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Update: CIMMYT maize inbred lines and pre-commercial hybrids with potential resistance to maize lethal necrosis (MLN)

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A promising pre-release CIMMYT hybrid versus an MLN-susceptible commercial check. Since 2011 MLN has become a disease of serious concern in the east African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and possibly Rwanda. CIMMYT has been working in close collaboration with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), private sector partners and virology experts from the USA to combat the disease through host-controlled resistance. A CIMMYT-KARI MLN Screening Facility was established at Naivasha in September 2013, and a large array of maize germplasm is presently being evaluated against the disease under artificial inoculation. Subsequent to the development of effective protocols, CIMMYT and KARI have been conducting MLN screening trials in Kenya since 2012, to identify promising inbred lines and pre-commercial maize hybrids with resistance to MLN.  This is the second update of the information on potential MLN-resistant or moderately resistant inbred lines and pre-commercial hybrids (in CIMMYT genetic backgrounds), following the first update that was shared with public and private sector partners in May 2013.

An evaluation of CIMMYT inbred lines and pre-commercial hybrids was done under artificial inoculation during 2013-2014 in two independent trials, at Narok and Naivasha sites in the Rift Valley, Kenya (Tables 1 and 2).  In each trial, the entries were grown in at least two replications, and MLN severity scores were recorded at different stages of crop growth (vegetative and reproductive stages) on a 1-5 scale (1 = no disease symptoms, 5 = extensive damage). The highest MLN severity score recorded across different trials on a particular entry, and the corresponding disease response rating, are presented here.

Table 1. Responses of selected CIMMYT maize inbred lines to artificial inoculation with MLN
at Narok and Naivasha, Kenya (2013-2014)

Inbred line

Kernel color

Heterotic Group

Max. MLN severity score

Disease response rating
CLRCY039

Y

B

2.0

R
CLYN261

Y

A

2.0

R
CLRCY034

Y

B

2.0

R
CKDHL120552

W

A

2.3

MR
CKDHL120161

W

B

2.4

MR
CKDHL120668

W

B

2.4

MR
CKDHL120664

W

B

2.4

MR
CML494

W

B

2.5

MR
TZMI730*

W

B

2.5

MR
CKDHL120918

W

B

2.5

MR
CML550

W

B

2.6

MR
CML543 (CKL05003)

W

B

2.7

MR
CKDHL120671

W

B

2.7

MR
CLA106

Y

B

2.7

MR
CKSBL10205

W

AB

2.7

MR
CKSBL10194

W

AB

2.8

MR
CML535 (CLA105)

Y

B

2.8

MR
CKSBL10060

W

A

2.9

MR
CKDHL121310

W

B

3.0

MR
DTPYC9-F46-1-2-1-2-B

Y

A

3.0

MR
CKDHL0500

W

B

3.0

MR

*IITA Inbred Line

Abbreviations
Y: Yellow; W: White
Disease Response Rating
R: Resistant (max. MLN severity score ≤2.0)
MR: Moderately resistant (max. MLN severity
score ≥2.0 but ≤3.0)
S: Susceptible (max. MLN severity score >3.0)		 MLN Severity Scoring (1-5 Scale)
1 = No MLN symptoms
2 = Fine chlorotic streaks on lower leaves
3 = Chlorotic mottling throughout plant
4 = Excessive chlorotic mottling and dead heart
5 = Complete plant necrosis

 

Table 2. Responses of selected CIMMYT pre-commercial hybrids under artificial inoculation
against MLN at Narok and Naivasha, Kenya (2013-2014)

Hybrid Pedigree

Max. MLN severity score

Disease response rating
CKH12613 Under NPT in Tanzania

2.25

MR
CKH12622 CML444/CML445//CLWN234

2.33

MR
CKH12603 Under NPT in Uganda

2.37

MR
CKH12623 CML539/CML442//CLWN234

2.38

MR
CKH12624 CML539/CML442//CML373

2.45

MR
CKIR12014 CML312/CML442// CKSBL10028

2.49

MR
CKH12625 CML444/CML445//CML373

2.50

MR
CKIR12007 CML78/P100C6-200-1-1-B-B-B-B-B// CKSBL10014

2.50

MR
CKDHH0970 CKDHL0089/CKDHL0323//CKDHL0221

2.50

MR
CKIR11024 CML78/P300C5S1B-2-3-2-#-#-1-2-B-B-#// CKSBL10060

2.51

MR
CKH12607 Under NPT in Tanzania

2.51

MR
CKH10085 Under NPT in Kenya

2.62

MR
CKH12600 Under NPT in Uganda and Tanzania

2.66

MR
CKH12627 CLRCW106//CML444/CML395

2.70

MR
CKDHH0943 CKDHL0159/CKDHL0282//CKDHL0214

2.75

MR
CKDHH0945 CKDHL0089/CML395//CKDHL0214

2.75

MR
CKH12626 CML395/CML488//CML373

2.77

MR

Note: The responses of the promising hybrids mentioned above are being validated through
experiments at the MLN Screening Facility in Naivasha

MLN Severity Scoring (1-5 Scale)
1 = No MLN symptoms
2 = Fine chlorotic streaks on lower leaves
3 = Chlorotic mottling throughout plant
4 = Excessive chlorotic mottling and dead heart
5 = Complete plant necrosis		 Disease Response Rating
R: Resistant (max. MLN severity score ≤2.0)
MR: Moderately resistant (max. MLN severity
score ≥2.0 but ≤3.0)

 

 For further information on:

  • MLN research-for-development efforts undertaken by CIMMYT, please contact:
    Dr. B.M. Prasanna, Director, Global Maize Program, CIMMYT, Nairobi, Kenya;
    Email: b.m.prasanna@cgiar.org
  • Availability of seed material of the promising lines and pre-commercial hybrids, please contact:
    Dr. Mosisa Regasa (m.regasa@cgiar.org) if your institution is based in eastern Africa, or Dr. James Gethi (j.gethi@cgiar.org) if your institution is based in southern Africa or outside eastern and southern Africa.

