Los Baños, The Philippines
January 24, 2025
Demonstration of the Phenotypic Data Manager tool to key representatives of the Alliance of Bioversity International - CIAT’s Forages Program during the Knowledge Exchange Program (KEP)
The Enterprise Breeding System (EBS) is playing a key role in modernizing breeding programs across CGIAR, enhancing data management and decision-making for multiple crops. While initially designed to support staple crops like rice, EBS is now being integrated into the Alliance of Bioversity International - CIAT’s Forages Program, marking its first implementation within a crop program under the Alliance.
Developed through a collaboration between the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and now being used by other CG Institutes such as the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), AfricaRice, and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), EBS digitalizes workflows, streamlines data management, and improves breeding precision.
To facilitate the adoption of EBS, a workshop was organized under the BRS-Knowledge Exchange Program (KEP). Conducted by the BR Global User Support-Adoption Team at IRRI, with resource persons from the Rice Breeding Innovations (RBI) Data Management and Breeding Analytics teams, the workshop aimed to finalize the EBS adoption for the Forages Program, which started in July 2024. This workshop marked an important step in EBS adoption and emphasized its potential benefits for other crop programs within the Alliance.
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Representatives from the Alliance of Bioversity International - CIAT's Forages Program and key collaborators from the IRRI-EBS team discussed the breeding scheme for forages.
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During the workshop, participants engaged in in-depth discussions about breeding schemes tailored for forage crops, management of apomictic genotypes for inbreds and hybrids, and aligning harvest processes to enhance EBS capabilities. Additionally, participants toured IRRI’s Genebank, Plant Growth Facility, and Speed Breeding Facility, gaining valuable insights into advanced breeding technologies.
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The IRRI-EBS team toured key representatives from the Alliance of Bioversity International - CIAT’s Forages Program through the PGF storage unit.
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The workshop also explored how EBS could optimize inventory and shipment management, thereby improving operational efficiency. This is particularly timely as the CIAT-Forages Program continues to expand, welcoming new team members in Colombia and establishing a new site in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Knowledge Exchange Program (KEP) is designed to foster knowledge-sharing and build capacity in digital breeding innovations, particularly under the Breeding Resources Initiative within CGIAR. Key participants in the workshop included David Muruu, Data Manager and Breeder, and Luis Hernández, Senior Research Coordinator from CIAT’s Tropical Forages Program.
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