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Conservation agriculture course in Toluca

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About 30 people attended an intensive course in conservation agriculture (CA) during 08-10 April 2008 at the CIMMYT experiment station in Toluca. The course, which was the first in recent years by CIMMYT in Mexico focusing on researchers and extensionists rather than farmers, was coordinated by cropping systems management specialist, Bram Govaerts, and the station superintendent, Fernando Delgado.

Public sector participants included representatives from the state of Mexico agricultural research organization, ICAMEX; from SEDAGRO, the secretariat of agricultural development for the state; from the Mexico’s national agricultural research institute, INIFAP; university professors and students; and a farmer. The private seed companies Monsanto, Aspros, and Tropico Seeds also sent representatives, in response to the course invitation. The event drew experts from key agricultural states of the country, including Durango, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, and Mexico.

“We’ve worked with farmers, but this is a different level and a diverse group from many different parts of the Republic,” said Govaerts. “We want to train researchers and machinery manufacturers, and then pass on to them the work of disseminating conservation agriculture, once things get rolling.”

The course focused on both the theoretical aspects and practical applications of CA, including its use in experiment stations and in other parts of the world, its impact on soil-plant systems, pest and weed control, zerotillage and sowing maize on permanent beds, and prototypes of machinery that can be used for direct seeding. On the second day, there was a demonstration of direct seeding of maize into residues on Toluca’s rock-hard soils, and participants interacted with local farmers to learn from their experiences applying CA principles.

Borlaug visits Obregón; Patronato and Sonora give CIMMYT US$ 1 million

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Dr. Norman Borlaug had a joyous reunion on 02 April 08 with CIMMYT and Mexican friends and former colleagues at the place—the research facilities near Ciudad Obregón, Sonora state, owned by the farmers union ‘Patronato para la Investigación y Experimentación Agrícola del Estado de Sonora’ where he and his research team developed the Green Revolution wheats. His visit came on the occasion of the announcement there by Ronnie Coffman, director of international programs at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, of a US$ 26.8 million grant to Cornell by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to launch a global partnership including CIMMYT to combat the rust diseases of wheat, particularly the virulent stem rust strain from eastern Africa, Ug99.

At the same event, the President of the Patronato, Jorge Artee Elías Calles (in the photo), and the Sonora State Secretary of Agriculture, Alejandro Elías Calles, announced that the Patronato and the state of Sonora would give respective donations to CIMMYT of 6 million pesos and 4 million pesos—equivalent to nearly US$ 1 million—for research on the rusts and on Karnal bunt disease, “in honor of Borlaug, and to welcome the new DG, Tom Lumpkin.” “The farmers of the region are aware of Ug99 and the problems it represents in other part of the world and could cause in the Yaqui Valley (the Ciudad Obregón region) in the future,” says Artee. Borlaug, who recently turned 94 and has suffered serious bouts of illness, looked full of vigor and enthusiasm as he spoke to the gathering in fluent Spanish and, like on countless past occasions throughout his life, went to the field to inspect experimental wheat lines—this time, new ones that carry resistance to Ug99. “The rust pathogens recognize no political boundaries and their spores need no passport to travel thousands of miles in the jet streams,” he says. “Containing these deadly enemies of the wheat crop requires alert and active scientists, strong international research networks, and effective seed supply programs.” The new Cornell project essentially brings full circle work begun by Borlaug and Mexican associates 60 years ago in northwest Mexico, as part of the Rockefeller Foundation-funded Office of Special Studies, that resulted in the release of high-yielding, stem rust resistant wheats.

Among those accompanying Borlaug were his daughter, Jeanie Borlaug Laube, and granddaughter, Julie Borlaug. Members of the extended CIMMYT family who joined the event included Sanjaya Rajaram, former wheat breeder and program director; John Dodds, former deputy director general; Gregorio Martínez, former public affairs officer; Evangelina Villegas, former cereal chemist; Richard Ward, former head of the Global Rust Initiative; Reynaldo Villareal, former wheat training coordinator; and Chris Dowswell and David Mowbray, former heads of corporate communications. Norm’s presence, together with stellar logistics by numerous CIMMYT global wheat program staff and consultants, including personnel of the Obregón research station, together with the Cornell team, made the event a great success.

