The USDA Plant Breeding Roadmap

Plant breeding is critical for sustainable crop production for security, health, and quality of life.  Horticultural crops provide many examples of plant breeding’s contributions, ranging from pest and disease resistance in table grapes, to locally-adapted vegetable varieties for Northeastern and Northwestern farmers.  Contemporary attention to plant breeding is increasing for a number of reasons, such as its relevance across the full range of agricultural systems and approaches; and the development of a range of new enabling tools for plant breeding. In response, in 2013 USDA’s Chief Scientist held a public Listening Session on Plant Breeding.   Subsequently, USDA has developed a Plant Breeding Roadmap to align its forward vision for plant breeding with USDA’s strategic goals. Both documents are now posted on the web page of the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) at http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=OCS. Stakeholder comments to USDA included the value of USDA’s work in genetic resources (including conservation, characterization, distribution, and pre-breeding); the importance of the recruitment and education of future plant breeders in active breeding programs; and the value of the federal-state partnership and associated grower-groups partnerships. Additional needs expressed for USDA’s work in plant breeding included public-sector plant varieties (cultivars) when/as needed for meeting national goals; translational work in the incorporation of biological research results in new breeding methods, tools and approaches, to address ever-more complex goals; and extramural funding programs both appropriate and adequate for long-term health of the robust federal/state model for public plant breeding in the United States. These activities are important in the roadmap for USDA’s work over the next 5–10 years. Some of the issues raised by stakeholders are broader than any single entity, including recruitment of young people; optimal understanding and use of intellectual property rights and tech transfer mechanisms; and fostering optimal public/private investment balance to ensure that all critical needs are addressed. Questions and discussion regarding the USDA Plant Breeding Roadmap and possible next steps are invited.