Isobel Parkin

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Isobel Parkin is a Canadian research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She is one of the world's premier canola scientists and her area of expertise focuses on brassica genomics, comparative genome organization, global gene expression analysis, and abiotic stress responses. [1] [2] She is well known for her work on an international project on the genetics of oil seeds, in particular the mapping and sequencing of the canola oil genome. [3] She Co-lead the Canadian Canola Genome Sequence (CanSeq) team that successfully deciphered the canola genome and developed a high-quality genome sequence. [2] [4]

Contents

Biography

Parkin was born in the United Kingdom and pursued her Ph.D. in genomics from the John Innes Centre in Norwich, England. She was recruited in the late 1990s to co-lead the Canadian Canola Sequencing Initiative (CanSeq) with Andrew Sharpe at the Global Institute for Food Security at the University of Saskatchewan. [2] Parkin is currently working on genomics, genetics and bioinformatics platforms and functional genomics of stress resistance in plants at the Saskatoon Research and Development Centre in Saskatoon. Isobel Parkin joined Agriculture and Agri-food Canada in 1999. [4] [5] She has been an adjunct Professor at the University of Saskatchewan since 2004. [6]

Career

Parkin's career started with her recruitment to work on the Canadian Canola Sequencing Initiative (CanSeq) at the Global Institute for Food Security at the University of Saskatchewan, where she was involved in some of the earliest genetic mapping of canola or Brassica napus. [2] Parkin's research is focused on genomics, bioinformatics and molecular biology of Brassica and related organisms. [5] She applies various genomics tools to improve the crop performance and understand basic mechanisms and evolution. [5]

Parkin's work has earned her recognition by the canola industry on a global scale. Isobel's current research funding sources include the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS), Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Fund, AAFC Crop Genomics Initiative, and canola producer groups. [4]

Thus far, the high point of Parkin's career is the successful mapping of the canola oil genome along with her international teammates. In 2014 her team announced they had successfully deciphered the complex genome of canola. [2] The results of the team's work on canola oil will help plant breeders and growers increase oil content, increase the yield of each crop, determine a sustainable level of yield for the future, help modify seeds to make the plant less susceptible to drought, cold temperatures, diseases, and help in the breeding and development of new variants. [7]

Parkin also lead a Canadian research team that published its results on sequencing another brassica species, camelina, in 2016. Camelina is showing promise for Canadian agriculture as it can be produced on marginal lands with lower input than other oilseeds, and can be used as feedstock for bioproducts like plastic and protein-rich food for fish and livestock. Parkin continues research in the area of camelina and collaborated with researchers from Dalhousie and Memorial University on a project examining its use in farmed fish diets. [2]

Parkin co-lead a team with Sharpe that decoded the full genome for the Brassica nigra, or black mustard plant—research that will advance breeding of oilseed mustard crops and provide a foundation for improved breeding of wheat, canola and lentils.This research was published in the scientific journal Nature Plants in 2020. [8] [2] The team used a new genome sequencing technology (Nanopore) that results in very long “reads” of DNA and RNA sequences, providing information for crop breeding that was previously not available. [8] The resulting gene assembly for black mustard also helps explain how the black mustard genome differs from those of its close crop relatives—such as cabbage, turnip and canola. The team also uncovered the first direct evidence of functional centromeres, structures on chromosomes essential for plant fertility, and detected other previously hard to identify regions of the genome. This knowledge provides a foundation for improving crop production. They are set to release more sequencing for Sinapis alpa or white mustard. [2]

Isobel is highly active in the agriculture research community and has co-authored over 130 research publications in her career, over 80 of which have been published in the last 10 years. In collaboration with 130 internationally renowned agricultural scientists, Isobel Parkin helped write a book titled Transgenic Plants and Crops, which “provides analyzes of the history, genetics, physiology, and cultivation of over 30 species of transgenic seeds, fruits, and vegetables.” [9] Parkin says the goal of her genomics work is to improve the lot of farmers. [2]

