The sessions were facilitated by specialists from the EBS global user support, data management teams, and breeding analytics, with Stephanie Manrilla, Ma. Concepcion Lotho, Justine Bonifacio-Dayrit, and Daniel Pisano as trainers. They were also joined by Nichole Avanzado, PhilRice-CES data manager, who led some of the key topics. The training aimed to empower early adopters in their use of EBS for an end-to-end management of experiments.
In-depth lectures and demonstrations were conducted for the tools in the Core Breeding and Breeding Analytics domains. The Shipment tool was also explored, along with the Bioflow application that lets breeders perform advanced analyses. The training adopted a tool-based approach to enable a focused look on each tool and demonstrate how it can be used vis-à-vis actual field activities throughout the season.
Core Breeding domain topics followed the general germplasm creation process, which involved crossing, advancing, trialing, and screening experiments. After creation, the experiments were then managed to prepare for data collection and harvest. The EBS Field Book application was also used to simulate data collection on the field. Data quality checks and analyses were then performed in the Breeding Analytics domain.
The EBS Demo instance provided the sandbox environment where participants showcased their learnings through the activities prepared for each tool. Questions and clarifications were also addressed, while use case-specific requests were duly noted. Overall, the training and its trainers received positive feedback from participants, noting appreciation on the hands-on activities and its general organization.
Science Research Specialist II Sherilyn Estrada demonstrates how to create an Intentional Crossing Nursery experiment
Science Research Specialist II Pinklet Cubian collects data using the EBS Field Book application
EBS transforms crop breeding by offering a single data management system that digitalizes the breeding process. Moving forward, the EBS adoption activities in PhilRice will be monitored through consistent use of the system. This adoption project was initiated and funded by DA-PhilRice and the OneRICE Project in Southeast Asia.
PhilRice is a government corporate entity attached to the Department of Agriculture and is part of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES) – International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) breeding network.
Participants and trainers, together with Chief Science Research Specialist and PBBD Head Dr. Oliver Manangkil, successfully conclude the EBS Adoption Training for PhilRice held on 20-24 May 2024 at the DA-PhilRice CES.
