Welcome to the SBC

July 2017

The SBC is very proud and excited to announce the release of our 2016 Annual Report! Please take a moment to read about all that has been going on in 2016 here at the SBC: Educational Courses, new and continuing Plant Breeding Academies, outreach, research, updates about our many partnerships and collaborations, and much more!
http://sbc.ucdavis.edu/files/266398.pdf

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UC Davis European Plant Breeding Academy graduates the fourth class
UC Davis European Plant Breeding Academy (PBA) has graduated the fourth class with a session and graduation in Davis, California. Over the last two years, during the six sessions held in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands; Angers, France; Gatersleben, Germany; Gent, Belgium; Almeria, Spain, and UC Davis, ten participants in this class spent more than 300 hours in classes, workshops and the field, training towards the PBA Certificate. Read more  ••• The PBA is a premium professional certificate program offered in the USA, Europe, Asia and Africa. Fourteen classes offered worldwide since 2006 were attended by 260 breeders from 58 countries, making the PBA the most recognized program of its kind. The next class of the European PBA starts in October 2017. This class is full, applications are accepted for a waiting list. For more information, contact Joy Patterson at jpatterson@ucdavis.edu or visit PBA online. 

June 2017

GMO crop approval may open door to biotech seed imports in China
China's decision to approve the use of two new varieties of genetically modified crops may signal a willingness to allow US agricultural companies to market biotech seeds on the mainland. "China has done a huge amount of internal research on GM crops, and there are many benefits that could come to farmers and consumers there if those products are allowed to be sold," SBC Director Kent Bradford said. China has been wary of genetically modified (GM) crops and seeds, citing safety concerns. Bradford said that stance seems to be changing. Read full article

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Wal-Mart and Bayer team up to create "Sweet Spark", a designer cantaloupe
Major retailer Wal-Mart wanted melons in winter to be as delectable as summer. So they have teamed up with seed experts at German agriculture giant Bayer AG to help develop a bespoke melon that’s pleasing to the palate but still tough enough for the trek from warmer climes. “When you’re as big as Wal-Mart, you can dictate a lot of what you want to see in produce,’’ said Kent Bradford, a professor and director of the Seed Biotechnology Center at UC Davis. Read full article

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UC Davis African Plant Breeding Academy starts Class III
The UC Davis African Plant Breeding Academy started its third class of students with a session in Nairobi, Kenya, May 15-27, 2017. The program is organized in collaboration with The African Union New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency and the African Orphan Crops Consortium. The third class of the UC Davis African Plant Breeding Academy consists of 34 breeders, half of whom are women, representing 18 African nations. Over the next thirteen months, they will spend more than 300 hours in classes, workshops and the field, training to complete this premium professional certification program.

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ILLUMINA DONATES POWERFUL SEQUENCER TO AOCC
Illumina has generously donated one of its most powerful sequencers, the HiSeq 4000 Sequencing System, to enable the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC) to complete its crop sequencing project. In addition to the 101 crop species being sequenced, the instrument, which is housed at the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) in Nairobi, will be used with our African Plant Breeding Academy instructors to train practicing African plant breeders on how to use genomics to increase nutrition and crop yields. 
View AOCC 2017 Progress Report
Read more and view VIDEO

May 2017

In the May issue of CSA News online, SBC Director Kent Bradford and UCD researcher Pedro Bello discuss their recent publication in Agricultural & Environmental Letters, focusing on the relationship between seed moisture content and relative humidity and describing a simple way to measure the relative humidity of products. Read more

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