Vegetable Breeding for the Tropics
21 October–1 November 2024
Background
The successful cultivation of high quality vegetables relies heavily on the use of superior seeds. In tropical regions, the criteria for seed quality differ significantly from those in temperate climates. Specifically, tropical vegetables require increased tolerance to heat and strong resistance to a variety of pests and diseases prevalent in the region.
The rapidly growing private vegetable seed sector in Africa and Asia is actively improving its capabilities to provide farmers with superior seed varieties. However, both companies and public research institutions have recognized a crucial need for training in vegetable breeding. This is particularly true for optimizing the use of genebank resources and implementing advanced breeding techniques such as pyramiding disease resistance genes and marker-assisted selection.
The purpose of this vegetable breeding course is to address these essential areas, providing participants with the knowledge and skills necessary for successful vegetable breeding in tropical environments.
Course objective
The course will give participants hands-on experience and expand their technical knowledge in tropical vegetable breeding. It allows participants to expand their professional network to fellow breeders and recognized experts in the field.
Course subjects include:
What our participants say about the IVTC:
“I recommend a longer training session maybe 1-6 months, especially for small islands, and to have some information on eastern Americas to help bridge the diverse gap. I believe the training can benefit us if it was longer with more practical inclusive programs”
“Current Training modules are up to mark, and must be continued”
“The training, topics, food, experience, diversity, and everything were perfect. I just wished it could’ve been a little longer. I appreciate the opportunity to have been able to join the training course and just tried to learn as much as I could”
“Many topics are covered by training and I hope to visit you another time with different ideas”
“The program should have a minimum duration of 3 to 4 weeks, with more hands-on work in the field. Participants should focus on practical experience—observing and performing tasks—rather than merely receiving instructions. Aside from this, the management plan for the program was excellent.”
“The course needs to have a duration of 4 or more weeks for participants to digest the heavy course content”
TECHNICAL
Technical skills you need for your next level of agricultural research, development, and extension professionals.
SCIENTIFIC
Scientific skills to enhance the efficacy of your research.
MANAGERIAL
Develop your management skills through learning
and practical experience.