INDIA’S BHANU KALIA SELECTED FOR MONSANTO BEACHELL-BORLAUG SCHOLARS PROGRAM

12 Winners Projects Will Benefit Research in Rice and Wheat Breeding Throughout the World.Next round of applications for 2010 begins November 1, 2009 – February 1, 2010

Hyderabad|India|October'2009: The Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program (MBBISP) announced 12 recipients of the program’s 2009 fellowships at the Borlaug Dialogue at the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa. Bhanu Kalia is the only Indian to be selected for her outstanding breeding research in wheat.

Ten nations are represented among the recipients, who are receiving a full package of support to pursue their Ph.D., which will include research on rice and wheat breeding. The primary objective of this prestigious fellowship programme is to develop highly educated rice and wheat plant breeders who can serve as future agriculture leaders. MBBSIP honors the accomplishments of Dr. Henry Beachell and Dr. Norman Borlaug, who pioneered plant breeding and research in rice and wheat, respectively.

Bhanu Kalia from India is amongst the 12 winners selected for the scholars program. Kalia’s research titled “Methodology for Efficient Mapping of Alien Introgression for Adult Plant Resistance to Leaf Rust and Other Agronomic Traits in Wheat Aegilops Tauschii Hybrids” is a next generation breeding research which aims to address adult plant resistance to leaf rust – one of the biggest problems in wheat crop, resistance to other diseases and agronomic traits related to yield and quality enhancement. Having received her MS in Genetics from the Punjab Agricultural University, Kalia will pursue a PhD at Kansas State University and collaborate with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) on her research work in wheat.

Sharing her joy, Bhanu Kalia said, “I feel honored to be one of the 12 Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug scholars. This is indeed a turning point in my life! I hope my research in wheat will help farmers tackle leaf rust - one of the biggest problems and help in enhancing crop yield and quality. I encourage my fellow Indian students to participate in the program which is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to helping our Indian farmers.”

Of the 12 winners, five are pursuing their Ph.D. at U.S. universities, two in Australia, and one each in Argentina, Canada, China, Colombia and Italy. The program calls for award recipients to conduct at least one season of field work in a developing country.

“I’d like to congratulate Bhanu Kalia for her achievement in developing the next generation wheat research and making India proud! At Monsanto, we believe that the increasing agricultural needs of society can be met through science and innovation, which is possible only through research opportunity and education. We encourage many more young Indian students, like Bhanu, to participate in the next round of this unique fellowship program beginning November 1,” said Sekhar Natarajan, India Lead – Monsanto.

The program will begin accepting applications for 2010 beginning November 1 until February 1, 2010. Students interested in applying to the program can find more details at www.monsanto.com/mbbischolars.

An independent panel of global judges chaired by Dr. Ed Runge, Director, MBBISP reviewed the applications. Dr. Runge is also a professor and Billie B. Turner Chair in Production Agronomy (Emeritus) within the Soil and Crop Sciences Department, Texas A&M University at College Station. Said Dr. Ed Runge, “It was great to see such a diverse group of candidates from all over the world submit their research projects for review. Dr. Beachell and Dr. Borlaug dedicated their lives to improving rice and wheat breeding in order to feed the world and the committee is certain the 12 recipients—and all of those who submitted projects—will carry on their legacies.”

With a grant of Rs. 50 cr. ($ 10 million) from Monsanto, the MBBISP is administered by Texas AgriLife Research, an agency of the US-based Texas A&M University System. The establishment of MBBISP is part of Monsanto's three-point commitment to help increase global food production in the face of growing demand, limited natural resources and a changing climate.

Rice and wheat are considered by many to be the most important staple crops in developing countries, providing necessary calories to feed billions of people every day. With India’s population estimated to reach 1.3 billion by 2017, Govt. of India estimates that we may be short of 14 million MT of food grains. At 43 million hectares, India has the world’s largest rice acres, at 96.43 million tonnes is the second largest rice producer and the third largest rice exporter. Yet, India’s rice productivity is 50% of China and US, and 33% of Egypt. In the case of wheat, with 26.69 million hectares we have the second largest area under wheat cultivation and are the second largest wheat producer with 78.40 million tonnes. While India’s wheat productivity is at par with the US it is 55% of China and 40% of Egypt. There exists tremendous potential for India to enhance productivity and address growing global food needs. Accelerating yield growth will help to reduce hunger by helping to produce more food on the same number of acres.