Honours and awards

Related Research Articles

<i>Brassica</i> Genus of flowering plants in the cabbage family Brassicaceae

Brassica is a genus of plants in the cabbage and mustard family (Brassicaceae). The members of the genus are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, mustard plants, or simply brassicas. Crops from this genus are sometimes called cole crops—derived from the Latin caulis, denoting the stem or stalk of a plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapeseed</span> Plant species grown for its oil-rich seed

Rapeseed, also known as rape and oilseed rape, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae, cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains appreciable amounts of erucic acid. The term "canola" denotes a group of rapeseed cultivars that were bred to have very low levels of erucic acid and which are especially prized for use as human and animal food. Rapeseed is the third-largest source of vegetable oil and the second-largest source of protein meal in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mustard oil</span> Oil derived from mustard plants

Mustard oil can mean either the pressed oil used for cooking, or a pungent essential oil also known as volatile oil of mustard. The essential oil results from grinding mustard seed, mixing the grounds with water, and isolating the resulting volatile oil by distillation. It can also be produced by dry distillation of the seed. Pressed mustard oil is used as cooking oil in some cultures, but sale is restricted in some countries due to high levels of erucic acid. Varieties of mustard seed low in erucic acid have been cultivated.

Richard Keith Downey, is a Canadian agricultural scientist known for plant breeding and, as one of the originators of canola. He conducted his research at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and is largely responsible for transforming rapeseed into canola. His pioneering research has made him known as the "Father of Canola".

<i>Brassica rapa</i> Species of flowering plant

Brassica rapa is a plant species growing in various widely cultivated forms including the turnip ; Komatsuna, napa cabbage, bomdong, bok choy, and rapini.

<i>Camelina</i> Genus of flowering plants in the cabbage family Brassicaceae

Camelina is a genus within the flowering plant family Brassicaceae. The Camelina species, commonly known as false flax, are native to Mediterranean regions of Europe and Asia. Most species of this genus have been little studied, with the exception of Camelina sativa, historically cultivated as an oil plant. Heinrich Johann Nepomuk von Crantz was the first botanist to use the genus Camelina in his classification works in 1762.

<i>Camelina sativa</i> Species of flowering plant

Camelina sativa is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae usually known as camelina, gold-of-pleasure, or false flax, but also occasionally as wild flax, linseed dodder, German sesame, or Siberian oilseed. It is native to Europe and areas of Central Asia, but cultivated as an oilseed crop mainly in Europe and in North America. It is not related to true flax, in the family Linaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mustard plant</span> Flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae used for mustard

The mustard plant is any one of several plant species in the genera Brassica, Rhamphospermum and Sinapis in the family Brassicaceae. Mustard seed is used as a spice. Grinding and mixing the seeds with water, vinegar, or other liquids creates the yellow condiment known as prepared mustard. The seeds can also be pressed to make mustard oil, and the edible leaves can be eaten as mustard greens. Many vegetables are cultivated varieties of mustard plants; domestication may have begun 6,000 years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clubroot</span> Common fungal disease of plants of the family Brassicaceae

Clubroot is a common disease of cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, radishes, turnips, stocks, wallflowers and other plants of the family Brassicaceae (Cruciferae). It is caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, which was once considered a slime mold but is now put in the group Phytomyxea. It is the first phytomyxean for which the genome has been sequenced. It has as many as thirteen races. Gall formation or distortion takes place on latent roots and gives the shape of a club or spindle. In the cabbage such attacks on the roots cause undeveloped heads or a failure to head at all, followed often by decline in vigor or by death. It is an important disease, affecting an estimated 10% of the total cultured area worldwide.

Genotyping is the process of determining differences in the genetic make-up (genotype) of an individual by examining the individual's DNA sequence using biological assays and comparing it to another individual's sequence or a reference sequence. It reveals the alleles an individual has inherited from their parents. Traditionally genotyping is the use of DNA sequences to define biological populations by use of molecular tools. It does not usually involve defining the genes of an individual.

