Transcript Presentation - IAC 2016, New Delhi

The Seeds of Discovery Initiative:
A learning model towards effective and equitable
use of genetic resources
Kevin Pixley
[email protected]
1st International Agrobiodiversity Congress, Delhi, Nov 2016
Borlaug’s 1969 prophecy
“The seriousness or magnitude of
the world food problem should not
be underestimated. Recent
success in expanding wheat, rice
and maize production in Asian
countries offers the possibility of
buying 20-30 years of time”
N.E. Borlaug, 1969 – A Green
Revolution Yields a Golden Harvest
Converging Challenges
to Global Food Security
“In the next 50 years we will need to produce as much food as has been
consumed over our entire human history.” Megan Clark, CSIRO CEO
8
7
Anticipated
demand by 2050
(FAO)
1
2
3
4
5
6
Wheat
Maize
[Source: USDA PDS database]
0
Global average yield (tons per
hectare
Population & demand are growing: we
are not on-track for food security
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
Year
Seeds of Discovery (SeeD)
(MasAgro Biodiversidad)
•
•
•
Initiated September 2011
Mostly funded by the Mexican government
Four Components
1.
2.
3.
4.
Molecular & phenotypic characterization  openaccess database(s)
Informatics Tools & knowledge extraction
Bridging Germplasm
Capacity building
SeeD’s Vision of Success: the wealth contained in the world’s
genetic resources is ‘unlocked’ for breeders globally to make new varieties
≈ 28,000 maize
≈ 140,000 wheat
Genetic
resources
Genetic resources have demonstrated their
value for agriculture!
US$115 billion: annual value of the contribution of genes/genetics from
biodiversity to crop breeding.
Pimentel et al., BioScience 47:747-757
SeeD
Vision: Efficient and Equitable
Use of Genetic Diversity
?
Before SeeD
With SeeD
SeeD – high-density genetic profiles
 28,000 Maize
 100,000 Wheat
Tar Spot Disease of Maize in Mexico
• Affects >800,000 ha in 11 States… spreading.
• Causes up to 100% yield loss
• If we assume 20% yield loss on 800,000 ha
– US$62M lost
Important variation not currently in
breeding germplasm
6
Adjusted yield t/ha
5
4
0.03
0.06
0.00
0.01
Frequency in elite CIMMYT lines
3
2
Novel beneficial alleles and sources
identified for use in breeding
1
0
0
20
40
60
Mean diseased leaf area %
80
100
Martha Willcox et al.
Impact of heat on
wheat


SeeD: ̴ 70,000 wheat gene
bank lines screened under
heat stress (2011-2013)
~ 10% yield loss per 1oC
increase in temperature
By 2050, 20-30% yield loss
in South Asia alone, affecting
over 1 billion people
Exploring the Gene Bank for Heat
Tolerant Wheat
Mexican landraces with grain yield >150
g m-2 under heat stress (Cd. Obregón,
México)
PCA
Number of accessions
140
120
Early flowering
Late flowering
Medium flowering
100
80
60
40
20
Control: Elite bread
wheat (Sokoll), 186 g
m-2
0
150
200
250
300
350
Grain yield (g m-2)
400
450
• Tolerant Mexican landraces (YELLOW)
• Tolerant Iranian landraces (RED)
• Elite lines (BLUE & GREEN)
Maize Lethal Necrosis, MLN = combination
of two viruses:
Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV)
+ Potyvirus, e.g. Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV)
• MLN is an occasional and local problem in
US Midwest cornbelt
• MLN has been reported in China
• It is mostly transmitted by insects
• It can be seed borne
• Recently, MLN is a serious problem in East
Africa
Selection Process: Geographic,
Phenotypic and Genotypic Criteria
MLN
1.
Sampled geographic regions most
likely to have encountered the
disease (and developed
resistance)
2. Within each region, sampled as
many maize races as possible.
3. Used genotypic
data to maximize
diversity while
reducing to 1000
accessions.
Finding Resistance to MLN:
A devastating virus outbreak in East Africa
Terry Molnar examining MLN-infected plants in Naivasha, Kenya
(Jan 2015) and in the first screening of genebank accessions in
CIMMYT- Mexico (May 2015)
 After screening, went from 1000 accessions down to 20 with putative
tolerance to MCMV, SCMV or both viruses.
 Have crossed and back-crossed to elite lines
 Will evaluate test-cross hybrids of BC1-S2 lines in Kenya, under MLN
 Best lines will enter breeding programs in Kenya and elsewhere
Seeking novel sources of MLN resistance
 QTL mapping in bi-parental
populations
 Genotyping of resistant
bank accessions
 Identify different resistance
alleles
 At same locus
 At different loci
 Native variation for use in
breeding programs
Recent agreement
– CRISPR Cas9 –
with DuPont-Pioneer
 Backcross introgression
 Gene editing
Products of Seeds of Discovery
Equality ≠ Equity
• Data: genotypic and phenotypic (E)
• Software tools (E)
– Data capture; real time data curation
– “Molecular Atlas” ~ navigation system for
genetic diversity
• Germplasm = genetic diversity (E)
– Sources of resistance or added value (E)
– Bridging lines (pre-breeding) (E)
• Services (E)
– Genotyping (GbS)
– Capacity development; workshops; visiting
scientists, thesis projects
• Knowledge (E)
– Publications, methodologies
“Satellite Navigation”
(e.g. Waze or Google Maps)
“Genetic Resources Navigation”
(Molecular Atlas: suite of information & tools)
Who are the principal users of
SeeD’s products?
• Breeders: new diversity to accelerate genetic gains
– Impact on national production
– Impact on international commodity prices
• Researchers: stimulate scientific discoveries
• Students: a new generation of agricultural scientists
• Professors: curricula to train the next generation of
scientists
• Genebanks: optimize conservation of genetic resources
Capacity Development
• 238 researchers, professors, and
graduate students in courses and
workshops 2012-2015.
• 33 PhD, MSc, & BSc students in SeeD
to date.
• Scientists are conducting research
projects to apply SeeD products in their
own programs.
Scientific collaborations 2016-2017
Scientist
Institution
Topic
Pedro Figueroa
INIFAP
Yellow rust resistance of bread wheat
Adriana Gutierrez
Autonomous University
of Nuevo Leon
Drought tolerant maize for Mexican
highlands
Florencio Recendiz
University of
Guadalajara
Genotypic characterization of University
of Guadalajara’s maize collection
Autonomous University
Antonio Narro
Informatics models to select genetic
diversity based on rare and specific
alleles
Sergio A. Rodriguez
Autonomous University
Antonio Narro
Genetic resources for forage maize
breeding for Mexican highlands
Francisco Zavala
Autonomous University
of Nuevo Leon
Maize landrace germplasm with useful
pigments
Humberto Reyes
Vision: Efficient and Equitable Use of
Genetic Diversity
?
Before
SeeD
With SeeD
Thank you
You
Thank
foryour
Your
for
Interest!
interest!