Nuclear Techniques for Seed Protein Improvement [antikvár]

FOREWORD As a contribution to current world-wide attempts to avert the protein shortage which threatens parts of the rapidly increasing world population, the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Atomic Energy in Food and Agriculture initiated in 1969 a program on the use of nuclear techniques for seed protein improvement through mutation breeding. Since 1971 the program has been receiving financial support for a five-year period from the Federal Republic of Germany through the Gesellschaft für Strahlen- und Umweltforschung, Munich. Work on the project is carried out along two lines. The main practical mutation breeding work is done by a number of research contractors in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America and by holders of special research agreements from selected plant-breeding institutes in several countries. The second line involves research for the development of mutation breeding methods and analytical techniques for mass-screening purposes, chemical as well as nutritional, and is carried out in six German institutes and the IAEA laboratory at Seibersdorf, Austria. A panel of experts met in Sweden in 1968 and recommended the program, and the first co-ordination meeting was convened in Vienna in 1970 in connection with a symposium on improving plant protein by nuclear techniques. At that time the project was rather limited in number of participants and in flow of scientific and technical information. By the time the second co-ordination meeting was held the project was operating in full force and the considerable amount of information from research co-operators is now collected in the present volume. This meeting was organized by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division and the Gesellschaft für Strahlen- und Umweltforschung, Federal Republic of Germany, and kindly hosted by the latter organization from 26 to 30 June 1972 at Neuherberg, near Munich. Thirty-eight scientists, representing the fields of mutation breeding, analytical and nutritional screening techniques of breeding material and biochemistry of seed protein formation, attended the meeting. Thirty-two papers were presented, and gave rise, to active discussion among the participants. As a result of these discussions, recommendations for the strategy of mutation breeding and analyses for improved seed protein content and quality were worked out and these appear at the end of this volume. The recommendations for mutation breeding are given in terms of breeding objectives, selection of field material and sampling of mutant lines for protein analysis. For analytical work, emphasis is given to methodology, strategy, nutritional evaluation, development of better analytical techniques and basic research on genetic, biochemical and physiological processes in the biosynthesis of storage proteins. Guidelines for co-operators concerning the growing of mutant lines in the field and preparation of samples for protein analysis are given in two Annexes to the Recommendations.