Washington, DC
February 28, 2008
Syngenta announced today it will donate a portion of its
Allelic Diversity platform to the Maize Functional Diversity
Group who, with other researchers, will use it to help
accelerate the global knowledge of corn genetics for the
ultimate benefit of growers worldwide. The donation was
announced at the 50th Annual Maize Genetics Conference in
Washington, DC.
The Maize Functional Diversity Group is a consortium of leading
senior researchers at universities and other research centers
devoted to improving knowledge of corn genetics. Syngenta will
donate approximately 7500 corn genetic stocks that contain
segments of ancestral DNA and the marker data associated with
the lines for public research. This will help the Group and
other researchers make concrete use of knowledge of the corn
genome to improve delivery of complex corn traits.
Current breeding methods have enabled continued increases in
corn yields, driving it to become the largest crop in the
Americas, with an annual production of approximately 600 million
tons. However, emerging science is opening new avenues to help
researchers understand and improve crops.
“Our ability to rapidly and efficiently leverage allelic
diversity is key to a future of improved corn harvests,” said
Ray Riley, Head Corn and Soybean Product Development at
Syngenta. “This contribution is part of Syngenta’s ongoing
commitment to advance the science needed to bring more valuable
and yield-enhancing products for benefit of growers and
consumers.”
"Maize is the most diverse crop in the world, and this donation
in conjunction with other recently developed germplasm provides
unparalleled opportunities to use natural variation to improve
agriculture,” said Ed Buckler, USDA-ARS Scientist with Cornell
University. “Additionally, it helps make maize the premier model
for understanding complex trait variation."
Explicit in the Syngenta donation is enablement and
encouragement of unencumbered reporting of scientific findings
related to the use of the donated materials. Those who access
the genetic resources donated by Syngenta will agree not to
obtain intellectual property rights on the material or knowledge
gained through their use of the donated materials. In
partnership with the GENERATION Challenge Programme, (GCP) of
the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
(CGIAR), Syngenta will also aid in the dissemination of the
nearly isogenic line populations to researchers worldwide.
“This donation is very opportune for public research as this
plant material will boost the identification of new alleles
relevant to maize breeding,” commented Jean-Marcel Ribaut, GCP
Director. “Our broad network of partners, such as the
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT),
should ensure wide distribution of this genetic resource and
meaningful impact, in particular to the global South.” |
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