A New Generation of Plant Breeders Discovers Fertile Ground in Organic Agriculture

Sustainability

Claire H. Luby¹  Alexandra H. Lyon² 

[1] Department of Horticulture, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1575 Linden Dr., Madison, WI 53706, USA;Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 550 N. Park St., Madison, WI 53706, USA; E-Mails:

关键词: plant breeding;    organic agriculture;    graduate education;   

DOI  :  10.3390/su5062722

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Plant breeding for organic systems is a growing field that is attracting a new cohort of graduate students in land-grant plant breeding programs. In 2012, the first Student Organic Seed Symposium (SOSS) was organized by and for graduate students and held in Greensboro, VT. This three-day symposium brought together graduate students and plant breeding professionals in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Organic plant breeding offers an exciting new niche for public breeding programs, with the potential to develop unique opportunities and partnerships. Participation in the symposium demonstrated that graduate students are enthusiastic about engaging in organic plant breeding and building a community of support for their work. This new cadre of researchers represents one opportunity to collectively move towards a more sustainable agricultural future, and underscores the necessity of building and maintaining strong public plant breeding programs that can facilitate this work.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.