62 GERMINATION.CA JULY 2018 PACKING & PALLETIZING COMPANY PPC PROVIDING CUSTOM BAGGING, TAGGING AND PALLETIZING SOLUTIONS BULK BAG FILLER PALLETIZER T: (204) 331-3000 www.ppcinc.ca E: tp@ppcinc.ca TAG PLACER TheHeadlines Submissions welcome: news@issuesink.com or developed using plant pests. This includes a set of new techniques that are increasingly being used by plant breeders to produce new plant varieties that are indistinguishable from those developed through tradi- tional breeding methods. “With this approach, USDA seeks to allow inno- vation when there is no risk present,” said Perdue. PRODUCT MONSANTO CANADA TO LAUNCH FIRST BIOTECH CANOLA TRAIT SINCE 1996 Monsanto Canada announced it plans to commercialize TruFlex canola with Roundup Ready Technology in 2019. TruFlex canola will be Monsanto’s next-generation canola trait and Monsanto’s first new biotech trait in canola since Roundup Ready canola was introduced to Canadian grow- ers in 1996. “We’ve had discussions with grower groups and conducted focus groups with individual growers about the challenges they face on the farm and the need to bring new traits and genetics to the marketplace to help drive yield,” said Dave Tornberg, North American Traits and Systems Marketing Manager with Monsanto. TruFlex canola will be part of an improved canola system designed for a range of growing conditions. UPOV UNVEILS NEW VERSION OF ITS PRISMA TOOL UPOV announces the release of UPOV PRISMA, Version 2 of the PBR Application Tool (formerly known as EAF). It offers quick and easy transmission of application data for Plant Breeders’ Rights. It will be easier to protect your plant varieties by giving you one-stop, online access to appli- cation forms via a multilingual interface. Currently it covers 21 countries in the European Union and is growing. For more information on all the crops covered, participating PVP Offices and fees, visit upov.int/upovprisma/en/index.html. RESEARCH CUCURBITACEAE 2018 SEEKS ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS This year cucurbit scientists from around the world will gather Nov. 12-16 at the University of California, Davis, to explore new frontiers of research and development. Researchers in this area are encouraged to register for the conference and submit abstracts. Registration is available online at http://cucurbit2018.ucdavis.edu/2018/01/17/ registration-and-abstract-submission/. MORE SOYBEAN GENOMES UNMASKED For nearly a decade, only one soybean cultivar — “Williams 82” — had been sequenced, but University of Missouri sci- entists led by Henry Nguyen now have succeeded in map- ping two more, giving breeders access to a broader array of soybean genes. The purpose of this sequencing project, “Better Soybean, Better Life,” is to assist molecular breeding and genome editing in order to enhance the productivity, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, and nutritional quality of soybeans around the world. Having several reference genomes will allow breeders to develop and deliver new varieties more quickly and efficiently. PLANTS HAVE UNIQUE LOCK TO CONTROL GENE EXPRESSION Purdue University scientists have discovered evidence that the repressive structures that plants use to keep genes turned off is built with a potential self-destruct switch. The findings are important for plant scientists and breed- ers who want to manipulate genetic expression in plants. For example, oil in soybeans is created only in the seeds, but it might be desirable to remove the epigenetic mark to allow for oil creation in other parts of the plant or in other types of plants.