Australian Plant Geneticist Honoured

The head of a leading Australian plant genetics research centre is South Australia's Scientist of the Year.

Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics chief executive Peter Langridge was honoured by SA Science and Information Economy Minister Tom Kenyon last week.

Mr Kenyon said Prof Langridge had played a key role in plant genomics technology which is critical to ensuring global food security.

"Australia is regarded as a world leader in this technology because of his work and he's an outstanding winner of South Australia's highest award for science," Mr Kenyon said.

The genomics centre is based at Adelaide University's Waite campus with research arms at the universities of Melbourne, Queensland and South Australia.

Most of the research work done centres on developing ways for wheat and barley plants to cope better against environmental stresses, such as drought and salinity, but also focuses on ways to use nutrients more efficiently.

Source: http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au

Seed safety

By Mark Moore

Manufacturers of new seed treatments say they now do more than just protect the value of the seed.

As the value of seed goes up, so does the market for seed treatments.

“Producers are looking at every option to protect their valuable seed investment,” says Charlie Hale, product manager, inoculants, Becker Underwood. “Seed treatments offer a wide range of protection against diseases and pests that can reduce yield. In addition, there is a growing list of seed-treatment tools that show promise for improved plant performance that don't necessarily provide disease or insect protection.”

The new treatments now include nematode protection, improved plant health and protection from environmental stresses. Read more>

Double chromosomes equals more plant power

By Karin Kloosterman

Biofuels are alternative energy fuels produced from living organisms or metabolic byproducts (organic or food waste products). If we could just find a more efficient way to unlock their energy, and to minimize the amount of land and water resources needed to grow them, they could replace the polluting and limited reserves of fossil fuels currently in use.Now "Kaiima Bio-Agritech" of Israel believes that it has found a way to do just that."The oil is going to end," Ariel Krolzig, product manager of Kaiima, tells ISRAEL21c. "It's a question of time. In the last few years no new oil fields have been found. Why are countries like Brazil looking for alternatives?" he asks rhetorically.Sporting a sage-like beard, Krolzig is standing beside the star of his likely success story, a castor oil plant. He proceeds to describe the method developed by Kaiima that doubles a plant's chromosomes from a set of two to a set of four.This doubling results in higher cell activity, increased photosynthesis and better adaptation to local conditions in the field. Most importantly, it more than doubles the plant's biofuel potential.

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Process For 'Surgical' Genetic Changes In Plants Developed

The breakthrough was developed by David Wright, an associate scientist, and Jeffery Townsend, an assistant scientist, and allows targeted genetic manipulations in plant DNA, which could have a huge impact on plant genetic work in the future.Until now, when scientists introduced DNA into plants, they would randomly inject that DNA into the plant cell. There was no way of knowing if it was in the right place or if it would work until many resulting plants were tested.The new technique harnesses a natural process called homologous recombination to precisely introduce DNA at a predetermined location in the plant genome through targeted DNA breaks generated by zinc finger nucleases. This occurs about 1 in 50 attempts and is very efficient compared to unassisted methods that allow the same changes at a rate as low as 1 in 10 million.

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Researchers publish integrated genetic and cytogenetic map of the cucumber genome

A team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the China Agricultural University and the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has produced the world's first integrated genetic and cytogenetic map of the cucumber genome, an important resource for scientists working to develop improved cucurbit crops."This map will facilitate whole genome sequencing and positional cloning, enhance marker assisted selection (MAS), and provide opportunities to investigate synteny among cucurbit species," wrote Sanwen Huang, a researcher at the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and his colleagues in a paper published by PLoS One.

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The Food of the Future

Seminar presented by Pamela Ronald, head of the plant genetics lab at University of California-Davis, and organic farmer Raoul Adamchak, husband and wife and co-authors of "Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food." 7:30-9 p.m. July 28. Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center, Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street. $10. 415-561-6582, www.brownpapertickets.com/event/72367.

Iowa State University researchers develop process for 'surgical' genetic changes

AMES, Iowa - Research led by scientists at Iowa State University's Plant Sciences Institute has resulted in a process that will make genetic changes in plant genes much more efficient, practical and safe.

The breakthrough was developed by David Wright, an associate scientist, and Jeffery Townsend, an assistant scientist, and allows targeted genetic manipulations in plant DNA, which could have a huge impact on plant genetic work in the future.

Until now, when scientists introduced DNA into plants, they would randomly inject that DNA into the plant cell. There was no way of knowing if it was in the right place or if it would work until many resulting plants were tested.

The new technique harnesses a natural process called homologous recombination to precisely introduce DNA at a predetermined location in the plant genome through targeted DNA breaks generated by zinc finger nucleases. This occurs about 1 in 50 attempts and is very efficient compared to unassisted methods that allow the same changes at a rate as low as 1 in 10 million.

Read more>

Ethiopian-American Professor Awarded World Food Prize

WASHINGTON – Dr. Gebisa Ejeta of Ethiopia has been named winner of the $250,000 World Food Prize for his monumental contributions in the production of sorghum, one of the world’s five principal cereal grains, which have dramatically enhanced the food supply of hundreds of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa.

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WA in the spotlight for global plant geneticists

Perth will become “gene central” for the world’s leading genome scientists this November, and Australia’s grain industry will be among the major beneficiaries.

The GRDC sponsored OECD-GenomeAssociation-OZ09 conference will be held at the University of Western Australia (UWA) 9-12 November 2009.

The major focus of the conference is on applying the incredible advances in human and animal genome mapping technology to grain crops.

According to conference convenor, UWA Professor Wallace Cowling, major advances are occurring through genome association mapping in humans, animals and some plant species.

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