In India there is an urgent need for efficient new wheat cultivars with increased yield. Improved rust resistance will help to lift production, and this project is focusing on developing this resistance through the application of molecular technology. Already India possesses many of the research skills and infrastructure required for this project, including high-throughput molecular tools. However, the country needs better information management systems and marker adoption strategies integrated into its applied wheat breeding programs. Australia is offering expertise and experience to facilitate the cohesive linkage of the components to breeding, while targeting an array of stem, leaf and stripe rust gene combinations.
The marker implementation and breeding program modification components of the project are progressing well after a slow start. As of July 2nd we still have not received the Indian germplasm in Australia which has delayed DArT analysis and crossing in Australia, although correspondence indicates that the materials could arrive any day. The Australian germplasm was sent to India last year and is being crossed with Indian parents to begin the germplasm development process. Key parental materials have been profiled with markers at PAU and DWR in India and at PBI in Australia. Populations segregating for markers were identified and screened using marker assisted selection for key genes in India. These materials were space planted in large populations and the lines positive for the target genes have been advanced for continued testing. Research Fellows have been identified and employed by DWR, although delays in finding the initial project payment delayed the appointment of the equivalent positions at PAU. Problems with money transfers to PAU have now been solved and future payments will arrive via courier.
While the molecular breeding work has progressed well following bureaucratic delays in the initial stages, the data management component of the initiative has failed to meet initial expectations. The International Crop Information System (ICIS) is the vehicle for data management and has been successfully installed at PBI although several IP security issues have impeded access (these have since been solved). The collaborators at NRCPB, the Indian mirror site for the project central database, have not installed ICIS since attending the ICIS developer's workshop in March. A visit by Graham McLaren planned in the later half of 2008 should kick-start this progress. The local breeders at PAU and DWR have compiled Excel spreadsheets of their parental and breeding materials related to the project and these will be uploaded into ICIS over the next month which will bring the breeding programs and local ICIS implementation back on schedule.
Links:
[1] http://www.aciar.gov.au/country/India
[2] http://www.aciar.gov.au/programarea/Crop Improvement and Management