Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Summary: An overview of the activities and accomplishments during the past year was presented by Past Chair Richard Pratt in the absence of Chair Wayne Smith, attending virtually. The four objectives (1. enhance communication among plant breeders, 2. Assemble and disseminate information about U.S. plant breeding, 3. Promote plant breeding relative to national goals/needs, and 4. Identify research and educational opportunities) of the SCC80 Project were reviewed with the group. Dr. Jenny Koebernick from Auburn University was welcomed as the incoming secretary for PBCC. Highlights of the year’s activities were presented.

Accomplishments: PBCC Accomplishments and Impacts 2021/22: the impacts and accomplishments noted below should, and we believe have, lead to improved awareness among decision makers about the roll of plant breeding and plant genetic resources in modern agriculture as well as in the well-being of humanity. Protocols and pathways to get such information into the hands of appropriate leaders and into the curricula at all levels of education need to continue to be developed. PBCC will continue to communicate through associations with the National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB), the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), USDA, the Seed Science Foundation, and our professional societies.

Impacts from PBCC activity and effort

• Colorado State University developed and continues to develop a series of courses aimed at training future leaders in plant genetic resources (http://pgrcourse.colostate.edu) that was originally supported by a USDA-NIFA Higher Education Challenge Grant. This effort currently offers three 1-hour courses that provide an introduction to the conservation and use of plant genetic resources that can be taken for academic credit or as continuing education (non-academic credit).

• The public repository of material describing the importance and necessity of plant genebanks continues to be available at https://grin-u.org. This site contains self-training information on [1] gene bank fundamentals, [2] collection maintenance, [3] phenotyping and genotyping, and [4] crop wild relatives with multiple topics within each subject. Content continues to be expanded and currently includes seven e-books.

• Information on plant breeding needs, accomplishments, impacts, etc. such as the “Incredible Feats of Plant Breeding” newsletter and survey of initial employment for plant breeding students noted below were shared with decision makers at land grant universities through PBCC state reps.

Accomplishments: 2021-2022

• The PBCC graduate student video contest was modified to solicit and accept videos throughout the year. Each submission that meets the published criteria will receive a $ 100 award and the video selected as the outstanding video of the year will receive an additional $ 300 and recognition at the annual NAPB/PBCC meeting. This year’s winner was “What it’s Like to be a Graduate Student,” by Mr. Julian Ginori from the University of Florida (Student Videos | NRSP10).

• The PBCC website at PBCC About Us | NRSP10 continues to be updated and improved. This site now reflects the PBCC state committee representatives, white papers dealing with the key elements of the committee; white papers on “the key to global food security,” “genebanks and conservation,” harnessing new technologies (for plant breeding),” “incredible feats of plant breeding-cosmic crisp apple,” and incredible feats of plant breeding-introgression in peanut;” publications on plant breeding capacity in the U.S.; survey on job placement of new plant breeding PhDs; several publications on the future of plant breeding; student videos; and the beginning of core concepts for graduate education in plant breeding.

• Completed a survey of 87 universities with agricultural programs to determine number of PhD degrees in plant breeding were award over a five-year time frame and if initial employment was in the  private or public sector (US Public Plant Breeding Capacity | NRSP10). A total of 477 PhD degrees were awarded in the area of plant breeding from 36 of 53 universities offering such degrees between 2015 and 2020. At graduation, 44 % of the 477 new PhD plant breeders were employed by the private sector, 48 % by the public sector (including as post docs), and 8 % were unemployed or unknown.

• Progress continues by Luebberstedt, Mahama, Retallick, Bohn, and Main (and others) in developing a set of core educational concepts for training/educating plant breeders at the MS and PhD levels (Plant Breeding Core Concepts | NRSP10).

• Based on the wide range of plant breeding course capacity across universities involved in the survey above, PBCC has initiated discussions on how to improve availability of plant breeding topics. Early suggestions include recorded modules with national leaders in specific areas to be delivered synchronously or asynchronously, delivery of complete advanced courses, and short-term visiting instructors to present face to face lectures.

• A Seed World pod cast online at NAPB - Seed World with the chair of PBCC, discussing PBCC thoughts and direction.

2022 PBCC Annual Meeting (in-person and remote), 11 August 2022

An overview of the activities and accomplishments during the past year was presented by Past Chair Richard Pratt in the absence of Chair Wayne Smith, attending virtually. The four objectives (1. enhance communication among plant breeders, 2. Assemble and disseminate information about U.S. plant breeding, 3. Promote plant breeding relative to national goals/needs, and 4. Identify research and educational opportunities) of the SCC80 Project were reviewed with the group. Dr. Jenny Koebernick from Auburn University was welcomed as the incoming secretary for PBCC.

