BANGI – 180 researchers from various government and private organizations and the Public Universities (IPTA) of the country and abroad representing 18 countries gathered at the 4th International Plant Breeding Conference 2018 discussed the latest issues in plant breeding, genetics and biotechnology internationally.

The three-day conference for the fourth series aims to outline the most recent advances in various plant breeding areas which are Conventional Plant Breeding; Genetics; Biotechnology and Molecular Biology; Novel Breeding Approach; Capacity Building and Future Perspectives in Plant Breeding.

Secretary-General of Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Malaysia, Dato 'Mohd Sallehhuddin Hassan has officially launched the conference and said all presenters will share the views and information pertaining to the current and ongoing research and key findings. "Every research will be published scientifically for general use and research in the future," he said during the conference's opening speech here.

“The convergence of conventional plant breeding and rapidly advancing fields of molecular biology, genetic engineering, genomics and biotechnology has become imperative and can bring considerably synergy required in the research and development” he said.

Additionally, the outcome of this research is expected to be beneficial in providing platform for plant breeders, researchers, academicians and students to create networks and share their latest findings, experiences and achievements in plant improvement programs.

The 4th International Plant Breeding Conference 2018 was organized by the Malaysian Genetic Society with the cooperation of several public and private agencies including the UPM's Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security Institute (ITAFoS) which took place on 13 to 15 November 2018 at Hotel Bangi-Putrajaya. This is the first time program of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Secretary General who focuses on issues and challenges in national and global plant breeding and to boost the quality of the country's agricultural sector.

Meanwhile Director of the Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security UPM (ITAFoS), Prof. Dr. Mohd Rafii Yusop has been invited to present the topic of 'Utilization of Marker-Assisted Selection for Rice Improvement'.

Six participating IPTAs are UPM, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), University of Malaya (UM) and International Islamic University (UIA).

Also participating in this conference were the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry (MOA), the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM), the Malaysia Nuclear Agency (MNA) , Malaysia World-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), Felcra Plantatation Services (FPSSB), Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB), Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB), Sime Darby, Green World Genetics (GWG) and Society for the Advancement of Breeding Researchers in Asia and Oceania (SABRAO).

Date of Input: 07/12/2018 | Updated: 07/12/2018 | fatma