Professor Chair Holder Scientific Oration: Plant Breeder is Getting Rare Career and Professions
Attempts to increase food production on 1825-1927 had been the expansion of planting area, then they had been shifted by increasing the acreage planting areas by 40 percent. Then, on 1928-1960 food productivity had been increased by 60 percent. However, the rising population of Indonesia has caused food supply problem. While demand for food increases, on the same time the growth of population causes the loss of agricultural lands.
One solution has been to produce foods, through genetic engineering. In the United States, breeders, agronomists, and farmers have a documented history of increasing yield with the dwindling or stagnant agricultural land. U.S. average corn yields have increased from approximately 1.6 tonnes/ha in the first third of the 20th century to today's approximately 9.5 tonnes/ha. If compared to 100 years ago, the current corn production could be six times higher from their same size of their agricultural lands..
"In many cases, modern plant breeding can certainly help farmers get higher yields from their land," said Prof. Sobir, one of the Professor Chair Holders of the Faculty of Agriculture, IPB (FAPERT-IPB) in the press conference prior to his scientific oration on Baranangsiang Campus, Bogor, on Thursday, 22 October 2015.
"We've been stuck, what else would we do. In the past there have been various options in increasing productivity on existing agricultural land. Our need for food poses one of the biggest dangers, yet genetic resources may continue to decline at alarming rates, "he added.
The problems are exacerbated by the conditions of the scarcity of plant breeders, as currently there are only 300-400 people plant breeders in Indonesia. To enable Indonesia to supply foods normally Indonesia requires 3000-4000 plant breeders. In addition, to cope with modern plant breeding techniques the existing plant breeders have to be improved. This is due to the absence of specific studies, the plant breeding programs
"Professional breeders are now being sought by both national and multinational companies. This professions offers fantastic salaries about triple to the salary of a professor, "said Chairman of the Indonesian Association of Breeding Science (PERIPI).
Plant breeding is the art and science of changing the traits of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. Traits that breeders have tried to incorporate into crop plants include: improved quality, such as increased nutrition, improved flavor, or even their origins. Modern plant breeding may use techniques of molecular biology to select, or in the case of genetic modification, to insert, desirable traits into plants.
One of the examples is the management of genetic resources of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana). Why mangosteen because it is fresh fruit with the highest export value. This fruit is noted to have antioxidant three times higher than vitamin E. Some advertisement says by consuming mangosteen fruits will "make you ten years young".
“Yang menarik dari manggis adalah penanda genetik membuktikan jika bijinya dibelah tidak ada embrionya. Tapi ketika bijinya dipotong-potong, dari setiap potongan biji tersebut akan muncul tunas,” tuturnya.
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What's interesting is the mangosteen genetic markers to prove if the seeds are cleaved no embryo. But when the seeds are cut into pieces, each piece of the bean shoots will emerge, "he said.
Since 1940 Horn stated that the mangosteen is apomixis plants with genetically uniform populations (there is only one variety of mangosteen). Horn study was conducted in Malaysia.
Based on the observations Prof. Sobir stated differently. Further studies using DNA markers confirmed genetic variability among the mangosteen population. Observations in the field show the diversity of flower colors mangosteen is predicted due to differences of environmental condition. In Prof. Sobir study genetic markers are employed in genealogical DNA testing for genetic genealogy to assess the previous theory by Horn.
"Further study using with DNA markers (isoenzymes, RAPD, E-RAPD, AFLP, ISSR and SSR) confirmed genetic variability among the mangosteen population of Indonesia, so it has rejected the opinion of Horn. Results showed that DNA marker has been the most widely used for the testing of varieties, and has added 13 new varieties of mangosteen which can be distinguished by DNA markers, "he said.
Morphological marker used by Prof. Sobir has indicated to correct the opinion of Richard who in 1990 said that the mangosteen is the result of a natural cross of G. malaccensis by G. hombroniana. "Guard cells are able to control how open or closed stomata are by changing shape of mangosteen G. malaccensis and G. celebica," he said.
In addition, some literature says that the place of origin of the mangosteen is unknown but is believed to be the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas; still, there are wild trees in the forests of Kemaman, Malaya. Then it may have been spread to Kerinci and Jambi (Sumatra) and then spread to Tembilahan, Purwakarta and Bulukumba. DNA markers were used to reveal patterns of displacement mangosteen. Mangosteen population analysis results in this study confirmed that the its migratory patterns started from Purwakarta, then to Tembilahan, new to the Kerinci and Bulukumba. "All these could potentially provide clues that mangosteen will most likely not come from Malaysia through Sumatra, because the mangosteen elders were found in Purwakarta," he said.
Topic of Prof. Sobir’s research programs were not only on the mangosteen. He also carried out studies on fruit breeding such as papaya, pineapple, onion, melon, banana and others. His early career was spent in relative obscurity doing basic genetics, he has proved how tremendously important is plant breeding. Therefore, Prof. Sobir, who is currently the Head of the Research Center of Tropical Horticulture (PKHT) Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM IPB) has proposed the establishment of the professional program for plant breeding. (Wied)
