Background to the project
The SP1 project 2005-07: Whole plant modeling of drought response in cereals was largely methodological and exploratory, and aimed at applying and improving the role of plant/crop modelling to assist plant breeding and genetic/genomic research in the area of drought tolerance of cereals.

DuPont hosts meeting of leading plant scientists to improve world agricultural productivity

Final meeting, 4-7 february 2008, Pioneer Johnston, Iowa, USA

Principal Investigator of project:  Delphine Luquet

Background to the project
The SP1 project 2005-07: Whole plant modeling of drought response in cereals was largely methodological and exploratory, and aimed at applying and improving the role of plant/crop modelling to assist plant breeding and genetic/genomic research in the area of drought tolerance of cereals.

Goals of the workshop
The workshop, hosted by Pioneer, addressed model-assisted characterisation of target environments for breeding, model-assisted phenotyping of complex traits (including the issue how to achieve high throughput), model-assisted trait characterisation and integration and ideotype definition.

During this 3.5-day meeting, project results, keynotes by three excellent invited speakers and presentations by colleagues of Pioneer were presented and discussed. A debate was organised at the end of each session and at the end of the workshop to further explore and follow up these scientific challenges, including discussions on new projects and partnerships to be pursued.

IA Introductory documents

• IA1 - WPM meeing introduction
• IA2 - List of presentations
• IA3 - News release by Pioneer
• Team photo

I - Proceedings
Component 1 (C1): Model assisted environment characterization--Proceedings

• C1.1 Integrating model-based environmental characterization in an applied sorghum crop improvement program  (David Jordan and Graeme Hammer)
• C1.2: Whole plant modeling within the context of a maize breeding program where drought tolerance is a primary objective: Technology development and application and status of GCP-WPM activities (Mark Cooper and Carlos Messina)
• C1.3 Characterization of drought stress environments for upland rice and maize in central Brazil (Alexandre B Heinemann, Michael Dingkuhn, Delphine Luquet, Jean Claude Combres and Scott Chapman)
• C1.4 The West African target population of environments for grain sorghum: Varietal fit to agro-ecological zones (Michael Dingkuhn, Mamoutou Kouressy, Michel Vaksmann)

Component 2 (C2): Multi-site trial model assisted trait evaluation for breeding--Proceedings

• C2.1 Maize phenotyping for drought adaptation: potential contribution of new physiological protocols  (Jose Luis Araus, Ciro Sánchez, Llorenc Cabrera, Jose Crossa)
• C2.2 - Merged with C1.2: Whole plant modeling within the context of a maize breeding program where drought tolerance is a primary objective: Technology development and application and status of GCP-WPM activities (Mark Cooper and Carlos Messina)
• C2.3 Maize drought phenotyping for modelling application (Edson Alves Bastos, Milton José Cardoso, Everaldo Moreira da Silva, José Francisco de Carvalho and Reinaldo Lúcio Gomide)
• C2.4 Rice drought phenotyping for modeling (Cleber M Guimarães, Luís F Stone)
• C2.5 Challenges and Difficulties of Imposing and Monitoring Crop Water Stress in Field Trials (Camilo LT Andrade, Reinaldo L Gomide, Paulo EP Albuquerque, Tales A Amaral, Cristiano MR Silva)
• C2.6 Crop model assisted characterization of appropriate traits for the rice TPE in Brazilian Cerrados (Alexandre B Heinemann, Delphine Luquet, Michael Dingkuhn and Scott Chapman)
• C2.7 Phenotyping of sorghum photoperiod responses using heuristics (Michael Dingkuhn, Mamatou Kouressy, Michel Vaksmanna, Benoît Clergeta, Jacques Chantereau)

Component 3 (C3): Model improvement for assisting process based trait phenotyping and connection to genetic information--Proceedings

