Breeding Success

Plant breeding is currently undergoing rapid developments in genomics, analytics and other technologies. As a result, in addition to plant breeders, breeding programs need molecular biologists, computer scientists and numerous other specialists working together to bring advanced genetics and integrated crop solutions to market.

"Breeding is becoming more of a team sport," says Heather Merk, program lead for the Syngenta Breeding Academy. The better the training of each team member and the smoother the teamwork, the more likely the team will be productive, she explains.

The Syngenta Breeding Academy is the first-of-its-kind global learning initiative designed to enable the continued development of scientists at Syngenta and beyond. "In addition to building stronger individual and team capabilities, one of our goals is to help create a broader understanding of why breeding is important to our company and the world as a whole," Merk says. "The Academy also shows Syngenta employees the value of crossing disciplines and functional collaboration in the development of innovative products that benefit growers."

Syngenta also is working with leading universities to help prepare students for careers in plant breeding and related disciplines. For example, it sends participants (and pays their registration fees) to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's (UNL) Plant Breeding for Non-Breeders Course. "This program educates participants," says Keenan Amundsen, Ph.D., assistant professor in UNL's Agronomy & Horticulture Department. "The added knowledge helps develop a better understanding of how to answer questions like 'Why is my seed so expensive? Why do we use GMOs? Why do breeders introduce genetic diversity if we want uniformity in our crops?' and so on." UNL delivers the 10-week course online to accommodate students in different time zones around the world. These and other university courses are also becoming a core component of the "curriculum" available to Syngenta Breeding Academy participants.

"The added knowledge helps develop a better understanding of how to answer questions like 'Why is my seed so expensive? Why do we use GMOs? Why do breeders introduce genetic diversity if we want uniformity in our crops?'"

North Carolina State University's (NCSU) Plant Breeding Symposium also receives funding from Syngenta. NCSU students in the Plant Breeding Club learn leadership skills through the planning and implementation of this biennial symposium, says Charles Stuber, Ph.D., the club's advisor and director of the NCSU Plant Breeding Center. The program provides opportunities for plant breeding faculty, commercial plant breeders and students to network with their peers and symposium speakers, which can help further their careers.

Merk also serves on the Education Committee of the National Association of Plant Breeders. The Committee's goal is "to develop strategies promoting and enhancing plant breeding education and training opportunities and experiences, fostering future workforce development for public and private global plant breeding, and securing sustained, long-term funds supporting plant breeder development through mentoring."

All of these activities foster team spirit and leadership in the evolving world of plant breeding - and help bring innovations to the world's growers.