Seed Today - Q3 2008 - (Page 11)

To make a cross pollination, Dr. Miller first isolates an open floret (left), then emasculates the floret to prevent self-pollination. (left page) Dr. Fred Miller in the MMR Genetics nursery near Vega, TX. MMR Collaborations MMR, which has a long-term production agreement with Richardson Seeds, licenses its varieties to growers worldwide. In June 2008, MMR Genetics and Richardson Seeds entered a collaborative agreement with Mendel Biotechnology, Hayward, CA, to jointly research, develop and breed new sorghum cultivars for the second-generation biofuels market. Mendal Biotechnology has developed proprietary genetic transcription factors that help determine specific plant characteristics. “Sorghum has the genetic potential—because of its yield capacities, adaptation ranges, and germplasm diversity—to provide superior second-generation biofuels and assist in alleviating dependence on fossil energy sources,” says Miller. As Miller recalls his years with the SCP, he looks forward to the prospect of developing new sorghum varieties in response to changing customer needs. “Those were good years,” he recalls. “But I think the best years are still to come.” Joe W. Funk, editor A Changing Landscape Plant breeders of all sorts, including Miller, operate in a time warp. The results of their work lies three, five, ten or more years in the future. Customers, on the other hand, can change their preference for products from one year to the next. “Plant breeding is more like an ocean liner than a speed boat when it comes to changing direction,” Miller explains. “Our customers can change their preferences much faster than we can produce new products.” One way Miller and other plant breeders accelerate the development of new varieties is to go back and reevaluate cultivars and germplasm that has been sitting on the shelf. In the 1960s, Miller worked extensively in Puerto Rico with the Sorghum Conversion Program (SCP), a joint venture by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The SCP was formed to change tall and late or non-flowering tropical sorghums into short, early forms. To maximize grain production, breeders worked to develop shorter plants because they recognized the correlation between plant height, grain yield and harvestability. “Those were some of my most rewarding and productive years as a plant breeder,” Miller recalls. “That program produced over 1,200 converted lines which continue to contribute germplasm to many of today’s grain varieties.” In recent years, customer have Some of sorghum’s diversity is seen as Dr. Miller records nursery data. turned their focus to using sorghum as a feedstock for fuel ethanol production. “Customers are now interested in what we were working to eliminate in the SCP in the 1960s,” Miller says. “So we are now looking at that older data and making selections to develop varieties that will produce high amounts of non-structural carbohydrates for more efficient ethanol production.” This is the exact opposite of the characteristics breeders look for when developing high-yielding varieties for grain and livestock forage . Miller is also looking to develop forage varieties that can be used for methane production. He believes forage varieties also have potential for biofuel production. By storing forage sorghum in the form of silage, growers could extend the delivery time of raw product beyond the limited seasonal harvest period. Third Quarter 2008 11

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Seed Today - Q3 2008

Seed Today - Q3 2008 Contents Editor’s Notes Cover Feature Fred Miller, Ph.D., MMR Genetics Crosbyton Seed Company AOSCA Greg Lowry Floyd Hansmeirer AOSA/SCST According to ASTA Seedsellers, Inc. BinMaster Blake Sieker Ad Index

Seed Today - Q3 2008

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