Davis, California
November 15, 2007
Source:
Seed Biotechnology Center
E-News: November 2007
The
Department of
Plant Sciences and the
Seed Biotechnology Center
at UC Davis recently hosted a major international symposium on
Translational Seed Biology: From Model Systems to Crop
Improvement.
Over 275 scientists and students
from academic institutions and seed companies from around the
world participated in three days of meetings and discussions on
the latest advances in seed biology and how these are being
translated into improved products for agriculture and nutrition.
New approaches to increase seed
size and number and therefore increase crop yields were
described. Enhancements of seed nutritional content by
modification of seed protein, carbohydrate, oil, vitamin and
micronutrient composition are in the research and development
pipeline. Ways to improve seed longevity were described that
will enable better storage of plant genetic resources. Recent
research on the regulation of seed germination and dormancy will
lead to better seed quality for planting and new strategies for
weed management. New techniques can reduce costs and increase
the reliability of production of seeds for planting.
The first of an annual series of
Plant Sciences Symposia sponsored in part by the UC Davis
Department of Plant Sciences and the College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences, the symposium also received financial
support from the National Science Foundation, the USDA National
Research Initiative, the UC Discovery Program, the International
Society for Seed Science and a number of corporate sponsors.
The symposium was also supported
by members of CSREES Regional Research Project W-1168
representing a number of land grant institutions in the U.S.
Abstracts of 30 invited
presentations and 65 posters displayed at the symposium can be
viewed at
www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/seedsymposium2007. |
