OPTION 1

Kasetsart University, Kampaengsaen Campus, Nakhon Pathom Province
(Around 1.5 hr drive from Bangkok)

This trip included visits to the following three research units:            

• Rice Gene Discovery Unit (RGDU)
RGDU was established in 2001 through the close collaboration between BIOTEC and Kasetsart University's Kamphaengsaen Campus. This unit focuses on the use of genomic technologies to develop genomic tools to discover genes that reveal important characteristics of rice, as well as making use of genes in molecular breeding programmes. More

• Center for Agriculture Biotechnology (CAB)
Located here is the Plant Molecular Genetic Laboratory. Research projects focus on the improvement of biological yield of field crops, the reduction of farming’s dependence on synthetic chemicals, and the increase of production efficiency. More

• Plant Research Group
The unit was established in 1985 as a result of a collaboration between BIOTEC and Kasetsart University Kamphaengsaen Campus. The unit has been assigned to carry out basic and applied research in plant biotechnology and genetic engineering.

OPTION 2

BIOTEC Central Research Unit
(Around 45 mins. drive form Bangkok)

Located in the Thailand Science Park, this is BIOTEC’s largest in-house research unit, and has a core research programme focusing on food biotechnology, plant and animal biotechnology, tropical diseases and bio-resources assessment and utilisation. This tour will include visits to the following research institutes and laboratories:

• Genome Institute: Genome Institute was established to focus on post-sequence, functional genomic questions. The major technical platforms of high-throughput sequencing, high-throughput proteomics, bioinformatics, and HPC (High-Performance Computing Service) are integrated with programmes in molecular and cellular biology, and computational biology. Genome Institute houses Sequencing Laboratory, Proteomics Laboratory and Biostatistics and Informatics Laboratory, as well as providing DNA sequencing and related services through the Bioservice Unit and servicing genomic data through HPC and the Genomics Database Laboratory. Genome Institute currently houses the following genomic databases: Rice, Shrimp, Cassava, Spirulina and Thai SNP. It also plans to cover oil palm genome in the coming year.

• Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory Starch Biosynthesis: The research projects in this lab focus on two important aspects of starch production in cassava: the sucrose partitioning pathway and the biosynthetic pathway of storage starches.

• Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Laboratory: The aim of research here is to develop innovative technologies for novel products. The core research disciplines are physiology, biochemistry, tissue culture, cell culture and molecular genetics. More

OPTION 3

Nakhon Sawan Field Crop Research Centre, Nakhon Sawan Province, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation
(Around 2 hrs drive from Bangkok)

This research station is located in the upper central region of Thailand. The research station harbours agricultural research, an experimental field and facilities for researchers working on corn and other related crops. The research station also carries out specific research projects needed by the country.

OPTION 4

Pacific Seeds (Thai) Ltd., Saraburi province
(Around 1.5 hrs drive from Bangkok)

‘Pacific Seeds (Thai)’ was established in 1975 as a member of the Advanta group of companies. As a business unit of continental grain, hybrid corn, sorghum, forage sorghum and sunflower were introduced from Pacific Seeds in Australia.  Quality, targeted research over many years has resulted in the breeding, production and marketing of seeds, which fulfill the needs of farmers, industry and food manufacturers. Those products were evaluated to identify elite hybrids for Thai market. More

Feedback from the trips was generally extremely positive, with many participants considering the on-site visits an excellent learning experience. Special thanks again to our hosts BIOTEC who coordinated the trips.