Plant Breeding and Genetics

Last Updated: June 2002

Our sub-Programme assists national plant breeding programmes to use mutation techniques and modern biotechnologies for developing better varieties of major and under-exploited food and industrial crops. The overall aim is to increase food security and sustainable crop production by improving yields and quality for domestic use and export markets, and by enhancing crop diversification and biodiversity.

The main emphasis is on:

Improving agronomically important characters for major crops with emphasis on marginal and stress prone areas
Improving local, often "neglected" crop species
Improvement and domestication of plant species with potential value as food and export products
Speeding up breeding of new crop varieties by increasing the efficiency of mutation induction and effectiveness of mutant selection using molecular markers.

We give particular attention to cereals, legumes, oil - seed crops, vegetative crops and neglected crops such as sesame, tef, kenaf, cuphea, sweet potato, cassava and quinoa.
We give support and guidance to the staff of National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) through co-ordinating international and regional Research Networks which promote national and international action and co-operative efforts in plant mutation techniques and related biotechnologies. This is done in collaboration with FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division (AGP) and with International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs) and by providing support to Technical Co-operation Projects and Training Courses which focus on capacity building and adoption of new technologies. We operate research, training and other support services from the Plant Breeding Unit at the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory, Seibersdorf and promote information sharing by organizing symposia, seminars and workshops, commissioning thematic papers, and disseminating the results of these and other activities through publications, including a newsletter. We also maintain a mutant varieties database.

For the latest information on our activities see our:

PBG Newsletter No. 8
- January 2002 -

For some highlights and current events please click the NEWS link on the left navigation frame