Technical Cooperation Project – Genome Analyses and Genomic Selection for the Production Traits in Cattle

By Gilberto Silber Schmidt

Labex Korea – Undertake a pilot project that establishes bioinformatics analyses for the de novo sequencing dataset and genomic selection process for genetic improvement of production traits in cattle. This work will be included an establishment of a pipeline for big genome dataset such as de novo sequencing dataset and its application for looking at genetic diversity such as signature of selection. Finally both parties will collaborate to develop genomic selection pipeline for their research herd to estimate genomic breeding values.

Technical Cooperation Project – Development of technique for utilization of microbes to improve productivity of the chicken

By Gilberto Silber Schmidt

Labex Korea – Rural Development Administration (RDA) seems to meet required knowledge and constitutes a potential partner to integrate the Applied Biotechnology area for human and animal feed additives, health and welfare.

The bio prospection of Brazilian resources for new metabolites (enzymes) for food and feed application is relevant because Brazil is one of the main animal protein producer and investments in this area could work in favor of a less expensive production and/or more sustainable production systems associated to a healthier and tastier food.

Technical Cooperation Project – Adaptation and development of structure optimization and energy-saving climate control techniques for greenhouse vegetable production

By Gilberto Schmidt

Labex Korea – Brazil is the largest tropical country in the world and, as such, there is a great climatic and soil variability along its territory. Although protected horticultural production is practiced from southern subtropical Rio Grande do Sul to northern tropical Amazonia, the reasons why protected agriculture practices are adopted differ widely.   A growing interest in producing vegetables under protection is associated with the increasing income and urbanization of Brazilian population and the general concern with more secure food, the need to decrease the use of chemical pesticides and increase the efficiency of water and fertilizer use.

Embrapa and RDA define strategic partnership in projects for agriculture

Labex Korea (Embrapa) and the International Technology Cooperation Center (ITCC/RDA) organized the 3^rd Workshop RDA/Embrapa in Suwon on March 25 – 29. This event was proposed with the objective to establish strategies for cooperation between both Institutions to toward technological innovations through research, development and technology transfer, which enable to boost the agricultural sector in both countries.

General information – Brazilian Agriculture, Bioenergy and Labex Korea activities

By Gilberto Silber Schmidt

Labex Korea prepared this page to disclose to their readers information of the Labex Korea activities, as well as technological advances of the Brazilian Agriculture and bioenergy production. The information takes the form of articles, documents and presentations (PDF) which can be accessed freely.

 

Click here to access the complete list of documents published since Labex Korea’s opening.

 

Follow Labex Korea by Twitter or Facebook

Technical Cooperation Project between Embrapa and RDA

By  Gilberto Silber Schmidt

The RDA and Embrapa have established two (TCP) evolving three actions, exchange of plant genetic resources, development and/or cryopreservation protocols and Breeding, Large Scale Cultivation and Use of  Sweet Sorghum for Bioenergy, as described below:

Technical Cooperation Project – Exchange of Plant Genetic Resources

This Project of Technical Cooperation (TCP) is centered in exchange of plant genetic resources and sharing of information of interest to both parties and will be involving the International Technology Cooperation Center and the National Institute of Agrobiodiversity from RDA and Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biodiversity Center from Embrapa. The objective of it are: a) Promotion of cooperation between RDA and Embrapa in the area of genetic resources and related technologies, on the basis of national and/or international norms and regulations; b) Promotion of exchange of plant genetic resources and sharing of information of interest to both parties; c) Creation of a stable channel for exchanges of experts and dialogues between scientists for further cooperation.