ICAR-CIMMYT wheat field days at BISA, India

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By Arun Joshi, Ravi Singh, R. Valluru and Uttam Kumar/CIMMYT

Wheat researchers in India learned about CIMMYT’s newest advanced wheat lines during field days this spring at each of the locations of the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) —Jabalpur, Pusa-Bihar and Ladowal-Ludhiana. The events were designed to link Indian wheat breeders and pathologists with a new Feed the Future-USAID project that uses genomic selection to rapidly develop climate-resilient wheat varieties for South Asia.

Demonstration of the use of IRT at BISA Jabalpur. Photos: Arun Joshi

At each event, participants saw the advanced wheat lines planted at the BISA locations as part of the USAID project and learned how they are different from the present CIMMYT lines distributed across India and around the world. In fact, these lines will become part of CIMMYT trials and nurseries in the next crop cycle. The participants selected the best wheat lines according to the requirements of their breeding program, and each participating center will be given enough seed from those lines to develop replicated trials in the coming cycle.

The field days were organized by CIMMYT in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s (ICAR) Directorate of Wheat Research (DWR). More than 70 wheat breeders and pathologists  from 22 wheat research centers in India, including ICAR institutes and universities, attended. Dr. Indu Sharma, DWR director, took a very active role in the events, encouraging wheat centers from India to participate. Four GWP scientists from CIMMYT —Ravi Singh, Arun Joshi, Ravi Valluru and Uttam Kumar— also played important roles. The events were facilitated by CIMMYT colleagues based at BISA locations, notably H.S. Sidhu, Raj Kumar Jat and Nikhil Singh. Other field day activities included:

• Characterizing various lines based on their morpho-physiological traits and resistance to diseases, such as yellow rust at Ladowal-Ludhiana and spot blotch at Pusa-Bihar.

The BISA-Jabalpur field is one site for the genomic selection project.

• Training in the use of infrared thermometers to measure canopy temperature in wheat plots.

• Visits to other trials and facilities at BISA locations.

• An interactive session where participants could ask questions and exchange views on the genomic selection project and other activities in the region.

The USAID project, which is a partnership of Kansas State University, Cornell University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and CIMMYT, will use genomic selection in the new wheat lines to track genetic variances for heat tolerance, with a goal of reducing the breeding cycle in the future. The genomic data collected will be used to manage the genetic diversity and the retention of favorable alleles in the population, safeguarding prospects for long-term genetic gains.

CIMMYT-Pakistan supports training on physiological breeding

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By Noor Muhammad and Imtiaz Muhammad/CIMMYT

CIMMYT-Pakistan, in collaboration with the Wheat Research Institute (WRI), Faisalabad, conducted a hands-on training workshop on the use of sensor-based technologies for physiological breeding at the Ayub Agriculture Research Institute, Faisalabad, and the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad. Nearly 40 agronomists, breeders and physiologists representing 11 national research institutes participated in the training.

A field demonstration shows the correct use of the GreenSeeker™ at NARC, Islamabad. Photo: Awais Yaqub

The workshop was planned to train professionals on the use of sensor-based equipments to improve physiological breeding efforts at Pakistan’s national breeding programs. Sensor-based technologies are useful in understanding plant response to various climate clues. Alistair Pask, from CIMMYT’s wheat physiology group, shared his knowledge of and experiences with wheat physiology and its implementation in plant breeding, especially under stress conditions. Lectures included information on wheat physiology, data recording, data handling and data interpretation in breeding approaches. Equipment including infrared thermometers for measuring canopy temperature, chlorophyll meters for measuring chlorophyll content and the GreenSeeker™ sensor used for normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) measurements were demonstrated. CIMMYT also provided small pocket-sized GreenSeeker™ sensors to the WRI and the NARC Wheat Program.

 

CIMMYT-Pakistan: modernizing national wheat breeding programs

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By Yahya Rauf and Imtiaz Muhammad/CIMMYT

In collaboration with the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), CIMMYT organized a ceremony at the National Agricultural Research Center (NARC), Islamabad, to present wheat planters to various research institutions and universities under the Wheat Productivity Enhancement Project (WPEP).

CIMMYT Country Representative Imtiaz Muhammad highlighted the importance of these newly imported small-plot planters, which will replace the traditional hand-sowing crop systems and antiquated machinery currently used by many of the Pakistan national programs. The planters will bring precision and efficiency to research trials.

Planters will be used in the coming wheat season by all WPEP partner institutes and will be tested at small farms for wheat cultivation. The technology will be transferred to farmers to improve crop productivity once it is successful.

Imtiaz Muhammad, CIMMYT country representative, explains the wheat planter to MNFS&R, PARC and USDA officials. Photos: Awais Yaqub

Clay Hamilton, USDA agriculture counselor in Pakistan, said the machinery handover ceremony was an example of the successful scientific collaboration between the United States and Pakistan and institutes like CIMMYT, which is critical in order to achieve better results in agriculture production. This year, CIMMYT, PARC and USDA are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Dr. Norman Borlaug beginning his work in Pakistan to improve wheat productivity.

