Advanced Plant Breeders Program04 - 07 May 2026 | Hyderabad, India
Sathguru
Sathguru is a global research and consulting organization engaged in life science strategy advisory, assessment and monitoring, intellectual property management guidance and public policy advisory. Sathguru pursues research and advisory for the seed sector in accessing technologies for contemporary trait needs regulatory adherence and market access.
Tucson Plant Breeding Institute (TPBI)
The Tucson Plant Breeding Institute (TPBI) offers state-of-the-art instruction and training in modern plant breeding tools such as statistics, molecular breeding, and computation. The mission of the institute is to transfer current technologies to a wide audience of users, be they commercial breeders or academics interested in plant science improvement.
Tucson Sathguru Plant Breeders Program
Plant breeding innovations have contributed significantly to addressing global food production needs. However, the challenge of improved food production to meet the food demand of 2050 would require the application of new breeding techniques and precision breeding techniques with a deeper understanding of plant physiology and molecular biology in an environment of rapid computational tools. Plant breeders are challenged to develop improved varieties that sustain yields in a highly challenging climate change environment and to meet the nutrition needs of the global population.
The advanced plant breeding course will provide plant breeders from the seed industry and academic research institutions exposure to contemporary tools and techniques needed for strategic deployment in creating competitive varieties and traits. Mid and senior-level plant breeding professionals will converge from different regions for a residential course in Hyderabad to gain exposure to world-renowned faculty. Exposure to contemporary breeding techniques, advancements in quantitative genetics, predictive modeling, and newer tools such as gene editing will provide plant breeders the opportunity to deploy solutions for rapid generation of competitive varieties and traits in their own enterprises.
Who Will Benefit
The program is designed for plant breeders / geneticists and molecular biologists engaged in crop improvement program.
Methodology
Cross-cultural and Cross-enterprise Learning
The participants will have an opportunity to interact with people working in the same sector from different geographical locations.
Interaction with the Faculty
The participants get to access the world’s best faculty in the field of agriculture and life sciences.
Lectures & Group Exercises
The course will engage the participants in practical discussions, lectures, group exercises and case discussions focused on strategic decision approaches.
Key Focus Areas
- Advancements in Molecular Breeding & Experimental Designs
- Hybrid Breeding advancements
- Selection Models
- Association Mapping & Bulp/Genomic Selection
- Intellectual Property Implications for Plant Breeders
- Gene Editing
- Breeding for Resilience
- Speed Breeding
- Trait scoring systems and product development evaluations
- Germplasm Management
Instructors
Bruce Walsh
Prof. Bruce Walsh, Depts. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Plant Science, Animal Science, Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of Arizona. His interests are broadly in using mathematical models to explore the interface of genetics and evolution, with particular focus on two areas: the evolution of genome structure and the analysis of complex genetic characters (aka quantitative genetics).
Dr. Michael Gore, Associate Professor of Molecular Breeding and Genetics, Cornell University. His expertise is in the field of quantitative genetics and genomics, especially the genetic dissection of metabolic traits. He has also contributed to the development and application of field-based, high-throughput phenotyping tools for plant breeding and genetics research. He serves on the editorial boards of Crop Science and Theoretical and Applied Genetics.
Dr. Michael Gore
Lucia Gutierrez
Dr. Lucia Gutierrez, Associate Professor in Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Over the last two decades, pursued research and teaching in quantitative genetics and genomics based advanced breeding for crop improvement and climate adaptation.
K. Vijayaraghavan, CEO of Sathguru Management Consultants and Regional rep at SIPS, Cornell University. He combines innovation focus in enterprises and strategy to create and sustain their competitive advantage. He has advised worldwide seed sector in forecasting trends and in enhancing their competitiveness through smart adoption of innovation and smart management of intellectual property.
K Vijayaraghavan
Lee Hickey
Professor Lee Hickey is a plant breeder and crop geneticist within the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation at The University of Queensland, Australia. He is an ARC Future Fellow and Director of the ARC Training Centre in Predictive Breeding. He has a strong interest in the integration of breeding technologies, such as genomic prediction, AI, speed breeding and genome editing. His advice for speed breeding crops is sought internationally, and the technology is now adopted by plant breeding programs worldwide, which is fast-tracking development of improved crop varieties for farmers.
Professor at the Boyce Thompson Institute, where her research focuses on harnessing biotechnological approaches to explore gene function and advance crop improvement. Her laboratory employs a range of genetic engineering strategies for wide crops of interest.
Through the development and application of innovative gene-editing techniques, Dr. Van Eck’s work aims to create resilient, high-performing crops that address global agricultural and nutritional challenges.
Joyce Van Eck
Radhakrishnan
President, Life Science Advisory Group at Sathguru Management Consultants, overseeing the Agri Input Advisory practice. Previously, he served as the Global Breeding Community Lead at BASF and Head of Breeding – APAC at Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds, bringing a wealth of experience in developing breeding teams and steering global governance
Program Date
Program Fee
Payment Details
| Participant Type | INR | |
| Residential | ₹ 1,15,000 + Taxes | |
| Non-Residential | ₹ 80,000 + Taxes | |
| Early Bird Offer | ||
| Residential | ₹ 1,06,000 + Taxes | |
| Non-Residential | ₹ 75,000 + Taxes | |
- Multiple nominations are encouraged; however, no more than eight will be accepted from a single organisation to ensure a diverse range of participant profiles.
- The Early Bird Offer closes on * 31st January 2026
Account Number : 912020047528817
Bank : AXIS BANK LTD
Branch : Hyderabad Main Branch, Telangana, India
IFSC Code : UTIB0000008
For payment through credit card, click here.
| Fee includes | Fee does not Include
|
| Course Material | Travel (Domestic & International) |
| Tuition | Visa |
| Graduation | Insurance |
| Course Meals | Insurance |
| Accommodation (For Residential Participants) ** | Incidentals apart from inclusions |
- ** For residential participants – accommodation & all meals included
- For non-residential participants – lunch included
Note:
- The formal registration occurs only after the payment of fees.
- While substitutions are accepted before the programme begins, refunds for cancellations are regrettably not available
- Due to constraints on class sizes, registration will be offered on a first come, first served basis, subject to availability
Contact Details
Mr. Rahul Maji
Senior Program Advisor
Mobile: +91 8977867251
E-mail: rahulm@sathguru.com
Mr. Srinivas Murthy Indrakanti
Associate Vice President
Mobile: +91-9502115511
E-mail: srinivasi@sathguru.com