I. 1 Announcing the Fourth International Barley Genetics Symposium
Following the success of the 3rd International Barley Genetics Symposium, the General Organising Committee of I.B.G.S. announce that the 4th I.B.G.S. will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom on 22nd - 29th July 1981. Further details will be released in the future. Enquiries should be addressed to:
Mr. W. Campbell, University of Edinburgh, Centre for Industrial Consultancy
& Liaison, 16 George Square, EDINBURGH, EH8 9LD, Scotland, U.K.
I. 2 Announcing the Plant Breeding Symposium II
Plant Breeding Symposium II, sponsored by Iowa State University at the new Iowa State Center, will be held March 12-16, 1979. The symposium will review plant breeding advances of the past 15 years, and evaluate areas of future potential.
Ten half-day sessions will consider the following topics:
1. Progress in Meeting Human Needs Through Plant Breeding
2. Exotic Germplasm; Resources and Utilization
3. Application of Tissue Culture to Plant Improvement
4. Morphological and Physiological Traits
5. Selection and Breeding Methods
6. Chromosomal and Cytoplasmic Manipulations
7. Breeding for Stress Environments
8. Pest Resistance
Pathology
Entomology
9. Development of Plants for Multiple-Cropping Systems
10. Improvement of Nutritional Quality
I. 3. A Project on Wild Species of Hordeum
During the last decade there has been an increasing interest in the wild relatives of cultivated plants, because they represent a potential genetical resource for improving the crops. For this reason there is a great need for basic knowledge about the species concerned.
Since 1976 the authors have been engaged in a study of wild species of Hordeum. The project is financed by the Danish Natural Science Research Council. Working facilities have been provided at the Institute of Systematic Botany, Copenhagen, and by the Agricultural Department at Riso.
The project comprises a basic botanical study of the genus. Since the monograph on Hordeum by the Russian botanist Nevski appeared in 1941, no overall study of the genus has been undertaken. The aim of the present project is to furnish an up-to-date taxonomic revision of the group, which would be useful for the plant breeder and the cytologist as well as the field botanist. There is a great need for standardization of the nomenclature, and for information about the variation patterns of species. Data on life forms, breeding systems, and cytological variation (polyploidy and karyotype variation) will also be included.
Crossing experiments are carried out in order to obtain information on sterility barriers. The crossing scheme includes all species as far as possible, as well as the different ploidy levels within the species. Special attention is given to possible combinations with H. vulgare. All crossings are made in climate green-houses, and the hybrids are raised by embryo culture-technique.
At present most species are in cultivation, but we are interested in getting as much spontaneous material as possible, from all over the world (H. muticum from Peru, Bolivia and NW Argentina is still not represented in our collection). Seed material will be stored at the Agricultural Department at Riso until further notice.
Roland von Bothmer and Niels Jacobsen
Institute of Systematic Botany
Gothersgade 140
DK-1123 Copenhagen K
Denmark
I. 4 Publication of Barley Genetics III
Barley Genetics III; Proceedings of the Third International Barley Genetics Symposium has been published in 1976. The 848 page volume contains most recent results in the study of almost every aspect of barley genetics from biochemical genetics to population genetics and breeding procedures, as seen in the contents shown below.
The Symposium was the last one for the late Dr. Gus Wiebe who gave an impressive opening lecture. This volume was dedicated to Dr. Wiebe. It reminds us of the event around the Second International Barley Genetics Symposium which was the last one for Dr. Scotty Robertson who died four months after the Second Symposium in Pullman, Washington, U.S.A.
Editors
pages 4-11, contents of proceedings, not included
