Workshop Opening

Workshop Opening and Keynotes

Ronnie Coffman
Opening Remarks
Ronnie Coffman, Vice-Chair, Borlaug Global Rust Initiative
Maricelis Acevedo
Introduction
Maricelis Acevedo, DGGW, Cornell University, Department of Global Development
Theo De Jager
Keynote

COVID-19’s impact on agriculture

Theo De Jager, President, World Farmer’s Organisation

Gene Stewardship

08:30 EDT / 12:30 UTC

Moderator: Robert Bowden, USDA-ARS

Breeder’s Rights, Breeder’s Responsibilities

Mary Guttieri
Speaker:
Mary Guttieri, USDA-ARS

Abstract

Rapidly changing virulence patterns in cereal rust pathogens present both technical and ethical challenges to the global breeding community. Highly effective host plant resistance (R) genes, which require many years to discover, characterize, and deploy, can be rendered useless within a few years of commercial deployment. Considerations for addressing critical, near-term regional needs may contravene consideration for the long-term common good. Ethical questions surrounding gene stewardship are independently addressed by an array of public and private organizations with varying, and sometimes competing, interests. We propose the application of a genetic utility conservation ethic to R genes. The focus of this conservation ethic is on maintaining the utility of R genes. Conservation ethics integrate resource allocation, exploitation, and protection. Access to foundational plant genetic resources is widely considered a general right for all of humanity. Plant intellectual property protection (IPP) provisions function as economic instruments to enhance resource allocation to the development of improved plant germplasm from these foundational genetic resources, with primary benefits to producers, and derivative benefits to society in general. Such benefits may be accrued at the cost of temporarily restricted access to the improved germplasm. The breeder’s exemption in IPP limits duration of the developer’s control of effective gene combinations in commercial germplasm to one breeding cycle. High-value genes presently commercially deployed (e.g. Yr5, Yr15, Sr22, Sr26) can be protected only through concerted commitment to common stewardship principles. Alternatively, prior to first commercialization, utilization of high-value genetic resources may be modulated by provisions incorporated in material transfer agreements (MTAs) for germplasm exchange. MTAs can conserve utility through one breeding cycle of commercialization by requiring deployment of gene combinations in commercialized products and restricting distribution of derived experimental germplasm. Ultimately, legal mechanisms for regulating gene stewardship are short-term. Long-term ethical gene stewardship strategies will require broad engagement of stakeholders and will necessarily be situationally adapted to address both regional and global needs of humanity for a sustainable food supply.

Seed Multiplication & Variety Adoption

09:20 EDT / 13:20 UTC

Moderator: Vijay Paranjape, Sathguru Management Consultants

Determination of farm level varietal adoption in wheat using DNA fingerprinting in Bangladesh

Speaker:
Md. Ashraful Alam, Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute

Abstract

Wheat is the second most important staple food in Bangladesh. Wheat accounts for about 12 percent of total cereal consumption in Bangladesh. Identifying and measuring the area under improved varieties and assessing varietal turnover plays a central role in varietal adoption and impact assessments. DNA fingerprinting, offers a reliable method to accurately identify varieties grown by farmers. Reference samples ( 28) , collected from breeder seed field and 1502 field samples collected from wheat growing provinces of Bangladesh were used, for assessing the adoption and distribution of the wheat varieties across small and medium farms. The field samples were compared to reference material to generate a distance matrix using SNP arrays by Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT). The DNA fingerprinting results revealed that 5 major varieties are adopted by the farmers in the last year (2018-19). Among those varieties, BARI Gom 24 (Prodip) shared 27% of total collected samples. BARI Gom 25, BARI Gom 26 and BARI Gom 28 ranked 2nd, 3rd and 4th position according to the share of cultivated area covered. The study highlighted the importance of DNA fingerprinting for reliable and accurate assessment of regional varietal preferences and distribution across Bangladesh. While previously released varieties and recently released varieties were still commonly grown, recently released stress-tolerant wheat varieties were adopted in large proportions in all districts. This study identifies focal points for extension work and validates DNA fingerprinting as reliable method for impact assessment studies.

