Dear Subscribers,
Here is Update 3-2012 of FAO-BiotechNews. As usual, we welcome any feedback you have about this Update.
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John
John Ruane
The Coordinator of FAO-BiotechNews, 26-9-2012
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
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FAO Biotechnology website http://www.fao.org/biotech/en/ (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish)
*** NEWS *** (http://www.fao.org/biotech/biotech-news/en/)
1) GMOs in the pipeline - FAO e-mail conference
From 5 November to 2 December 2012 the FAO Biotechnology Forum is hosting its next e-mail conference, which has the provisional title "GMOs in the pipeline: Looking to the next five years in the crop, forestry, livestock, aquaculture and agro-industry sectors in developing countries". Its goal is to inform the debate about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the pipeline, considering the specific kind of GMOs that are likely to be commercialised in developing countries over the next five years and to discuss their potential implications. The conference is open to everyone, is free and will be moderated. To subscribe to the conference, send an e-mail to [log in to unmask] with the following one line in the body of the message (leave the subject line blank):
subscribe biotech-room2-L firstname lastname
Where firstname and lastname refer to the person's first and last name. For example, if the subscriber's name is John Smith, then the line should be:
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A background document is being prepared and will be sent to Forum members before the conference begins and placed on the Forum website, at http://www.fao.org/biotech/biotech-forum/en/. For more information, contact [log in to unmask]
2) Guidelines for cryoconservation of animal genetic resources
As part of its Animal Production and Health Guidelines series, FAO has just published "Cryoconservation of animal genetic resources". This 203-page publication describes in logical chronological order the process of establishing a programme for cryoconservation of animal genetic resources, starting with the process of confirming the decision to implement a cryoconservation programme. The task of organizing the institutions needed to meet the chosen conservation objectives is then described. This is followed by an overview of the types of germplasm that can be cryoconserved, and technical details regarding the physical plant required to set up a gene bank and the quantities of germplasm required to ensure the capture of sufficient genetic variability. Principles of cryopreservation are then explained from a biological point of view and cryopreservation procedures discussed for different species and tissue types. The main body of the guidelines concludes with sections on sanitary measures, data management, legal issues and capacity building. Appendices provide detailed protocols and lists of equipment and reagents for collection and cryopreservation of various tissues for a range of common livestock species. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/i3017e/i3017e00.pdf (3.6 MB) or contact [log in to unmask] to receive a copy, providing your full postal address (if requesting more than one copy, please explain how they will they used).
3) Micro-organisms for ruminant digestion
The 7th Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITWG-AnGR) takes place on 24-26 October 2012 at FAO Headquarters, Rome. Item 6 on the provisional agenda is dedicated to "Status and trends of micro-organisms for ruminant digestion", for which a working document with the same title has been prepared. This 4-page document introduces and provides a brief summary of Background Study Paper 61, entitled "Micro-organisms and ruminant digestion: State of knowledge, trends and future prospects", by C. McSweeney and R. Mackie. The 62-page study paper provides a historical account of the progress that has been made in rumen microbiology research and gives an overview of the current understanding of the rumen microbial ecosystem. It also addresses the opportunity that new DNA sequencing technologies provide for improving productivity of livestock and the impacts of livestock production systems on the environment. See the working document (CGRFA/WG-AnGR-7/12/8, in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish) and the study paper (available under 'other documents') at http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/programmes/en/genetics/angrvent-docs.html or contact [log in to unmask] for more information. The ITWG-AnGR is one of four intergovernmental technical working groups that have been established by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
4) Learning from rinderpest eradication
In order to document and celebrate the global eradication of rinderpest, an infectious viral disease of cattle, buffalo, yak and numerous wildlife species that has caused devastating effects throughout history, the Secretariat of the FAO Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme (GREP) organised a series of four events at FAO Headquarters on 12-15 October 2010. This 162-page publication, entitled "Lessons learned from the eradication of rinderpest for controlling other transboundary animal Diseases", brings together papers and discussions from organizations and people involved in its eradication, their reviews of what went well and what did not, and their views on the way forward. The main body of these proceedings comes from papers and discussions from the GREP Symposium (13-14 October), covering issues such as the contributions of molecular virology to rinderpest control. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/i3042e/i3042e.pdf (840 KB) or contact [log in to unmask] for more information.
