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Conservation agriculture course in rainfed farming, Karnataka, India

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From 18-22 August, the University of Agricultural Science (UAS) Raichur, Karnataka, hosted the first course on ‘Conservation agriculture (CA) in rainfed farming’ in India, in collaboration with CIMMYT, under the aegis of the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA). The 31 participants included young scientists and extension agents from NGOs and various research centers of UAS, in addition to machinery manufacturers and service providers from across Karnataka state. Also in attendance were BV Patil (Vice Chancellor, UAS, Raichur), Pat Wall (Director GCAP, CIMMYT), Raj Gupta (Head, CIMMYT-India), and Bruno Gerard (new Director GCAP, CIMMYT). ML Jat (Senior Cropping Systems Agronomist, CIMMYT) coordinated the course, with assistance from SG Patil (Director of Education, UAS), T Satanarayana (IPNI), RK Malik, and HS Sidhu.

During the course, participants learnt the basics of CA, including practical field training on CA machinery, techniques for intercropping systems under rainfed conditions, use of GreenSeeker optical sensors, spray techniques, and weed, nutrient, and water management practices in relation to CA. Raj Gupta described the CA priorities for the different ecologies of Karnataka, whilst Pat Wall shared his global experiences of CA and Bruno Gerard detailed his experiences with crop-livestock interactions in reference to CA.

In concluding the course, BV Patil thanked CIMMYT for previously initiating the CA program in Karnataka as part of the Rice-Wheat Consortium for the Indo-Gangetic Plains (RWC). Now, with the assistance of CSISA, it is hoped that the adoption of CA can be accelerated. The UAS has recently recruited new scientists in order to take CA to a larger scale in Karnataka, and has pledged to purchase CA planters to assist in these efforts, said Patil. Given that weed management is a key issue in rainfed areas, the university also hopes to collaborate with CSISA and CIMMYT scientists, in order to produce a publication of the subject of the synthesis of weeds on different production systems under rainfed ecologies.

21st ITMI workshop: wheat geneticists come together in Mexico City

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The 21st workshop of the International Triticeae Mapping Initiative (ITMI) was hosted in Mexico City from 05-09 September, coordinated by CIMMYT Wheat Molecular Biologist Susanne Dreisigacker. ITMI was conceived in 1989, originally as a five-year effort to develop RFLP maps for Triticeae crops (mainly wheat and barley). Today the ITMI international community coordinates research efforts in molecular genetics, genomics, and genetic analysis in the Triticeae (chiefly wheat, barley and rye), with the aims of keeping work in Triticeae at the cutting edge of genetic research, avoiding duplication, and ensuring that data and information on the Triticeae is readily available to the community.

Opening the meeting, speakers Jorge Dubcovsky of UC Davis, United States, and Takao Komastuda of the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Japan, shared the stories of their groups working on the characterization of the genes involved in vernalization in wheat and domestication in barley respectively. Dubcovsky presented his findings around the isolation of the Vrn1, 2, and 3 genes and their interaction with several NF-Y proteins, shedding new light on the complex network that regulates flowering and development in response to vernalization and photoperiod in wheat. Komastuda discussed his team’s work on the phylogenetic analysis of barley, demonstrating that the six-rowed phenotype of barley originated repeatedly, at different times and in different regions, through independent mutations in the gene responsible, Vrs1.

Over the following four days, 40 speakers outlined their research advances in the areas of functional genomics, mapping and cloning, applied molecular breeding, the exploitation of genetic resources, and computational biology. The participants also went on a field visit to the Toluca research station to learn more about CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program. During the last day new initiatives and technologies were introduced, including the CIMMYT SeeD project, Genotyping by Sequencing, and the first results of using 9000 SNP chips in wheat and barley.

Prior to the ITMI meeting the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC), of which CIMMYT is a member, held a one-day workshop to report on progress in sequencing the wheat genome. One of the IWGSC’s major milestones for 2011 has already been achieved: sequence assemblies—fragments of a long DNA sequence that are developed in order to reconstruct the original sequence of all 21 chromosomes—have been developed and will be accessible to the wheat community in September or October.

This year represented the ITMI meeting’s return to CIMMYT after a gap of approximately 20 years. Special thanks to the 140 participants from more than 30 countries who contributed to put together an effective and successful workshop.

