U of S News Briefs

November 28, 2008

Boost for plant breeding
Plant breeding research received a boost recently when Saskatoon-based implement manufacturer Morris Industries Ltd. made a combined $100,000 cash and in-kind donation to the University of Saskatchewan.

According to a news release, the donation provides the U of S Crop Development Centre (CDC) with the use of innovative seeding equipment for three years. The gift also includes a cash donation for the CDC’s new grains innovation laboratory slated for completion in the fall of 2009.

“This generous sponsorship from Morris Industries will enable the CDC to gain new efficiencies in managing its farmlands and breeding programs and will contribute to the successful completion of the new lab,” said Dorothy Murrell, CDC managing director. She noted the use of the new Morris air drill and air cart will help the CDC seed its 3,000 acres of land, east of Saskatoon, in a more accurate and efficient way.

Synchrotrons sign agreement
Developing innovative, state-of-the-art synchrotron instrumentation is the purpose of an agreement signed Nov. 18 in Brazil between the Canadian Light Source (CLS) and the Brazilian Association of Synchrotron Light Technology (ABTLuS), operator of the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS).

The agreement establishes a general framework for the two synchrotrons to collaborate on projects, develop common specialized knowledge and enable the exchange of staff and ideas, said a joint news release. One of the first initiatives has the CLS and LNLS working together to design and build some of the components for use in X-ray diffraction facilities planned at the respective synchrotrons.