b'INTERNATIONAL NEWSGLOBAL SEED WATCHAUSTRALIAN PLANT SCIENTISTS IMPROVING CROP PRODUCTIVITY WITH PLANT FUTURES FACILITY, CHINESE RESEARCHERS DEVELOP NEW SOYBEAN LINESSTATUS AUSTRALIA Through the AgriScience ProgramProjects Component, Cereals Canada is also receiving up to $674,249. This funding will A high-tech building with rooms to mimic environments from rain- support research on how environmental conditions impact cereal forests to deserts will help Australian plant scientists and industrycrop quality during the growing season. It will also expand milling improve crop productivity and secure future food supplies.expertise, establish oat quality standards, and compare Canadian The University of Queenslands $65 million Plant Futureswheat with international competitors to strengthen Canadas place Facility is fitted out with technology to finely control temperature,in the global market.light intensity, light quality, humidity and CO2 concentration, allowing researchers to better predict plant responses to future cli- STATUS CHINAmates.UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry AC said theAn article in China Daily states that Chinese researchers have devel-buildingcreated specifically for plants - was unique in both scaleoped new soybean breeding lines using gene editing, potentially and precision in the southern hemisphere. boosting the yield and protein content of the critical crop. China, This facility is an important national asset and reinforces thea significant consumer, heavily depends on imports because its position of Australia, Queensland and UQ as a leader in plant sci- domestic soybean yield is relatively low.ence research, Professor Terry said. The research, details of which were published in Nature Plants, Being able to accurately control every aspect of the growingaddressed that challenge. Scientists used gene editing to create soy-environment opens up opportunities for precision plant science andbean mutants with improved "nodulation ability", a key factor in to fast-track experiments. nitrogen fixation from the air. This allows the plants to capture Construction of the 6-floor Plant Futures Facility started atmore nitrogen, a vital nutrient for growth and protein production. the St Lucia campus in late 2021 and the first seeds will be broughtLarger-scale testing is needed, with trials to date conducted into the facility this month (October) after a rigorous commission- on plots no larger than 100 square meters. The research follows ing period. China\'s 2022 guidelines for evaluating the safety of gene-edited As plants grow in the rooms, cameras and sensors will capturecrops, necessitating trials at designated sites and obtaining safety images and data for analysis. certifications prior to broader cultivation. The team intends to Nine rooftop glasshouses, four for temperate plants and five forextend this technology to other domestic soybean varieties and, tropical plants, help restore some of the capacity lost in the 2022eventually, to crops such as peanuts and alfalfa.Brisbane River flood.Between the 3 floors of grow rooms, glasshouses and labora- STATUS RWANDAtories are 2 levels of mechanical and computer equipment. The new Plant Futures Facility extends UQs involvement in the AustralianThe Feed the Future/USAID-funded Great Lakes Accelerated Plant Phenomics Network. Innovation Delivery Initiative Rapid Delivery Hub (AID-I GLR) Project, led by IITA-CGIAR, organized a comprehensive training STATUS CANADAprogram in August for members of the Rwandan seed sector.The recent IITA assessment identified key challenges in Cereal crops are a staple of Canadas agricultural sector. Last year,Rwandas seed sector, such as a lack of quality management sys-Canada exported 29.8 million tonnes of wheat, barley and oats,tems and poor basic seed quality. These issues result in lower seed valued at $13.8 billion, and demand continues to grow. quality, reduced crop yields, and decreased agricultural productivity To support the competitiveness and sustainability of Canadianand food security. Targeted interventions are needed to strengthen cereals, Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Primeseed companies, especially in seed business management and the Minister and Special Advisor for Water and Member of Parliamentproduction of high-quality seeds like hybrid maize.for Winnipeg South, on behalf of the Honourable LawrenceThe training focused on seed business management and hybrid MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announcedmaize seed production to enhance the efficiency and quality of seeds up to $7.3 million in funding to Cereals Canada through theproduced by Rwandan seed companies, ultimately boosting their AgriMarketing Program and the AgriScience ProgramProjectsreturn on investment and supporting the development of the agri-Component, two initiatives under the Sustainable Canadiancultural sector. Agricultural Partnership. Leaders and managers from over 20 Rwandan seed compa-Cereals Canada is receiving up to $6,660,817 through thenies, producing staples like high-iron beans, hybrid maize, orange-AgriMarketing Program to increase market access, improve cus- fleshed sweet potatoes, vegetables, and soybeans, participated. They tomer support, and expand exports through initiatives like tech- learned strategies to improve seed management practices, optimize nical exchanges, market research, and knowledge sharing amongbusiness operations, and achieve better financial returns.stakeholders. The training for seed company CEOs introduced key elements 38ISEED WORLD EUROPEISEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPE | NOVEMBER 2024'