Seed Biology, Production & Quality Course
The Seed Biotechnology Center, together with UC Davis Extension, is offering a two-day class focused on seed biology on March 25-26, 2009. This unique course is designed for professionals in the seed industry, crop consultants and growers to update and expand their current knowledge. Participants will learn fundamental and specialized information on topics including seed development, production, harvesting, testing, conditioning, enhancement, storage, and quality assessment. This course is completely updated and the instructors include: Dr. Derek Bewley (University of Guelph, Canada), Dr. Henk Hilhorst (Wageningen University, The Netherlands), Dr. Hiro Nanogaki (Oregon State University, Corvallis) and Dr. Kent Bradford and Dr. Allen Van Deynze from the University of California, Davis. 4 Registered Seed Technologist points available. For more information and to enroll, go to: http://sbc.ucdavis.edu.
Seed Quality Assessment Workshop
Kent Bradford, director of the Seed Biotechnology Center, will be a key speaker at a Seed Quality Assessment Workshop to be held at UC Davis March 10-12. Sponsored by ASTEC-Global Seed Technology, the workshop will demonstrate Q2 – ASTEC’s new technology which monitors seed germination based on individual oxygen consumption in a fully controlled air-tight environment. Would you like to know the advantages of Q2? Get to know other state of the art techniques in seed germination quality potential? Listen to Bradford’s experience with the machine? Then this workshop is right for you. The $900 cost includes meals and hotel lodging. The workshop is limited to 16 participants. Email questions and reservation requests by February 24 to Lori McDuffie at: lmcduffie@agterra.com.
SBC’s 10th Anniversary Symposium
The SBC is celebrating its 10th year as a center in 2009! To help commemorate this event, there will be a symposium on the UC Davis campus on May 11-12, 2009, entitled “Seed Biotechnologies: Filling the Gap between the Public and Private Sector.” This event will include an evening social on May 11th with a keynote address by Rob Dirks of Rijk Zwaan. A full day of talks will be held on May 12th, with confirmed speakers including Mathilde Causse (INRA, France), Molly Jahn (University of Wisconsin), Jean Kridl (Arcadia), and Pam Ronald (UC Davis). This event will be open to the public and we hope you will be able to join us. For more information or to register for this event, go to SBC or contact Jamie Miller at 530-752-9985 or jkmiller@ucdavis.edu.
Gene Flow in Alfalfa: Biology, Mitigation, and Potential Impact on Production
U.S. alfalfa growers produce for various markets. Access to new technologies—including genetically engineered (GE) herbicide, disease, and drought resistance and low-fiber crops—enables growers to address changing global market situations and remain competitive. At the same time, certain markets are sensitive to GE crops and the potential for gene flow, the exchange of genes from one population to another. The Council for Agricultural Sciences and Technology (CAST) is pleased to release a new Special Publication—Gene Flow in Alfalfa: Biology, Mitigation, and Potential Impact on Production—to provide an overview of agronomic practices and biology to be considered in developing strategies that allow producers of conventional, organic, and biotechnology-derived alfalfa to coexist in the marketplace. SBC's Dr. Allen Van Deynze was one of the leads on the publication.
Questions? Comments? Contact Sue DiTomaso at 530-754-7333 or scditomaso@ucdavis.edu.