Plant & Animal Genomes XV Conference Plant & Animal Genomes XV ConferenceJanuary 13-17, 2007
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA
Andreas Graner1 , The International Barley Sequencing Consortium (IBSC)2
With an annual harvest of about 140 mill. tons barley ranks number five in world crop production. Due to its salient agricultural importance, its ample genetic variation and its multiple uses in the food and feed industry, barley has attracted the attention of many geneticists throughout the world. The availability of a genomic sequence will allow a systematic map based gene isolation, which forms the major gateway to study agricultural traits. Sequencing the barley genome is feasible using state of the art technology. In order to streamline working on a consensus research plan approaching barley genome sequencing and coordinating fund raising at the national and international level, the foundation of an International Barley Sequencing Consortium (IBSC) was initiated in August 2006 by representatives of leading institutions in Australia, Europe, Japan and the United States working in the field of barley genomics. The consortium will be in charge to resume the present status of research and resources development, prepare a strategic research agenda, further enhance the existing research network, coordinate activities to bundle projects into a generally agreed research program, provide an interface for the interaction with other sequencing consortia, garner political support and facilitate funding on the national and international level. The workshop talk will describe the present status of the consortium and summarize major community based initiatives that have been recently started.