Young VACS breeders strengthen skills in breeding optimization and market intelligence
Young breeders participating in the VACS program have completed an intensive five-day Breeding Optimization and Market Intelligence training organized by IITA and CIMMYT in Abuja on 11 to 15 May
- Science
Young breeders participating in the VACS program have completed an intensive five-day Breeding Optimization and Market Intelligence training organized by IITA and CIMMYT in Abuja on 11 to 15 May.Held under the theme, “Unlocking opportunity crops to combat food insecurity: A modernized breeding pipeline for accelerated genetic gain,” the training brought together emerging scientists and breeding professionals to strengthen their understanding of modern breeding systems and data-driven decision-making for crop improvement.
The training covered key components of breeding pipeline optimization, including market intelligence, Target Product Profiles (TPPs), Target Population of Environments (TPEs), breeding schemes, trial network optimization, phenotyping and SOPs, genomic selection, trait trade-offs, stage-gate systems and Product Advancement Planning Meetings (PAPM).