Vavilov-Frankel Fellows 2012 to study responses and tolerance to drought

Priyanka Gupta from India will be investigating the effects of heat and drought stress on ß-ODAP content in grasspea (Lathyrus sativus). Grasspea, considered as one of the hardiest crops for adaptation to climate change because of its ability to survive drought, elevated temperatures and water stress, is often used as a survival food and fodder in the rural areas of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, the crop contains a neurotoxic amino acid known as ODAP, which can cause paralysis of the lower body when consumed for extended periods. Priyanka’s research aims to understand the pattern of ODAP accumulation during various growth stages, in order to develop low ODAP varieties in the future. Her fellowship is supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) of Australia, and will take place at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in Syria.

Dejene Kassahun Mengistu from Ethiopia will be genotyping landraces of Ethiopian durum wheat as well as identifying agronomic and physiological traits useful for the development of drought tolerant varieties. His research will be extremely important in helping Ethiopia to adapt to climate change and reduce the vulnerability of farming communities. Sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a DuPont Company, in collaboration with Bioversity International, Dejene will be hosted by the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, Italy. Here is what he expects from the fellowship:

As winner of the 2012 VFF award, I hope to gain sufficient knowledge regarding the discrimination between tolerant and susceptible genotypes using molecular markers which enable the development of drought tolerant varieties. This award from Bioversity International could also help me to meet various scientists from around the world and develop my knowledge in the area of marker assisted selection (MAS) for stress tolerance.