The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. and Texas A&M University are hosting the International Symposium on Molecular Breeding of Forage and Turf, May 18-22, 2003 in Dallas, Texas. This conference will focus exclusively on the theme of cultivar improvement for forage and turf through the application of conventional plant breeding and molecular methods.
Forages provide the basis for environmentally sustainable production of animal products throughout the world, and turf serves an important environmental and service role in society. The economic impact of forages and turfgrasses is substantial. Cultivar improvement using conventional selection techniques has barely kept pace with increased production requirements. Molecular technologies offer powerful tools to enhance the process of cultivar improvement, although the development of such technology for forage and turf breeding has been slow relative to other major crops. Reasons for this slower than desired progress include: the complicated nature of polyploid genetics; the perennial nature of forage and turf crops; and a lack of financial resources to support applied research.
This conference will facilitate the assembly of 250-400 participants from academia and industry, representing such diverse professional interests as plant breeding, agronomy, ruminant nutrition, plant genetic resources, intellectual property rights, genomics, transformation, and bioinformatics. The selected speakers are experts in their respective field, and each has committed to attend. Thus, this conference will provide an otherwise unavailable opportunity for plant breeders and molecular scientists in the field of forage and turf improvement to come together for the purpose of exchanging information and ideas, learning the latest developments, and forming multidisciplinary collaborations. It is anticipated that this conference will facilitate the advancement of current and future cultivar development in the United States and as well as developing and developed countries.
Efforts in conference recruitment will seek to draw critical new thoughts into this field through the solicitation of members of historically underrepresented groups, young scientists (including post-doctoral fellows), and graduate students. The introduction of new ideas to this discipline is beneficial and necessary, and the exposure of young scientists to this field will desirably contribute to cultivar improvement for forage and turf for decades to come.
A summary of the conference, including papers from invited speakers and selected oral presentations, will be compiled in a comprehensive printed proceeding, entitled inMolecular Breeding of Forage and Turf.ln This proceeding will be published by Kluwer Academic Publishers. This proceeding will be the principal means used to perpetuate the meeting and its discussions.