5) FAO/IAEA Animal Production and Health Newsletter 56
The July 2012 newsletter from the Animal Production and Health Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture is now available. The 31-page newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of past and upcoming projects, publications and events. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/aph/public/newsletters-aph.html or contact [log in to unmask] to subscribe to the newsletter.
6) Biosafety regulation in developing economies
As part of its Joint Departmental Discussion Paper series, the World Bank recently published "The status and impact of biosafety regulation in developing economies since ratification of the Cartagena Protocol" by M. McLean, M.-E. Foley and E. Pehu. After the introduction, the 25-page paper contains chapters on the impact of the Cartagena Protocol on biosafety regulation; the impact of biosafety regulation in developing countries; and opportunities to advance biosafety regulation. See http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/docsearch/projects/P112175 or contact [log in to unmask] for more information. This is a Joint Departmental Discussion Paper from the World Bank's Agriculture and Rural Development Department and the Environment Department.
7) OECD - Revised consensus document on new varieties of soybean
As part of its Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds series, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Environment, Health and Safety Division recently published "Revised consensus document on compositional considerations for new varieties of soybean [Glycine Max (L.) Merr.]: Key food and feed nutrients, antinutrients, toxicants and allergens". This 48-page document updates and revises the original soybean consensus document issued in 2001. The revised document addresses compositional considerations for new varieties of soybean by identifying the key food and feed nutrients, anti-nutrients, toxicants and allergens. A general description of these components is provided. In addition, there is background material on the production, processing and uses of soybean, and considerations to be taken into account when assessing new varieties of these crops. The text also suggests the constituents to be analysed related to food use and to feed use. See http://www.oecd.org/science/biosafety-biotrack/latestdocuments/ or contact [log in to unmask] for more information.
8) Manual on doubled haploid technology in maize
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) recently published "Doubled haploid technology in maize breeding: Theory and practice", edited by B.M. Prasanna, V. Chaikam and G. Mahuku. This 51-page manual is primarily intended for maize breeders in the national agricultural research systems and small and medium enterprise seed companies in developing countries who would like to better understand and use the doubled haploid (DH) technology in breeding programs. It is a compilation and consolidation of knowledge accumulated through scientific contributions of several maize geneticists and breeders worldwide as well as protocols successfully developed (in collaboration with the University of Hohenheim, Germany) and used by the CIMMYT Global Maize Program in DH line development, especially in Mexico. See http://repository.cimmyt.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10883/1348/97066.pdf?sequence=1 (2.4 MB) or contact [log in to unmask] for further details.
9) Agroforestry tree domestication manual
The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) recently published "Agroforestry tree domestication: A primer", edited by I. Dawson, C. Harwood, R. Jamnadass and J. Beniest. Aiming to synthesise basic information about important tree domestication issues and provide a resource for learners and teachers to use and contextualise for their own purposes, this 147-page manual contains 15 units organised in 5 modules on key topics related to agroforestry tree domestication. Unit 8 is dedicated to "Molecular marker characterisation" while Unit 12, dedicated to "vegetative propagation techniques", also covers micropropagation. See http://worldagroforestry.org/our_products/publications/details?node=53834 or contact [log in to unmask] for more information.
*** EVENTS *** (http://www.fao.org/biotech/biotech-events/en/)
3-6 December 2012, Patancheru, India. Training course on field trial and QTL analysis using R and R/QTL. Organised by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), this course is is designed specifically for researchers from the fields of plant breeding, molecular biology, agricultural biotechnology, bioinformatics and biometrics and is mainly divided into three modules. The first focuses on the freely available statistical computing software platform R; the second on phenotypic data analysis; and the third on quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis. Deadline for applications is 30th October 2012. See http://www.icrisat.org/rcourse.htm or contact [log in to unmask] for more information.
1-5 July 2013, Trieste, Italy. Strategic approaches in the evaluation of the science underpinning GMO regulatory decision-making. Organised by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), the broad objective of this workshop is to provide experience in the examination of scientific and technical data submitted in applications for the deliberate release of genetically modified plants. A limited number of grants are available to nationals of ICGEB Member States. Deadline for applications is 22 January 2013. See http://www.icgeb.org/tl_files/Meetings/2013/TS_BIOSAFETY_1-5%20July_2013.pdf (1.2 MB) or contact [log in to unmask] for more information.
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