Although India’s seed industry is well advanced in applying molecular technologies for plant breeding, there is still a lot of room to learn from the World Vegetable Center’s 40 years of experience in developing improved tomato lines.

At a workshop on “Screening for tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) disease resistance” held at WorldVeg South Asia in Hyderabad from 9-14 July 2019, experts Dr. Peter Hanson, Dr. Sophia Chan and Ms. Grace Hsu helped a team of experienced vegetable breeders and pathologists from India’s public institutes and private companies learn the protocols WorldVeg uses to screen for TYLCV. They also learned gene pyramiding techniques for breeding—how to select and combine genes to produce desired traits in offspring.

Dr. Abhay Kumar Pandey and Dr. Abdul Rasheed War set up a TYLCV field trial with WorldVeg’s susceptible and resistant lines and a local hybrid as a check. The trial plot provided participants with a front-row view of the performance of WorldVeg lines against this devastating virus, which the most destructive disease of tomato and causes severe economic losses.

WorldVeg South Asia collaborated with a team from Agrigenome Labs Pvt. Ltd. in Hyderabad, which provided participants with hands-on training in molecular biology methods. Dr. VB Reddy, Dr. Sivaram and their team demonstrated DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis, and PCR analysis and guided participants as they practiced the techniques. Agrigenome Labs is exploring the next generation of genomics and the training was a good opportunity for participants to learn about advances in this exciting field.

“We trust a lot on the WorldVeg’s contribution to the development of seed sector,” said a pathologist who participated in the training. “We shall be grateful if we can get a training on screening protocols for all vegetable diseases.”

Another participant said: “As a vegetable breeder, I am keen on gene pyramiding to develop resistant cultivars. This workshop could guide me in the right direction.”

WorldVeg South Asia looks forward to running more short courses for professionals to hone their skills and augment their knowledge.

Story: PVL Bharathi

Photos: M Abhilash, Somchit Pruangwitayakun