Bioversity International's Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship Award

Two young scientists, Danilo Eduardo Moreta Mejía and Esmaeil Ebrahimie are the new recipients of Bioversity International's Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship Award for their research on the useful genes found in rice and the wild varieties of soybeans.

Mejía, from Universidad del Valle in Colombia, submitted a proposal in which he highlights the mechanism of biological nitrification inhibition in rice.There are some rice species that are able to inhibit nitrification, and if other rice species could have this feature, then it could help in decreasing the use of nitrogen fertilizers and lessen its effect on the environment. On the other hand, Ebrahimie, who hails from Shiraz University in Iran, will search for genes in wild varieties of soybeans in Australia in an attempt to make the soybean varieties in Iran resistant to drought, salinity, and heat.

Established in 1989, the Fellowship Fund aims to encourage the conservation and use of plant genetic resources by enabling outstanding young scientists to carry out research outside their own countries for a period of between three months and one year. For more information, interested applicants can visit http://www.bioversityinternational.org/about_us/fellowships/vavilov_frankel_fellowship.html#c285 .