Seerat Asghar, the secretary of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R), acknowledged the ongoing technology transfer to Pakistan from the U.S. and CIMMYT. PARC Chairman Iftikhar Ahmad said WPEP achieved its goal of increased productivity by introducing disease-resistant wheat varieties, building research capacity, improving disease surveillance systems, developing seed distribution systems and modernizing national crop development programs through upgrading infrastructure and equipment. Moreover, Pakistan is now prepared to cope with the challenges of Ug99 while also developing new wheat varieties to help meet increasing food demand.

Researchers learn use of equipment for improved phenotyping

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By Wandera Ojanji/CIMMYT

Andrew Chavangi demonstrates the use of a seed counter.

Amini Mataka, a research officer for CIMMYT’s Southern Africa Regional Office in Zimbabwe, was one of many Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) scientists and technicians who experienced difficulty using data generation and processing equipment.

But after attending the “Towards Quality Data through Effective and Efficient Use of Equipment in WEMA” training course held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 15-22 March, this is no longer the case. “I can now confidently and competently use the Motorola Scanner, make it compatible with computers and use Fieldbook to analyze data and prepare nurseries and trials,” Mataka said.

According to Stephen Mugo, CIMMYT Global Maize Program principal scientist and CIMMYT-WEMA team leader, these difficulties encouraged WEMA to train 28 scientists and technicians from CIMMYT and national agricultural research systems from the five WEMA countries – Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. The training provided participants with skills in the preparation of nurseries and trial design and seed preparation using Fieldbook; the printing of seed packet and field labels in Fieldbook; the basics of data collection using equipment and data analysis using appropriate software; and the use and care of computers, printers, seed counters, threshers and data collection equipment.

Patrick Chomba demonstrates how the bulk sheller operates. Photo: Wandera Ojanji

Caroline Thatelo, senior research technician for the Agricultural Research Council-South Africa, learned how to use Fieldbook, a tool developed by CIMMYT maize breeders for managing experiments and data analysis using the open-source data analysis software “R.” “We had problems using Fieldbook when we started,” Thatelo said. “But the practical demonstrations we have gone through have now made me perfect in the use of Fieldbook. I can now create an inventory, a seed increase nursery, a nursery to form single crosses, a stock list, consolidate inventories, generate trials and analyze data for single- and multi-location sites using Fieldbook.”

To some, like Gabriel Ambani, senior technician at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)-Kakamega, Kenya, the training was an eye-opener. “Before this training, I had no hands-on experience on the use of most of the equipment we were trained on, particularly the Motorola Scanner, label printers and bulk sheller,” he said. “I now have increased competence and am looking forward to applying my gained knowledge and skills to effectively use the equipment.”

Caroline Thatelo receives her certificate of completion from Sylvester Oikeh.

Sylvester Oikeh, WEMA project manager, called on the participants to put their new skills into use. “I want to see improvements in data collection and analysis. Do not be afraid to use the equipment and Fieldbook,” he said. “You are bound to make mistakes. But through the mistakes, you will figure out the right way to operate the equipment and use Fieldbook. You will get it right after several attempts.”

Several CIMMYT scientists and technicians helped organize and facilitate the workshop, including breeders Stephen Mugo and Yoseph Beyene; technicians Andrew Chavangi, John Gakunga and Collins Juma; and Joel Mbithi, CIMMYT-Kiboko farm manager. WEMA Phase II is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development-Feed the Future initiative and the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

Supporting sustainable intensification by tracking farmers’ adoption patterns

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By Florence Sipalla/CIMMYT

Identifying the socioeconomic constraints farmers face in adopting a technology is central to ensuring they adopt it sustainably. This is the work that the Pathways to Sustainable Intensification in Eastern and Southern Africa (Adoption Pathways) project is doing in collaboration with partners from national universities and agriculture research systems in Africa and Europe.

Adoption Pathways partners met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 10-12 April to review activities to date and to plan for 2014. The four-year project is funded by the Australian International Food Security Research Centre (AIFSRC) and managed by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). Project partners from seven institutions collaborating on the project in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania attended the meeting.

Participants included policymakers and vice-chancellors from universities as well as donor representatives – John Dixon, ACIAR principal adviser for research/cropping systems and economics and Liz Ogutu, ACIAR regional manager for Africa. Fentahun Mengistu, director general of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), officially opened the meeting and described the project as one that represents a unique cross-country research and development effort.

“Africa is at the tipping point,” said Dixon, adding that six of the world’s top 10 fastest growing countries are in Africa. Dixon identified food, economic growth and sustainable intensification as keys to tapping global opportunities. “Sustainable intensification of maize and legumes will increase resources productivity and reduce production risk,” he said.

Understanding what drives farmers to take up different sustainable intensification practices (SIPs) — such as zero/minimum tillage, maize-legume intercropping, maize-legume rotations, new maize and legume varieties and using chemical fertilizer — is important. The project has developed several policy briefs based on research to share its outputs with a wider audience. “Don’t just push policymakers but push them with evidence,” said Wilfred Mwangi, CIMMYT’s regional representative for Africa. Mwangi emphasized the need for policy dialogue and more capacity building.

The project has helped train 18 early-career economists in research design and implementation. An additional 120 people have gained practical experience in conducting surveys through their participation as enumerators or supervisors. Mengistu said the project has “planted seeds for impact” because different countries can benefit from the regional approach to tackling development challenges.

