Ms. Janiella Aidaboe carrying out laboratory test at the Momase Regional Centre, Bubia in Lae, Morobe province.

Officers thankful after training in Thailand and Fiji

Ms. Janiella Aidaboe is pleased after attending a two-day workshop on Tissue Culture Quality Seed Management System in Thailand in late 2023. Ms. Janiella Aidaboe was among 19 participants from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines, Laos, Nepal, Fiji, Samoa, Iran, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Vietnam, and Federated States of Micronesia.

Tissue culture is a technology that is not fully utilized due to many challenges; however, Quality Seed Management System is one way to address quality seed management to ensure there are healthy planting materials for research and commercial purposes.

Ms. Aidaboe explains that the workshop in Thailand will contribute immensely towards establishing an effective Tissue Culture Quality Seed Management System (TCQMS) that can benefit the respective areas of NARI’s Strategic Implementation Plan, such as Biosecurity and Plant Genetic Resources.

Research Associate–Plant Genetic Resources Ms. Cecily Walter says it was a good learning opportunity mainly for crops that are vegetatively grown and hold a lot of water, unlike seeds.

Ms. Walter, Lawrence Uberewa, and Alex Galus were able to participate in a two-week training on mutation breeding, which is recently introduced in the Pacific, especially where sweetpotato is exposed to radiation. The same process will also be applied to sweetpotato in Papua New Guinea.

“There is so much to explore and improve our genetic resources,” expressed Ms. Walter.

Exploring advancements in Mutation Breeding during a dedicated staff training session in Fiji. Featured participants: Ms. Walter on the left and Mr. Lawrence Uberewa on the right

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