APS/Pioneer Plant Breeding Symposium- meeting 1
October 6, 2010
AGENDA
1) Introduction
2) Date for the Event: week of Spring Break
MONDAY
TUESDAY
14
2008- Monday, March 17th
2009- Friday, March 20th
2010- Monday, March 15th
15
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
St. Patrick’s
Day
FRIDAY
University
Holiday
16
17
18
3) Venue:
Cargill
Continuing Education Center
St. Paul Student Center
4) Sub-committees
Brief explanation
Sign-ups
4) Discussion of potential themes/topics/titles
- See attached pages
Popular suggestions:
Global Agriculture, International Agriculture, merging global and local agriculture,
breeding for better nutrition/human health
6.) Other
Using Emily’s wiki
https://wiki.umn.edu/PlBr_Symposium/WebHome
APS/Pioneer Plant Breeding Symposium- meeting 1
October 6, 2010
2008-2009 University of Minnesota Plant Breeding Symposium
Theme/Topic/Title Suggestions
-
Native traits breeding/intragenics (industry, university)
Germplasm: new crops, domesticated crops, crops with genome sequence
Increasing plant biodiversity through plant breeding
Public and private sector plant breeding: helping each other further plant research
Plant breeding related to industry (Pioneer) and the uses of such breeding efforts
o Corn, soybean, etc.
Crop research on non-maize and non-soybean crops
Breeding of orphan/under-utilized crops and the applications for plant science
Domesticating new crops
Plant breeding for climate change/environmental problems
o Water scarcity, pesticide/herbicide over-use, soil erosion, global warming, etc.
Plant breeding for water conservation (salinity tolerance, drought tolerance, etc.)
What are the possible breeding objectives for the future
o Carbon sequestration, nitrogen/phosphorous/water use efficiency, biofuels
Bridging the gap between basic research and applied results
Future of Agricultural/Genetic research: How will it proceed?
Role of intellectual property in University and private research, development and value
capture
Breeding for the international scene
Plant breeding in the genomics and post-genomics era: challenges and opportunities
Classical breeding, G x E interaction, use of molecular markers, genomics tools
Marker assisted selection (MAS) and it role in plant breeding
Applications of markers with a focus on major industry perspective
Whole genome sequencing: a plant breeding revolution?
Breeding for the next generation of biotech traits
Marketing aspects of GM crops
Dealing with the ethics of GM work and public view
History of GM program at the University of Minnesota
GM trees to reduce greenhouse gases
Genomics as used in pharms (e.g. someone from Merck, etc.)
Plant breeding for human health
Food company perspectives on plant breeding: needs, concerns, etc. and their view of the
future
Societal and cultural implications of plant breeding
o Breeding in the context of an increasingly non-agricultural society
Extension: How to convey your research to growers and other end users.
Communicating plant breeding to the public
The apples that are grown at the University of Minnesota (who, how, etc.)
Software/analytical/organizational tolls to handle large data sets
Transposons/retrotransposons
Signal transduction
Review of association mapping
Adaptedness vs. Heterosis in corn
Ethnobotany
Evolutionary developmental biology
Plant pathology
Ecosystem genetics
APS/Pioneer Plant Breeding Symposium- meeting 1
October 6, 2010
- Reduce the effect on E by increasing G through biodiversity, genetic engineering and alternative
thinking
A. These three subjects could easily be presented in one seminar, and could easily be combined
with another subject if presented using a marker assisted selection approach. I'm not sure who
would be best to present such a seminar but I remember Tom Osborne from Seminis presenting
something like it here ~2 yrs. ago.
1. Native traits breeding/intragenics (industry, university),
2. Germplasm: new crops, domesticated crops, crops with genome sequence,
3. Increasing plant biodiversity through plant breeding
B. These three also seemed similar and highly relevant to me. They could loosely be associated
under breeding for abiotic stresses which is a pretty daunting task. Specifically, breeding for
increased water use efficiency would be an excellent seminar choice.
1. Plant breeding for climate change/environmental problems: water scarcity, pesticide/
herbicide over-use, soil erosion, global warming, etc.
