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About
the Workshop
The
workshop was held in Bamako, Mali, from October 9-12, 2002.
The three-day discussion sessions were preceded by a one-day
field trip to the Malian millet research station and to
farmers’ fields nearby. A report on the
workshop (prepared by Theresa Fulton), as well as the list
of participants and other information, can be found at the
following link: http://www.igd.cornell.edu/MilletSummaryFinal.htm
Workshop
Objectives
-
Promote
the exchange of information and perspective among
researchers on the current status of millet improvement,
including key traits (ie. downy mildew resistance, Striga resistance, yield components, etc.) and social and
agro-ecological issues (farmer participation, population
genetics and diversity, farming systems etc.).
-
Discuss
relevant progress and trends in other systems, including
comparative genomics in the grasses and how these
resources may contribute to millet improvement.
-
Identify
areas in particular need of further research and
corresponding opportunities for new projects and
collaborations.
Workshop
Outcomes
-
A
compilation of key research in millet and related crops,
to be given to participants prior to the workshop. A
list of key references will also be made available on
the internet.
-
A
summary report of the main topics, conclusions and
recommendations, made available on the internet and on
CD (for a copy of the CD, please contact Theresa Fulton
at tf12@cornell.edu).
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Drafts
of joint proposal(s) for pearl millet improvement in
West Africa.
-
This
workshop and any resulting projects could serve as a
model for how other orphan crops could maximize
information from better studied crops.
-
A
sequel workshop was inspired and subsequently conducted
on millet- and sorghum-based systems, with
co-sponsorship of the Rockefeller and McKnight
Foundations (http://mcknight.ccrp.cornell.edu/participants/wafricawkshp03.html).
Workshop
Organizers
Dr.
Rebecca Nelson
321
Plant Science
Cornell
University
Ithaca,
NY 14853 USA
Tel:
607-254-7475
Email: rjn7@cornell.edu
Dr.
Eva Weltzien Rattunde
ICRISAT
Bamako,
Mali
Dr.
Theresa Fulton
Institute
for Genomic Diversity
Cornell
University
Ithaca,
NY USA
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