The Enterprise Breeding System (EBS)—launched in April 2022 at IITA—is an open-source breeding informatics software developed for researchers, breeders, and other users to harness a comprehensive crop breeding database to improve the genetic gains of maize for farmers in the field. On 23-24 August, IITA organized a 2-day refresher training to help users gain practical skills to navigate the upgrades and new features added to the EBS. This will help facilitate effective and efficient work processes among maize breeders in IITA, CIMMYT, et CGIAR-wide.
During the training, IITA Head of Breeding John Derera said, “The EBS is updated with more features to enable users to navigate the EBS successfully, search easily for whatever information they need, and share same with their team, all in real-time. It is powered such that data collected from field, laboratory, farm, and other sources are updated directly on the EBS so breeders can make quick and informed decisions.”
The main goal of the EBS is to modernize the breeding programs in IITA and across the CGIAR. The EBS contains centralized data from various users, including service updates and analytical tools to help users analyze their breeding data and make informed decisions. Users can manage information from the EBS without manual file exchange.
IITA Data Manager for Breeding Simon Imoro said, “The EBS is a powerful tool envisioned by the CGIAR to be a one-stop shop for breeding data management. Today, we brought the teams together to work in a shared network. We are giving permission to users, programs, and colleagues to use information on the system without manually having to exchange files. We are automating and updating files on the EBS that reflect in real-time.”
Speaking on the benefits of the training, IITA Germplasm Assistant Jelili Adedoja reckoned that the training helped participants to navigate through the EBS seamlessly and that their workflow will be further enhanced through the upgrades in the system. He said, “Now, the innovation turnover will happen faster to improve food security on the continent.”
IITA Maize Unit Research Administrative Manager Bunmi Bossey said the EBS is updated once every quarter as tickets are raised for issues and concerns. So, the functionalities of the EBS are still being developed for the different capabilities within the same domain, hence the need to gather users in the same space to get everyone updated. At the end of the training, users could boast of a seamless use of the functionalities of the EBS, starting from germplasm to data collection and then to analysis.
Contributed by Folake Oduntan
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