Leptosphaeria maculans is a fungal pathogen of the phylum Ascomycota that is the causal agent of blackleg disease on Brassica crops. Its genome has been sequenced, and L. maculans is a well-studied model phytopathogenic fungus. Symptoms of blackleg generally include basal stem cankers, small grey lesions on leaves, and root rot. The major yield loss is due to stem canker. The fungus is dispersed by the wind as ascospores or rain splash in the case of the conidia. L. maculans grows best in wet conditions and a temperature range of 5–20 degrees Celsius. Rotation of crops, removal of stubble, application of fungicide, and crop resistance are all used to manage blackleg. The fungus is an important pathogen of Brassica napus (canola) crops.

<i>Pseudocercosporella capsellae</i> Species of fungus

Pseudocercosporella capsellae is a plant pathogen infecting crucifers. P. capsellae is the causal pathogen of white leaf spot disease, which is an economically significant disease in global agriculture. P. capsellae has a significant effect on crop yields on agricultural products, such as canola seed and rapeseed. Researchers are working hard to find effective methods of controlling this plant pathogen, using cultural control, genetic resistance, and chemical control practices. Due to its rapidly changing genome, P. capsellae is a rapidly emerging plant pathogen that is beginning to spread globally and affect farmers around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Saskatchewan</span> Agriculture of the Province Saskatchewan in Canada

Agriculture in Saskatchewan is the production of various food, feed, or fiber commodities to fulfill domestic and international human and animal sustenance needs. The newest agricultural economy to be developed in renewable biofuel production or agricultural biomass which is marketed as ethanol or biodiesel. Plant cultivation and livestock production have abandoned subsistence agricultural practices in favor of intensive technological farming resulting in cash crops which contribute to the economy of Saskatchewan. The particular commodity produced is dependent upon its particular biogeography or ecozone of Geography of Saskatchewan. Agricultural techniques and activities have evolved over the years. The first nation nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle and the early immigrant ox and plow farmer proving up on his quarter section of land in no way resemble the present farmer operating huge amounts of land or livestock with their attendant technological mechanization. Challenges to the future of Saskatchewan agriculture include developing sustainable water management strategies for a cyclical drought prone climate in south western Saskatchewan, updating dryland farming techniques, stabilizing organic definitions or protocols and the decision to grow, or not to grow genetically modified foods. Domestically and internationally, some commodities have faced increased scrutiny from disease and the ensuing marketing issues.

The economy of Saskatchewan has been associated with agriculture resulting in the moniker "Bread Basket of Canada" and Bread Basket of the World. According to the Government of Saskatchewan, approximately 95% of all items produced in Saskatchewan, depend on the basic resources available within the province. Various grains, livestock, oil and gas, potash, uranium, wood and their spin off industries fuel the economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nagendra Kumar Singh</span> Indian agricultural scientist (born 1958)

Nagendra Kumar Singh is an Indian agricultural scientist. He is presently a National Professor Dr. B.P. Pal Chair and JC Bose National Fellow at ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. He was born in a small village Rajapur in the Mau District of Uttar Pradesh, India. He is known for his research in the area of plant genomics, genetics, molecular breeding and biotechnology, particularly for his contribution in the decoding of rice, tomato, wheat, pigeon pea, jute and mango genomes and understanding of wheat seed storage proteins and their effect on wheat quality. He has made significant advances in comparative analysis of rice and wheat genomes and mapping of genes for yield, salt tolerance and basmati quality traits in rice. He is one of the highest cited agricultural scientists from India for the last five years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajeev Kumar Varshney</span> Indian geneticist (born 1973)

Rajeev Kumar Varshney is an Indian agricultural scientist, specializing in genomics, genetics, molecular breeding and capacity building in developing countries. Varshney is currently serving as Director, Western Australian State Agricultural Biotechnology Center; Director, Centre for Crop & Food Innovation; and International Chair in Agriculture & Food Security with the Food Futures Institute at Murdoch University, Australia since Feb 2022. Before joining Murdoch University, Australia he served International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), a global agriculture R&D institute, for more than 16 years in different scientific and research leadership roles including Research Program Director for three global research programs– Grain Legumes, Genetic Gains and Accelerated Crop Improvement Program. He has the onus of establishing and nurturing the Center of Excellence in Genomics & Systems Biology (CEGSB), a globally recognized center for genomics research at ICRISAT that made impacts on improving agriculture and development of human resources in several countries including India, China, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, etc. Varshney holds Adjunct/Honorary/Visiting Professor positions at 10 academic institutions in Australia, China, Ghana, Hong Kong and India, including The University of Western Australia, University of Queensland, West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement, University of Hyderabad, Chaudhary Charan Singh University and Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University.