Ukraine counselor visits El Batan

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On 28 March 2008, Anatoly Rymar, Counselor from the Ukraine Embassy in Mexico, visited El Batán to discuss strengthened collaboration of his country with the center.

According to Alex Morgounov, CIMMYT wheat breeder/agronomist and regional representative for Central Asia and the Caucasus, there is already a dynamic partnership with the Ukraine. The three main wheat breeding centers in the Ukraine–Mironovka, Kharkov, and Odessa—actively participate in germplasm exchanges with the Turkey-CIMMYT-ICARDA International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP).

“In June 2007, two breeders from Ukrainian Plant Breeding and Genetics Institute in Odessa came to Turkey and participated in an IWWIP traveling workshop,” he says. “Their suggestions were incorporated in the final workshop recommendation, a guiding document for the program.” In July 2008, Morgounov and Hans Braun, Director of CIMMYT’s global wheat program, will take part in a conference at the Ukrainian Institute of Plant Production in Kharkov, organized partly to observe the 100th anniversary of the institute. Finally, joint work with the National Gene Bank of Ukraine is being explored to preserve some of their collections at CIMMYT.

Striga control at OFAB meeting in Kenya

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About 50 participants at a meeting of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) held discussions around CIMMYT agronomist Fred Kanampiu’s presentation on “Herbicide Seed Coating: Taming the Striga Witchweed,” on 29 March 2008, in Nairobi, Kenya.

Launched in Kenya in 2006, OFAB brings together stakeholders in agricultural biotechnology and enables interactions between scientists, journalists, civil society, industrialists, lawmakers, and policy makers. Kanampiu’s presentation focused on the economic significance of Striga in sub-Saharan Africa and the potential of the new herbicide seed coating technology for maize farmers there. The practice was jointly developed by CIMMYT, the Weizmann Institute, and the chemical company, BASF. Among other things, Kanapiu addressed concerns regarding possible environmental impacts of the technology, emphasizing that there are no residual effects at the levels being used.

India breeders choose outstanding maize from CIMMYT

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Immediately upon his return after Science Week on 10 March 2008, P.H. Zaidi, breeder in CIMMYT’s global maize program, led a field day on ICRISAT’s campus in Hyderabad, India, that was attended by some 70 maize scientists from India’s public and private sectors. Dr. Sain Dass, Director of India’s Directorate for Maize Research (DMR), leader of the Indian Maize Program, and a visiting scientist at CIMMYT in 1996 and 2004, along with several DMR colleagues, participated. “Dr. Dass was delighted to see our ongoing activities, especially on QPM and drought stress tolerance,” says Zaidi. “There were about 25 scientists from SAU’s maize program and 30 scientists from private seed companies. After a brief introduction about breeding activities in our Asian regional maize program, participants toured maize germplasm nurseries and selected the best entries as per their own requirements. Among other outcomes, we obtained lists of breeder selections from a nursery we sent them.”

Also contributing to the success of the event were Mehraj UdDin, CIMMYT-India research assistant who received CIMMYT’s 2007 Most Valuable Employee Award, and Gaurav Yadav, also of CIMMYT-India and associated with the Rice-Wheat Consortium (RWC) for the Indo-Gangetic Plains. “Apart from the germplasm we are working on here, there was lot interest in the speciality corn,” says Zaidi. “Many partners suggested circulating a form to collect views and prioritize the emerging germplasm requirements in the region. We are working on developing a form for collecting this feedback, so that our products will be truly demand-driven.”

Farewell and thanks to Masa Iwanaga, Director General, 2002-2008

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CIMMYT Director General, Masa Iwanaga, ends his appointment at CIMMYT today,14 March 2008, after a six-year tenure that included a redirection in center strategy, confronting extreme financial difficulties, establishing important new alliances and partnerships, and through it all, continuing scientific achievements and recognition. At a dinner last Friday to say goodbye to Masa and welcome new DG, Tom Lumpkin, speakers emphasized Masa’s fortitude and thanked him for carrying CIMMYT through—as the words on the plaque he received state— “…the most challenging period of its history.” Lumpkin thanked Masa for leaving a healthy, scientifically-vibrant organization. Masa himself expressed his gratitude to CIMMYT staff for their support and outstanding efforts during his administration. “I firmly believe that the best days of CIMMYT are still ahead,” he said. We thank you, Masa, wish you and Kumiko the best, hope you carry fond memories of CIMMYT and Mexico, and look forward to continued contact with you as a member of the CIMMYT family at-large!