            Highlights of the year’s activities were presented by Pratt and included:

• Completion and distribution of a PBCC survey to determine the initial employment of new PhD graduates in plant breeding for 2015 – 2020 (public or private). The committee contacted 120 agronomy or horticultural departments at 87 universities.
  • Determined that 36 of the 87 granted 477 PhD degrees in plant breeding
  • 210 (44%) gained initial employment in the private sector; 228 (48%) gained employment in the public sector (includes post doc positions); and 39 (8%) unknown or unemployed at graduation.
  • Number of PhD degrees granted during this 5-year period ranged from 0 (17 universities) to 47. Ten universities granted 60% of the degrees granted.
    • Suggests a range in the ability to cover the multitude of subject matter for a PhD degree
    • Other interpretations
      • Public sector commitment to plant breeding appears to remain strong
      • 92% employment at graduation indicates a strong industry
    • Julian Ginori from the University of Florida was this year’s winner of the PBCC video contest with his entry on “What’s Its like to be a Graduate Student.”
      • The contest was modified this year such that each entry that meets the published guidelines will receive $ 100 and the outstanding entry for the year will receive an additional $ 300.
    • PBCC continues efforts to identify a core set of concepts necessary for training MS and PhD students in plant breeding
    • PBCC is considering advocating a program where teachers of plant breeding courses and concepts will agree to present modules of concepts at universities that have a limited number of plant breeding professors and courses.
    • The PBCC continuous to applaud and support Drs. Byrne, Volk, et al. in their development of E-books, videos, etc. on Plant Genetic Resources.

Future Goals

Below are goals for each objective for the new 5-year project:

Objective 1: Resource Analyses

Collect, analyze, and disseminate information about the U.S. plant breeding effort in both public and private sectors, to include human capacity and access to enabling knowledge, technologies, germplasm, and infrastructure. [Chair, Wayne Smith]

Regarding the survey concerning job-placement of Ph.D. plant breeding graduates, there was a consensus to consider extensions of this activity such as ways to make advanced teaching modules available to low plant breeding enrollment universities. The information on the survey is available on the PBCC website and in CSA News 67:32-33.

• contact a subset of respondents, e.g., the top 10 grantors of PhD plant breeding degrees, and determine percent going to post doc positions and the percent returning to their home country

Additional data of interest that we may wish to garner:

• number of universities offering an UG plant breeding degree
• number of universities offering an UG certificate or minor in plant breeding
• number of universities offering UG plant breeding courses but no degree or minor/certificate
• number of universities offering a significant module on plant breeding within a general UG course in agronomy/horticulture/plant or crop science.

Objective 2: Genetic Resources Conservation and Utilization

Promote the conservation, characterization, and utilization of plant genetic resources and access to those resources for plant breeding. [Co-Chairs, Drs. Duke Pauli and Barb Liedl]

Present objectives for this coming year

1. Increase the number of students participants in the PBCC video
2. need additional content for promotional purposes

• considered easy ways to engage public

1. Increase PBBC membership involvement in USDA Crop Germplasm Committees

Objective 3: Education
Explore the U.S. plant breeding education capacity across universities and identify potential gaps and ways of achieving more uniform teaching capacity. [Chair, Martin Bohn]

• Complete the “white paper” on education capacity for submission to Crop Science
• Revise and resubmit higher education challenge grant.
• Discuss and develop action points for the following issues:

1. How is the capacity of teaching plant breeding distributed among institutions?
2. How are undergraduates exposed to plant breeding?

• How do we deal with the lack of student diversity?

Objective 4. Communication
Comments: Improve communication [1] among public plant breeders and federal-state-local agencies on plant breeding policy issues, including alerts to existing and emerging threats to agricultural security that are relevant to plant breeding; [2] among public plant breeding programs and university administrators through enhancing the mission and impact of PBCC state representatives; and [3] between the plant breeding community and public audiences. [ Chair, Dr. Mikey Kantar]

• Concentrate on ways to develop the potential of the “Fantastic Feats in Plant Breeding” newsletter:
  • Determine ways and distribute to:
    • Decision makers such as experiment station directors, department heads, etc.
    • Pre collegiate students and K-12 science teachers
      • State science fairs
      • 4H events
      • Grower events
      • Voc-ag teachers
      • FFA clubs
    • Develop packets of information the state reps could present PBCC products to the Deans and Directors at their respective institutions.
    • Perhaps PBCC could develop a newsletter (quarterly) to help keep everyone informed regarding new hires, variety releases, PBCC products etc.
    • Post a list of all the PBCC reps and participants at the new website. Perhaps add a picture and a link to their website, and post short videos they provide about their programs?