Developing biofuel crops to optimize marginal land productivity through mutation breeding and biotechnology
26/07/2017
From July 3 to July 7, 2017, at the Bao Son Hotel, Hanoi, the Institute of Agricultural Genetics in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held an IAEA/RCA RAS/5/070 Coordination Meeting to discuss conducting field trials within the framework of the project "Developing biofuel crops to optimize marginal land productivity through mutation breeding and Related Techniques (RCA)”.
In the increasing pressure on land resources and food security, the IAEA/RCA RAS / 5/707 project on "Biofuel Crop Development" begins in 2014 to support member countries in the creation and development of biofuel crops. The project has the participation of 16 RCA member countries including Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
30 participants representing 16 countries attended the workshop. At the seminar, Dr. Fatma Sarsu, IAEA expert on Plant Breeding and Genetic Section, gave a presentation on the impacts of mutation breeding and biotechnology related to food security. Dr. Mohammad Zaman, IAEA expert on Soil, Water and Plant Nutrition, IAEA shared the challenges, issues in food security and the role of isotopic and nuclear technologies.
30 participants representing 16 countries attended the workshop. At the seminar, Dr. Fatma Sarsu, IAEA expert on Plant Breeding and Genetic Section, gave a presentation on the impacts of mutation breeding and biotechnology related to food security. Dr. Mohammad Zaman, IAEA expert on Soil, Water and Plant Nutrition, IAEA shared the challenges, issues in food security and the role of isotopic and nuclear technologies.
During the five days of the conference, the participants discussed and agreed on the contents of: (i) current status of plant breeding and soil and water management practices on marginal land; (ii) roles of nuclear and isotopic techniques in the project; (iii) gaps and needs for the application of soil and water management techniques for developing bioenergy crops to optimize marginal land productivity, (iv) recommendations and proposals for next activities to implement RAS/5/070 project.