Photo: Semu Yemane/EIAR

Referencing a policy brief on the SIPs adopted by farmers in Ethiopia, he noted that farmers who implemented a suite of multiple agronomic practices were able to double or even triple their income from maize. Menale Kassie, the Adoption Pathways project leader, shared some of the project’s key achievements, which include establishing panel data, analysis to determine gaps in technology adoption through a gender lens, impact analysis and risk assessment. “We need policy dialogue, followed by policy advocacy,” Kassie said. “We would be happy if our products are used by our partners.”

Policymakers, including top university administrators, pledged their support for policy advocacy. “We will help support this project through linkages with policymakers and the Ministry of Agriculture,” said James Tuitoek, professor and vice-chancellor at Egerton University in Kenya. Angelo Macuacua, professor and vice-chancellor at Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique, thanked the project for inviting the vice-chancellors to participate in the meeting.

“It helps us understand, in detail, the work the researchers are doing,” he said. Other vice-chancellors at the meeting were Professor Phiri Kanyama and Professor Gerald Monela from Malawi’s Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (formerly known as Bunda College) and Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania.

The importance of monitoring and evaluation in project implementation was emphasized by AIFSRC’s Ogutu. “Results from this project will not only help farmers, there is potential on a larger scale,” she said. The meeting provided partners an opportunity to closely interact, share their research results and plan for the next phase of activities.

Maize-free window to curb spread of disease in Kenya

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By Wandera Ojanji/CIMMYT

Buoyed by the success of a campaign to curb the spread of maize lethal necrosis (MLN), the farming community around the Kiboko Crops Research Station in Makueni County, Kenya, agreed to create a maize-free window during August and September and to plant within two weeks of the onset of long rains in April.
The decisions follow an effective campaign by CIMMYT, the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the Makueni County Ministry of Agriculture last year to create a maize-free window in March and April 2014, which required farmers to stop planting maize between the end of October 2013 and the end of February this year. The maize-free windows are critical in interrupting the disease cycle, thus reducing the population of vectors.

A community leader shares his perspectives on MLN and its control in Kiboko. Photo: Wandera Ojanj

A meeting was organized on 1 April by Stephen Mugo, principal scientist and maize breeder for CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program, in partnership with KARI and the Makueni County Ministry of Agriculture at the Kiboko Crops Research Station. More than 25 people attended, including county administration, local community leaders, religious leaders, Makueni County agricultural staff, Kiboko farmers and CIMMYT and KARI scientists.

“Farmers did, to a very large extent, respect and adhere to our resolution to have a maize-free window, which was enough to reduce vector density and consequently transmission,” Mugo said. According to Lucas Ngulu, Makindu District agricultural officer, more than 95 percent of farmers within a 5-kilometer radius of the Kiboko Crops Research Station followed the resolution passed at the first MLN stakeholders meeting on 1 October 2013. They did not plant maize and instead planted cowpeas and pigeonpeas during the period. Joel Mbithi, farm manager for the CIMMYT Kiboko Crops Research Station, attributed the success to the aggressive awareness campaigns that partners conducted in the area.

However, most of the farmers who grow maize under irrigation did not adhere to the call for a maize-free window. Their decision is attributed partly to a lack of understanding about the importance of the campaign and partly driven by the need to earn a living, as most of them depend on the sale of irrigated maize for their livelihoods.

Isaac Kariuki, the Makindu District deputy agricultural officer, noted that the few farmers who did not adhere to the advice lacked proper and accurate information on the disease. He called on the team to provide accurate information in a timely manner and to do everything possible to bring the remaining farmers on board. Some farmers wrongly believed that the disease is controlled by heavy rains. “As fate would have it, those farmers who still went ahead and planted maize lost their crop to drought that hit the region after the initial heavy and consistent rains,” Kariuki said.

Reverend Reuben Mulwa called on participants to be ambassadors and reach out to fellow farmers to respect and adhere to the maize-free windows. “Lead by example by being the first to adhere to the resolution,” Mulwa said. “But take due diligence when talking to other farmers about respecting and adhering to these resolutions.”

Field days in Malawi and Zambia promote metal silos

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By Wandera Ojanji/CIMMYT

The Effective Grain Storage for Sustainable Livelihoods of African Farmers Project (EGSP) Phase-II held a series of field days in Malawi and Zambia to raise awareness and demonstrate the efficacy of metal silos in protecting stored grains against weevils and larger grain borers – the two most destructive storage insect pests of maize. The project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Farmers feel properly stored grain from a metal silo during the field day at Banda Jessy’s farm in Chimtende Camp, Katete District, Zambia. Photos: Wandera Ojanji

During the events, farmers compared the good-quality grain stored in a silo to the damaged grain stored in traditional structures and gunny bags. Artisans and extension officers also demonstrated the proper use and handling of a metal silo. The first field day was held on 8 April at Banda Jessy’s farm in Chimtende Camp, Katete District, Eastern Province, Zambia. More than 160 farmers, metal silo artisans, agricultural officers and local leaders attended the event.

Metal silos have many benefits, said Dolan Mulumbu, Chimtende camp officer. They have the ability to store grain for many years without damage, don’t require insecticides, are portable and are insect- and rodent-proof. They also give farmers flexibility on when to sell their grain and allow them to store grain for their families. Greyson Phiri, Sambira Village headman, thanked CIMMYT for bringing the metal silo technology to farmers.

The second field day in Zambia was held on 9 April at Peter Mwanza’s homestead in the Kamlaza Agricultural Camp, Chipata District, Eastern Province. The field day was attended by more than 270 farmers from the camp. Most farmers in the area sell their grain immediately after harvest for fear of it being destroyed by post-harvest pests.