• C3.1: Metabolic phenotyping and plant performance (Yves Gibon, Ronan Sulpice, Hendrik Tschoep, Maria Piques, Nadine Barz, Melanie Höhne and Mark Stitt)
• C3.2: Short-term responses of leaf growth to water deficit scale up to whole-plant and crop levels. An integrated modelling approach in maize (K Chenu, SC Chapman, GL Hammer, G McLean and F Tardieu).
• C3.3: Modelling the GE interaction for leaf and silk growth rates in maize: genetic analyses of time courses and responses to water deficit (C Welcker, O Turc and F Tardieu).
• C3.4: Modeling drought effects on rice with EcoMeristem: Feedbacks of water and carbohydrate relations on phenotypic plasticity (D Luquet, M Dingkuhn, A Clément-Vidal).
• C3.5: Model assisted phenotyping of morphogenetic process diversity within sativa rices (D Luquet, M Dingkuhn, A Clément-Vidal, K McNally)
• C3.6: Mapping QTL involved in rice early morphogenesis as described by the process based parameters of EcoMeristem model (N Ahmadi, D Luquet, B Courtois, and M Dingkuhn).

II - Talks
IIA C1 - Component 1: Model assisted environment characterization--Talks

• C1.1: Introduction
• C1 Keynote: Integrating model-based environmental characterization in an applied sorghum crop improvement program (David Jordan and Graeme Hammer)
• C1.3: Characterisation of drought stress environments for maize and upland rice in central Brazil (AB Heinemann, D Luquet, M Dingkuhn, JC Combres, S Chapman).
• C1.4: The West African TPE for grain sorghum: Varietal fit to agro-ecological zones (Michael Dingkuhn, Mamoutou Kouressy, Michel Vaksmann)

IIB C2 - Component 2: Multi-site trial model assisted trait evaluation for breeding--Talks

• C2.1: Introduction
• C2 Keynote: Maize phenotyping for drought adaptation: potential contribution of new physiological protocols (J-L Araus)
• C2.3: Monitoring Crop Water Stress on Field Trials (Camilo LT Andrade, Reinaldo L Gomide, Paulo EP Albuquerque, Tales A Amaral, Cristiano MR Silva).
• C2.4: Maize drought phenotyping for modeling application Project: Whole plant physiology modeling of drought tolerance in cereals (Edson Alves Bastos)
• C2.5: Rice drought phenotyping for modeling (P Guimaraes)
• C2.6: Crop model assisted characterization of appropriate traits for the rice TPE in Brazilian Cerrados (AB Heinemann, D Luquet, M Dingkuhn, S Chapman).
• C2.7: Phenotyping of sorghum photoperiod responses using heuristics (Michael Dingkuhn, Mamatou Kouressy, Michel Vaksmann, Benoît Clerget, Jacques Chantereau)
• C2: Debate framework (C Welcker)

IIC C3 - Component 3: Model improvement for assisting process based trait phenotyping and connection to genetic information--Talks

• C3: Introduction
• C3.1: Keynote - Metabolic phenotyping and plant performance (Yves Gibon)
• C3.2: Modelling the GE interacion - Which models for what? (C Welker, O Turc, F Tardieu)
• C3.3: Short-term responses of leaf growth rate to water deficit scale up to whole-plant and crop levels - An integrated modelling approach in maize (Karine Chenu, Scott Chapman, Graeme Hammer, Claude Welcker, Greg McLean, François Tardieu)
• C3.4-C3.6: General problematic & challenge (D Luquet)
• C3.6: Exploratory mapping of QTLs involved in rice early morphogenesis as described by the process based parameters of EcoMeristem model (N Ahmadi, B Courtois, J Frouin, M Dingkuhn, D Luquet)
• C3: Discussion framework (G Hammer)

III Discussions

• Component 1 (C1): Environment Characterisation (S Chapman)
• Component 2 (C2): Model-assisted phenotyping--Summary of discussion (C Welker)
• Component 3 (C3): Complex traits and G-to-P modelling--Summary of discussion (G Hammer)
• Component 2 & Component 3 (C2& C3): Advancing on the phenotyping front (M Dingkuhn)

For more details on this SP1 project, please see page 92 of 2007 Project mid-year and final reports: Competitive and commissioned projects.