Plant improvement (breeding) is the key driving force of the agricultural development in the world. The useful crop cultivars with higher yielding traits and tolerance to various environmental stresses cannot be realized only through the gene introduction. The systematic methodologies such as targeting traits, gene identification and introducing, selection, and ultimately the seed system should be developed. These lectures, offered by two professors with wide experiences in international agricultural research centers will give the whole systemic view of plant improvement and prepare students for careers that require knowledge of plant genetics and crop breeding. The rice was selected as an example due to its importance in Asia and other developing countries.
(1) Prof. Matthias WISSUWA
1. Introduction : Classical breeding versus molecular breeding
2. QTL and association mapping
3. From mapping to genes and markers
4. Marker Assisted Selection (MAS)
5. Presentation by participants
6. Group discussion and conclusion
(2) Prof. Ryoichi IKEDA
1. Rice and rice cultivation
2. Genetic resources of rice
3. Rice breeding
4. Rice in Africa and NERICA
5. Seed multiplication of rice
6. Present situation and future plan of rice breeding
