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Plant Breeding and Genetics

We assist FAO and IAEA Member States in the implementation of modern and competitive plant breeding programmes using radiation induced mutation and efficiency enhancing biotechnologies such as in vitro techniques, molecular markers and genomics. The overall aim is to enhance food security through sustainable crop production using strategic fundamental and applied crops sciences research, technology transfer, capacity building, policy advice, and information management All efforts focus on improving yield and quality by enhancing diversification and adaptability of crops for domestic use as well as for export markets hence contributing to income generation and socio-economic development.

All major activities of the Plant Breeding and genetics Sub-programme in the Joint Programme are within the 'public goods' area both in developing and developed countries and addresses urgent needs and requirements from FAO and IAEA Member States. In most cases regional collaboration is necessary and collaborating with several national and international institutions, we are in the best position to coordinate these activities. In that respect, we may highlight the following achievements:

• There have been more than 2700 officially released mutant varieties from 170 different plant species in more than 60 countries throughout the world. These thousands of plant mutants produced by Joint Programme not only increased biodiversity, but also provided breeding material for conventional plant breeding, thus directly contributing to the conservation and use of plant genetic resources.
• Over 1,000 mutant varieties of major staple crops enhance rural income, improve human nutrition and contribute to environmentally sustainable food security in the world.
• Worldwide, more than 60% of all mutant varieties were officially released after the year 1985, in the era of biotechnology in plant breeding. The integration of mutation techniques and efficiency-enhancing bio-/molecular techniques that permit rapid selection of the most beneficial mutants has pushed the use of mutation induction to new and higher levels of applicability.
• In vegetatively propagated crops, where genetic variation is difficult to obtain due to limited sexual reproduction, sterility and polyploidy mutation induction appears as the tool of choice for rapidly obtaining tangible results. Mutation induction allows for escaping the deadlock of sterility and parthenocarpy by creating useful variants.
• Tens of millions of hectares of higher yielding or more disease-resistant crops developed through induced mutations and released to poor farmers.

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Telephone (+431) 2600-0; Facsimilie (+431) 2600-7; E-mail: Official.Mail@iaea.org
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