Keynote

10:10 EDT / 14:10 UTC

Decade of Stem Rust Phenotyping Network: Opportunities, Challenges and Way Forward

Sridhar Bhavani
Keynote Speaker:
Sridhar Bhavani, CIMMYT

Abstract

Stem rust races belonging to the Ug99 race group and unrelated stem rust races reported in various geographies in the last decade have once again highlighted the threat of the devastating disease that can pose a significant challenge to global wheat production worldwide. Concerted collaborative efforts in mitigating the threat of stem rust through international organizations and national programs have effectively curtailed significant epidemics largely through development and deployment of rust-resistant varieties, effective screening of breeder’s germplasm at international stem rust phenotyping platforms established in Kenya and Ethiopia, coupled with global monitoring and surveillance of the pathogen races. Effective partnership between CIMMYT, KALRO, EIAR and Delivering Genetic Gains in Wheat (DGGW) project on global stem rust phenotyping has made significant progress and impact on the global wheat community in addressing the threat of stem rust in the region. International stem rust phenotyping platforms established at Njoro (KALRO) and Debrezeit (EIAR) play key roles in evaluating global wheat germplasm from several countries and institutions, identifying new sources of resistance, pre-breeding efforts, CIMMYT-Kenya shuttle breeding, pathogen survey and surveillance, varietal release, characterizing APR and major genes, and genomic selection prediction models. Over 650,000 lines have been screened against Ug99 and derivatives since 2005, and the screening capacity at KALRO; Njoro has increased to 50,000 lines each year from over 20-25 countries and research institutions each year. The results from international nurseries show a shift to higher frequencies of lines with resistance to race Ug99 since the screening activities were initiated in 2008. Similarly close to 150,000 wheat landraces and advanced breeding lines including durum wheat have been evaluated in Debrezeit. A global rust monitoring system reflecting increased surveillance efforts has identified 13 races within the Ug99 lineage in 13 countries and unrelated lineages are emerging, spreading and posing serious threats to wheat production. Multiple race-specific genes have been characterized in collaboration with multiple research organizations and mapping and characterization of new QTL conferring APR have been identified in multiple studies using bi-parental mapping populations and genome-wide association studies at CIMMYT. Genomic prediction models for APR using data from the international Ug99 stem rust screening nurseries showed promising results of high correlations within and across year selections. KALRO and EIAR have a dynamic and successful breeding program that benefits from collaboration, testing, and release of materials coming out of the CIMMYT breeding program. Release of over 17 varieties in Kenya as well as in Ethiopia and more than 95 varieties released in several countries globally over the years is a testament to the success of the impacts of the program. This International screening activity has produced global benefits that reach far beyond the borders of Kenya and Ethiopia with spillover effects of varieties released in Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda. CIMMYT-Kenya shuttle breeding has resulted in rapid cycling of breeding populations and over 2000 populations are shuttled each year between Mexico and Kenya to evaluate and select lines in early generations against virulent stem rust races in Kenya to ensure lines have adequate levels of resistance. Candidates of the stage1 (10,000 annually) and stage 2 (1500) yield trials are also evaluated that are later constituted as international nurseries and distributed to National programs and partners. Despite tremendous progress, incursion and evolution of new races in the East African region have rendered several varieties susceptible, favorable climatic conditions and incursion of new yellow rust races and septoria have compounded the biotic stress constraints in the region. However, these phenotyping hubs continue to serve as hotspots of pathogen diversity, screening under artificial epidemics has facilitated continued progress in breeding resistant germplasm for target regions, and expanded disease phenotyping network established for various biotic stresses enable breeding for multiple disease resistance that is effective against broader geographies and wheat production environments.

Disease Resistance

10:25 EDT / 14:25 UTC

Moderator: Matt Rouse, University of Minnesota

Use of a high-quality wheat genome assembly allows cloning of a novel non-NLR leaf rust resistance gene

Beat Keller
Speaker:
Beat Keller, University of Zurich

Abstract

Crop landraces and wild relatives are carriers of exotic diversity that was lost during domestication and intensive breeding. Considering the importance of this lost diversity in boosting the resilience of our cropping systems to fast-evolving pathogens, it is critical that we deploy the recent advances in plant genomics to identify the exotic resistance alleles and re-introduce them into cultivated varieties. One such technology that we recently developed is AgRenSeq, which combines association genetics with R gene enrichment sequencing, for rapid discovery and cloning of resistance genes. We have applied this genomic tool to genetically diverse panels of wild diploid wheat and hexaploid wheat landraces, leading to the identification of genes providing resistance to stripe and stem rust.