Principles of Plant Breeding and Genetic Engineering

My name is Habtamu Gebreselassie. I am an Ethiopian young coffee researcher in Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research.
Dear, I am coordinating and conducting south Ethiopian Arabica coffee research specially Sidamo Coffee type and Yirgacheffe coffee type in breeding and genetics as well as coffee quality improvement area. In doing and coordinating the research activities especially for Sidamo (spicy flavour) Coffee type and Yirgacheffe (flora flavour) coffee, I have successful result; So that, in this year, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research selected me as a model researcher and gives me honor and certificate. Now and for the future, I have a dream to contribute my share to Ethiopian, African and world coffee research.
In Coffee Breeding and genetics research my research institute main breeding tasks and and achievements are:
1. Collection and conservation of Arabica coffee genetic resources; in this program more than 6700 genetic resources are collected and maintained in field gen bank. Collection of Arabica coffee genetic resources from unaddressed areas are on progress.
2. Pure-line variety development; following the standard steps of screening, variety trial/adaptation test at different locations, verification of the promising selections and variety release, 34 pure line varieties are developed and further steps are underway to release high yielder, best quality and resistant/tolerant pure-line varieties.
3. Hybrid variety development; after studying genetics of coffee to generate basic information for subsequent breeding strategy and develop hybrid varieties with better characters over the pure lines released through selection, 6 hybrid varieties are developed. The trend is also on progress to develop additional hybrid varieties.

Ethiopian coffee breeding program is solely dependent on the conventional breeding approach need to be supplemented with the modern molecular breeding techniques such as marker assisted selection and use of DNA markers to characterize the available genetic pool of the crop. Similarly, biochemical compounds, diversity analysis should be taken in to consideration to determine those compounds attributing to quality variations of coffee from different geographic origins. In the face of the predicted climate change, designing of breeding strategies addressing the expected challenges would enable to bring about sustainable development of the coffee sector in Ethiopia and world at all.

Dear, I am limited to conventional breeding and I have a gape of modern molecular breeding techniques such as marker assisted selection and use of DNA markers. Therefore, I am highly interested to do my PhD. on coffee molecular breeding. Dear, I have a deepest interest to study my PhD. And short term training in your university. Please assist me and provide me a chance if possible.

Finally, I thank you very much for your willingness to support me and Ethiopian coffee research in general.

God bless you and Your Organization!
Habtamu from Ethiopia