Addressing the future of sustainable, high-quality wheat in Mexico

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Thanks to the work of Norman Borlaug and other Mexican wheat scientists, Mexico became self-sufficient in wheat production in the early 1960s. However, since the 1980s, Mexico has begun to import wheat once again, and in 2008 the level of imported wheat was almost equal to the amount produced domestically (3.2M tons and 4M tons, respectively). Mexico is now heavily dependent on the importation of bread wheat; a concern in the current climate of rising wheat prices in the international markets. In the coming years, climate change will create challenges for wheat production, whilst demand is increasing. Breeders will have to address such issues as how to increase wheat production in Mexico; what wheat quality is required by the industry now and in future years? What qualities are needed in which regions?

To address these topics, CIMMYT facilitated a workshop on ‘Strategies towards a sustainable high-quality wheat production in Mexico’ during 01-02 September, coordinated by Roberto Javier Peña and Petr Kosina. Active discussions focused on improving communication between the milling industry, farmers, and wheat breeders, alternative strategies of wheat commercialization (the problems and future of ‘agricultura por contrato’), key breeding traits for the next 10-15 years, the localization of different quality wheat varieties in particular regions of Mexico and grain storage needs in these regions, multiplication of required seed, and alternative strategies for public funding of wheat research in Mexico. Five working groups were formed which will continue the work on specific proposals to be presented to milling industry managers, the Mexican Government, wheat growers, and the national wheat chain CONATRIGO. Positive feedback was regarding the workshop itself, which was the first of its kind for many years, and also of the non-traditional plenary discussion methods (Samoan circle) used.

Matthew Reynolds becomes a Fellow of the ASA

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We are delighted to announce that in October, CIMMYT Wheat Physiologist Matthew Reynolds will be recognized as a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) for 2011. The position of Fellow is the highest honor bestowed by the society, and is awarded to a maximum 0.3% of its members. Candidates can be nominated by other members of the society, in recognition of “outstanding contributions in an area of specialization whether in research, teaching, extension, service, or administration and whether in public, commercial, or private service activities.” “It is always helpful and gratifying to be acknowledged by an important, professional organization like the ASA,” said Reynolds. Congratulations!

President Calderón highlights importance of MasAgro

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President Felipe Calderón delivered his state of the nation address last Friday, 02 September, at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico. While security and economic stability were highlighted as top priorities for President Calderón’s last year in office, he also stressed the importance of agricultural development, food security, and the development and access of technologies for farmers.

In his report to Congress, President Calderón made specific reference to the importance of the MasAgro project in achieving these objectives. He stated that “the project that began in April 2011 is the most important legacy in agricultural policy of the current administration, as it contributes to achieving food security for Mexican families by giving access to agricultural technologies adapted to a new environment”.

MasAgro (The Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture Project) is a comprehensive initiative focused on developing high yielding varieties of maize and wheat, achieving sustainable increases in production, as well as delivering the latest technologies to small-scale farmers throughout the states of Mexico. The Take it to the Farmer (TTF) component of MasAgro is an integral part of the initiative, incorporating conservation agriculture (CA) practices and precision tools for Mexican agricultural producers.

Demonstrating the impact of CA on maize production, Porfirio Bastida Olivares from Magdalena Panoaya, Texcoco, told CIMMYT that his yield before implementing CA techniques was 2.5 tons, which has increased to 4 tons after two years, on his 0.5 ha farm. He said that now, not only does he have enough maize to feed his family, but he is able to earn an income from his crop as well. The MasAgro project aims to implement this level of increase for small-scale farmers relying on rainfed agriculture throughout the entire country.

Reinforcing the high priority of agriculture, Francisco Javier Mayorga Castañeda, the Secretary of SAGARPA (Mexican Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food), delivered a press conference on 01 September, where he stated that “MasAgro is considered the most important and ambitious agricultural project of the current administration because it aims to sustainably increase the production of maize and wheat, along with their yielding potential, for the benefit of small farmers”.

MasAgro was launched on 05 April 2011 by CIMMYT and SAGARPA during an official visit of President Calderón to CIMMYT headquarters. It is one of the largest and most comprehensive programs launched in Mexico and aims to increase maize yields by 5-9 million tons and 350,000 tons of wheat by the year 2020.

