ICS Undertakes IAEA Technical Training on Induced Crop Mutations

Sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) and hosted by the Institute of Crop Sciences (ICS), the International Training on New Technologies for Induced Crop Mutations was opened during October 28 to November 1, 2013 in Beijing. A total of 30 representatives from 14 countries participated in the training, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and China, and domestic seven experts provided lectures. Mr. Liu Hansi, Director General of CAEA Department of International Cooperation, and Mr. Feng Dongxin, Deputy Director General of Department of International Cooperation of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) attended the opening ceremony. ICS Deputy Director Mr. Wang Shumin attended the closing ceremony and awarded the certificate for the trainees.

In the training, experts presented an overview of the IAEA cooperation projects in the Asia-Pacific region, and provided special training on the international development of induced crop mutation technologies, benefits of mutated crop varieties, space-induced mutation breeding techniques, tandem accelerator irradiation, ion beam mutation breeding techniques, molecular mutation breeding techniques, TILLING, sequencing based genetic mutation excavating techniques. Meanwhile, combined with lectures, experiments and visits were organized to major scientific projects, National Genebank, National Center of Crop Space Mutation Breeding, Radiation Center of Peking University, linear accelerators for high-energy particle experimental beams at the Institute of High Energy Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and tandem accelerators at China Institute of Atomic Energy. According to the survey feedback, the training is considered to be content-rich and well-structured and combine theoretical lectures with experimental operation. It not only broadens their horizons and disseminates a lot of new knowledge and technologies on induced crop mutations. It has also laid a solid foundation for cooperation in Asia-Pacific IAEA member states by enhancing the mutual understanding and friendship of scientists.

The training is an important component of the IAEA project of "Using Mutation Breeding Approaches to Develop New Crop Varieties Adaptable to Climate Change" (RAS/5/056) in 2013, and the first of its kind themed space breeding and high-energy ion beam breeding. ICS Research Fellow Dr. Liu Xianglu is the international coordinator of this training project.