The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2023 the International year of millets: "Millets are among the first plants to be domesticated and are considered nutri-cereals due to their high nutritional content. Their potential to address climate change and food security is not being realized in full." The SLU Breeding Network, the SLU Plant Protection Network and SLU Global organise a symposium dedicated to millets on 5 September 2023.
Welcome!
Programme
9:30 Registration with coffee and millet cookies
10 – 10:05 Welcome from the SLU Breeding Network, the SLU Plant Protection Network and SLU Global. Moderator Teun Dekker, researcher at the Department of Plant Protection Biology
10:10 – 10:45 An introductory talk about the role and importance of millets cultivation and breeding at a global perspective.
Patrick Okori from The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) in Africa.
10:50 – 12.00 Breeding
- Complementary porridge for undernourished children in Mozambique based on pearl millet and cowpea
Sunera Zulficar Nurmomade, Doctoral student, Department of Molecular Sciences
- Developing finger millet as a potential crop for acidic soils
Haftom Brhanie, Doctoral student at the Department of Plant Breeding
- How do drought related traits interact with major agronomic traits in Sorghum?
Muluken Birara Enyew, Doctoral student at the Department of Plant Breeding
- Improving sorghum and pearl millet in Sudan
Mahbubjon Rahmatov, Researcher; and Eva Johansson, Professor at the Department of Plant Breeding
12 – 13.15 MILLETS LUNCH from a green restaurant in Alnarp PlantKafeet
13:15 – 13:55 Climate change and millets
- How does rhizosphere microbiome mediate millets performance in agroecosystems under climate change?
Salme Timmusk, Researcher at the Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology
13:55 FIKA
14:25 – 14:45 The Millet Sisters - How Dalit women are changing the discourse on agriculture in India. Alexandra Klang från Svalorna
14.45 – 15:15 Q&A session moderated by Teun Dekker
15:15 – 15:30 Wrap up summary of the importance of our research on millets at SLU on a global scale.
Rodomiro Octavio Ortiz Rios, Professor at the Department of Plant Breeding
The last day for registration was Thursday 31 August.
NB The registration for the seminar is now closed. There is still an opportunity to participate online. Please send an email to anneli.adler@slu.se and you will get the zoom link.
More on millets
Find out more about SLU's research and activities on millets and other traditional crops on SLU Global's web here.