Moffat Khosa, of the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Mechanization, urged farmers to adopt the technology to help them avoid selling their grain immediately after harvest – when the prices average US$ 10 per 50 kilogram bag – and sell at a higher price later in the season. He challenged farmers to invest in post-harvest technologies as much as they are investing in other farm inputs, such as seed and fertilizer.

Chilese Mabengwa and Zidana Mbewe, district extension officers for Katete and Chipata, respectively, demonstrate proper use and handing of metal silos during the field day at Banda Jessy’s farm in Chimtende Camp, Katete District, Zambia.

More than 240 farmers attended the third field day on 11 April at Frank Renadi’s farm in Kapsala Village, Chigonti Extension Planning Area, Lilongwe District, Malawi. It was attended by Wilfred Lipita, controller of Agriculture Extension and Technical Services; Godfrey Ching’oma, director of Crop Development; his deputy, Bartholomew Ngauma; Penjani Theu, program manager, Lilongwe Agricultural Development Division; district development officers from Lilongwe and Mchinji; and local leaders from Chigothi. Lipita urged farmers to take advantage of the 50-50 cost-sharing offer from the project to acquire metal silos, adding that those who cannot afford to pay 50 percent can opt for cheaper super grain bags.

The project intends to distribute 7,500 super grain bags to smallholder farmers in the Lilongwe and Mchinji districts for demonstration. “The crop in the field needs to be protected from maize weevils and larger grain borers, rodents and ambient moisture fluctuations,” Lipita said. “Where the crop has done well, there is need for farmers to jealously guard the crop so that there are no post-harvest losses.”

Ethiopian officials praise CIMMYT program on eve of second phase

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By Seifu Mahifere/CIMMYT

The Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) program has successfully completed its first phase with significant outputs that helped improve the food and nutritional security of smallholder farmers in eastern and southern Africa.

SIMLESA, funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), was launched in 2010 to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farming communities in Africa through productive and sustainable maize-legume systems and risk management strategies that conserve natural resources. It is managed by CIMMYT and implemented by partners in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. With lessons from these core countries, the program is also implemented in Botswana, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda.

SIMLESA’s contribution to improving system productivity and profitability was highlighted in a meeting held in April. Photos: Seifu Mahifere

SIMLESA’s first phase ended with its Fourth Annual Regional Review, Planning and Program Steering Committee meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 7-11 April. Sileshi Getahun, Ethiopia’s state minister  of agriculture and the guest of honor, said the program has paid “substantial dividends” to sustainable agricultural development in eastern and southern Africa. The second phase of SIMLESA, which will also be funded by ACIAR, is expected to launch in July. “SIMLESA is a model for many regional and sub-regional collaborative projects to address agricultural intensification [in Africa],” Getahun told more than 120 representatives of SIMLESA partner organizations attending the event.

Mulugeta Mekuria, program coordinator, outlined the program’s main achievements in developing conservation agriculture (CA)-based sustainable intensification options, technology adoption by both female and male farmers, capacity building  for national agricultural research systems (NARS) of partner countries and the creation of enhanced partnerships and collaboration for a common goal. He noted in particular that SIMLESA has contributed to the release of 40 new maize varieties, which have yield advantages of 10 to 30 percent when compared to existing commercial varieties in its program countries. The program also trained more than 3,000 agricultural scientists in the maize and legume production value chains and engaged more than 40,000 farmers (almost half of them women) through farmer field days and exchange programs.

John Dixon, ACIAR principal research advisor, expressed ACIAR’s commitment to support SIMLESA. The program is considered a flagship program and is being adopted by donors as a framework for sustainable intensification. Fentahun Mengistu, director general of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research and SIMLESA Program Steering Committee member, underlined that SIMLESA has significantly contributed to the generation and adoption of user-preferred maize and legume technologies, as well as information and knowledge that improve system productivity and profitability of the target farming systems. “The outcome of SIMLESA, in terms of human capacity and research facility building, will improve our efficiency and impact in agricultural research in the future,” Fentahun said. Olaf Erenstein, CIMMYT Socioeconomic Program director and SIMLESA Program Management Committee chair, said SIMLESA II will have a broader technological focus on systems and impact orientation as well as the creation of more partnerships and scaling out of program results.The week-long event featured country-specific achievements from Australia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania, backed by poster displays showing success stories.

Remarks are given at the SIMLESA review meeting. Photo: Seifu Mahifere

Participants also visited maize and legume seed production, forage and irrigated intercropping trials and the Melkassa Agricultural Research Centre, showcasing SIMLESA-supported technologies. They also saw an ultra-modern export company that cleans, grades and packages legumes and is linked with SIMLESA research teams in Ethiopia.

The SIMLESA Program Steering Committee commended SIMLESA for its substantive progress and NARS partners for their professionalism and skill during the meeting.

Angola: shifting from landraces to improved maize varieties

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By Florence Sipalla/CIMMYT

CIMMYT, in partnership with the Instituto de Investigação Agronómica (IIA), the Angolan national agricultural research institute, is helping the country shift from using maize landraces to locally adapted materials.

Angola is rebuilding its infrastructure after a prolonged civil war that slowed down agricultural production. During the war, farmers could not access improved maize seed and relied on landraces. “After the war, they started shifting from the landraces to open-pollinated varieties (OPVs),” explained Peter Setimela, CIMMYT seed systems specialist. “Five years ago, there were no improved maize seeds in Angola. Now, we have some good OPVs and hybrids.”

