International Symposium on Molecular Breeding of Forage and Turf to be held in Dallas, TX, May 18-22, 2003

Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation，Inc.和德克萨斯农工大学将于2003年5月18-22日在德克萨斯州达拉斯举办牧草和草坪分子育种国际研讨会。本次会议将通过应用常规植物育种和分子方法，专门围绕牧草和草坪品种改良的主题。饲料为全世界环境可持续生产动物产品提供基础，草坪在社会中发挥着重要的环境和服务作用。牧草和草坪草的经济影响是巨大的。使用常规选择技术的品种改良几乎跟不上不断增长的生产需求。分子技术为加强品种改良过程提供了强有力的工具，尽管此类技术在牧草和草坪育种方面的发展相对于其他主要作物来说一直比较缓慢。进展慢于预期的原因包括：多倍体遗传学的复杂性；饲料和草坪作物的多年生特性；以及缺乏支持应用研究的财政资源。这次会议将促进来自学术界和工业界的250-400名与会者的聚集，他们代表不同的专业兴趣，如植物育种、农学、反刍动物营养、植物遗传资源、知识产权、基因组学、转化和生物信息学。选定的演讲者都是各自领域的专家，每个人都承诺参加。因此，这次会议将为饲料和草坪改良领域的植物育种者和分子科学家提供一个难得的机会，他们将聚在一起，交流信息和想法，了解最新发展，并形成多学科合作。预计这次会议将促进美国以及发展中国家和发达国家当前和未来的品种发展。会议招募的工作人员将通过征集历史上代表性不足的群体成员、青年科学家(包括博士后研究员)和研究生，寻求将关键的新思想引入这一领域。将新思想引入这一学科是有益的，也是必要的，年轻科学家接触这一领域将在未来几十年为牧草和草皮的品种改良做出贡献。会议纪要，包括受邀演讲者的论文和精选的口头演讲，将被汇编成一个全面的印刷会议，题为《牧草和草坪的分子育种》。该会议纪要将由克鲁沃学院出版社出版。这一程序将是使会议及其讨论永久化的主要手段。

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. and Texas A&M University are hosting theInternational Symposium on Molecular Breeding of Forage and Turf, May 18-22, 2003 inDallas, Texas. This conference will focus exclusively on the theme of cultivar improvement forforage and turf through the application of conventional plant breeding and molecular methods.Forages provide the basis for environmentally sustainable production of animal productsthroughout the world, and turf serves an important environmental and service role in society.The economic impact of forages and turfgrasses is substantial. Cultivar improvement usingconventional selection techniques has barely kept pace with increased production requirements.Molecular technologies offer powerful tools to enhance the process of cultivar improvement,although the development of such technology for forage and turf breeding has been slow relativeto other major crops. Reasons for this slower than desired progress include: the complicatednature of polyploid genetics; the perennial nature of forage and turf crops; and a lack of financialresources to support applied research.This conference will facilitate the assembly of 250-400 participants from academia and industry,representing such diverse professional interests as plant breeding, agronomy, ruminant nutrition,plant genetic resources, intellectual property rights, genomics, transformation, andbioinformatics. The selected speakers are experts in their respective field, and each hascommitted to attend. Thus, this conference will provide an otherwise unavailable opportunity forplant breeders and molecular scientists in the field of forage and turf improvement to cometogether for the purpose of exchanging information and ideas, learning the latest developments,and forming multidisciplinary collaborations. It is anticipated that this conference will facilitatethe advancement of current and future cultivar development in the United States and as well asdeveloping and developed countries.Efforts in conference recruitment will seek to draw critical new thoughts into this field throughthe solicitation of members of historically underrepresented groups, young scientists (includingpost-doctoral fellows), and graduate students. The introduction of new ideas to this discipline isbeneficial and necessary, and the exposure of young scientists to this field will desirablycontribute to cultivar improvement for forage and turf for decades to come.A summary of the conference, including papers from invited speakers and selected oralpresentations, will be compiled in a comprehensive printed proceeding, entitled inMolecularBreeding of Forage and Turf.ln This proceeding will be published by Kluwer AcademicPublishers. This proceeding will be the principal means used to perpetuate the meeting and itsdiscussions.