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DECEMBER 2015 SEEDWORLD.COM 113 of cardiovascular disease and improved cognitive function Lee says. In many Asian countries the diet includes relatively high amounts of soybeans and soy products such as tofu soy sprouts and soybean paste. Soybean oil is a key source of ALA however it oxidizes rap- idly leaving a bad flavor. Increasing the ALA in soybean seed oil has become a major goal in food-grade soybean breeding Lee explains noting that soys wild relatives might help to lead the way. Wild soybeans mostly grow in a broad area including China Japan and Korea. They have adapted to a variety of conditions and the result is that these soybeans have a higher genetic diversity than their cultivated cousins. By recycling this diversity wild soybeans genetics can be used to improve the proper- ties of cultivated soybeans. Lees study identified wild soy- bean varieties with the highest ALA percentages. In addition to higher ALA levels he also tested for stability in different growing conditions. Scientists provided the lab plants with different soil types fertility levels amounts of moisture salt concentrations and tem- peratures. Researchers extracted seeds from each sample and ana- lyzed the fatty acid content. Results showed several types of wild soybeans with high ALA concentrations that were stable across all environmental conditions tested. Lees group is studying spe- cific areas of wild soybean genome to pinpoint those areas responsible for high ALA production. He says this will assist in identifying a par- ticular property of the crop such as high ALA or tolerance to heat salt insects disease and other challenges. His work was published in Crop Science. Sources American Society of Agronomy Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America. STATUS PHILIPPINES An International Rice Research Institute IRRI expert says the Philippines has a lot of potential for rice production. I think it can increase pro- duction and reach a level where they can become a rice exporter says Tobias Kretzschmar head of the gen- otyping services laboratory within IRRIs Plant Breeding Genetics and Biotechnology Division. Kretzschmar says there are a number of rice varieties in the Philippines that are grown and sold which contain the majority of IRRI germplasm. However he recognizes that PhilRice is catching up. I think PhilRice is releasing more rice varieties into the market than IRRI he explains. So from becoming a major work horse I think we are stepping back in our support for the Philippines because the Philippine national pro- gram is strong enough to probably lead itself. Source Manila Bulletin. STATUS SWITZERLAND Scientists from the University of Geneva and ETH Zurich report a new genetically- engineered cassava variety that produces high levels of vitamin B6. Cassava is rich in calories but lacks vitamin content particularly vitamin B6 and to achieve the required daily amount of vitamin B6 one would need to eat 1.3 kilo- grams of cassava everyday. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana professor Teresa Fitzpatrick from the University of Geneva discovered two enzymes PDX1 and PDX2 which are involved in the production of vitamin B6. She used this discovery to increase vitamin B6 levels in cassava. The scientists introduced the genes that code for the pro- duction of the enzymes into the cassava genome leading to new cassava lines with increased amounts of vitamin B6. Furthermore greenhouse and field trials showed that the new cassava lines are stable and vitamin B6 is bio- available in plants. Their research has been published in the latest issue of Nature Biotechnology. It is still unclear when and how vitamin B6-enhanced cassava will find its way to farmers and consumers. The new trait should be crossed in varieties preferred by farmers using traditional plant breeding or introduced into selected varieties using genetic engineering. When these cassava lines become publicly available it could prevent vitamin B6 deficiency particularly in sub- Saharan Africa where cas- sava is considered one of the most important staple crops. Source ETH Zurich. SW