Pivot irrigation at a seed production farm in Angola. Both Kambondo and Matogrosso farms use pivot irrigation; this frees the farms from dependence on rain for seed production.
Pivot irrigation at a seed production farm in Angola. Both Kambondo and Matogrosso farms use pivot irrigation; this frees the farms from dependence on rain for seed production.

The country has been importing improved maize varieties from Brazil and France, though not without problems. “They discovered that some of these varieties were hampered by diseases such as gray leaf spot, maize streak virus and northern leaf blight,” said CIMMYT breeder Cosmos Magorokosho. Working in partnership with IIA breeders, CIMMYT scientists have been testing materials that are locally adapted, some of which are now being produced by local seed companies. Last month, a multidisciplinary team from CIMMYT and IIA, led by the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) Project Leader Tsedeke Abate, went on a field tour in Angola.

The team visited seed production farms in Kwanza Sul, demonstrations and on-farm and on-station trials at the IIA Chianga experimental station in Huambo to evaluate drought-tolerant maize varieties being grown and tested in the country. The team, including CIMMYT and IIA breeding, communications, seed systems and socioeconomics staff, visited a community seed production farm managed by Cooperativa Faca Tudo Pelo Tempo (“do everything on time” in Portuguese). The farmer’s cooperative produces rain-fed basic seed for the OPV maize varieties ZM309, ZM521 and ZM523, with technical support from IIA breeder Dibanzilua Nginamau. The cooperative is an umbrella body for 30 farmer groups with 1,250 members, including 600 women, according to Nginamau.

Participants stand in front of 50 hectares of the CIMMYT hybrid CZH03030 and a rainbow at Kambondo farm in Kwanza Sul, Angola.

The team visited smallholder farmer Dominga Ngueve, who planted varieties for demonstration on her farm near the Chianga station. “I prefer ZM309 because it matures early and I am able to get [maize for] food earlier,” Ngueve said. “When improved seed is unavailable, I buy local varieties from other farmers.” The smallholder farmer practices the crop rotation of planting maize during the long season and beans during the low season. She also grows cassava and potatoes. “Our food crop is maize; if you sell it, you create hunger,” said Ngueve, explaining the importance of maize in her community.

CIMMYT is helping Angola improve this important crop. “Angola has great potential for advancing agriculture,” Abate said, citing the country’s arable land and water resources. CIMMYT is using its germplasm resources to help public and private sector partners, such as SEDIAC, Matogrosso and Kambondo farms, that have recently ventured into seed production in Angola. CIMMYT is also contributing to capacity building by training breeders and technicians from the national program and seed companies.

Visitors at the DTMA stand during the SEDIAC field day in Kwanza Sul, Angola.

Angola is producing ZM523 on 560 hectares at Kambondo and Matogrosso farms with technical support from DTMA. An expected 2,400 tons of certified seed will be available for use by local farmers in the coming season. These two companies are well-positioned to produce certified seed through irrigation, as they each have six units of pivot irrigation that enable them to continue production even when the rains are erratic.

Kambondo farm has already produced nine tons of CZH03030 and has planted 50 hectares of the same variety for grain production. Abate commended SEDIAC for hosting the field day. “It is an opportunity for researchers from the national agriculture research system to network with all the agricultural stakeholders in Angola,” he said. The field day was also attended by three traditional leaders from the local community.

Through the collaborative work of IIA, CIMMYT, seed companies and cooperatives to strengthen seed systems in Angola, “farmers can increase their food security and livelihoods by taking up droughttolerant varieties,” said CIMMYT socioeconomist Rodney Lunduka.

Indian official visits Borlaug Institute for South Asia

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By Pankaj Singh, H.S. Sidhu and Parvinder Singh/CIMMYT

It was a memorable day for Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) staff when Alok Sikka, deputy director general of natural resource management for the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, visited the BISA research station at Ludhiana.

Visitors at the long-term conservation agriculture trials. Photo: Mandeep Singh

H.S. Sidhu, senior research engineer, and Pankaj Singh, BISA farm manager, welcomed Sikka and described farm development activities. The guests visited the genomic selection trial, a five-year project started in November 2013 that is funded by USAID-Feed the Future, Cornell University and Kansas State University. CIMMYT’s Ravi Valluru described efforts to rapidly develop climate-resilient wheat varieties for South Asia using genomic selection. Through this approach, researchers can predict the best wheat lines, even at the early seedling stages.

The early prediction of important traits and wheat lines can be used to accelerate breeding, leading to the rapid identification and release of high-yielding, heat-tolerant candidate wheat varieties for South Asia with annual genetic gains superior to those obtained through conventional breeding. Later, the visitors saw international nurseries, wheat hybrid trials and the long term conservation agriculture (CA) trial being conducted on the farm. M.L. Jat emphasized that depleted freshwater resources due to rising demand from an increasing population is a serious concern. There is a need for alternative cropping systems with high yields, low irrigation water requirements and high water productivity compared to rice-wheat systems.

Visitors listen to discussion on mechanization.

Sidhu pointed out that relay cropping of wheat in standing cotton is beneficial for farmers. Some progressive farmers are ready to start the relay cropping of wheat in standing cotton, after visiting the long-term CA trial. Jat and Parvinder Singh described trials started in 2013 to test different cultivars with different establishment environments and in different ecologies.

