Sustainable Forages Webinar with Odaya Subedi
Join us for the next edition of the Sustainable Forages Webinar/Podcast Series – A DISCUSSION with Odaya Subedi for Utilization of molecular breeding to understand and improve water-related stress tolerance in alfalfa.
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The video from this event will be posted on our website.
Two different water extremes, waterlogging and drought, exert profound detrimental impacts on
the productivity and yields of alfalfa. With climate change intensifying globally, these types of
stress are projected to escalate in prevalence and intensity, exacerbating agricultural challenges.
To help minimize losses in the future, there is a critical need for the development of new alfalfa
cultivars that can better withstand water-related stresses; however, progress has been hindered by
the complexity of stress tolerance mechanisms, as well as significant gaps in our understanding
of these processes. Our research program aims to further elucidate the intricate mechanisms
governing alfalfa’s resilience to waterlogging and drought stresses by assessing the function of
various genes in alfalfa that have been suggested to play a role in stress responses previously in
other plant species. Through multifaceted analyses, we have unraveled the functions of several of
these genes, in certain cases providing potential targets for future breeding endeavours, and
advanced our understanding of climate change resilience in alfalfa.
Dr. Udaya Subedi recently earned his PhD from the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta, and now serves as a Research Biologist at the Lethbridge Research and Development Center, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. His research is dedicated to unraveling the molecular mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance in alfalfa and developing resilient genotypes through advanced molecular breeding techniques, specifically RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9. Dr. Subedi possesses a strong foundation in both field and greenhouse experimentation, coupled with proficiency in a wide range of laboratory techniques, acquired through his work with forage crops such as alfalfa, sainfoin, and fenugreek under the supervision of Dr. Stacy Singer and Dr. Surya Acharya. He emphasizes the importance of utilizing cutting-edge technologies to mitigate the challenges posed by climate change in forage production.
