YOUNG scientists from across the subcontinent, the Middle East and Africa have converged on Rabat, in Morocco, as part of the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dryland Areas (ICARDA) wheat breeding training.
Under the expert eye of experienced wheat breeder Tadasse Wudelaw, the group of students will remain in North Africa for three weeks to learn more about their craft and also to forge international networks.
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Young wheat breeders from national programs are chosen to attend the long-running training program to get a taste of both the new and old in the industry.
"We aim to give them a taste of both classical wheat breedingand emerging techniques, such as molecular marking," Dr Wudelaw said.
"There are also sessions on double haploid principles and speed breeding, along with quality analysis, integrated pest management and biometrics," he said.
Visiting Australian breeders Richard Trethowan, University of Sydney, and Allan Rattey, both addressed the scientists, who undertook theoretical and laboratory training in Rabat along with field excursions to the organisation's Marchouch farm.
The training session was officially opened by Australian ambassador to Morocco Berenice Owen-Jones.
* Gregor Heard travelled to Morocco with assistance from the Crawford Fund and with financial support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Council on Australia Arab Relations.
Gregor Heard
Gregor Heard is Fairfax Ag Media's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his ten years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector. Away from work, he is a keen traveller, having spent his long service leave last year in Spain learning the language.
Gregor Heard is Fairfax Ag Media's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his ten years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector. Away from work, he is a keen traveller, having spent his long service leave last year in Spain learning the language.