Precision nutrient management for improved efficiency, healthier and more productive soils under maize and wheat systems in India

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Precision or site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) is a science-based approach by which crops receive nutrients as and when needed, according to specific field conditions in a given cropping season. To apply it, farmers and their technical support need to know local crop yields, tillage systems, residue management, fertilizer use, external inputs, and the nutrient supplying capacity of the soil.

Adoption of such complex, knowledge-intensive approaches is slow, so the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI), a not-for-profit, science-based organization headquartered at Norcross, Georgia, USA, has developed simple delivery systems entitled “Nutrient Expert” both for wheat and for hybrid maize, in consultation with scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), several state agricultural universities, and CIMMYT. The Nutrient Expert systems are suited to diverse soils and management scenarios in India.

On 10 August, 55 agricultural experts from India’s public and private sectors gathered in New Delhi for a one day workshop on “Nutrient decision support systems for cereals and their dissemination strategies using ICTs” to discuss these systems and how to share them more widely by way of information and communication technologies such as cell phone services and CIMMYT-Agriplex.

Participants highlighted the need for more information on nutrient requirements under varied growing  conditions in complex agroecologies and for Nutrient Expert to encompass those scenarios, as well as to adopt a “situation-specific” (rather than site-specific) approach and consider nutrient addition or mining effects from previous crops. A version of Nutrient Expert is also required for rice and for rice-wheat, rice-maize and maize-wheat cropping systems.

Like all models, Nutrient Expert requires validation for specific circumstances. The workshop discussed ways to do this, including comparison with Soil Test Crop Response (STCR), State Recommendation (SR) and Farmers Fertilizer Practice (FFP) based recommendations.

Nutrient Expert recommendations focus on the major nutrients―nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium―but also needs to give specific rates for secondary and micronutrients (currently the systems include only a “Yes/No” decision for those nutrients). The All India Crops Research Program (AICRP) on micronutrients should be able to provide the required data.

The group appointed a multiorganization/stakeholder team to help plan the addition of Nutrient Expert to policy guidelines for making fertilizer recommendations. DCM Shriram Consolidated Limited (DSCL) requested a partnership with private industry and offered to validate Nutrient Expert in their Hariyali Kisan Bazar (HKB) farmer service centers.

Jointly organized by IPNI and CIMMYT, the workshop was attended by Dr PS Minhas, ADG (Soil and Water Management), ICAR directors and officers, vice chancellors and other officers from state agricultural universities, the State Department of Agriculture, the private sector, and nongovernment organizations, as well as scientists from IPNI (Adrian Johnston, Kaushik Majumdar, T Satyanarayana, Mira), CIMMYT (Pat Wall, Raj Gupta, ML Jat, Ajai Kumar), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI; YS Saharawat), and hubs of the Cropping Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA; HS Sidhu, BR Kamboj, Kanwar Singh).

Conservation agriculture capacity building in Tamilnadu, India

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The promotion of conservation agriculture (CA) in different agricultural systems of Tamilnadu, India, was the focus of a consultation organized with the Agriculture Commissioner, Sandeep Saxena, and officers of the State Department of Agriculture on 12 August at the Commisionerate of Agriculture, Chepauk, Chennai, Tamilnadu. Over 50 people attended, including Agricultural Officers from all 32 districts of Tamilnadu.

The issues facing the farmers of Tamilnadu – water, labor and energy shortages, soil health, climate change, farm profitability and food and livelihood security – were addressed in a presentation by ML Jat, Senior Cropping Systems Agronomist, CIMMYT. He highlighted how the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), managed by CIMMYT and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), in conjunction with national agricultural research and extension systems, is evaluating and disseminating CA-based crop management technologies, such as laser leveling, direct dry seeded rice, zero till mechanical transplanted rice, zero till maize, intercropping with raised bed technology and multi-crop planters, in the region. He also said that Tom Lumpkin, Director General, CIMMYT, and Robert Ziegler, Director General, IRRI, have both visited Tamilnadu to gain feedback from the farmers on the use of CA technologies, and found that they were being well received.

