I attended the International Cotton Genomics Initiative meeting in Brazil on 18,19, 20 September, 2006. I replaced Curt Brubaker who, because he had left CSIRO, was unable to attend. This meeting was attended by approximately 200 cotton molecular researchers world-wide.

I presented our work on microarray analysis of genes involved in early fibre development as a plenary talk. My presentation included work done by the CRDC funded Post Doc and formerly a PhD student, Adriane Machado. As well as presenting our work a further aim of this travel was to participate in any efforts to initiate sequencing of the Cotton Genome, make contacts and learn about work going on in other parts of the work, particularly genes involved in controlling cotton fibre parameters, but also, generally, cotton molecular biology. My presentation on our work was well received. Our work is progressing well and other laboratories, particularly those in China and the US, are also making big efforts in molecular biology to identify genes important for fibre development. As an international effort, we are attempting to correlate fibre phenotypes with molecular markers and, ultimately, genes. A cross between hirsutum and the barbadense lines has been made to and continued selfing to the F5 generation. These recombinant inbred lines (RILs) are now having the cotton fibre phenotype determined. Marker analysis of these lines is now undersay using SSLP DNA markers. In this way cotton fibre genetic characters (QTLs) will be linked to molecular markers. We are participating in this project with colleagues from France, Belgium and the USA. We will identify genes that are highly expressed in the lines showing superior cotton fibre phenotypes. Scientists involved in this project also met at the ICGI conference and planned the next steps.

The major development from this meeting was the decision to proceed with an attempt to develop a genome sequencing project for cotton. I was elected as one writing committee member on an eight-member committee; Danny Llewellyn is one of approximately fifty consulting members. We have written a draft white paper (attached) outlining the important outcomes for cotton breeding and cotton research with a complete cotton genome sequence. These include enhancing our understanding of fibre, growth and development, the effects of polyploidisation and the practical development of DNA markers for cotton breeding. The topic of cotton genome sequencing has been discussed at several meetings including previous research conferences held by ICGI. At the Brazil meeting there was strong support for organising a community effort on cotton genome sequencing. At the end of this meeting there was a decision to proceed with developing a proposal for cotton genome sequencing which can be supported world-wide.