Field genetics - for agricultural biodiversity, green biotechnology, and environmental sustainability
Mankind has been farming plants since about 10'000 years ago and has been constantly improving them. However, the rapid development of knowledge about plant genomes and gene functions that start in this millennium already has significant implications for their farming, and the recent introduction of innovative techniques is revolutionizing the possibility to precisely affect individual genes. With these new tools, we will be able to more efficiently make plants resilient against climate change and parasites, which altogether reduce yearly worldwide agricultural production by a third. It is thus important that Science students have the necessary information to understand the magnitude of these innovations, so that they can transmit them to the students, without sensationalisms and preconceived notions.
The Italian Society for Agricultural Genetics (Società Italiana di Genetica Agraria, SIGA), a scientific association that gathers researchers in Agicultural Genetics and Genetic Improvement of Cultivated Plants (https://www.geneticagraria.it), together with the educational program Amgen Biotech Experience (ABE) Italy (https://amgenbiotechexperience.net/it/ital), organised in Italy by the National Association off Natural Sciences Teachers (http://www.anisn.it/nuovosito/), has organized a first cycle of five on-line teacher training seminars, titled Genetica in campo ("Genetics in the field"), aimed in particular at high school teachers.
The seminars will be held by expert members of the SIGA, on Fridays between 3.30pm and 5pm, with the following fortnightly schedule:
23/02 - Luigi Cattivelli, CREA Centro Ricerche Genetica e Bioinformatica
La genetica al supermercato: come la genetica vegetale ha trasformato e migliorato i prodotti che troviamo al supermercato
(Genetics at the supermarket: how plant genetics has transformed and improved the products we find at the supermarket)
08/03 - Cinzia Comino, Università di Torino
La storia del miglioramento genetico e l'importanza della conservazione della biodiversità
(The history of genetic improvement and the importance of biodiversity preservation)
22/03 - Teodoro Cardi, CNR Istituto di Bioscienze e Biorisorse
Introduzione alle biotecnologie agrarie e aggiornamento sullo sviluppo scientifico e tecnologico
(Introduction to agricultural biotechnologies and updates on scientific and technological developments)
05/04 - Daniele Rosellini, Università di Perugia
Genome editing: Tecnologie di evoluzione assistita per le piante del futuro
(Genome editing: assisted evolution technologies for future plants)
19/04 - Massimo Galbiati, CNR Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria
Il consumo d'acqua in agricoltura: impatto ambientale, miglioramento dell'efficienza d'uso dell'acqua e resistenza alla siccità
(Water usage in agriculture: environmental impact, water use efficiency improvement, and drought resistance)
The seminars are free of charge and can be attended also by groups of students supervised by a teacher. The link to join the virtual ZOOM room created by the SIGA, is the following: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81201186267?pwd=eTN2RytuaEU2Q09xWmJSTXhIOEVkdz09
Participants who have followed at least four of the five seminars can ask for a certificate of attendance by emailing the SIGA secretary, segretario@geneticagraria.it, who can also be contacted for further information.