Report of Breakout Group 3. How Can the Public and Private Sectors Most Effectively Partner to Train New Generations of Plant Breeders?

Terpstra, Karolyn; Oraby, Hesham; Vallejo, Verónica

doi:10.21273/hortsci.41.1.56

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…To maintain a critical mass of graduate education programs, new funding sources are needed to support the existing programs (Ransom et al, 2006;Terpstra et al, 2006). The private sector would greatly benefit from more generously supporting the public education programs on which they depend for future plant breeders (Bliss, 2006).…”

Section: Supporting Plant Breeding Education Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Future of Plant Breeding

Gepts

Hancock

2006

Crop Science

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A symposium was hosted 10 to 11 Mar. 2005 at Michigan State University to discuss the future of plant breeding education at public institutions. Plant breeding remains a vibrant, multidisciplinary science characterized by its ability to reinvent itself by absorbing and utilizing novel scientific findings and technical approaches. A contemporary breeding curriculum should include hands‐on experience with the inheritance and selection of complex traits in actual plant populations, basic biology of plants (reproductive biology, Mendelian genetics), principles of quantitative genetics and selection theory, principles and practice of plant breeding and related sciences such as genomics, applied statistics, experimental design, and pest sciences. Plant breeding education should also comprise several professional skills, including knowledge of other languages, business management, and intellectual property rights. The private sector should play an increased role in the plant breeding. There is also a need for alternative types of training in plant breeding geared toward working breeders and farmers. Additional support for plant breeding education programs may come from the private sector and the federal government. With regard to specialty crops, increased support for research and education may result from a focus on the unique features of these crops. Finally, it is important to cultivate public awareness of the accomplishments of plant breeding.

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Section: Supporting Plant Breeding Education Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The federal government also needs to increase support for plant breeding education (Ransom et al, 2006;Terpstra et al, 2006). Federal funds should be used to directly support the elite education programs, stimulate educational linkages between universities, and encourage public-private sector collaborations.…”

Section: Supporting Plant Breeding Education Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Future of Plant Breeding

Gepts

Hancock

2006

Crop Science

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“…Third, to maintain a critical mass of plant breeding students, increased funding or new sources of funding are needed to support plant breeding programs that are utilized in the training of students (Ransom et al., 2006; Terpstra et al., 2006). However, funding sources need to ensure that students are getting practical plant breeding experience during their education to ensure that the needs of the both the public and private sectors, highlighted in this survey, are met.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultivating success: Bridging the gaps in plant breeding training in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand

Egan,

Hofmann,

Stiller

et al. 2024

Crop Science

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Plant breeding is a multidisciplinary applied science that is crucial for enhancing food, fodder, fuel, and fiber production globally. Using detailed surveys in three Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development countries, this study investigated the current state of the plant breeding sector across tertiary, government, and industry levels. The findings highlight increasing concerns about the shortage of trained plant breeders, especially in the private sector, impacting food security and the economy. The need for a coordinated approach between the public and private sectors is emphasized. Suggestions for improvements include the establishment of dedicated training facilities, national funds for graduate fellowships, and increased private sector involvement in plant breeding education. The importance of adapting plant breeding courses to emerging scientific and technological advancements is highlighted, along with industry‐relevant training and improved promotion of the sector. The study raises awareness of the global shortage of trained plant breeders and provides valuable insights for decision makers toward strategic planning to address global food and fiber production challenges.

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“…For instance, the symposium 'Plant Breeding and the Public Sector: Who Will Train Plant Breeders in the U.S. and around the World?' held at Michigan State University in the US was aimed at charting a course for addressing this critical constraint through the devising of curricula, raising awareness, and fostering partnerships [126,[132][133][134][135][136][137][138][139]. The symposium concluded that future plant breeders, at PhD level, must in addition to possessing skills in the traditional disciplines of experimental design, applied statistics, Mendelian (transmission) genetics, population and quantitative genetics, and principles and practice of plant breeding also be trained in myriad areas ranging from subjects in the biological sciences including plant physiology, ecology, pathology, entomology, molecular biology, and genomics through business management to law, especially IPR [137].…”

Section: National Capacities For Crop Improvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…held at Michigan State University in the US was aimed at charting a course for addressing this critical constraint through the devising of curricula, raising awareness, and fostering partnerships [126,[132][133][134][135][136][137][138][139]. The symposium concluded that future plant breeders, at PhD level, must in addition to possessing skills in the traditional disciplines of experimental design, applied statistics, Mendelian (transmission) genetics, population and quantitative genetics, and principles and practice of plant breeding also be trained in myriad areas ranging from subjects in the biological sciences including plant physiology, ecology, pathology, entomology, molecular biology, and genomics through business management to law, especially IPR [137]. More recently, Repinski et al [129] in analyzing a very wide ranging Delphi study for articulating the curriculum of the future plant breeder came to the same conclusions regarding the need for broadening the scope of the curriculum to reflect the realities of modern breeding techniques and the fact that a significant number of plant breeders work in the private sector where legal and policy issues are critically important.…”

Section: National Capacities For Crop Improvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Re-orienting crop improvement for the changing climatic conditions of the 21st century

2012

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Abstract

A 70% increase in food production is required over the next four decades to feed an ever-increasing population. The inherent difficulties in achieving this unprecedented increase are exacerbated by the yield-depressing consequences of climate change and variations and by the pressures on food supply by other competing demographic and socioeconomic demands. With the dwindling or stagnant agricultural land and water resources, the sought-after increases will therefore be attained mainly through the enhancement of crop productivity under eco-efficient crop production systems. ‘Smart’ crop varieties that yield more with fewer inputs will be pivotal to success. Plant breeding must be re-oriented in order to generate these ‘smart’ crop varieties. This paper highlights some of the scientific and technological tools that ought to be the staple of all breeding programs. We also make the case that plant breeding must be enabled by adequate policies, including those that spur innovation and investments. To arrest and reverse the worrisome trend of declining capacities for crop improvement, a new generation of plant breeders must also be trained. Equally important, winning partnerships, including public-private sector synergies, are needed for 21st century plant breeding to bear fruits. We also urge the adoption of the continuum approach to the management of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture as means to improved cohesion of the components of its value chain. Compellingly also, the National Agricultural Research and Extension System of developing countries require comprehensive overhauling and strengthening as crop improvement and other interventions require a sustained platform to be effective. The development of a suite of actionable policy interventions to be packaged for assisting countries in developing result-oriented breeding programs is also called for.

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Report of Breakout Group 3. How Can the Public and Private Sectors Most Effectively Partner to Train New Generations of Plant Breeders?

Cited by 3 publications

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The Future of Plant Breeding

The Future of Plant Breeding

Cultivating success: Bridging the gaps in plant breeding training in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand

Re-orienting crop improvement for the changing climatic conditions of the 21st century

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