DuPont has joined the Drought-Tolerant Plants (DROPS) Research Consortium, contributing expertise and a state-of-the-art modelling platform for research into drought resistant maize.
DROPS, a European Commission-sponsored consortium, is developing novel tools and breeding strategies that advance drought-tolerance research in maize and other crop plants. As a member, DuPont has announced it will share its scientific expertise in drought research.
"Drought is a universal challenge that must be addressed to feed a hungry planet. It will take many of us working together in collaborations, like DROPS, to bring farmers solutions for combating drought globally," said John Soper, vice president Pioneer Crop Genetics Research and Development. "Innovations developed through this collaboration will complement our own research programme, which has been providing solutions for farmers for more than 80 years." Water is the single largest input to agriculture, with irrigation estimated to account for up to 70 per cent of the total use of fresh water.
Because of the complexity of field testing, it can be costly and time consuming. Modelling tools, such as the Pioneer maize crop modelling platform, are helping to improve the efficiency and to shorten the timelines for analysis and crop development. Drought tolerance is a complex issue, involving many genes with overlapping/interacting effects.
The Pioneer maize crop modelling platform, developed through a long-term collaboration between Pioneer and researchers at the University of Queensland, allows researchers to input a number of specific characteristics about how experimental plants behave under test conditions, and facilitates prediction of those few that will respond best under drought conditions.
"The modelling capability is state-of-the-art and incorporates the most recent understanding of crop responses to drought," said Professor Graeme Hammer, leader of the University of Queensland team and DROPS consortium member. "Pioneer scientists will work together with consortium scientists to improve the modelling platform so that it can accept even more traits, thereby increasing the precision and accuracy of the platform. Members of the consortium will then have access to the resulting advanced modelling platform to facilitate further drought research, in a number of crops.'
The DROPS Consortium was initiated by the Institut National de la Recherché Agronomique (INRA) of France. It brings together 15 leading researchers and their respective organisations, all aimed at developing solutions for drought tolerance in important crops. Francois Tardieu, project leader noted, "The DROPS consortium brings together an unprecedented mix of leading global expertise to tackle the grand challenge of improving crop adaptation to drought."
Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, is a leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics, providing seeds to farmers in more than 90 countries. Pioneer provides agronomic support and services to help increase farmer productivity and profitability and strives to develop sustainable agricultural systems for farmers, globally.
