The OECD Genome Association OZ09 event is taking place at The University Club and runs until Thursday.

It is the first time that an OECD-sponsored conference has been staged in WA - a highly competitive process that has resulted in the OECD Co-operative Research Programme’s Biological Resource Management for Sustainable Agricultural Systems funding 16 invited international speakers to travel to Perth for the occasion.

UWA has joined with the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) in co-sponsoring the event, the combined impact of which has led to what is arguably the most significant gathering of plant breeding specialists and those with related expertise, yet seen in Perth.

The conference keynote speaker is Prof Bruce Weir, Chair and Professor of Biostatistics, and Adjunct Professor of Genome Sciences, at the University of Washington, USA.

Prof. Weir is director of the GENEVA project, a consortium of 14 whole-genome studies in humans.

Conference convener Prof. Wallace Cowling, UWA, said the invitation to Prof. Weir to spearhead this conference was motivated by his bio-statistical experience, considered to be invaluable in guiding plant scientists in the area of association genetics, which while highly developed in humans, is just starting in plants.

"One of the unique aspects of this conference is the link that is made between practical plant breeding and association genetics. Issues relating to GxE (genotype by environment) in plant breeding must be linked to association genetics to have a serious impact on plant breeding – and once these issues are resolved, I am convinced that a new revolution in plant breeding will quickly spread throughout the world of crop breeding, Prof. Cowling said.