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Colorado State University Plant Breeding for Drought Tolerance field-oriented short course

March 1, 2013

Moisture deficits loom as one of the greatest challenges to future crop production, both in rainfed and irrigated agriculture. Enhancing the genetic tolerance of crops to drought stress, is considered an essential strategy for addressing these deficits. To respond to the need for more plant scientists trained in developing drought tolerant cultivars, Colorado State University will offer a short course in Plant Breeding for Drought Tolerance June 11-22, 2012.

The course will end with a two-day symposium on Plant Breeding for Drought Tolerance, which will be given June 21-22, 2012 and is open to the public. Confirmed speakers include Drs. John Boyer, John Passioura, Eduardo Blumwald, Tom Juenger, Amelia Henry, Sean Cutler and Jill Deikman.

Target Audience: The course is targeted to graduate students in the plant sciences, as well as to professionals in the public and private sectors. It will provide three transferable graduate-level credits.

Content: The course will consist of classroom lectures, hands-on lab exercises, and field research activities appropriate for a drought breeding and genetics program. Course activities are designed around three modules:

  • Whole Plant Physiology of Drought Stress
  • Plant Breeding for Drought Stress Tolerance and
  • Genomic Approaches to Drought Stress Tolerance.

Prerequisites: The course will be given in English.Participants should have a solid understanding of basic plant physiology and genetics. Prior to the short course, students will review online material on these topics to provide a common background in breeding and physiology concepts.

Programme Costs: The cost of student tuition and fees is $1,800. Accommodations for room and board are available on-campus for either $850 (double occupancy) or $1,150 (single occupancy). This cost includes three meals daily. Guests are also welcome to make their own arrangements for room and board. All foreign visas and travel arrangements are at students' initiative and expense.

Funding: Partial funding to develop the course was provided by a grant from USDA-NIFA. No scholarships are available for the course.

Registration & Information: Additional information is available at http://www.droughtadaptation.org. Participants may apply online up to February 1, 2012.

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