Biotech Updates

ICRISAT and BGI to Work Together for More Productive Crops

April 27, 2012

BGI, the world's largest genomics organization, and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance precision of breeding programs for semi-arid tropic crops particularly in the drylands of Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The collaboration will focus mainly on next generation sequencing technologies towards crop improvement for sustainable food production in the drylands since ICRISAT's mandate crops, while highly nutritious and drought tolerant, have low productivity in marginal environments. The partnership between BGI and ICRISAT will be critical to improve varieties which are both productive and resistant against the threat of climate change and scarce natural resources in the drylands.

For more information about the partnership, visit http://www.icrisat.org/newsroom/news-releases/icrisat-pr-2012-media7.htm.