2. Plant breeding for water conservation (salinity tolerance, drought tolerance, etc.)
3. What are the possible breeding objectives for the future: carbon sequestration,
nitrogen/phosphorous/water use efficiency, biofuels
C. Review of association mapping
These three topics would be seminars that I would want to go to. A close fourth choice would be
plant breeding for human health. I'd be happy to see a fairly general "large umbrella" type of
theme with a diverse set of seminar topics chosen with a focus on bulk-commodity agronomy and
vegetable/horticultural crops.
- "Productivity of Crop Species: Are we Really Improving Intrinsic Yield, or Just Protecting
Existing Potential?"
Potential Speaker Topic (?)
APS/Pioneer Plant Breeding Symposium- meeting 1
October 6, 2010
SUB-COMMITTEES
Publicity:
[5 people]
Responsible for creating, printing and distributing flyers advertising the symposium. Responsible for contacting,
likely via email, other departments within the University that may be interested in attending the symposium.
Contacting other U of M campuses, universities outside the U of M, including ones within the Twin Cities as
well as neighboring states (Iowa, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas) that may be interested in attending the
symposium. It would be best to have 1-2 people assigned to each task: flyering around campus, contacting U of
M departments, contacting other U of M campuses, contacting other Twin Cities Universities, and contacting
other non-Minnesota universities.
Individual speaker representative: [One for each speaker]
One individual will be assigned to each of the speakers. Correspondence from the committee will be done
through this individual. This will include (but is not limited to): soliciting the speaker for their involvement in
the symposium (in other words- ask them if they want and can do it), determining what travel and lodging
arrangements need to be made and forward that information on to the lodging and transportation coordinators,
obtaining seminar titles, abstracts, and brief biographies to be forwarded to the program coordinator, answering
questions that may arise during the time before the symposium, forwarding on questions from the committee and
obtaining answers, and sending thank you messages to the speaker after the symposium.
Web page coordinator: [1 person]
Responsible for the design and upkeep of a web page focusing on the symposium. Responsible for regularly
updating a web page to include the locations and times of the symposium, a speaker list, titles and abstracts of
talks, and any additional information as it relates to the symposium. Potentially working in conjunction with
Melanie Dolezal or Lynne Medgaarden in developing new website and registration page.
Venue coordinator:
[1 person]
Responsible for finding an appropriate venue (based on suggestions from the committee) and reserving the space
for the day of the symposium.
Catering/food coordinator:
[1-2 people]
Responsible for organizing the food needed for breaks and lunch as well as a more formal dinner for the
speakers, committee members, and individuals from Pioneer.
Lodging coordinator:
[1 person]
Responsible for finding appropriate lodging and making reservations for speakers that require lodging.
Responsible for determining the number of nights that each of the speakers will require lodging for and making
the appropriate reservations.
Transportation coordinator:
[1 person, team of drivers]
Responsible for coordinating pick up/drop off of speakers from the airport (NOTE: the transportation coordinator
need not be the one picking up all speakers, but must find a person/people willing and able to transport them).
Additionally responsible for the transportation of the speakers from their hotel to the venue and back to their
hotel and from the hotel to the committee dinner and back to the hotel, potentially through the use of a rented
van.
Program coordinator:
[1-2 people]
Responsible for the production of a program to be distributed to attendees. This will include compiling seminar
titles and abstracts, speaker biographies (all to be provided by the speaker), symposium schedule, and a brief
questionnaire to help gauge the success of the symposium. Additionally responsible for the printing of the
program, through Kinko’s or the University copy center.
Technology/Multi-media coordinator:
[1-2 people]
Responsible for coordinating computers and Power Point presentations for the symposium, including the
uploading of presentations onto seminar room computer, changing presentations between speakers/during
speaker introductions, saving copies of presentations to be uploaded on to the symposium website, and returning
seminar room computers to original condition (i.e.- removing speakers’ presentations, etc.). Responsible for
arranging someone to video record and photograph the symposium.
Gifts coordinator: [1-2 people] Responsible for assembling a thank you gift for each of the speakers.