ML recommended that the Government of Tamilnadu prioritize investments on the CA technologies. Currently a significant investment is being made in 2-Wheel Tractors (2WT), but they are not fitted with the seeder attachments associated with CA methods. It was suggested that in order to maximize the government investments, the 2WTs and seeder attachments should be promoted together. The officers of the Department of Agriculture were particularly interested in the 2WT-based machinery, and Saxena pledged to include CA in future government investments and priorities, with proven and location-specific technologies being outlined for dissemination by the Department of Agriculture.

In order to increase understanding, capacity building and awareness among the officers and field staff of the state department of agriculture, it was suggested that the field trials of CA-based crop management technologies and machinery should be demonstrated in a block approach, to communicate the knowledge to a larger number of farmers. Innovative SMS technology (CIMMYT Agriplex) will also help in transmitting real time, location specific and needs-based information to the farmers. It is hoped that within one month, the Department of Agriculture  will formulate an action plan for these developments, before reporting back to the CIMMYT/CSISA team for further discussion and implementation of the proposed plans.

CIMMYT looks to collaborate with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

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As part of ongoing efforts to enhance CIMMYT’s skills base and increase links with external organizations, a delegation from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln visited on 05 September to discuss possible collaborations. Potential partnerships include student exchanges, e-learning courses, and joint research projects. The day started with presentations of both groups to get to know each others’ activities and identify areas of interest, and concluded with the development of an action plan.

Steve Mason, Professor of Crop Production and Management, University of Nebraska, highlighted the natural research facilities afforded by Nebraska’s diverse rainfall, temperature, and soil content conditions. The University has statewide research stations, and its researchers are able to adapt to different environmental conditions; a vital prerequisite to incorporating Mexico-based research.

Mason said the department of Agronomy and Horticulture at the University is keen to further develop field-, landscape-, and community-level research, possibly through graduate student field research at CIMMYT. Bram Govaerts, Head of CIMMYT’s Mexico-based Conservation Agriculture Program, pointed out that the converse situation could also be beneficial, with talented students from developing countries being identified by CIMMYT and given the opportunity to study in Nebraska. The University of Nebraska currently has the capacity to supervise more graduate students in certain research areas such as crop physiology and production, soil and water sciences, and weed science. John Lindquist, Professor and Plant Ecologist at the University of Nebraska, indicated that their weed science group generally has strong federal and industry grant support, and currently has ten students, mostly doing applied research.

The Agronomy and Horticulture Department professors expressed their interest in having some of their field guides and extension materials produced in Spanish, and in return CIMMYT would be able to use the materials.

Discussions will continue between CIMMYT and the University of Nebraska team on possible areas of development.

Successful conservation agriculture trials continue in western Kenya

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As previously reported, trials of conservation agriculture (CA) have been yielding impressive results in southern Ethiopia. However, these positive changes are not restricted to this area; farmers in neighboring Kenya have also been reaping the benefits of adopting the new technologies of minimal tillage, application of herbicide, intercropping with desmodium and retention of crop residue. In just their third crop under CA practices, farmers in western Kenya are reporting more grain yield with less fertilizer use, and reduced labor requirements.

Since last year, the Sustainable intensification of maize-legume cropping systems for food security in eastern and southern Africa (SIMLESA) initiative has been conducting on-farm trials for maize and bean production in western Kenya. SIMLESA is being implemented by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), with technical support from CIMMYT and financial assistance from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

Christine Okola is one of the 25 members of the Liganwa Farmers Group participating in the trials. From a plot of 0.1ha, she used to harvest a maximum of one 90kg bag of maize per crop season; now, with CA practices, she harvests five bags of maize and one bag of beans from the same piece of land. John Achieng, KARI agronomist and SIMLESA Project Team Leader for western Kenya, estimates that it is possible for a farmer to harvest up to 4500kg of maize and 500kg of beans from 1ha using CA practices – a tenfold increase on the current averages. He attributes the increases to improved organic soil matter and the use of improved seed varieties. The maize used (DUMA 41) is a high-yielding and early maturing hybrid variety, whilst the bean (KK8) is resistant to bean root rot.

Like in Ethiopia, a farmers’ field day to demonstrate CA was also held in Siaya, western Kenya, with an attendance of over 1000 people. Boaz Cherutich, Siaya District Commissioner took this opportunity to thank CIMMYT and KARI for introducing CA to the region, and the Australian Government for providing financial support to the SIMLESA initiative.

