NEW PLANT BREEDING METHODS FOR SUSTAINABLE USE OF GENETIC RESOURCES AND SECURITY OF FOOD PRODUCTION

 A AAUN workshop on New Plant Breeding Methods for Sustainable Use of Genetic Resources and Security of Food Production was organized by the University of Mauritius (UOM), in collaboration with the University of Western Australia, from 29 to 31 January 2018. The convenors were Prof Wallace Cowling (AAUN project PI), University of Western Australia and Prof Sunita Facknath
(AAUN partner), University of Mauritius.

Prof Wallace Cowling and Prof Sunita Facknath

 The objectives of the workshop 

• To review the existing plant breeding methodologies
• To evaluate new methods for sustainable genetic improvement in important food crops for AAUN partner countries.
• To identify barriers to the successful adoption of the new plant breeding methodologies.

Key Learning Topics
It is postulated that new animal breeding methods, such as optimal contributions selection and genomic selection, may enhance long‐term crop improvement based on genetic diversity from crop genebanks and elite crop varieties, thereby reducing the time for crop genetic improvement. Participants, mainly plant breeders and researchers from AAUN member universities attended the workshop and learned how the animal model can be used in crop breeding programmes.


Keynote Speakers 
The Keynote speakers were Emeritus Professor Brian Kinghorn, University of New England, Australia and Prof Raphael Mrode, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya.of ILRI, They spoke on how to accelerate genetic progress into the long term with animal breeding technologies such as BLUP analysis to derive predicted breeding values (PBV), index selection composed of PBV for several economic traits, and optimal contributions selection and trait management and ways of improving accuracy by using information from relatives ‐ the animal model.

Participants
Delegates attending this workshop include AAUN‐sponsored delegates from member universities in Africa and Australia, plus several other plant breeders and researchers from Africa.
Plant breeders and geneticists from The University of Western Australia, University of Sydney, University of Pretoria  also gave talks on their crop genetic improvement programme.

Local and Overseas Particiapants

Discussion were held on the ability of the new methods to improve adaptation of crops to changing climates, and thereby improve future food security. The deliberations of the workshop will also be published in a special issue of the Journal of Food and Energy Security.