Thank-you message from Masa (abridged)

The CG system has given me wonderful opportunities to grow professionally and personally, going from postdoc to scientist, deputy director general, director general, and board member, and even part of a donor delegation from 2000 to 2002. The most important asset that I have gained during the last 30 years is an international network of friends: this represents the most fortunate gift for my life.

I began my appointment as CIMMYT Director General in mid-2002, and encountered numerous unexpected challenges, including a financial crisis.… The greatest challenge was not financial per se, but rather that of maintaining the center’s scientific excellence, relevance, and strong partnerships, ensuring that CIMMYT continued to deliver on its humanitarian mission and development impact in the difficult times and with a reduced number of staff. I’m extremely pleased to see CIMMYT back on track again, as evidenced by its receiving the last two King Baudouin Awards in collaboration with many partners and being rated “Outstanding” in the World Bank Performance Measurement system the last two years. Competent and committed staff, Board support and effective partnerships have been instrumental for the recovery.

I will be leaving CIMMYT with a strong sense of relief and sincere appreciation for the kind support the center enjoyed from many investors and partners. Dr. Thomas Lumpkin has been selected as my successor and I am confident he will lead the institute to even higher levels of performance. The center has a proud history of success and delivery, but I firmly believe the best times of CIMMYT are yet to come for delivering development impacts.

Thank you, and see you again,

Masa

Science Week 2008

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CIMMYT research staff, colleagues from IRRI, GCP, and other special guests, as well as a few members of the Board of Trustees and DG designate, Thomas A. Lumpkin, gathered in El Batán from Monday 03 to Friday 07 March 2008 for the latest edition of CIMMYT Science Week.

Science Week is a forum for exchanges among staff on progress, key issues, and new opportunities related to the Center’s role in science and development for maize and wheat systems. Staff also assess progress in ongoing projects, the delivery of flagship products and adjust the Medium-Term Plan.

Masa welcomed everyone on the first day and spoke of the challenges facing agriculture, including rising food prices, climate change and variability, food (and feed) demands and supply chains, the degradation of soils, and the lack of water. He also stressed that CIMMYT’s core business is science, and that its impacts are based on solid science performed by dedicated and committed staff at all levels. Addressing CIMMYT staff and special guests, Thomas A. Lumpkin spoke of his longtime admiration of the Center’s work, his excitement about leading CIMMYT, and the importance of team work and future partnerships.

Presentations covered the material being prepared for the publications “Maize and Wheat Facts and Futures,” as well as all Projects and flagship products. Questions after the presentations and a panel discussion gave participants a chance to share their views on the Center’s role in work with NARS, NGOs, and the private sector, as well as on many other issues.

Tom Payne touched on his trip to Svalbard, Norway, during his presentation and caused amusment when he said he’d felt warmer inside the -20ºC seed vault than outside it! In between all the presentations and discussions, participants assembled for dinner on Monday and Friday evening and tasted some typical Mexican food before heading home.

Many thanks to all those who organized and participated in Science Week and made it a success.

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

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CIMMYT personages were present for the official opening ceremonies of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, held at the facility in Norway on 26 February. The vault is designed to store duplicates of crop seeds from genetic resource collections from around the globe. CIMMYT contributed nearly 50,000 unique maize and wheat seed collections. CIMMYT DG Designate, Tom Lumpkin, passes the polar bear security post, on arrival at the Svalbard airport. Tom Payne, head of wheat genetic resources and prebreeding, personally ensures that the center’s seed gets a good spot.

Cereal Knowledge Bank launch

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January 2008 marked the launch of the Cereal Knowledge Bank (CKB) (http://www.knowledgebank. irri.org), an online repository of learning materials related to cereals and cereal production. The CKB was created through the collaboration of CIMMYT and IRRI (the International Rice Research Institute).

The CKB was developed as a tool for enabling the fast and effective transfer of technologies from the researcher to the farmer’s field, a long-time challenge for those working in agricultural development. It provides a number of different extension materials related to the production of maize, rice, and wheat, together with materials on other aspects of cropping systems. Through an easy-to-navigate website, users can access extension resources in a variety of formats: fact sheets, field diagnosis and management tools, reference manuals, training materials, and eLearning courses.