The same trial is being conducted at the three BISA farms, located in different ecologies with six common and four regional varieties. Early results show the need to focus on site-specific recommendations, instead of blanket recommendations for an entire region. Sidhu and Jat described the objectives of the precision water management trial supported by the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia project (CSISA) that started in spring 2013. The trials showed impressive results and continued with a maize-maize-pea rotation. Jat said farmers are interested in spring maize due to its high yield potential, but the crop requires more water.

Technology is needed to save water while retaining yields. Finally, Sidhu described second generation CA machinery and emphasized that it can be useful for small landholders.

Precision conservation agriculture highlighted during India visits

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By Pankaj Singh, Parvinder Singh, H.S. Sidhu and M.L. Jat/CIMMYT

A delegation from Colorado State University, United States, and the University of Adelaide, Australia, visited the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) in Ludhiana, Punjab, on 10 March. The visit focused on advances in precision agriculture as well as conservation agriculture (CA) and climate change. Etienne Duveiller, BISA director of research, gave an overview of the institute as well as its research and development activities.

BISA research focuses on wheat and maize germplasm and precision and conservation agriculture to address degradation of land and water resources, high labor costs, low labor availability, increasing input costs and climate variability. He emphasized that BISA works closely with the regional public and private sectors. H.S. Sidhu, senior research engineer at BISA, explained that most BISA land is farmed using CA practices and is successfully producing maize, wheat, soybeans, mustard, pigeon peas, cotton and rice under zero tillage and without burning residue, using second generation machines. This showcases the uses of CA for different cropping systems and its benefits to the farming and scientific community. Uttam Kumar and Ravi Valluru explained the development of high-yielding varieties of wheat for South Asia using a genomic selection approach for tolerance to heat stress and drought. They also showed advanced international breeding lines and hybrid wheat screening.

Representatives from two universities visited BISA in March. Photo: CIMMYT

M.L. Jat, senior cropping systems agronomist and South Asia leader for CIMMYT and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), explained that CA-based crop management technologies have been developed and deployed in several production systems and ecologies. With the recent focus on the importance of CA, more strategic research on precision agriculture such as nutrient placement, water usage, cultivars and weed management has been initiated. Jat also explained how climate change and water scarcity are causing adverse impacts on productivity, mainly due to terminal heat stress.

A field trial on wheat genotype and management interactions to adapt cultivars to contrasting management systems and planting time was also discussed to enhance crop and water productivity. Sidhu, Jat and the CIMMYT-BISA team working on the farm coordinated visits to various research trials and demonstrations of the latest CA machinery while Parvinder Singh and Pankaj Singh also shared their experiences.

To demonstrate small-scale CA mechanization, the two-wheel tractor-operated turbo “happy seeder” and laser leveller were also displayed. The visitors were impressed with the ability of the high clearance seeder and tractor to seed relay wheat into standing cotton.

CIMMYT featured on ‘Shamba Shape Up’

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By Katharine MacMahon/ Media Manager, Shamba Shape Up

As the new season of Shamba Shape Up, Kenya’s hit TV series, gets under way, CIMMYT and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) have been meeting farmers across the region to discuss exciting new developments to grow higher-yielding, disease-resistant maize.

Courtesy of Shamba Shape Up

Shamba Shape Up, the popular farming TV show, is aired twice weekly in both English and Swahili to over 10 million viewers across the eastern Africa. The show covers a wide range of topics from rainwater harvesting to certified seeds … and anything in between! On 14 April, the Shamba Shape Up team, along with a host of experts, visited famers Robert and Grace on their shamba (Swahili for “farm”) in Siaya County.

Robert and Grace were having problems with their maize crop, as the field was being plagued by striga problems. Striga, otherwise known as Kiongo or Witch Weed, can cause devastation to a maize crop by attaching itself to the crop’s roots and feeding off it for water and nutrients until the crop dies. In western Kenya, over 300,000 hectares of maize are poisoned by striga weed. Gospel Omanga from AATF discussed the importance of stopping the striga weed in its tracks before it kills his whole crop with Robert. Gospel suggested planting IR maize in Robert’s fields as a way of ending his striga weed problems.

Photo courtesy of Shamba Shape Up

IR maize is a new type of seed that is immune to striga and kills off the pest at the same time. The IR maize seeds are covered in herbicide which kills both the striga that tries to attach the plant and other striga seeds (one striga plant can deposit over 50,000 seeds at once) in the nearby soil. IR maize and its herbicides are so effective that after eight seasons of use, striga can be banished from a field. Gospel tells the farmers that using IR maize is the most effective solution to the striga weed; more so than pulling them out as Robert had been doing in the past.

To learn more about striga weed and IR maize, please watch the episode, and all the other Shamba Shape Up episodes online at www.shambashapeup.com. To get an informational leaflet from the episode, please SMS your name, address & CIMMYT, MAIZE, IR MAIZE, STRIGA to 30606 (Kenya only) and Shamba Shape Up will post it to you for free!

To learn more about striga and IR maize from CIMMYT, check out the AATF FAQ’s page: http://www.aatf-africa.org/userfiles/Striga-FAQ.pdf

Agriculture extension and research promote conservation agriculture in Pakistan

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By Imtiaz Hussain/CIMMYT

CIMMYT and the Department of Agriculture Research, Punjab, held a one-day training for agriculture extension workers in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, to share information, promote collaboration and encourage the dissemination of technologies from the USAID-Feed the Future funded Agriculture Innovation Program (AIP).

Held at the Regional Agriculture Research Institute (RARI) on 10 March, the training was attended by 28 workers from the Department of Agriculture Extension, Punjab, and 22 students from the University College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB). Ghulam Hussain, director of RARI, lauded CIMMYT and USAID efforts in strengthening agriculture research in the country, especially in southern Punjab.