Alternaria black spot of canola or grey leaf spot is an ascomycete fungal disease caused by a group of pathogens including: Alternaria brassicae, A. alternata and A. raphani. This pathogen is characterized by dark, sunken lesions of various size on all parts of the plant, including the leaves, stem, and pods. Its primary economic host is canola. In its early stages it only affects the plants slightly by reducing photosynthesis, however as the plant matures it can cause damage to the seeds and more, reducing oil yield as well.

Catherine Feuillet is a French geneticist who is currently the Chief Scientific Officer of Inari Agriculture, a Cambridge MA based biotechnology company. Feuillet earned a PhD in plant molecular biology on the isolation and characterization of genes involved in wood formation in eucalyptus trees. She started to work on the genetics of disease resistance in wheat in 1994 during her post-doctoral studies at the Swiss Federal Institute for Agroecology. She then moved as a junior group leader to the University of Zurich where she investigated the molecular basis of fungal disease resistance in wheat and in barley and cloned the first leaf rust resistance gene from wheat. In 2004 she was hired as a research director at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) in France to lead European and international projects on wheat genomics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DMH-11 Mustard</span> Genetically modified variety of mustard plant

Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11, otherwise known as DMH - 11, is a genetically modified hybrid variety of the mustard species Brassica juncea. It was developed by Professor Deepak Pental from the University of Delhi, with the aim of reducing India's demand for edible oil imports. DMH - 11 was created through transgenic technology, primarily involving the Bar, Barnase and Barstar gene system. The Barnase gene confers male sterility, while the Barstar gene restores DMH - 11's ability to produce fertile seeds. The insertion of the third gene Bar, enables DMH - 11 to produce phosphinothricin-N- acetyl-transferase, the enzyme responsible for Glufosinate resistance. This hybrid mustard variety has come under intense public scrutiny, mainly due to concerns regarding DMH - 11's potential to adversely affect the environment as well as consumer health. DMH - 11 was found not to pose any food allergy risks, and has demonstrated increased yields over existing mustard varieties. Conflicting details and results regarding the field trials and safety evaluations conducted on DMH - 11 have delayed its approval for commercial cropping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapeseed oil</span> Vegetable oil

Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, it was restricted as a food oil due to its content of erucic acid, which in laboratory studies was shown to be damaging to the cardiac muscle of laboratory animals in high quantities and which imparts a bitter taste, and glucosinolates, which made many parts of the plant less nutritious in animal feed. Rapeseed oil from standard cultivars can contain up to 54% erucic acid.

References

  1. ↑ "Isobel Parkin". Government of Canada. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Halsall, Mark (29 October 2020). "How Isobel Parkin is Breaking New Ground". Germination. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  3. ↑ "Saskatoon scientist helps sequence canola genome". Ag-West Bio. Archived from the original on 15 October 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Dr. Isobel Parkin". University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 "Isobel Parkin Lab". parkingenomics.github.io. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  6. ↑ "Isobel Parkin - U of S Plant Phenotyping and Imaging Research Centre | University of Saskatchewan". p2irc.usask.ca. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  7. ↑ Smith, Lyndsey (4 September 2014). "Making Gains: How Mapping the Canola Genome Will Lead to Better Varieties". realagriculture. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  8. 1 2 "New USask-led research reveals previously hidden features of plant genomes". GIFS. 2020-08-10. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  9. ↑ Khachatourians, George (26 March 2002). Transgenic Plants and Crops. CRC Press. ISBN   9780203910979 . Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  10. ↑ 7. International Rapeseed Congress Events Page https://event-wizard.com/irc2015/0/pages/57834/#Top . Retrieved 23 February 2017.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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