Friday, February 26, 2021 - Prairie Post West - 25
Bayer and 2Blades Foundation Extend Agreement into 2023 to bolster Asian Soybean Rust Research
CONTRIBUTED The 2Blades Foundation recently entered into a new
research collaboration with Bayer, building on earlier work and complementing ongoing efforts to identify new disease resistance genes to combat the growing challenge of Asian soybean rust, a devastating air- borne disease of soybean.
2Blades will apply its expertise in discovering cell-surface pathogen receptors to soy, bolstering a program on Asian soybean rust with additional types of immune receptors. The objective is to develop soy plants that are more durably resistant to Asian soy- bean rust.
Asian soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) is a critical challenge for growers. If not managed prop- erly with frequent fungicide applications, the disease can cause yield losses up to 80 percent. The patho- gen causes extensive economic and yield losses in Latin America where 191 million metric tons were produced in the 2020-2021 growing season. In Brazil alone, Asian Soybean Rust has caused crop losses of more than US$ 10 billion since its first endemic outbreak in 2001.
By working with world-leading plant scientists, the 2Blades Foundation identifies new sources of disease resistance in nature against the major unmanaged disease threats of major crops. Genetic resistance allows crops to detect the presence of new pathogens, activate the plant immune system, and protect yields. In 2017, 2Blades and Monsanto—since acquired by Bayer—initiated a project on cell-surface recep- tors to tackle diseases that significantly reduce yield. The platform developed in that program will now be used to combat Asian soybean rust in parallel with a soybean rust collaboration between the two orga- nizations initiated in 2018. The joint approach will provide for various modes of action against a complex pathogen, enhancing the robustness and durability of these independent solutions.
“Global demand for soybeans continues to in-
crease—but diseases are relentless,” said Jeremy Williams, Senior Vice President and Head of Plant
Photo by
Biotechnology at Bayer Crop Science. “We’re proud of the progress we’ve made with 2Blades on our exist- ing research projects, and we believe that additional modes of action can help advance Bayer’s vision of ‘Health for all, hunger for none.’”
“Asian soybean rust is caused by a highly adapt- able fungal disease,” said Dr. Peter van Esse, leader of the 2Blades Group, a translational research site of the 2Blades Foundation at The Sainsbury Laborato- ry. “Working on combinatorial traits with leaders in both academia and industry will lead to a superior and more durable solution to tackle this key chal- lenge for growers.”
2Blades bridges the gap between cutting-edge
research and applications, pursuing its mission to ensure global food security by minimizing the impact of plant diseases. The 2Blades Foundation, based in Evanston, Illinois, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organiza- tion dedicated to the discovery, advancement, and de- livery of durable disease resistance in crops. 2Blades establishes and manages development programs addressing significant un- solved crop disease prob- lems in collaboration with leading research insti-
More Canadians are looking to buy Canadian since pandemic, FCC survey shows
CONTRIBUTED Canadians are more likely to look for Canadian food in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic according to a new survey by Farm Credit Canada (FCC). “The events of the past year have shown us that in times of crisis, the Canadian agriculture industry continues to provide safe and reliable food,” said Marty Sey- mour, FCC’s director of industry relations. “Canadians have noticed and are re- sponding with appreciation for the agricul- ture and food industry’s ability to adapt, even under difficult circumstances.” In the survey conducted between Jan- uary 8 and 12, 2021, there is evidence of an emerging shift in what Canadians are doing and thinking about when it comes to buying their groceries.
When asked if their behaviour has changed since the start of the pandemic, six out of 10 people or 58 per cent said they are more likely to buy Canadian made or grown food, 56 per cent are more likely to look for Canadian made or grown food when they buy groceries and 50 per cent are more likely to think about how their food is grown. “On February 23, we will be celebrat- ing Canada’s Agriculture Day. Each year the national event celebrates the con- tributions of Canada’s agriculture and food sectors, sharing the importance of understanding where our food comes from with all Canadians,” Seymour said. “This year’s fifth anniversary celebration is even more meaningful given the chal- lenges producers and processors have faced in the past year,” he said. “We see these survey results as an endorsement
by Canadians for the continued support and celebration of a strong agriculture and food industry.” According to the same survey, eight in 10 Canadians believe Canada’s food system and agriculture sector responded well to the pandemic. Most of the respon- dents (94 per cent) say they are strong supporters of Canada’s agriculture sector and 91 per cent agree Canadian farmers are underappreciated.
“It is encouraging to see such a strong endorsement for the efforts of the wom- en and men across Canada who are committed to this unique and valuable industry. The vast majority of Canadians agree that it’s important we have a strong agriculture and food sector to ensure we can continue to be a source of safe, reli- able and affordable food,” Seymour said. The survey was conducted for FCC with 2,000 Canadian residents. The margin of error is +/- 2.17 per cent, 19 times out of 20. The data was weighted according to census data to ensure the sample matched Canada’s population. FCC is Canada’s leading agriculture and food lender, with a healthy loan portfolio of more than $41 billion. Our employees are dedicated to the future of Canadian agriculture and food. We pro- vide flexible, competitively priced financ- ing, management software, information and knowledge specifically designed for the agriculture and food industry. As a self-sustaining Crown corporation, we provide an appropriate return to our shareholder, and reinvest our profits back into the industry and communities we serve. For more information, visit
fcc.ca.
tutions around the world and at the 2Blades Group in The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, UK. 2Blades manages a portfolio of specific traits and enabling technologies that it implements in its own programs and out-licenses for broad use.
Visit the 2Blades website at
www.2blades.org and follow 2Blades on twitter at @2Blades
Sunrise
Manufacturing Ltd Visit:
www.sunrisepanel.com
Manufactu t
Complete Rang BOW ISLAN
(403) 39 Custom Fa
e Panel uring
to see d tails of our
details of ourf Range of Pr
ISLAND 393-2513 93-2513
Aluminium & Stainless Steel TIG We
Fabrication. Stainless Steel elding.
abrication. SUNRISE Line of Custom Equipment ustom Equipment
risepanel.com il
ge of Products! ND PLANT
HOPPER BO
OTTOMS
LA
LANDR
ANDROLLER
SPEED DISCS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
