IAEA/RCA Regional Training Course on Mutation Breeding Approaches to Improving Salinity, Drought and Heat Stress Tolerance was held on 13-22 October 2008, Beijing, China in cooperation with the Government of China through the Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing.

The regional project on improvement of crop quality and stress tolerance for sustainable crop production using mutation techniques and biotechnology aims at developing and transferring methodologies and technologies for the induction and identification of mutated genes contributing to important crop quality characters and stress tolerance to RCA Member States, and to develop improved breeding material using molecular marker-assisted selection. This is to be achieved through: 1) development and establishment of efficient methodologies for the induction of mutants and the screening of crop germplasm with various and desirable quality characters, including nutrition and process characters, and tolerance to stress; 2) development of molecular markers for tagging genes for quality characters and enhanced tolerance to stress in induced mutants; 3) use of molecular markers with the aim of developing improved crop varieties; and 4) development of improved germplasm with enhanced quality traits and improved resistance to stress.

This course was a good opportunity to provide young scientists involved in the project with advanced knowledge and skill related to mutation breeding for improving tolerance to soil, drought and heat stress in crop plants, and with methodologies and protocols for the evaluation of crop tolerance to these abiotic stresses.

For more information please contact Dr Luxiang Liu at luxiang@263.net.en.