RosBREED Never Sleeps Integration & value of international partners

1. RosBREED Never Sleeps Integration & value of international partners Amy Iezzoni, Michigan State University Cameron Peace, Washington State University

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3. Outline of Presentation • RosBREED and our international partners: an Introduction • Attracting key international collaborators • International collaborators become international partners • Full integration and value of international partners RosBREED

4. RosBREED and our international partners: an introduction

5. The RosBREED Project • PI: Amy Iezzoni, Michigan State University • 4 years, Sep 2009 – Aug 2013 • Funded by SCRI (USDA-NIFA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative) • $14.4 M ($7.2 M SCRI, $7.2 M in-kind Partners) RosBREED

6. The RosBREED Project • Mission We will create a dynamic, sustained program in research, infrastructure establishment, training, and outreachfor developing and applying marker-assisted breeding based on improved knowledge of industry value and consumer preferences to accelerate and increase the efficiency of rosaceous cultivar release and successful cultivaradoption. RosBREED

7. We’re In It Together CROPS of the ROSACEAE FAMILY RosBREED

8. Demonstration Breeding Programs RosBREED

9. Challenge 1 QTLs found in experimental populations are rarely used for MAB – validation with breeding germplasm done rarely and ad hoc! Challenge 2 >63 Mil genetic data points will be generated in RosBREED from genome scans of apple, peach, and cherry! RosBREED

10. International Collaboration Solution World class Dutch stats & software team at Plant Research International/Wageningen University is a critical RosBREED subcontract Netherlands MSU local expertise RosBREED

11. International Collaborators Plant Research International, Netherlands East Malling Research, UK CRA-FRU, Rome, Italy IASMA, Trento, Italy INRA (Bordeaux, Avignon, Angers), France Andres Bello University, Chile Plant & Food Research, New Zealand ARC, South Africa RosBREED participant location + 2 Scientific Advisory Panel members (Spain, New Zealand)

12. Attracting key international collaborators

13. Attracting Key Collaborators • International collaborators were “attracted” by a common problem that needed a solution RosBREED

14. skeptical dismissal good intentions The Chasm Breeding Genomics

15. The PROBLEM = The CHASM • “The Chasm” was not unique to the U.S. • Many leading groups on the Genomics side of the chasm were not in the U.S. – to be successful we had to involve these key groups • Discussions of how to bridge the chasm were ongoing (including international forums) for many years prior to our SCRI proposal RosBREED

16. Bridging the Chasm RosBREED RosBREED Breeding Genomics

17. Bridging the Chasm Collaborators joined because… • RosBREED would provide solutions to a shared problem • Solving would be more efficient, faster, and cost effective if we all worked together • They supported the approach • They were comfortable with the leadership team – due to prior relationships RosBREED

18. International collaborators become international partners

19. Collaborators vs. Partners • Collaborators and Partners work together towards common mutually agreed-upon goals • Partners, in partnerships, have legally binding agreements that define tasks and expectations RosBREED

20. The Funding Match • The fund-matching requirement of SCRI projects created opportunities in innovation and partnership • We required partners to make financial commitments and document expenditures for USDA audit • This is very time consuming. Therefore partners need to be very supportive and committed to the project RosBREED

21. Full integration and value of international partners

22. Example 1: The SNP Summit • Goal: Develop genome-scanning capability at medium-resolution (1 fully informative marker per 5 cM) for peach, apple, and cherry • What genotyping technology to use? • Which specific markers to include? • How can we do this most cost effectively? RosBREED

23. Example 1: The SNP Summit • Step 1 • Bring everyone together in person to develop strategies, obtain buy-in, and assemble international teams to do the work • Include representation from Illumina, the company that would commercialize the SNP arrays  The SNP Summit RosBREED

24. Example 1: The SNP Summit SNP Summit 13-14 November 2010, held with 5th International Rosaceae Genomics Conference in South Africa. RosBREED paid for our matching partners to attend RosBREED

