Global Theme on Harnessing Biotechnology for the Poor

Breeding for crop productivity, sustainability and nutritional quality in marginal areas requires an integrated multidisciplinary approach. Conventional approaches to germplasm enhancement and crop breeding have had dramatic impacts on food productivity, particularly in systems that can afford high inputs of fertilizer, water and pesticides. However, in order to reduce rural poverty and achieve a sustainable development of farming systems, there is a need to address the more complex issues of productivity under marginal cropping environments. Crops for these production systems must have drought tolerance, host plant resistance to pest and diseases, enhanced nutrition, resilience to changing climatic patterns, and offer an adequate balance of production for multipurpose demands including feed and fodder. Establishing, synergizing and backstopping such networks are a primary focus for ICRISAT in Africa and Asia.

ICRISAT firmly believes in the potential of biotechnology to enhance the speed, precision, efficiency and value addition of its crop improvement efforts. This is especially true in addressing complex traits that have remained intransigent to conventional breeding approaches. In addition, many of the crops under ICRISAT's mandate receive little attention in terms of scientific research, especially in biotechnology, and thus it is critical that ICRISAT focuses its efforts on these important crops.

ICRISAT's Global Theme, Harnessing Biotechnology for the Poor, was established in 2001 to provide a concerted effort in the application of modern science for its mandated crops. A multidisciplinary team of scientists are assigned to the Theme and provide expertise in both the laboratory and field aspects of biotechnology applications to crop improvement.

Biotechnology is a broad field, and ICRISAT employs techniques in many areas, including the more traditional technologies such as the use of tissue culture for embryo rescue of wide-cross hybrids and immunological methods for antibody production; the modern genomic technologies such as structural and functional genomics to identify, isolate and manipulate genes for traits of interest; genetic engineering to introduce novel genetic variability for traits lacking sufficient inheritable diversity; and physiology, entomology and pathology to secure the accuracy of phenotyping and to progress toward trait dissection and gene function. In addition to these technologies, ICRISAT develops and adopts bioinformatics and biometrics systems to provide the necessary links, databases and analysis tools required by ICRISAT's global researchers and partners.

Specific target traits and crops are determined in close collaboration with the Global Themes on Crop Improvement; Agro-ecosystems and Institutions, Markets, Policy and Impacts; and with ICRISAT's many global partners. These interactions ensure that the highest priority traits are being addressed in each crop, and that the most appropriate technologies are being used in each case.

Theme Goal

The overall goal of the Global Theme on Biotechnology is to reduce poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation in the SAT by applying promising genomic, genetic engineering, wide-hybridization, diagnostic and bioinformatics tools and approaches to the genetic improvement of ICRISAT's mandate crops.

Theme Objectives

In our efforts to reach the above goal, we strive to:

• Develop the genomic tools to efficiently tap beneficial alleles for traits in the available gene pools of ICRISAT crop species;
• Improve the efficiency, effectiveness, speed and precision of plant breeding for abiotic stress tolerance, pest and disease resistance, better agronomic traits, and improved food, feed and fodder quality; and
• Develop diagnostic tools for the detection of viral infections, toxic contaminants of crops and crop-based products, presence of transgenes, and purity of seed production systems.

Each project involves a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and depends on the proper application of a range of technologies and evaluation methods, available within ICRISAT and/or our global partners. Activities within each project are conducted to develop the most effective and efficient technologies and techniques in ICRISAT's laboratories in Asia and Africa, and/or our many partner institutes around the world.

Currently, the majority of the scientists are based in ICRISAT's laboratories located at its Headquarters in Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India. The Theme has recruited three additional scientists trained in biotechnology (two in molecular genetics and one in genetic engineering) and one adjunct scientist trained in population genetics from CIRAD. These are based at the Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa (BecA) facility located on the ILRI campus in Nairobi, Kenya. Part of the Theme's plan for 2007-2015 will be to strengthen the scientific capacity in Africa through additional appointments and collaborative projects.

In looking towards 2015, the Global Theme on Biotechnology has developed the strategies to ensure that the necessary tools and techniques are available for ICRISAT and its partners to use in their efforts to develop improved crop varieties for the SAT. These strategies will be used to provide the required biotechnology-based inputs to meeting the outputs outlined under the CGIAR System Priorities 1 (‘Sustaining biodiversity for current and future generations') and 2 (‘Producing more and better food at lower cost through genetic improvements'). Further details on the specific goals, outputs, outcomes and impact pathways can be found under each Regional Program strategy.

The Global Theme's scientists have made great progress in the adoption and application of various tools and techniques of biotechnology. Some of the most significant achievements in 2005-06 include the following:

• Fingerprinting of several thousand accessions of ICRISAT's mandated crop species using SSRs,
• Release of a pearl millet hybrid improved for downy mildew resistance through marker-assisted selection,
• Development and initial analysis of sorghum lines with improved stay-green character through marker-assisted selection,
• The identification of a new A 5 CMS system for pigeonpea derived from the wild species, Cajanus acutifolius.
• Contained greenhouse trials of transgenic groundnut lines containing the rice DREB1A gene that demonstrate novel levels of transpiration efficiency,
• Development of transgenic groundnut lines with high levels of b -carotene through the insertion of the maize psy1 gene,
• Transfer of the ICRISAT developed LIMS software to BecA, ILRI and IITA in Africa,
• Signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in New Delhi to further collaboration between the two centers, and
• Support from India 's Department of Biotechnology to establish a Center of Excellence in Genomics at ICRISAT to provide high-throughput, low-cost genotyping services for research and breeding.

For further details contact :Vincent Vadez , Acting Global Theme Leader, v.vadez@cgiar.org