The International Rice Research Institute Education (IRRI Ed) conducted a two-day face-to-face and hands-on training program on genomic selection for researchers at IRRI and its partner organizations, the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) on 9-10 January 2023 at IRRI headquarters.
Genomic selection is an important tool in modern breeding for effective and rapid crop varietal development to meet the production challenges in a climate-changing world. The training, which was attended by 20 participants, aimed to offer insights into the technology and genomic selection that can be integrated and implemented in breeding programs.
Additionally, the training aimed to guide participants through the different steps of genomic prediction with actual breeding datasets. The topics covered under the training included breeding strategies and selection theory, genomic selection analysis workflow, introduction to R, single trial analysis, genotypic data preparation and analysis, and multi-location genomic estimated breeding values analysis.
Mr. Mark Ian Calayugan, a participant from UPLB, appreciated the insightful and practical course content and hoped that they would be able to implement it in the university. Mr. Frodie Waing, a researcher at PhilRice, also expressed interest in the collaboration between IRRI and PhilRice to improve the genetic gain of their breeding program.
Dr. Parthiban Prakash, a scientist at the Breeding Optimization of IRRI’s Rice Breeding Innovation Platform served as the resource person.
The training was organized in collaboration with the OneRicePH Project, a joint initiative of IRRI and the Philippine Department of Agriculture, to unify the country’s rice breeding and dissemination strategy.