ICAR-ACIAR workshop on development of a marker assisted selection in wheat breeding program

ICAR-ACIAR workshop on a marker assisted wheat breeding program 

A joint Indo-Australian workshop on marker assisted selection (MAS) in wheat breeding was held in Delhi on 11-13 October 2007. It provides the basis from which a focussed 5-year program will be formulated and implemented in the course of 2008 as detailed in the workshop recommendations.

The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and ACIAR had agreed to focus current emphasis on sustainable wheat cropping into a program based around the application of marker assisted selection as a tool to achieve greater efficiencies in wheat breeding.

After 25 years of ICAR-ACIAR collaboration, this represents a paradigm shift from a portfolio of projects to a more closely planned and integrated over-arching program that takes into account both Indian national agricultural priorities and the key themes for which synergies can be achieved by the two countries. The program structure also recognises advanced research capabilities in both countries, as well as sharing of program costs and benefits by the partner countries and the central and catalytic role of the project "Molecular marker for faster wheat breeding" in the process.

Workshop recommendations

Introduction to the Indian and Australian wheat sectors and MAS wheat breeding

The workshop was arranged around the following five themes, and priority research areas discussed and agreed for each:

1. Bioinformatics and molecular biology for wheat breeding
2. Rust and other biotic stresses
3. Water Use Efficiency, drought and roots
4. Waterlogging and other abiotic stresses
5. Wheat quality

The program and workshop participants are attached below.