NARC and CIMMYT survey off-season wheat in Nepal

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A team from CIMMYT and the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) recently conducted the first extensive monitoring of off-season wheat crops, in the Mude and Nigale (Sindhupalchok district) and Ziri region (Dolakha district) of Nepal. The survey was suggested in light of the risk posed by a major inoculum load of yellow rust spreading from the hills of Nepal to the north-western Gangetic plains of India and the Terai of Nepal. By studying the presence of off-season wheat crops and barberry plants (an alternate host of wheat rusts), the team hoped to gain a better understanding of the magnitude of their role in yellow rust epidemics in the main season.

During the trip of 23-24 August, the group (made up of Sarala Sharma, plant pathology division, NARC; Madan Raj Bhutta, NARC; and Arun Joshi, CIMMYT wheat breeder) found that off-season wheat was grown on around 5,000ha, with farmers taking two wheat crops per year. Whereas previously the popular ‘red wheat’, Sonalika, was grown, most farmers now grow an unknown variety of white wheat. Farmer Kaila Shrestha said that most producers prefer a variation with a shorter duration (120 days) for the off season, as opposed to the main, winter season, when they grow varieties with a longer duration (135-140 days). Many of the farmers surveyed expressed interest in trying new varieties and learning the skills of seed production, and NARC and CIMMYT hope to disseminate new varieties to these areas next growing season.

Approximately 80% of wheat in the surveyed area was in the tillering stage, with sporadic presence of selfgrown adult plants. Yellow rust was found in some fields, and in some barberry plants, which numbered thousands in the 200km route between Kathmandu and Ziri. Substantial rainfall during the survey meant that most rust appeared washed out, but samples were successfully collected from more than a dozen sites, and will be analyzed at the Khumaltar station of the NARC. It is hoped that a more comprehensive study can be conducted in October (in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research), when the crops will be at a more suitable stage for analysis (in term of plant development and inoculums load).

Conservation agriculture action plan for Haryana, India

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A special working group of the Farmers Commission of Haryana, India, met for a meeting at the Commissions’ headquarters at CCS Haryana Agricultural University (HAU), Hisar, on 06 August 2011, where CIMMYT’s ML Jat presented an action plan on conservation agriculture (CA) for Haryana State. Over 100 people attended, including Roshan Lal, Principal Secretary of Agriculture, Government of Haryana; Raj Paroda, Chairman of the Farmers Commission of Haryana; Ashok Yadav, Director General of Agriculture, Government of Haryana; KS Khokhar, Vice Chancellor, HAU; Raj Gupta, Head, CIMMYT-India, and officers of HAU, the Haryana State Department of Agriculture, and farmer organizations.

As part of the action plan, the Government of Haryana will target diverse activities and investments in CA to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability. These will include a baseline survey by the Department of Agriculture, using a GIS framework to assess tube well water quality for irrigation, and the mapping, by soil fertility and cropping system, of problem (saline, alkaline, or water-logged) soils. Results of this work will be used to update soil health cards, which are used to advise farmers on soil treatments.

The project hopes to achieve laser leveling of at least 3 million ha, and to convert at least half of this area to CA cropping practices. The plan contemplates growing dry-seeded rice on half the area currently under basmati rice, and moving 10% of the total rice area to rice-potato/vegetables systems with no-till mechanical transplanting. Half the wheat area will be targeted for zero-tillage with surface retention of crop residues, through the creation of  CA machinery banks and “single window” services. Dual purpose wheat for green fodder will be promoted for use in the October-planted wheat crop.

Partial diversification of rice-wheat to maize-wheat CA cropping systems will also be promoted. If the plan is successful, intercropping using raised beds will be practiced on four-fifths of the sugarcane area and half the cotton lands will be brought under relay and intercropping systems to boost the output of cotton-wheat farming. The practice of transplanting cotton using highclearance tractors and small seeders will be promoted for the tail-ends of canals with saline aquifers.

Current subsidies for tillage machinery will be reallocated for CA equipment and prioritized to foster use of multi-crop, multi-purpose machinery. The plan also envisions creation of a CA network involving KVK extension agencies, the Department of Agriculture, and private providers.

