equit y
Holden’s
Foundation
Seeds
April 1998
100% Equity
Sturdy Grow Hybrids, Inc.
1983
100% Equity
Cereon
Syngenta AG
Diversa Corp.
GrowMark
, etc.
May 1998
$100 M 50% Equit y
Joint Venture
Cargill’s International
Seed Division
$150 M 100% Equity
April 1996
Calgene,
,
Calgene Inc.
20% Equit y
The Netherlands
France
Zimmerman
Hybrids, Inc.
May 1998
$100 M 50% Equit y
Joint Venture
Other Companies
Advanta BV
Advanta BV
Cargill Inc.
,
Renessen
Agracetus Inc.
,
Cooperatives
August 1996
50% Equit y
August 1996
HybriTechSeed
HybriTechSeed
Int’l., Inc. 100% Equity
1982
November 1997
$150 M 100% Equity
Joint Ventures
50%
RoyalVanderHave Equit y
The Netherlands
France
Brazil
Seed Companies
The Netherlands
100% Equity
Cargill Hybrid Seeds
North America
HybriTech
Europe SA
February 1996
90% Equit y
SA
Sementes Agroceres
Life Science Companies
Cooperatie CosunUA
UA
France
February 1996
10% Equit y
AgriPro Seed
Wheat Division
Italy
Maisadour
Semences
SA
OGS
Pioneer Hi-Bred
International, Inc.
Maxygen
April 1998
100% Equity
BASF
March 1999
100% Equity
HybrinovaSA
HybrinovaSA
Lynx
Dois Marcos
October 1999
100% Equity
August 1997
50% Equit y
Brazil
Lexicon
Incyte
Nidera Semillas
ScheringAG
India
February 1999
100% Equity
Sementes Ribeiral Ltda
.
Sementes Fartura Ltda
Mitla Pesquisa Agricola Ltda
Brazil
December 1999
24% Equit y
Germany
Aventis CropScience
December 1999
76% Equit y
March 1998
50% Equit y
1996
95% Equit y
Germany
Canada
Agritope/Agrinomics
RhoBio
France
Diversa
15% Equit y
Canada
France
France
Protein Technologies
Brazil
1997
25% Equit y
Morgan Seeds
Argentina
Nickerson
Seeds
United Kingdom
March 1994
100% Equity
99%
Equity
France
October 1990
100% Equity
October 1993
80% Equit y
September 1996
$34.6 M
100% Equity
Akin Seed Co.
Groupe
Limagrain
Dinamilho
Carol
Productos Agricolas Ltda
International
1997 55% Equit y
July 1994
85% Equit y
KingAgroInc.
Pau Euralis
March 1998
50% Equit y
Biogemma
Callahan Seeds
June 1994
100% Equity
Lynx
December 1997
$1.5 B 100% Equity
Mais Angevin
France
Biotechnica
International, Inc./
LG Seeds
April 1998
$32 M
100% Equity
Verneuil
Holding SA
France
December 1996
$9.4 M 18.75%
Equity
March 1999
$15 M
25% Equit y
France
France
Plantec Biotechnologie
Great Lakes
Hybrids, Inc.
83.6%
Illinois Foundation Seed, Inc. Equit y
AgrEvo
July 1999
100% Equity
1993 80% Equit y
Advanced
AgriTraits
March 1999
16.4% Equit y
August 1997
50% Equit y
March 1999
12% Equit y
KWS Saat
Exelixis
Pending
Up to 25% Equit y
August 1996
75% Equit y- $550M
ProagroGroup
Aventis SA
Argentina
Germany
Plant Genetic Systems
International (PGS)
E.I. DuPont de
Nemours & Co.
Optimum Quality
Grains, LLC
Dow
Agrosciences
October 1998
$322 M 100% Equity
Diversa
Diversa)
Mycogen
Corporation
September 1998
100% Equity
Paradigm
Incyte
LION
Exelixis
Bayer
February 1996
$72 M
100% Equity
Hibridos Colorado Ltda
deMilho
FT Biogeneticsde Milho Ltda
United AgriseedsInc.
,
Brazil
Large Scale Biology (BioSource)

105. Distribution of Miscanthus Species
N 55°
N 24°
S 9°
after Hodkinson & Renvoize et al. 2001

106. IGER’s hunt for Asian elephant grass
http://www.iger.bbsrc.ac.uk/News/9march2007miscanthus.htm
China
Taiwan
Japan

107. Crossing
• Hybridisation Strategy
• 2n M. sinensis x 2n M.
sinensis from wide
geographical origins
• 4n M. sacchariflorus x
2n M. sinensis to
produce 3n M. x
giganteus types

108. Selection

113. STARCH BIOSYNTHESIS ENZYMES
ADPglucose
SSI
SSIIa
SSIII
GBSSI
Amylose
BEI
BEIIa
BEIIb
Isa1
Amylopectin

114. Waxy & Starch Synthase – Tetra-ARMs
400 bp
300 bp
200 bp
100 bp
Negative Control
Riso 16
YMK + Tipple
YMK
Tipple
Tipple
Tipple
Tipple x YMK F1
Tipple x YMK F1
Tipple x YMK F1
Tipple x YMK F1
Tipple x YMK F1
Tipple x YMK F1
•Tetra-ARMs PCR applied to both these genes.
•Example below is a gel of the waxy amplicons
external fragment
(PCR positive control)
wild type amplicon
mutant specific amplicon

116. Ghana’s
Success
Story
Sources: Development Outreach,
October, 08;Coulombe & Wodon,
World Bank; Irish Hunger Report
• MDG 1 achieved
• Malnourished - 5.8m in
1993 to 2.7 m in 2003.
• Declines in %
underweight children
and mortality
• Strong agricultural
growth since 80s
• 25% increase due to
area expansion
• Maize yield up by 36%,
cassava by 50%
• New maize, yam, rice
and cassava varieties
• A pest resistant cassava.
• Strong growth in
smallholder cocoa &
pineapples
• Market liberalisation
• New rural infrastructure

117. All this is threatened by
Climate Change
• Higher
temperatures
• Greater & more
intense rainfall
• Greater droughts
• River bank erosion
• Rising sea levels
• More intense
cyclones
• Salt water
incursions

118. The biosphere – nature’s solutions

119. Next steps ?
Proteomics
Genomics
Analytical Technology
Transgenic Traits
Molecular Engineering
(Higher Sustainable Yields)
Germplasm Improvement
Breeding: major technology platform for
food, water & energy security
Winter Nurseries
Computer Technology
Plot Mechanisation
Quantitative Genetics
Statistics
Pedigree Breeding
Hybridisation
Open Pollinated Selection
Time
New Opportunities for Agriculture
Plant Breeders use any
combination of these technologies
to develop enhanced products for
customers, and continue to
explore technologies to enhance
this process

120. Dr Tina Barsby
Plant Science into Practice
•Developing an industry-wide resource, showcasing new
technology and innovation in plant genetic development
for the agriculture and horticulture sectors, on themes of: