IRRI Holds Training for Crop Scientists on Genomic Predictions and Data-Driven Crop Breeding

Earlier this year, IRRI Education opened applications for the Fundamentals of Genomic Predictions and Data-Driven Crop Breeding training course. On 5 August 2024, 20 researchers and plant breeders from India, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Philippines, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Senegal, and Nepal convened at IRRI headquarters in the Philippines to participate in the training.

The five-day training was designed to provide participants with knowledge and understanding of genomic selection and other data-driven strategies in crop breeding, including a comprehensive understanding of quantitative genetics and statistical genomics. By the end of the program, participants are expected to apply these tools for genomic selection in their own breeding programs effectively.

The training was officially inaugurated by Dr. Yvonne Pinto, IRRI’s new Director General. She remarked, “I know this is a very intensive 5-day course, I hope that this will be an opportunity for you to learn from each others’ experiences as well as to see what we have here at IRRI and the progress we’re making in multiple capacities. For IRRI, in terms of the next 10 years, this field, combined with novel technologies in the form of AI and environmental interactions including omics – that is really where I see the future going. If you talk to Hans [Bhardwaj] about some of the work that his team is doing, they have been accelerating breeding opportunities at the same time, and we are in the process of building a SpeedBreeding facility here. So I think there are plenty of different angles that you can look at in order to advance your understanding. I hope that you take the opportunity, make use of the team, and enjoy your stay here and I look forward to hearing about your experiences following the course”.

Dr. Hans Bhardwaj, Research Director and Head of IRRI’s Rice Breeding Innovations platform, was also present during the opening ceremony. He discussed the recent changes in plant breeding as a science, emphasizing the need for breeders to maintain a product pipeline in their programs to ensure more precise, targeted, faster, cost-effective, and impactful varieties. He assured the participants that they would be learning from IRRI scientists actively working in the field and hoped they find the topics interesting, educational, and informative.

Over the next five days, the participants will be engaged in synchronous and asynchronous discussions involving theoretical concepts, practical and hands-on exercises, and self-paced e-learning activities.

Dr. Waseem Hussain, Senior Scientist I – Plant Breeding; Dr. Eduardo (Giovanny) Covarrubias-Pazaran Senior Scientist II – Quantitative Genetics and Biometrics; Dr. Mahender Anumalla, Scientist I – Breeding Long Duration Rice; Dr. Parthiban Thathapalli Prakash, Scientist I – Breeding Optimization; Ms. Leilani Nora, Specialist – Statistics; and Ms. Alaine Gulles, Lead Specialist – Biometrics and Breeding Analytics are the resource persons for the Course

The course will conclude on 9 August 2024 with participants expected to have gained an enhanced understanding of quantitative genetics, statistical models used in performing genomic predictions, and how to perform genomic selection in breeding programs.

Learn more about IRRI Education and its programs at education.irri.org or email us at education@irri.org