Water is a natural resource of vital importance in agriculture. This makes it also a limiting factor for growing sufficient crops to ensure food supplies for the world’s growing population. Renowned scientists from the USA, Australia, Peru, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and from European states have met in Berlin to discuss necessary steps for advancing the breeding of plants that are more drought-resistant and water-efficient than today’s cultivars. The Julius Kühn Institute contributed to the scientific schedule and organization of this workshop, which was hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture as one of the events during Germany’s G20 presidency 2017.
Two key issues discussed by the experts gathering in Berlin were (1) the genotyping of gene bank accessions to benefit from the genetic diversity of gene bank material worldwide and (2) the reliable phenotyping for drought stress tolerance. Furthermore, the workshop addressed topics of enhancing coordination and networking at international level, the necessary information and data storage systems included.
It is planned to present the results of the workshop discussions at the MACS-G20 event, the Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists of the G20-States, in Potsdam in November 2017: http://www.macs-g20.org/annual-meetings/current-meetings/germany-2017/