The recipient of 2022 Taguchi Prize was recently announced at the 34^th Annual Meeting of the Thai Society for Biotechnology and International Conference (TSB 2022): Sustainable Bioeconomy: Challenges and Opportunities. The prestigious award was presented to Dr. Wirulda Pootakham, Leader of Genomics Research Team, National Omics Center, for her achievement in applying the genomic technology to support the development of agricultural industry and conservation of biodiversity.

Dr. Wirulda has pioneered the genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technology in Thailand. GBS is a genome-wide SNP discovery approach that is more cost-effective and less time-consuming than the conventional approach of identifying and genotyping microsatellite markers.

Dr. Wirulda has utilized the GBS technology in several high-impact projects. In agriculture, GBS was employed to identify SNPs linking to the height of oil palm tree in order to develop shorter stature making harvesting safer and more efficient, and, in another project, to develop a robust and accurate seed purity test with an estimated economic impact of THB 193 million from 2019-2021. The technology was also applied to studies supporting biodiversity conservation and rehabilitation such as the genetic diversity study of mangrove, and the population genetic study of endangered species such as Eld’s deer, Fea’s muntjac, hawk and red-headed vulture. The studies of medicinal plants such as black ginger, gotu kola, turmeric, cannabis, hemp and kratom also benefit greatly from the GBS technology. The GBS technology pioneered by Dr. Wirulda, therefore, plays an important role in the Thai economy and its environmental conservation effort.