Technical Cooperation Project – Development and/or validation of Cryopreservation protocols

This Project of Technical Cooperation (TCP) is centered in development and/or cryopreservation protocols and sharing of information of interest to both parties, and will be involving the International Technology Cooperation Center and the National Institute of Agrobiodiversity from RDA and Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biodiversity Center from Embrapa. The main objective of this project is the training of Brazilian Scientists on Cryopreservation techniques and the establishment of collaboration on the theme between RDA and Embrapa. The major expected impact (outcome) of this project is the establishment of partnerships in the theme of cryopreservation to help implement long term conservation of genetic resources of target species and also encourage the active engagement of researchers of both RDA and Embrapa in networking and collaboration to help safeguard genetic resources and ensure their availability for future generations.

Technical Cooperation Project – Breeding, Large Scale Cultivation and Use of Sweet Sorghum for Bioenergy

This Technical Cooperation Project (TCP) is centered in the promotion of cooperation between RDA and Embrapa in the area of sweet sorghum generated bioenergy and related technologies, on the basis of national and/or international norms and regulations; establishment of ethanol production technology for the first and second generation bioethanol using sweet sorghum; promotion of exchange and characterization of sweet sorghum germplasm and sharing information of interest to both parties; creation of a stable channel for exchange of experts and increased dialogues between scientists for further cooperation. The TCP will be involving the International Technology Cooperation Center and the National Institute of Crop Science from RDA and Embrapa Maize and Sorghum an Embrapa Agroenergy from Embrapa.
It will be conducted in form of two Work Plans, one concentrating activities on exchange and agronomic characterization of genetic resources and the second in chemical and biological evaluation of sweet sorghum bagasse for first and second generation ethanol production. Both work plans have a strong focus on scientists exchange and collaboration and contemplate technical visits of RDA staff to ethanol production industry in Brazil.

For more information, please contact labex.korea@embrapa.br
You also follow Labex Korea Twitter

News from the Labex Korea Twitter

http://twitter.com/#!/LabexKorea/status/4886374985502720

http://twitter.com/#!/LabexKorea/status/4328767593906176

http://twitter.com/#!/LabexKorea/status/4327939705405440

http://twitter.com/#!/LabexKorea/status/4327685375401985

http://twitter.com/#!/LabexKorea/status/4048396243435520

http://twitter.com/#!/LabexKorea/status/2998791846232064

Brazilian presence at the 2010 World Oriental Medicine Bio-Expo in South Korea

The Brazilian Embassy in Seoul supports the participation of Embrapa and Laboratorio Tiaraju in the 2010 World Oriental Medicine-Bio Expo, in South Korea.

The 2010 World Oriental Medicine Bio Expo is being held from September 16 to October 16  in the city of Jecheon, South Korea.  This large international event is comprised of 13 exhibition halls, covering a wide range of topics and practices in oriental medicine, with emphasis on the theme ‘Rediscovery of Oriental Medicine: Scientific Movement, Industrialization and Globalization of Oriental Medicine.’

Visitors will learn about traditional medicine parctices and hundreds of different kinds of medical herbs found in Korea and many invited countries, including China, Brazil, India, Peru, Argentina and others, that have organized their displays for the one month event.  In addition to the main exhibitions, performances will be held at an outdoor theater.  A brochure with more details about the Expo can be found here.

Brazilian presence. The Brazilian Embassy in Seoul has organized, together with Embrapa Labex Korea and Laboratorio Tiaraju the Brazilian exhibit.  Tiaraju is a private company dedicated to production of herbal medicines, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements from the Brazilian biodiversity.

Embrapa is displaying its research on medicinal plants, which involves collection, characterization and conservation genetic resources in all six Brazilian biomes (Amazonia, Caatinga, Cerrado, Pantanal, Atlantic Forest and Pampas).  Dr. Arailde Fontes Urben and Dr. Roberto Fontes Vieira, researchers from Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, in Brasilia, will be at the Expo, discussing their work and possibilities of collaboration with organizations from Korea and other participating countries.  Read here more information published at Embrapa´s homepage.

