14th International Symposium on Rice Functional Genomics
26-29 September, 2016 – Le Corum, Montpellier, France

 

Rice is the major cereal food crop which feed an increasing world population. The 7.3 billion mankind is expected to stabilize around more than 9 billion people by year 2050. The population growth will mainly occur in rice-eating countries.

The scientific community is therefore facing the challenge of providing the farmers with tools and resources that will enhance rice production while saving natural resources (water and fertilizers) in shrinking arable lands. Furthermore, this has to be achieved in a climate of increasing unstablility in which rice cultivation has to reduce its impact and participate to its mitigation. These questions have to be addressed through improved, environment-friendly and precise agricultural practices and new, enhanced and resilient varieties, both taking advantage of a functional diversity in the agro-ecosystems.

Recent breakthoughs in rice genomics have narrowed the gap between genetic variation and the phenotype and performance and allowed the deciphering of the function of important genes underlying agronomically relevant traits. These discoveries are being readily integrated into breeding programmes worldwide.

From September 26-29th 2016, to review these advances, the rice scientific community of Montpellier Languedoc Roussillon will host scientists from around the world at the 14th International Symposium on Rice Functional Genomics (ISRFG). Our community hosted a first successful symposium 10 years ago, in October 2006 at the Montpellier Corum, gathering around 300 scientists.

The 2016 symposium will cover recent, exciting breakthroughs in structural, functional and evolutionary rice genome biology – pushing current scientific knowledge to address the need of sustainably increasing crop yields and global food security.

Please join us for an exciting meeting to discuss cutting-edge science with many of the world’s top scientists. Meet old friends, make new ones, and forge novel collaborations in the beautiful setting and hospitality of Montpellier historical city and the Languedoc Roussillon region, nearby the French rice growing Camargue land.

Together, we can make new discoveries in rice biology and breeding to improve the world for our and future generations.

 

Themes of the Sessions:

  • Impact of rice genome research on plant biology, breeding and agriculture: focus on Africa
  • Rice genome evolution, structure and function
  • Rice diversity harnessing for gene discovery and precision breeding
  • Rice biotic and abiotic interactions in a context of global change
  • Rice development and performance
  • Translational genomics: from rice to other cereals

 

Local Scientific committee

  • Hélène Adam, IRD, UMR DIADE, France
  • Nourollah Ahmadi, CIRAD, UMR Agap, France
  • Laurence Albar, IRD, UMR DIADE, France
  • Anthony Champion, IRD, UMR DIADE, France
  • Brigitte Courtois, CIRAD, UMR Agap, France
  • Sébastien Cunnac, IRD, UMR IPME, France
  • Michel Delseny, CNRS, UMR LGDP, France
  • Pascal Gantet, University of Montpellier, UMR DIADE, France
  • Stefan Jouannic, IRD, UMR DIADE, France
  • Doan-Trung Luu, CNRS, UMR BPMP, France
  • Jean Benoît Morel, INRA, UMR BGPI, France
  • Olivier Panaud, University of Perpignan, UMR LGDP, France
  • Christophe Périn, CIRAD, UMR Agap, France
  • François Sabot, IRD, France
  • Didier Tharreau, CIRAD, UMR BGPI, France
  • Valérie Verdier, IRD, UMR IPME, France
  • Anne-Aliénor Véry, CNRS, UMR BPMP, France
  • Dao-Xiu Zhou, University of Paris XI-Orsay, UMR IBP, France

 

International Scientific committee

  • Emmanuel Guiderdoni, CIRAD, France, co-chair
  • Olivier Panaud, University of Perpignan, France, co-chair
  • Rod A. Wing, University of Arizona, USA
  • Gynheung An, Kyung Hee University, South Korea
  • Laura Bartley, University of Oklahoma, USA
  • Bin Han, National Center for Gene Research, China
  • Yue-ie Hsing, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
  • Jong-Seong Jeon, Kyung Hee University, Korea
  • Hei Leung, IRRI, Philippines
  • Jia-Yang Li, CAAS, China
  • Mathias Lorieux, IRD, France, CIAT, Colombia
  • Takeshi Matsumoto, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Japan
  • Blake Meyers, University of Delaware, USA
  • Antonio Costa de Oliveira, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil
  • Pamela Ronald, UC Davis & Joint BioEnergy Institute, USA,
  • Blanca San Segundo, Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics, Spain
  • Akhilesh Tyagi, Director, NIPGR, India
  • Apichart Vanavichit, Kasetsart University, Thailand
  • Qifa Zhang, Huazhong Agricultural University, China

 

Organizing committee

  • Emmanuel Guiderdoni, CIRAD, UMR Agap, Montpellier, France
  • Alain Ghesquière, IRD, UMR DIADE, France
  • Pascal Gantet, University of Montpellier, France
  • Olivier Panaud, University of Perpignan, France
  • Doan-Trung Luu, CNRS, UMR BPMP, France
  • Nathalie Curiallet, CIRAD, France
  • Nathalie Pivot, CIRAD, UMR Agap, France

Web site: isrfg2016.cirad.fr