An essential feature of the CKB is the development of country knowledge banks, which contain comprehensive country-specific materials collected from local research. Though they are based upon the same principles of knowledge sharing as the CKB, the country knowledge banks are directed and managed by the countries themselves, though the IRRI-CIMMYT alliance can provide guidance and technical assistance.

Further plans for CKB development include bringing the concept of country knowledge banks to Africa, diversifying formats of content (mp3, video, online user interaction), applying content management systems, and extensive impact assessment. For more information on the CKB, please contact Petr Kosina (p.kosina@cgiar.org), Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building Coordinator.

Workshop on Mexico-USDA project: boosting farm productivity in the State of Mexico

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Farmers in the State of Mexico, which borders the country’s capital, Mexico City—a potential market of nearly 20 million inhabitants— have struggled to make a profit growing maize. The state accounts for 10% of the national maize production, but improved varieties occupy no more than 10-15% of its maize area. Nearly all (97%) of the maize they produce is white grained and of varieties ideal for local foods but that don’t meet quality requirements for largescale, commercial tortilla production nor fit demand for feed or industrial uses.

As part of a project launched in 2007 between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Mexican Agriculture Secretariat (Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación, or SAGARPA), CIMMYT is working with counterparts in the State of Mexico to increase the productivity and profitability of maize farming. The focus is on value-added white and colored maize for food, but partly in response to rising interest from farmers since the biofuels boom, participants are developing, testing, and promoting yellow grain maize suited for feed and industrial markets. To plan those and other activities, to assemble a database of maize varieties—both improved and landrace—grown in the State, and to build the team, 11 maize scientists gathered for a workshop at El Batán during 19-21 February 2008.

Participants came from the Mexican National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture, and Livestock Research (INIFAP), Mexico State’s Institute of Agriculture, Livestock, Water, and Forestry Research and Training (ICAMEX), the Colegio de Postgraduados (a graduate-level agricultural research and learning institution), and CIMMYT. They were introduced to CROPSTAT, a software package for analyzing multi-location trial data, by CIMMYT maize breeder and project leader Gary Atlin, and discussed ways to foster farmer participation in trials.

“We’ll be doing three types of trials in 2008,” says Silverio García, CIMMYT maize researcher working on the project. “One involves experimental varieties that are crosses between improved and local materials, another is an evaluation of pre-commercial varieties in 20 or more environments in the State, and the last comprise on-farm demonstrations of commercially available white and yellow hybrids, to get farmers’ feedback.” Former CIMMYT maize breeder and distinguished scientist, Hugo Cordova, is serving as a consultant to the project.

Rajaram retires

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After an outstanding career of 40 years in agricultural research, former CIMMYT wheat researcher, Wheat Program Director, and Distinguished Scientist, Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram—known affectionately at CIMMYT simply as “Raj”—formally retired on 10 February 2008 from his positions as Director of Integrated Gene Management at the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and Director of the ICARDA/CIMMYT Wheat Improvement Program (ICWIP) in the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region.

Rajaram led bread wheat breeding research at CIMMYT for more than three decades. His leadership and commitment to wheat improvement resulted in the release of more than 450 cultivars with increased yield potential, wide adaptation, and resistance to important diseases and stresses. These are grown on some 58 million hectares worldwide and approximately 8 million hectares in India, and include India’s most popular wheat variety, PBW 343. He also led efforts at CIMMYT to apply the concept of durable resistance to rust—the most damaging disease of wheat worldwide—through use of multiple genes with minor effects that slow disease development, thereby minimizing effects on yield without challenging the pathogen to mutate and overcome resistance. His accomplishments include training or mentoring more than 700 scientists from dozens of developing countries, including many from India.

Rajaram will live in Mexico and plans to continue his breeding association with Resource Seed Inc., a Wheat/TCL Breeding Company based in California. Congratulations, and best of luck in the future, Raj!

