January 2019 eNews

SBC Spotlight
SBC releases Annual Report

http://sbc.ucdavis.edu/files/290621.pdf
Keep your eyes out for the 2018 report which is currently under development.
SBC Director of Research Allen Van Deynze awarded Lifetime Achievement Award


SBC co-organizes Cucurbitaceae 2018 held at UC Davis
November 12 — 15, 2018 at UC Davis
http://cucurbit2018.ucdavis.edu/

Held in the US for the 9th time and in California for the 2nd time, Cucurbitaceae 2018 brought together over 250 cucurbit scientists, both public and private, from 16 countries for an in-depth conference exploring new frontiers of cucurbit research and development. A combined 116 talks and posters were presented at the 2018 gathering.
Cucurbitaceae 2018 Highlights
- Three days of oral presentations, themed sessions of invited talks by domestic and international professionals from the public sector and industry to discuss advances and applications for the Cucurbitaceae species
- Poster and invited speaker sessions on the following topics: Genomics, Genetic Resources, Breeding and Genetics, Production and Quality, Biotic Stress, Floral & Fruit Development, Breeding for Resistance
- Welcome Reception with live music held at the UC Davis Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art
- Crop-specific sub-meetings for cucumber, melon, squash, watermelon, and melon powdery mildew
- Off-site tours to Bayer, Marrone Bio Innovations, Seka Hills Olive Mill & Tasting Room and the UC Davis Robert Mondavi Institute research winery
- In partnership with Seed Central, squash, olive oil, and honey tasting followed by a networking social and “Breeding for culinary qualities and chefs' expectations” panel discussion featuring the following panelists:
Dr. Ali Bouzari, Culinary Scientist, Co-Founder, CSO Pilot R+D
Dr. Lindsay Wyatt, Pumpkin & Squash breeder, Johnny's Selected Seeds
Nick Balla, Chef
Vince Caguin, Director of Nutrition Services & Warehousing, Natomas Unified School District
Paige Schoening, Farm to Table Program Manager, Guckenheimer at Google
Thank you to all conference participants, attendees and sponsors for coming together and helping to make CUCURBITACEAE 2018 a huge success!
The Kent J. Bradford Endowment
The establishment of the Kent J. Bradford Endowed Chair in Seed Science will provide support for a faculty member at UC Davis who would be focused on seed biology and technology and serve as the director of the Seed Biotechnology Center. The endowment will ensure that the seed industry’s needs for academic research, education and public service can continue to be met in perpetuity.
Special efforts are underway in 2019 to meet the endowment goal and for it to coincide with the SBC’s 20th anniversary celebration in September.
http://sbc.ucdavis.edu/About_US/An_Endowment_for_the_Future/.
Seed Central finishes off 2018 with exciting events

Featured Speaker: Dr. Gail Taylor
September 2018
Dr. Taylor's research priorities include the molecular basis of plant adaptation to a high CO2 world, improving the postharvest shelf life of lettuce through preharvest physiology and genetics, and producing the first genomic information on watercress — the most nutrient dense of the leafy crops with significant links to health outcomes.
Topic: From tree leaf growth to leafy greens- Plant Science for a sustainable future
ASTA Meets UC Davis and UC Berkeley
October 2018

Processing Tomato Conference @ UC Davis
December 2018
The full-day conference brought together Northern California’s main actors in the processing tomato value chain: breeders, seed dealers, transplanters, growers, processors, and equipment manufacturers. It facilitated brainstorming around some of the industry’s key issues to help bring about a joint approach towards solutions in the pre-competitive area.
Evening feature: The Job Landscape in the Processing Tomato Value Chain.
Seven industry professionals discussed career paths and current jobs:
Robbie Johnson • General Manager, California Transplants
Chad Kramer • Plant Breeder, Bayer Vegetable Seeds
John Marchese • Senior Manager Global Agriculture, KraftHeinz
Valerie Pantone • Sales/Marketing Coordinator, TS&L Seed Company
Julian Patino • International Operations, Dried Fruits/Engineering & Technical Services, The Morning Star Company
Kyle Quinn • Salesman, AgSeeds Unlimited
Chris Ward • Director of Operations, Pacific Coast Producers
Upcoming SBC Events
SAVE THE DATES!
Plans are underway to celebrate the SBC’s 20th and Seed Central’s 10th anniversary. Events for the week are being considered for the week of September 9th, 2019 culminating with a special Seed Central Event on September 12th, 2019. All programs will be held at UC Davis.
January 10, 2019
Seed Central to hold Special Networking Tech Showcase featuring over 40 companies

