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COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL, CONSUMER AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Preparing for Careers in Genetic Crop Improvement at the Illinois Plant Breeding CenterRita Mumm, PhD
Director, The Illinois Plant Breeding CenterAssociate Professor, Quantitative Genetics and Plant BreedingNovember 2011
Plant Breeding…. Is the science of applying genetic
principles to improve plants for human use
Impacts the life of every individual because it involves the creation and manipulation of economically important traits in plants used for food, animal feed, fuel, fiber for clothing and wood products, and landscape aesthetics
Has been enormously successful!
The Grand Challenge World population estimated at >9B
by 2050 Increased meat consumption in
emerging economies as the standard of living increases
No appreciable change in available crop land
Falling water tables globally Climate change will increase risk
Crop yields must increase 2- to 3-fold by 2050 to meet the projected global demand for food, feed, fiber, and fuel
The cycle of creating and exploiting genetic variation in
cultivar improvement
Create useful genetic variation
Exploit genetic variation to achieve genetic gain toward targeted goals
The cycle of creating and exploiting genetic variation in
cultivar improvement
Create useful genetic variation
Exploit genetic variation to achieve genetic gain toward targeted goals• Biotechnolo
gy• Prediction
• Genomics-assisted selection
e.g. via molecular markers • Analytics• Phenomics
Define genetic specificity underlying phenotypic expression
Multiple disciplines come into play to create improved
cultivarsConventional Breeding Genetics: Quantitative, PopulationPlant breeding methodsSelection theoryStatistics & experimental designKnowledge of germplasmPhenotypic evaluation
Agronomy/BotanyPlant PhysiologyPlant BiologySoil SciencePathologyEntomology
Molecular BiologyBiochemistryMolecular geneticsGenomicsTransformation & tissue culture Sequencing Molecular marker technologiesGene cloning
Data Management, Analysis, Display BioinformaticsInformation TechnologyInformation ManagementComputer programmingSimulation & ModelingStatistical and mathematical theory
Engineering Profiling equipment Analytics e.g. grain composition Robotics Nanotechnology
Largest players in agricultural seeds,
biotechnology, and chemicals Monsanto DuPont / Pioneer Hi-Bred
International Syngenta Dow AgroSciences BASF Bayer CropScience
World’s 10 largest seed companies account for 67% of $26.7B market
Company 2007 Seed Sales ($B)
Monsanto (US) $4.964
DuPont (US) $3.300
Syngenta (Switzerland) $2.018
Limagrain (France) $1.226
Land O’Lakes (US) $ 0.917
KWS (Germany) $ 0.702
Bayer (Germany) $ 0.525
Sakata (Japan) $ 0.396
DLF-Trifolium (Denmark)
$ 0.391
Takii (Japan) $ 0.347
* From ETC Group, Jan 2008; www.etcgroup.org
Acute shortage of plant breeders
Eight US universities that routinely contribute the majority of new MS/PhD graduates are now producing only about 2/3 of the plant breeders needed to fill jobs in seed industry
Need was estimated at ~110 per year. However, there may be additional need beyond this estimate as 3 major seed companies have recently announced plans to double research outputs by 2013!
Quality of education also key. In addition to broad base of knowledge, need exposure to meaningful research problems, business environment, collaborative approach, international dimension
Illinois Plant Breeding Center
Its Mission…. Educate future generations of plant
breeders (i.e. those involved in all areas related to cultivar improvement and seed product development) and provide on-going support through continuing education
Conduct contemporary research that fosters education goals in terms of relevance, quality, impact at the Illinois/US/global levels, and multi-disciplinary team orientation
Illinois Plant Breeding Center
Its Vision…. Become the premier institution in the US
supplying skilled and innovative plant breeders to the seed industry and the public sector
Represent a new paradigm in plant breeding education
Become the national model for education and research in plant breeding
Its Commission…. Demonstrate ‘genomics in action for food,
feed, fuel, and flora’ Blaze the trail for use of new genomic
information in crop improvement including the development of new tools
Research specializations include…
Biofuels Nutritional aspects of food/feed Genetic regulation Production stability/sustainability:
yield, biotic and abiotic stress Genotype by environment
interaction: genomic to phenotypic levels
Climate change New sources of useful genetic
diversity Improved efficiency of plant
breeding systems
The Illinois Plant Breeding Center
The Illinois Plant Breeding Center is a virtual center, recognizing that cultivar improvement requires a range of knowledge and expertise across scientific disciplines for innovation and implementation
28 world class faculty plus emeritus scholars specializing in Plant breeding Genomic aspects Computational aspects Agronomics
Illinois powerhouse Widely recognized as world class UIUC ranked #15 among public
universities* and #47 nationally by US News & World Report (2011)
UIUC ranked #25 in the world by The Academic Ranking of World Universities (2010); 18th world rank in Life and Agriculture Sciences (2010)
UIUC ranked #3 nationally by WSJ, based on corporate recruiters of undergraduates
See http://illinois.edu/ for more accolades
Illinois powerhouse (cont)
Rich campus-wide resources, including Institute of Genomic Biology National Center for Supercomputing
Applications (NCSA) Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center Center for Advanced Bioenergy Research Center for Informatics Research in Science
and Scholarship Center for Nanoscale Science and
Technology UI Library System National Soybean Research Laboratory Germplasm banks: maize, soybean Ag Experiment Station, greenhouse facilities
Building value for students
Financial support for education 31 fellowships specifically for
graduate students in crop improvement, Corporate Supporters include; Monsanto Pioneer Dow AgroSciences Illinois Corn Marketing Board
Other fellowship opportunities Research assistantships
Building value for students
Enhancing curriculum 3 New Plant Breeding courses available 2 Courses are under development Significant upgrades to 3 existing
courses
Expanding capacity 2 new faculty members added for
bioenergy crop genetics, genomics and plant breeding
Professional development opportunities
Degree recognition Alum status
Building value for students Expanded opportunities to interface
with industry Research collaborations Immersion experiences Mentors from industry Guest lectures, lunch time discussions,
etc with industry scientists / leaders Benefits
Understand the R/D/C process Experience corporate cultures and
values Visibility with potential employers
Careers in plant breeding, whether in an industrial or an academic
setting….
High demand High tech Highly innovative High impact High
compensation Inclusive Global
opportunities GREAT JOB!
For More Information
Contact Wendy White, Assistant Director, Illinois Plant Breeding
“The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture...”
- Thomas Jefferson US president and
agronomist