Plant Breeding Stories

Written by: PBS International
  • Summary

  • Plant Breeding Stories spotlights the individuals within the plant breeding world. We talk to breeders, scientists and entrepreneurs looking at what they do, what makes them tick, and what fascinates them about the world of plants. We’ll be highlighting some of the challenges faced in agriculture today, including government regulations, climate change, and changing consumer demands. The show is hosted by Hannah Senior of PBS International – world leaders in pollination control. PBS International design and produce specialist pollination bags and tents used by plant breeders and seed producers all around the world. Hannah shares some unique perspectives given by key industry influencers about how plant breeding affects our diets, farming systems and the environment.
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Episodes
  • S4 E11 Plant Breeding Stories - Hannah Senior
    Mar 23 2022
    We’re wrapping up the Plant Breeding Stories podcast by reflecting on our learnings and exploring what’s next with our host, Hannah Senior, CEO of PBS International. In the final episode of the Plant Breeding Stories podcast, Hannah explains how her studies in experimental psychology and business plus an entrepreneurial spirit set her up for future success as CEO of PBS International, a company that designs and makes specialist pollination bags and tents. We learn about her business’ critical role in plant breeding programmes and discover why the Plant Breeding Stories podcast came to be. Hannah reflects on the recurring themes she heard throughout the podcast, including the challenges of funding non-commercial plant breeding programmes and the exciting opportunities that new technologies continue to bring to the industry. She shares her thoughts about entrepreneurship in agriculture and discusses why more systems-focused thinking could benefit food production. Finally, Hannah shares what’s next for her and for PBS International, as she hangs up her podcasting microphone for now. Links: Get in touch via Twitter @ PBSInt or Instagram @ PBS_Int Transcripts of this episode and all our podcasts can be found at PBSInternational.com/podcast Innovating AgTech Podcast can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/user-73017811
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    33 mins
  • S4 E10 Plant Breeding Stories - Leena Tripathi
    Mar 16 2022
    Dr Leena Tripathi, Director of the East African hub of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), specialises in applying advanced biotechnology techniques to promote disease resistance in bananas. In this episode of the Plant Breeding Stories podcast, Leena shares how her desire to promote human health led to plants and an impactful career in crop biotechnology. We follow her journey across countries and crops on her path to Tanzania, where she now leads research into disease resistance in banana species. Leena explains why managing diseases in bananas is particularly challenging and describes where biotechnology and traditional plant breeding methods can support development of disease-resistant varieties for both smallholder farms and commercial banana production. We also learn why fundraising challenges and regulatory hurdles can often frustrate progress. Transcripts of this episode and all our podcasts can be found at PBSInternational.com/podcast
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    34 mins
  • S4 E9 Plant Breeding Stories - Julia Sibiya
    Mar 9 2022
    Dr Julia Sibiya, Associate Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, is experimenting with new tools to improve traits of interest in sorghum and maize crops. In this episode of the Plant Breeding Stories podcast, Julia explains why she chose to work with plants over animals and describes the career path that led her to a professorship in South Africa. She gives an overview of her current research, including breeding sorghum varieties for biofuel production and enhancing grain sorghum's productivity and nutritional quality. Julia discusses how collaboration among regional and international plant breeding associations is important to help deliver innovative solutions for global food security and climate change challenges. We also learn how she’s helping the next generation of scientists prepare for the vast career opportunities available in agriculture. Transcripts of this and all our podcasts can be found at www.PBSInternational.com/podcast
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    33 mins

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