2:00 - 4:15 Presentations at the UC Davis Buehler Alumni Center
4:30 - 7:00 Tech showcase & networking at the UC Davis Conference Center
February 14, 2019 • Seed Central Forum presenter: Dr. Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
March 14, 2019 • Dr. Richard Michelmore: So many genomes, so many genes, so little time
April 11, 2019 • Seed Central “Job Panorama” in a Seed Company
4:00 - 6:00 pm "Job Panorama" presentation

Seed Central will invite students to discover the wide range of exciting, high tech jobs that make up a seed company. Seed Central will "x-ray" a seed company's workforce to understand what sort of team it takes to go from research through production, operations, sales and marketing, all the way to the market. A wide range of seed professionals will discuss their respective jobs. Students will have the opportunity to be paired with these seed professionals during several months following the event.
Update: Collaboration for Plant Pathogen Strain Identification (CPPSI)

To learn more about CPPSI, including its sponsors, visit CPPSI online @ www.cppsi.org
Upcoming SBC Courses
Please check our upcoming courses information by following the links provided below.
Seed Production
February 11 - 14, 2019, Davis, CA USA
sbc.ucdavis.edu/Courses/Seed_Production
Seed Business 101, Field Crops
August 19 - 23, 2019, St. Charles, IL USA
Seed Business 101, Horticulture
December 9 - 13, 2019, Davis, CA USA
sbc.ucdavis.edu/Courses/Seed_Business_101
UC Davis Plant Breeding AcademySM in Europe
UC Davis Plant Breeding AcademySM (PBA) is a professional certificate program offered since 2006 with classes in USA, Europe, Africa and Asia. To date, the program has trained nearly 300 breeders, 80% of which are from the private seed industry. Class 6 of the European PBA will start in October 2019. Participants attend six 6-day sessions over approx. two years. Applications now being accepted! Early application discount available until March 31, 2019. Information and application available online @
pba.ucdavis.edu/PBA_in_Europe/PBA_in_Europe_Class_VI/
Recent SBC Courses
SBC hosts successful Seed Business 101 Horticulture course

The next session of Seed Business 101 Horticulture will be December 9-13, 2019 in Davis, California. To learn more, visit us online @ http://sbc.ucdavis.edu/Courses/Seed_Business_101/ or contact Susan DiTomaso at scditomaso@ucdavis.edu
UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy SM (PBA) in Africa Class IV completes Session 1 in Nairobi, Kenya
The UC Davis African PBA’s Class IV completed this fall Session 1 of its 6-week program in Nairobi, Kenya, November 25 – December 8, 2018. The program is organized in collaboration with The African Union New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency and the African Orphan Crops Consortium. Over the next thirteen months, this class will spend more than 300 hours in classes, workshops and the field, training to complete this premium professional certification program.

The fourth class of the UC Davis African Plant Breeding Academy (pictured above) consists of 36 breeders, half of whom are women, representing 23 African nations
The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), an African Union strategic framework for pan-African socio-economic development, is both a vision and a policy framework for Africa in the twenty-first century. NEPAD is a radically new intervention, spearheaded by African leaders, to address critical challenges facing the continent: poverty, development and Africa's marginalization internationally.
SBC in the Press
SBC Founding Father Gabe Patin and Director Kent Bradford discuss benefits of Sakata’s new Woodland Innovation Center

Dry-chain for groundnuts program in India inaugurated by SBC Director Kent Bradford

Kent Bradford discusses renewal of the World Food Center in Farm to Table Talk Podcast


Allen Van Deynze talks about the use of gene editing in modern plant breeding

Allen Van Deynze working to sequence African Orphan Crop Moringa

Kent Bradford highlights pitfalls of GMO labeling in The Hill