25. Example 1: The SNP Summit • Step 2 • No formal presentations – only brainstorming for 2 days • But, did have mandated outcomes, and everyone felt the pressure RosBREED

26. Example 1: The SNP Summit • SNP Summit was a great success; • - strategies agreed upon • crop teams given one month (!) to choose all SNPs • Illumina recognized us as an Ag Consortium and committed to commercialization of SNP arrays

27. Example 1: The SNP Summit Met our 1-month goal SNP arrays available to world for purchase from Illumina from Dec 2010 – at much lower cost than if RosBREED had gone it alone

28. Example 1: The SNP Summit And… Entire international Rosaceae genomics, genetics, & breeding community can continue to collaborate and share information – because identical genetic markers used  RosBREED

29. Example 2: Strawberry Goal: Develop genome-scanning capability at medium-resolution (1 fully informative marker per 5 cM) for cultivated strawberry (octoploid) 56 chromosomes with much genetic redundancy Regarded as too scary to tackle by many scientists! RosBREED

30. Example 2: Strawberry • Undaunted, commitment made at SNP Summit • Word got out RosBREED not shying away from this challenge  people joined • Four international groups donated key segregating populations for inclusion in replicated RosBREED reference germplasm set  Increased chance of success – all major strawberry genetics teams working together, sharing germplasm and markers RosBREED

31. Example 2: Strawberry Populations imported from – France – Spain – Netherlands – UK Location of European institutions that provided key populations

32. Example 2: Strawberry And… Two new U.S. partners joined RosBREED at their own expense, providing additional field plot locations and evaluation data RosBREED

33. Breeding Program Locations • Vance Whitaker, University of Florida • Phil Stewart, Driscoll’s Strawberry Associates Partnering strawberry breeders

34. Example 2: Strawberry Drs. Tom Davis & Hailong Zhang, Univ. New Hampshire Drs Dorrie Main & Cameron Peace Wash State Univ. Dr. Eric van de Weg, Plant Research Int. For genetic challenges, strategy developed through weekly conference calls Dr. NahlaBassil, USDA-ARS Dr. BéatriceDenoyes-Rothan, INRA Dr. Dan Sargent, IstitutoAgrario San Michele all’Adige Drs. Cindy Lawley, Mark Hansen & Jill Orwick, Illumina Inc. Drs. Iraida Amaya & José F. Sánchez Sevilla, IFAPA-Centro de Churriana Dr. Stephen Ficklin, Clemson Univ. Genomics Institute Dr. Jasper Rees, ARC

35. Example 2: Strawberry International partnerships grown well beyond initial proposal RosBREED began bridge building, and others joined RosBREED

36. Summary RosBREED tackles major scientific challenges that others share, and fills knowledge gaps Keys to attracting & benefiting from inclusion of international partners: - great ideas - communication - trust RosBREED

37. Summary Working together vastly increases accomplishments - greater conceptual breakthroughs by sharing ideas - further reach by standing on each other’s shoulders with shared datasets And of course someone, somewhere, is always working RosBREED never sleeps! RosBREED

38. Acknowledgements This project is supported by the Specialty Crop Research Initiative of USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture

39. Cornell Susan Brown KenongXu Clemson KsenijaGasic Gregory Reighard Texas A&M Dave Byrne Univ. of CA-Davis Tom Gradziel Carlos Crisosto Univ. of New Hamp. Tom Davis MSU Amy Iezzoni (PD) Jim Hancock Dechun Wang CholaniWeebadde WSU Cameron Peace Dorrie Main Kate Evans Karina Gallardo Raymond Jussaume Vicki McCracken Nnadozie Oraguzie Mykel Taylor Univ. of Arkansas John Clark USDA-ARS Nahla Bassil Gennaro Fazio Chad Finn Univ. of Minnesota Jim Luby Chengyan Yue Oregon State Univ. Alexandra Stone Plant Research Intl, Netherlands Eric van de Weg Marco Bink