Course for safe handling of hazardous materials

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On 06 and 07 of February 2008, Julio Flores and Samuel Frías of APER gave a course at El Batán on “Proper management of dangerous materials,” to staff from the laboratories, greenhouses, ICT, and germplasm bank. The course was given as part of the preparations for an evacuation drill that will shortly take place in these areas. A total of 29 staff participated in the simulation. During the course, the group learned about the necessary protective equipment for emergencies in areas where dangerous materials are stored, and how to use protective equipment, especially when handling hazardous materials. There was a simulation where two people had to be “helped” after coming into contact with toxic products. The group applied the skills learned during the session, and used protective overalls, boots, helmets, masks, and oxygen equipment.

Mini-course on the analysis of maize diversity

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As part of on-going efforts to facilitate the use of DNA markers in maize breeding and diversity studies, during 01-06 February 2008 CIMMYT El Batán held a workshop on “The analysis of molecular data generated from genetic bulked heterogenous populations.” Coordinated by CIMMYT molecular biologist Marilyn Warburton and visiting biometrician Jorge Franco, of the Universidad de la República, Uruguay, the course drew six participants from six different countries, in addition to CIMMYT participants. According to Warburton, the workshop turned out to be of great interest to CIMMYT scientists. “We had three people signed up from outside when we started, and gave certificates to another ten or twelve CIMMYT people in the end,” she says. Participants included Allen Oppong (Ghana), Tunde Golinar (Hungary), Niclas Freitag (Switzerland), Yusuf Mansir (Nigeria), Marlen Huebner (Germany), Guy Davenport (CIMMYT), Trushar Shah (CIMMYT), Miguel Anducho (CIMMYT), Eduardo Hernández (CIMMYT), Jianbing Yan (CIMMYT), Shibin Gao (CIMMYT), Maria Zaharieva (CIMMYT), Claudia Bedoya (CIMMYT), and Aida Zewdu Kebede (Ethiopia).

Impacts assessment seminar in Nairobi

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On 28 January, Roberto La Rovere, CIMMYT Impact Specialist, launched two new tools recently developed by CIMMYT’s ITAU “Operational guidelines for assessing impacts of agricultural research on livelihooods”, and the “Manual to conduct socioeconomic surveys through Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)”, with participants from various CGIAR centers, during a session themed “Tools to capture impacts of our work on livelihoods,” organized by CIMMYT Kenya at the ICRAF campus in Nairobi.

Impact assessment (IA) is changing, with the focus shifting from calculating rates of return to measuring impacts on the livelihoods of those targeted by agricultural R&D projects. The Operational Guidelines, coauthored by La Rovere and John Dixon, are aimed at practitioners in impact assessment, particularly at managers who want to write IA projects or projects with an IA component, and at our partners in the field. The Guidelines provide a step-by-step guide on how to plan for and conduct an IA, considering aspects such as cost, capacity, and team composition, and indicators of how to measure impact. Participants held engaging discussions on how to attribute the roles of different partners, how to build IA into program design, and how to discern the effects of confounding factors in determining impact on livelihoods.

The second tool, the PDA Manual, jointly developed by La Rovere and Federico Carrion, guides users on the applications of these devices for collecting quality socio-economic data more quickly. The manual shows how to download the program and how to enter and analyze data, and provides sample surveys. The tool can also be used for agronomic or other types of surveys. The potential for using PDAs in various circumstances and types of surveys raised the interest of participants. Useful for quantitative surveys, the PDA has already been used in IA studies in multi-country surveys in Africa. Its advantages and disadvantages and areas of application were discussed in the seminar.

A similar seminar will be given at El Batán to launch the tools internally. The manuals are available on the CIMMYT website under the “Impacts and impact evaluation” sub-heading of the ITAU page, and users are encouraged to provide feedback for improving them.

A visit with Guadalupe Guevara, former germplasm bank assistant

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To mark the occasion of 20 years after his retirement, former maize germplasm bank assistant, Guadalupe Guevara, was paid a visit on 24 January 2008 by Suketoshi Taba, head of maize genetic resources, Mauro Ramírez, head of maize seed shipments, and consultant Garrison Wilkes. Prior to his retirement, Don Lupe, as he was known, had worked for more than 37 years in international agricultural research initiatives predating the Office of Special studies, and counted among his colleagues some well-known researchers from CIMMYT’s history, including Ed Wellhausen and Mario Gutiérrez. He was very pleased to see the group of old friends, who found him in excellent spirits and health. All the best, Don Lupe!