Davis, California, USA and Chiang Mai, Thailand
November 29, 2012

Continuing to fill a critical need for trained plant breeders, the University of California Davis Plant Breeding AcademySM (PBA) started its first class in Asia. The Asian PBA is organized in partnership with Asia & Pacific Seed Association (APSA) and in cooperation with private and public breeders from the region. The opening session was successfully completed last week in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in cooperation with East-West Seed Co., Chia Tai Co. Ltd., Maejo University and Chiang Mai University.

Over the next two years, during the six sessions held at various location in Thailand and at UC Davis, this class will spend more than 300 hours in classes, workshops and the field, training to become professional plant breeders.

The first Asian PBA class consists of the following fourteen participants:

• Pichet Yamyen, Hortigenetics Research, Thailand;
• Maria Venus Salutan, East- West Seed Co., Philippines;
• Gang Wang, Urumqi Yunong Seed Co. Ltd., China;
• Zhaoshui Luan, Degao Vegetable Seed and Seedling Research Institute, China;
• Chun-Lin Su, Known-You Seed Co. Ltd., Taiwan;
• George Jubay, Syngenta Philippines Inc., Philippines;
• Thu Bui Viet, Syngenta, Vietnam;
• Shuan Cang Yu, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, China;
• Ren Yi, National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, China;
• Chanaphong Khamkanya, Chia Tai Co., Ltd., Thailand;
• Nor Azwani Abu Bakar, Malaysian Palm Oil Board, Malaysia;
• Zulkifli Yaakub, Malaysian Palm Oil Board, Malaysia;
• Chanin Taweekij, Syngenta, Thailand;
• Jennifer Vaughn, Pioneer Hi-Bred Int’l, Inc., USA.

A special thank you goes to Anthony Tse, Clover Seed, Hong Kong, Dr Tom Burns, APSA director, and representatives of the Chiang Mai organizations who welcomed the participants of the first class of Asian PBA.

For more information on the Plant Breeding Academy, please contact Joy Patterson at jpatterson@ucdavis.edu or visit http://pba.ucdavis.edu.

The Seed Biotechnology Center was established at UC Davis in 1999 to mobilize the research, educational and outreach resources of the University of California in partnership with the seed and biotechnology industries, and to facilitate discovery and commercialization of new seed technologies for agricultural and consumer benefits.

Website: http://www.ucdavis.edu

Published: December 3, 2012