The HAU will consider adding CA to its curriculum to develop a new generation of specialists in this area, and the agricultural information database from the state Department of Agriculture will be linked to the CIMMYT-Agriplex service to begin offering farmers real time information on markets, weather, and other relevant topics by cell phone.

The CA working group of the Haryana Farmers Commission is led by CIMMYT, chaired by Raj Gupta, and includes ML Jat, RK Malik, and YS Saharawat.

MasAgro present at the XVI State Maize Fair, Zapopan, Jalisco, MX

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This year, the traditional Zapopan green maize (elote) fair took place in Tesistán (Zapopan, Jalisco) on 23 August. It was preceded by the XVI State Maize Symposium, which occurred during 17-21 August. Both events hoped to demonstrate Zapopan’s leadership as a maize producer in Jalisco state, as well as promoting technology transfer, government aids, grain marketing and a sample of elote-based Mexican cuisine.

CIMMYT participated in the symposium through its Mexico-based conservation agriculture (CA) program, incorporating the Take it to the Farmer component of MasAgro. CA technician Silvia Hernández (pictured), from the Bajío hub, presented the benefits of the CA system and hub structure to attending producers and technicians, as well as describing a working model to implement sustainable crop management systems using CA.

Hernández said that the Bajío hub has a history of implementing CA through local collaborations in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, and recently Jalisco. This philosophy of collaboration is particularly important for Jalisco’s applicants to CIMMYT’s certified technician course for 2011/2012, who it is hoped will instigate CA and  MasAgro in the state. If accepted to the course, technicians will have to establish two CA modules together with two cooperating farmers from the Bajío region during the year, to develop and demonstrate different sustainable technologies based on CA.

Other institutions present at the symposium were INIFAP, the Autonomous University of Chapingo, and Jalisco Produce Foundation, who presented the results of their recent maize studies. For MasAgro, this was the first opportunity to interact with local farmers from Zapopan, with lectures and elote products being used to provide further knowledge on new techniques and technologies for the farmers.

Key Australian farmers visit CIMMYT

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From 19-22 August 2011, CIMMYT hosted six leading Australian grain farmers at Toluca and El Batán. The visit formed part of a tour of farms, private and public research institutes and grain processing facilities in Singapore, UK, France, Canada, USA, and Mexico, which was supported by Australia’s Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).

At Toluca Research Station the group learned about CIMMYT’s wheat breeding efforts from Wheat Breeder Ravi Singh. Of particular interest were the developments concerning stem rust race Ug99, which has reached South Africa, and risks spreading from there to western Australia, if previous disease trends occur. Stripe rust resistance, increased yield potential, and tolerance to drought and heat were also discussed; GRDC invests in this research in view of CIMMYT’s past and current contributions to higher and more stable wheat yields in Australia.

CIMMYT’s efforts to increase diversity and improve disease resistance and productivity through wide crosses with ancestors, using re-synthesized breadwheats and translocations from more distant relatives of wheat were also outlined by Wheat Geneticist David Bonnett. Station Manager, Fernando Delgado, also presented work on CIMMYT’s long-term agronomy trials, including the technique of staggering the planting of maize using offset precision planting discs, in which maize plants in neighboring rows are not planted directly next to each other. This leads to reduced competition between neighbors, and potential yield increases in hybrids of up to 10%, with no additional inputs. The farmers said they are keen to try these ideas on their farms, which are spread across very different production environments, and range from an irrigated 800ha to 5000ha rainfed.

On Monday the group visited El Batán for further talks by Marianne Bänziger (Deputy Director General, Research & Partnership), Etienne Duveiller (Associate Director, GWP), and Peter Wenzl (Project Lead, SeeD). They also visited the Genebank and saw more GRDC-funded rust resistance research in the field, presented by Sybil Herrera-Foessel (Wheat Geneticist/ Pathologist). Finally, Nele Verhulst further explained the long-term agronomy trials.