Researchers, extension workers and students learn in the field. Photos: Ahsan Irshad

RARI’s Manzoor Hussain highlighted the institute’s efforts to develop wheat varieties for southern Punjab. He also emphasized the collaboration between research and agriculture extension. Imtiaz Hussain, CIMMYT cropping system agronomist, briefed the participants about AIP activities and shared conservation agronomy experience in Pakistan’s different cropping systems. Muhammad Akhter, from the Agronomic Research Station (ARS), Bahawalpur, presented on relay cropping of wheat in standing cotton. This technique allows farmers to plant wheat on time without land preparation and save on cultivation costs. Liaqat Ali explained the method of ridge planting for wheat, which involves land preparation, shallow tillage with cultivators and the use of ridgers to make ridges and furrows. Ridge planting can help farmers achieve 10 percent higher wheat grain yields and 30 to 40 percent savings in water over traditional techniques.

Tanveer Ahmed, executive director of Agriculture Extension, Bahawalpur, praised the collaboration between agriculture extension and research for technology transfer to farmers. After the seminar, participants visited field trials and demonstrations at RARI and ARS, Bahawalpur. Field demonstrations included information about salient characteristics of wheat varieties including Fareed-06, Maraj-08 and Aas-11, performance of wheat varieties in early and late planting, the balanced use of nutrients for wheat crops, relay cropping of wheat in standing cotton on flat and beds and ridge planting of wheat. During the field visit, researchers explained the methodologies of field technologies and answered questions. Participants from the extension department said these activities should be continued in the future to improve links between research and extension.

Traditional chiefs in eastern Zambia learn about sustainable intensification

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By Walter Mupangwa and Christian Thierfelder/CIMMYT

The quiet Khokwe village in the Chanje Central Block in Chipata district, Zambia, was buzzing with activity on 2 April when six traditional chiefs visited the Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems for the Eastern Province of Zambia-Africa Rising (SIMLEZA-Africa Rising) project.

Traditional leaders in African societies hold deep-rooted power in the communities, make important decisions on land use and distribution and guide villagers in times of change and uncertainty. Smallholder farmers in the Eastern Province face high labor costs and low labor availability and are confronted with the negative effects of climate variability, which require climate-resilient, low-cost alternatives to improve farm productivity. Conservation agriculture (CA)- based management practices, combined with drought-tolerant maize varieties, as suggested by SIMLEZA-Africa Rising, can reduce production costs and improve resource-use efficiency, productivity and profitability. Farmers from communities surrounding Khokwe warmly welcomed the six chiefs drawn from Chewa- and Tumbuka-speaking tribes of eastern Zambia.

CIMMYT’s Walter Mupangwa explains how the animal-drawn direct seeder works while Duncan Tembo of Agro-Chemicals shows the chiefs the different herbicides and pesticides available to farmers.

Nyao traditional dancers known as “Gule Wankulu” and Ngoni dancers also joined the farmers in welcoming and entertaining the chiefs, who were accompanied by two representatives from the Ministry of Chiefs Affairs, village headmen, councilors and officers from the District Agricultural Coordinator’s Office (DACO). They were invited by the SIMLEZA-Africa Rising project team with representatives from CIMMYT, community agricultural committees, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL), the National Agricultural Information Service (NAIS), Total LandCare (TLC) and the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI). SIMLEZA-Africa Rising is funded by USAID-Feed the Future. The chiefs visited trial sites in Khokwe, including a maize regional on-farm trial.

Farmers are directly involved in selecting the best maize varieties from the 20 that are being tested, which was emphasized in explaining participatory varietal selection. Most crops appeared stressed by drought, as the area had not received any rain for one month. ‘’These varieties are really drought-tolerant,’’ remarked Chief Magodi as participants left the maize regional on-farm trial to visit a maize mother-baby trial, where 12 drought-tolerant maize varieties are being tested. At the CA trial, the chiefs studied maize crops planted under zero tillage in rotation or intercropped with cowpeas.

The chiefs observed that maize in the ridge and furrow system was severely moisture-stressed while maize on the CA plots was still green and growing well. ‘’I never knew that there are such activities happening in our district,’’ exclaimed Chief Misholo from the Chiparamba block in Chipata district, adding that the visit was an “eye-opener” for him.

Chiefs wearing yellow and white SIMLEZA-Africa Rising T-shirts and caps visit a conservation agriculture field during a tour of SIMLEZA-Africa Rising project. Photos: Walter Mupangwa

CIMMYT’s Walter Mupangwa highlighted environmentally-friendly products used on CA fields and the procedures farmers should follow when using herbicides. for weed control. Next to the CA field, new animal traction seeding equipment was showcased, including the animal traction direct seeder, Magoye ripper tines and a hand-held no-till planter. An agro-dealer from ATS Agro-Chemicals, part of the SIMLEZA-Africa Rising innovation network, displayed the herbicides and pesticides available for smallholder farmers in the region. Farmers were keen on interacting with the traditional leaders on farming-related issues. Main discussion points included the need to improve market links and information flow for soybean and maize crops.

Chief Mban’gombe encouraged farmers to diversify the crops they grow in the face of low prices for maize. The chiefs strongly advocated for SIMLEZA-Africa Rising to set up trials in their areas to help disseminate technology to more farming households within their jurisdiction. The chiefs’ visit is a major breakthrough for the SIMLEZA-Africa Rising project. The support of traditional leaders is a main driver of change toward more sustainable intensification.