Plant molecular biology in Argentina and Chile

We report here on 32 laboratories from Argentina and Chile that include 55 research scientists. Most of these groups were constituted in the last ten years, usually by investigators returning from their postdoctoral training abroad. Some groups are based in institutions with a long tradition in plant biochemistry that are seeking to update their research. Others are organized under the National Institutes for Agronomic Research (INTA in Argentina and INIA in Chile) with the aim of introducing the techniques of molecular biology in their plant breeding programs. Several laboratories sharing similar research interests maintain collaborative links, and many of them participate in binational or multinational research programs. An interesting level, of coordination is provided by REDBIO, the Latin American Network on Plant Biotechnology, which organized national and international meetings in both Argentina and Chile to promote biotechnological research. As a whole, the academic production of these groups has been steadily increasing.