Episodes

  • S4 E11 Plant Breeding Stories - Hannah Senior

    S4 E11 Plant Breeding Stories - Hannah Senior
    Mar 23 2022
    We’re wrapping up the Plant Breeding Stories podcast by reflecting on our learnings and exploring what’s next with our host, Hannah Senior, CEO of PBS International. In the final episode of the Plant Breeding Stories podcast, Hannah explains how her studies in experimental psychology and business plus an entrepreneurial spirit set her up for future success as CEO of PBS International, a company that designs and makes specialist pollination bags and tents. We learn about her business’ critical role in plant breeding programmes and discover why the Plant Breeding Stories podcast came to be. Hannah reflects on the recurring themes she heard throughout the podcast, including the challenges of funding non-commercial plant breeding programmes and the exciting opportunities that new technologies continue to bring to the industry. She shares her thoughts about entrepreneurship in agriculture and discusses why more systems-focused thinking could benefit food production. Finally, Hannah shares what’s next for her and for PBS International, as she hangs up her podcasting microphone for now. Links: Get in touch via Twitter @ PBSInt or Instagram @ PBS_Int Transcripts of this episode and all our podcasts can be found at PBSInternational.com/podcast Innovating AgTech Podcast can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/user-73017811
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    33 mins
  • S4 E10 Plant Breeding Stories - Leena Tripathi

    S4 E10 Plant Breeding Stories - Leena Tripathi
    Mar 16 2022
    Dr Leena Tripathi, Director of the East African hub of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), specialises in applying advanced biotechnology techniques to promote disease resistance in bananas. In this episode of the Plant Breeding Stories podcast, Leena shares how her desire to promote human health led to plants and an impactful career in crop biotechnology. We follow her journey across countries and crops on her path to Tanzania, where she now leads research into disease resistance in banana species. Leena explains why managing diseases in bananas is particularly challenging and describes where biotechnology and traditional plant breeding methods can support development of disease-resistant varieties for both smallholder farms and commercial banana production. We also learn why fundraising challenges and regulatory hurdles can often frustrate progress. Transcripts of this episode and all our podcasts can be found at PBSInternational.com/podcast
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    34 mins
  • S4 E9 Plant Breeding Stories - Julia Sibiya

    S4 E9 Plant Breeding Stories - Julia Sibiya
    Mar 9 2022
    Dr Julia Sibiya, Associate Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, is experimenting with new tools to improve traits of interest in sorghum and maize crops. In this episode of the Plant Breeding Stories podcast, Julia explains why she chose to work with plants over animals and describes the career path that led her to a professorship in South Africa. She gives an overview of her current research, including breeding sorghum varieties for biofuel production and enhancing grain sorghum's productivity and nutritional quality. Julia discusses how collaboration among regional and international plant breeding associations is important to help deliver innovative solutions for global food security and climate change challenges. We also learn how she’s helping the next generation of scientists prepare for the vast career opportunities available in agriculture. Transcripts of this and all our podcasts can be found at www.PBSInternational.com/podcast
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    33 mins
  • S4 E8 Plant Breeding Stories - John Letts

    S4 E8 Plant Breeding Stories - John Letts
    Mar 2 2022
    John Letts had a “Howard Carter in Tutankhamun’s tomb” moment when he was handed a shoebox full of 550-year-old ears of wheat. As a chef, archeobotanist and roof thatcher turned plant breeder, he brings a radically different perspective on what’s needed in grain varieties for the era of climate change. In this episode of Plant Breeding Stories, John explains how taking the long view shaped his approach to breeding and grain production, causing him to prioritise resilience and sustainability over maximising yield per se. His entrepreneurial resourcefulness allowed him to largely self-fund his research and turn received wisdom in both conventional and organic farming systems on its head - with remarkable results. Transcripts for this and all our podcasts can be found at PBSInternational.com/podcast.
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    40 mins
  • S4 E7 Plant Breeding Stories - Girish Chowdhary

    S4 E7 Plant Breeding Stories - Girish Chowdhary
    Feb 23 2022
    Professor Girish Chowdhary is a computer science specialist at the University of Illinois. His academics career and interest in robotics comes with a real-world orientation, so he turned his expertise in automation to reducing the uncomfortable, labour intensive jobs in agriculture. The company Girish co-founded, EarthSense, developed its technology to meet the needs of plant breeders, creating robots that can quickly, accurately, and autonomously collect phenotyping data in plot trials. Girish talks about the differences he sees as he moves back & forth between academic and startup life, and why he encourages his students to push their work to more concrete outcomes than the proof points required for an academic publication. Links: EarthSense website: https://www.earthsense.co/ Transcripts of this and all our podcasts can be found at PBSInternational.com/podcast
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    32 mins
  • S4 E6 Plant Breeding Stories - Ksenija Gasic

    S4 E6 Plant Breeding Stories - Ksenija Gasic
    Feb 16 2022
    Dr Ksenija Gasic, Professor of Horticulture at Clemson University, is on a quest to deliver improved peach varieties to the U.S. market. In this episode of the Plant Breeding Stories podcast, Ksenija takes us back to her childhood in Serbia, where time spent in her family’s gardens sparked an early interest in plants and agriculture. She shares her experiences completing a postgraduate program during the Balkan conflicts of the early 1990s and how even this adversity had some benefits for her work! We discover why it takes up to 20 years to develop a new peach cultivar, learn about the one-gene difference between a peach and nectarine, and how opportunities in genetic resources led the international exposure which ultimately resulted in Ksenija moving to the USA. Transcripts of this and all our podcasts can be found at www.PBSInternational.com/podcast
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    35 mins
  • S4 E5 Plant Breeding Stories - Narinder Dhillon

    S4 E5 Plant Breeding Stories - Narinder Dhillon
    Feb 9 2022
    Dr Narinder Dhillon, Principal Cucurbits Breeder for the World Vegetable Center, has worked with plant breeding programmes around the world, experience which give him a big-picture mindset for solving global food security issues and a special appreciation for collaboration. In this episode of the Plant Breeding Stories podcast we follow Narinder from his family farm in India, to his international vegetable breeding journey while genomic technologies rapidly evolved. Narinder discusses the role of the World Vegetable Center and his love of cucurbits such as bitter gourd, luffa gourd and tropical pumpkins. He explains why these nutrient-rich crops are critical for food security, the quirks encountered when breeding squash, and how collaboration with private seed companies is a critical component in his program’s success. Links: World Vegetable Centre : https://avrdc.org/ Transcript of podcast: www.PBSInternational.com/podcast
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    33 mins
  • S4 E4 Plant Breeding Stories - Emily Negrin

    S4 E4 Plant Breeding Stories - Emily Negrin
    Feb 2 2022
    Emily Negrin, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs at Inari, is an agriculture advocate focused on helping companies communicate more effectively. In this episode of the Plant Breeding Stories podcast, Emily explores why food production has become so controversial in recent years and explains how clear, concise communication can help bridge the gap between scientists and consumers. She shares her top tips for talking effective about plant breeding and explains the importance of an effective dialogue for the biotechnology community as a whole. Emily also describes Inari’s ambition to use its precision plant breeding platform for environmental impact, increasing corn and soybean yields while reducing water and nitrogen use by up to 40%. Links: Inari website: www.Inari.com Transcripts of this and all our podcasts are on our website at PBSInternational.com/podcast
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    35 mins