Brazilian Traditional Medicine. Endowed with valuable natural capital and cultural wealth, Brazil houses a significant portion of the planet’s biodiversity, water resources, and environmental services.  Two thirds of the world´s biodiversity is found in tropical areas, being 37% of it located in tropical America.

A substantial portion of such diversity is found in Brazil, which houses about 60,000 species of plants, of which 30,000 are higher plants.  The Amazonian forests, wetlands and savannas alone have at least 10 000 plant species that are active carriers of medical, cosmetic and biological control agents.

Besides the rich natural capital represented in its biodiversity, Brazil holds great cultural and ethnic diversity that had strong influence on its society. Also, colonization brought to the country many plant and animal species used by Europeans and Africans, which added to many species used by indigenous peoples, resulting in a considerable accumulation of knowledge, which have been passed on from generation to generation.

This diversity has provided the basis, over centuries, for development of a rich and diverse Traditional Medicine in Brazil.  It includes various practices, beliefs and knowledge based on plants, animals and mineral medicines that led to a great diversity of therapies directed to maintaining well-being and to treating and preventing diseases.

Among the components of biodiversity, plants are very important raw material for the manufacture of herbal and other medicines in Brazil. Besides their use as substrates for the fabrication of conventional medicines, plants are also widely used as sources for traditional home remedies.  Despite the country´s great diversity of plant life, only 8% of the Brazilian species have been evaluated for bioactive compounds and no more than 1,100 species have been assessed for their medicinal properties.

The potential use of medicinal plants in Brazil is, therefore, far from exhausted, and a wealth of new knowledge waits to be uncovered from the country´s rich natural assets.  Advances in this area have the potential to promote positive impacts to public health and socioeconomic development, besides benefits to sustainable use of natural resources and environmental conservation.

Towards this end, the Brazilian Government approved the National Policy on Medicinal Plants and Herbal Products, approved by the Decree No. 5813 of 22 June 2006.  It establishes guidelines and priorities for ensuring access to safe and rational use of medicinal plants and herbal medicines in Brazil.  It also supports the development of technologies and innovations for the sustainable use of the Brazilian biodiversity, while helping promote the health and the well being of the Brazilian people.

Serious efforts to collect and to preserve the genetic variability of medicinal plants have been developed in Brazil. Embrapa, in collaboration with other research centers and several universities, has a program to establish germplasm banks for medicinal and aromatic species.

Conservation of threatened germplasm includes seed banks, field preservation, tissue culture and cryopreservation. In an ex situ procedure, the germplasm is collected from fields, markets, small farms, and other sites, in form of seeds, cuttings, underground systems, and sprouts.

The collected samples represent the original population with passport data and herbarium vouchers.  This resource has been valuable to allow ethno-botanical studies, germplasm characterization and preservation and promotion of its sustainable utilization.

The Korea Times – “Labex-Korea to Define Collaboration With Brazil”

The Seoul-based English Newspaper Korea Times has published an article about Labex Korea in its edition of January 17, 2010.  It highlights the main priorities for the collaboration between the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation – Embrapa and the Rural development Administration of South Korea – RDA.  Intense interaction between the two organizations started when President Lee Myung-bak and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met in November 2008 and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on agricultural research cooperation. The event and the quick action that followed, the opening of Labex Korea and RAVL (RDA-Abroad Virtual Laboratoty) – the Korean homolog of Labex in Brazil, stresses the importance given by the two countries to agriculture in their foreign policies.  You can read the Korea Times article by clicking here.

The Korea Herald: “New dynamics in science, technology between Korea, Brazil”

The Seoul-based English Newspaper Korea Herald has published an article about the opening of Embrapa´s Virtual Laboratory in Asia, Labex-Korea, which is the result of a collaboration between the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation and the Rural development Administration – RDA, the government organization responsible for extensive agricultural research and services in South Korea. The initiative is aimed at increasing Embrapa´s scientific and technological ties with advanced research organizations in Korea and in other Asian countries.  You can read the complete version of the article here.