The visit also included an informal meeting with the Australian Ambassador to Mexico. The Ambassador expressed interest in the links between CIMMYT and Australia, and the global role of CIMMYT in improving the productivity and sustainability of wheat- and maize-based cropping systems. This view was reiterated by the farmers, who were impressed with the value Australia receives from the GRDC’s investment in CIMMYT. The farmers were also accompanied by GRDC’s Communications Manager, and Gregor Heard of Australia’s Rural Press. The farmers themselves will also write a blog post about the visit, which can be found here.

Conservation agriculture trials impress in southern Ethiopia

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In Hawassa region, southern Ethiopia, maize yields have been steadily declining. The deep-rooted agricultural practices of low farm input application and removal of crop residues to feed livestock have damaged the land: soil is eroded, nutrients and organic matter are depleted.

But change is afoot. In Ethiopia, the Sustainable intensification of maize-legume cropping systems for food security in eastern and southern Africa (SIMLESA) initiative is being implemented by the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and the Southern Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), with technical support from CIMMYT and financial assistance from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). Last year, SIMLESA conducted on-farm trials using conservation agriculture (CA) techniques: minimum tillage, crop residue management, intercropping/crop rotation (with maize and haricot beans) and participatory variety selection trials.

One of the farmers taking part in the trials was Yohanes Gudeta. He planted four CA trial plots: sole maize (BH-543), sole haricot bean (rotation), sole maize (rotation) and maize intercropped with haricot bean. In comparing these with the trial plot he farmed using traditional techniques, Gudeta observed that “the maize under CA is very robust and green, an indication of far better yields than we usually harvest.” Next planting season, Gudeta plans to increase his area under CA from trial plots to 0.5 ha.

According to Dagne Wagery, SIMLESA National Coordinator for Ethiopia, the trials aim to demonstrate that practicing CA allows for enhanced productivity and profitability of maize and legumes, whilst decreasing production risks such as abiotic and biotic constraints. Gudeta agrees: “soil erosion is a big problem in this area considering that we have sandy soils. The plots under CA are not affected by soil erosion,” he said. Farmers participating in the trials have also found that CA is less labour intensive, largely due to the Roundup herbicide used in CA, which controls grasses as well as weeds.

The success of the trials encouraged EIAR and CIMMYT to organize a farmers’ field day to demonstrate the performance of CA technologies, which was held in the Hawassa Zuria district on 16 August. Farmers from the other SIMLESA districts of Meskan and Misrak Badawacho attended, alongside agriculture officers, developments agents, seed dealers, and researchers.

The visitors were impressed with the visible results of CA, especially in the aspect of intercropping maize and beans, as this provides additional crop yield from the same piece of land. “Obtaining additional yield, be it maize or beans from the same piece of land is a boost to food security and land use efficiency,” said Solomon Admassu , SIMLESA Hawassa Site Coordinator and organizer of the field day. Following the success of these trials, the stakeholders have pledged to increase the dissemination and adoption of CA for enhanced food security in Ethiopia.

CIMMYT holds the first workshop for seed multiplication specialists as part of the MasAgro program

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Researchers from CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program held the first workshop on “Evaluating Maize Germplasm for Biotic and Abiotic Stress” for more than 20 specialists who are already actively involved in the International Maize Yield Improvement Strategy of the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture (MasAgro) initiative.

On 22-26 August, research assistants from specialized centers and field technicians from medium- and small-scale seed companies received training on biotic and abiotic stress evaluation, sampling, use of computer tools to manage field trials, statistics, and data interpretation, among other subjects relating to maize improvement and phenotyping.

In this way, MasAgro is promoting the professional development of technicians responsible for key seed production processes that lead to the adoption of improved materials among medium- and small-scale farmers in Mexico. This is the first of several workshops by MasAgro which will focus on technology transfer and capacity strengthening for technicians participating in seed multiplication processes. The goal is to produce and distribute 70,000 tons of high yielding maize varieties and hybrids adapted to rainfed areas, so that Mexico will be able to produce between 5 and 9 million additional tons of maize grain by 2020.

This first workshop was attended by technicians from companies that operate in more than 10 Mexican states and in different agroecological zones. Also in attendance were representatives of major public research centers such as Mexico’s National Forestry, Agricultural, and Livestock Research Institute (INIFAP) and the autonomous universities of the states of Nayarit, Morelos, and State of Mexico. This time, the workshop also included representatives from public sector organizations in Colombia and Nicaragua.