b'The value of crop-per-acrewhen a species cannot be grown in a certain area and might be greater for peanuts, butneeds to be replaced by one that can, Leddin says. the majority of the work beingEconomics does this. As a crop is in more demand, done on that crop is still going toresearch increases. Some outreach organizations try to be in the academic sector. On thekickstart the research process in developing countries public side, the amount of fund- where minor crops that thrive could be the difference ing to support breeding efforts forbetween a farm that thrives and one that dies.smaller crops is driven by marketI tell farmers that the best insurance against cli-demand, Ozias-Akins says.mate change is having diversity in species. If one fails, then another might survive, Leddin says. Yields of Sharing for Success many of the minor crops are low, and through breed-Now, more than ever before, bothing, we can make good gains to improve these to make public and private breeders arethem economical.coming together.The public sector has largelyIncreasing Education Effortsfilled this space in the past so theyAs advances in breeding continue, the need for con-know how it works, and the privatetinued education also increases.sector companies are keen to getWere certainly working on more innovative breed-in there. We are now seeing theing technologies, but that will depend, in part, on public sector doing the pre-breed- David Bubeck serves as researchconsumer acceptance, Ozias-Akins says, which comes ing work such as with moleculardirector for Corteva Agriscience.down to education efforts.technologies, and the privateShe would like to see the academic community sector does the breeding afterHaving that molecular informa- take a more active role in educating consumers about that, Leddin says.tion allows us to associate specificbreeding techniques, but understands its difficult to Bubeck is also the vice-presi- markers for certain traits. We canjuggle all those responsibilities. Partnerships like the dent of the National Association ofnow screen more material effi- NAPB help bridge this gap by communicating with Plant Breeders (NAPB), and he hasciently, she says. policy makers, potential students, scientists, industry been impressed with the collabora- stakeholders, and the general public. tion the group offers. Changing DirectionsBubeck appreciates the educational opportunities Its a relatively young organiza- While collaboration has increased,that NAPB offers for himself as well. tion that emerged out of the Plantits still very difficult to divert fund- As private companies, we have to engage with Breeding Coordinating Committee,ing away from major crops. the academic community, and I appreciate being able which has allowed the privateLeddin suggests that climateto work closely with state faculty at the university sector to come alongside as wechange may be the one factor thatlevel, and with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in advance excellence in research,could lead more seed companiesmultiple capacities. Its imperative we stay connected education and outreach together,to diversify research, but that willin the face of these changes, Bubeck says. Bubeck says. be driven by farmers, and ulti- NAPB also has a strong student membership, which Breeders also support germ- mately, by consumers.could be key to the uphill food security battle, as many plasm collections, which speed upGovernments are reactiveare concerned about the decline in plant breeders.developments and improvements.rather than proactive. Once thereThere are just less plant breeders than there The National Plant Germplasmare shortages on supermarketused to be. A lot were employed in the public sector Collection is available for commer- shelves and prices go up, the con- and weve seen funding for those programs dwindle. cial or public sector breeders to uti- sumer will send clear messages toUniversities just arent teaching this as a subject in the lize, Bubeck says. There is a needthe governments that they wantsame way as there is a lot more interest in the molecu-for improved characterization ofthe research in food production,lar space now, Leddin says. that germplasm collection for mul- Leddin says.However, even with advanced technology and tiple genetic traits, such as diseaseLeddins efforts in developingimpressive laboratory work, the industry will still need resistance, so the genetic materialnations is largely focused on minorplant breeders to apply that knowledge in the field.can be utilized more quickly.crops, but he fully understands theWe need breeders who have a real understanding Ozias-Akins says once aimportance of both. of the plant they are working with, Leddin says.genome has been sequenced, itThere will always be a place greatly accelerates a breedingfor research on major and minorThe Prediction Processprogram.crops. Its just about decidingIn the past, Bubeck says many companies used single-12/ SEEDWORLD.COMJUNE 2020'