Special Seminar
To invite researcher from Swedish University, wewill hold special seminar on sesame breeding.
Date and Time: August 1st 2024, 15:00-15:30.
Place: Multipurpose room at ALRC.

Unlocking Sudan's Sesame Potential: Genomic Insights for ClimateResilient and Nutritionally Enhanced Breeding
Mr. Mohammed Omer Elsafy
Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Science (SLU), Alnarp, Sweden
Sesame, an ancient oilseed crop domesticated millennia ago, is prized for its high oil and protein content, making it avaluable food and feed resource. According to FAO statistics, the leading producers are Sudan, Myanmar, Tanzania, India,Nigeria, and China. Sesame breeding efforts have primarily focused on meeting human needs: increasing seed yield,
improving plant architecture, enhancing tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, developing indehiscent capsules, andoptimizing oil quality. Recent advancements in breeding tools, including phenomic and genomic marker-assisted
selection, have facilitated the mapping of sesame's compact diploid genome (350 Mb). These novel technologies areaccelerating breeding processes, enabling the development of sesame varieties adapted to climate change andaddressing biofortification and food security challenges.
Despite its importance, the genetic resources of Sudanese sesame remain largely unexplored using advanced genomictools. In collaboration with the Agricultural Research Corporation, Sudan, the Department of Plant Breeding at SLU
initiated a project to evaluate key breeding traits such as seed coat color, fatty acid composition, and capsule shattering
through genome-wide association studies to address this gap. This seminar will present some of the project's outcomes
and discuss future research directions in sesame improvement.

Special Seminar
To invite researcher from the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan (NAST).
We will hold special seminar on sweet potato in Tajikistan
Date and Time: August 1st 2024, 15:30-16:00.
Place: Multipurpose room at ALRC.
SWEET POTATO IN TAJIKISTAN: PAST, CURRENT, AND FUTURE
Musavvara SHUKUROVA, PhD
Institute of Botany, Plants Physiology and Genetics, NAST, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
The sweet potato is a tuber-bearing plant that comes in a variety of flesh colors, such as yellowish, orange, purple, orwhite. It is considered one of the top ten important tuber crops worldwide. With its unique properties and structure, thesweet potato is often hailed as a superfood due to its numerous beneficial properties. It is highly nutritious, packed withvitamins (A, C, B6), minerals (potassium, zinc), and antioxidants, making it an excellent choice for promoting gut health,maintaining good eyesight, and boosting the immune system.
In developing countries, where malnutrition is a common issue, sweet potatoes are a cost-effective crop. They arerelatively easy to grow and can thrive in various climatic conditions, which makes them suitable for Tajikistan's diverse
landscape and arid climate. Tajikistan, being a low-income country with a high vulnerability to malnutrition and foodsecurity concerns, could greatly benefit from cultivating sweet potatoes.
Although sweet potatoes are not traditionally grown in Tajikistan, several attempts have been made to introduce
this crop since the early 20th century. However, due to insufficient promotion, improper storage practices, and difficulties
in cooking, these attempts were unsuccessful, and the crop was eventually abandoned. Given its high nutritional value
and potential applications in food fortification, starch and glucose production, and livestock feed, sweet potato could playa vital role in Tajikistan's agricultural sector. Cultivating this crop could ensure the sustainability of agricultural
production, reduce poverty and malnutrition, and improve overall food security in Tajikistan.