By Frédéric Baudron /CIMMYT

An international group of Ph.D. students was trained on farming systems and rural livelihoods during a course this month in Ethiopia. CIMMYT, Hawassa University and Wageningen University organized “Farming System and Rural Livelihoods: Adaptation and Vulnerability” from 6-18 October.

Twenty-five Ph.D. students from 17 countries – including Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, the Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Portugal, Rwanda, South Africa, Sweden, Uganda, the United States and Zimbabwe – participated. CIMMYT Ph.D. students Yodit Kebede, Tesfaye Shiferaw and Alain Ndoli also attended the course. The course provided participants with the theory behind farming systems analysis; participatory methods to characterize farming systems; practical use of the sustainable rural livelihood framework; methods of farm-scale yield gap analysis; and methods for scenario analysis and optimization. The four study sites were targets of the Sustainable Intensification for Maize-Legume systems in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) project in southern Ethiopia. Frédéric Baudron from CIMMYT Ethiopia was one of the course supervisors. He co-organized field activities, assisted students with group assignments and gave a lecture titled “Farming System (Re)Design and Scenario Development.”

By Michael Arunga/CIMMYT

Informative presentations, lively discussions and a research station field trip were highlights of a Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) course on maize seed production and management held last week in Nairobi. 

The two-day course targeted seed companies that will commercialize drought-tolerant maize hybrids from the WEMA project. Seed company representatives were accompanied by the WEMA Product Deployment Team (DEPT) and members of WEMA partner countries (Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda). Representatives from CIMMYT, Monsanto, the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA) and a member of the National Agricultural Research Organisation Board of Trustees attended.

The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)-led WEMA DEPT team and CIMMYT organized the course. During the plenary session, seed experts – including John MacRobert and Mosisa Regassa from CIMMYT and Jonga Munyaradzi from AATF – presented on hybrid seed production, distinguishing characteristics of inbred lines, certification standards and inspection procedures, quality assurance procedures and stewardship. William Munyao, an inspector at the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service, explained why standards and inspection are crucial to achieve credibility.

Participants raised concerns about the slow implementation of maize seed regulatory standards by regional bodies such as the Economic Community of West Africa States, the East Africa Community and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. Seed companies said they want to see these standards implemented as soon as possible because they will give farmers greater access to improved varieties. After the plenary session, CIMMYT hosted participants on a visit to the KARI-CIMMYT Kiboko Crops Research Station. Stephen Mugo, Yoseph Beyene and Kiru Pillay led the tour, during which participants had the opportunity to evaluate selected hybrids and lines from demonstration plots. More than 50 hybrids are being grown under managed drought stress and optimal conditions.

The hybrids are in their first or second year of national performance trials in Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. The participants also visited the recently-developed doubled haploid (DH) lines in a seed increase nursery. Sotero Bumagat, the CIMMYT DH manager, led participants on a tour of the newly-commissioned DH facility. James Karanja and Regina Tende presented insect-protected confined field trials. MacRobert, a CIMMYT expert in seed production and management, told participants to embrace realistic approaches when producing seed. He emphasized the importance of hiring skilled personnel who have a genuine interest in seed production. “Emphasis should not be entirely on academia,” MacRobert said. “We should not insist on diploma, undergraduate, master’s or even doctorate degrees as prerequisites for hiring a productive worker. A farm hand who does not have these qualifications but has excellent seed production experience may be an excellent employee.”

By Frédéric Baudron/CIMMYT

A lightweight seeder designed for conservation agriculture could help households headed by women in eastern and southern Africa to adopt the technology. CIMMYT’s Farm Mechanization and Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Intensification (FACASI) project is addressing declining farm power by delivering small mechanization to farmers. Femalerun households are particularly labor-constrained. They often don’t own or are not permitted to use draft animals and are among the last to access land preparation services, which severely affects yield.

FACASI imported several female-friendly seeders designed by John Morrison, a consultant and adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee. Unlike other commercially available machines, which are bulky, heavy and challenging for women to use, Morrison’s development is a light, singlerow seeder specially designed for operation in non-plowed fields. The seeder is equipped with a residue rake to clear crop residue from the path, a rolling coulter blade to cut any remaining residues in the path, a furrow-opener shank to open a soil slot for seeds and fertilizer and a pressing wheel to help the operator press the soil slot closed.

The seeder performed well during its pre-test last month in Njoro, Kenya, by women, FACASI scientists and John Morisson himself, and later at a demonstration to the CIMMYT Board of Trustees. Thorough field testing will take place next November in Kenya and Tanzania. A business model will also be developed to guarantee access to the technology for women farmers. The proportion of women-headed households is particularly high in eastern and southern Africa (23 percent in Ethiopia, 32 percent in Kenya and 38 percent in Zimbabwe), according to the World Bank. Increasing the power available to these households – through small mechanization and promoting power-saving technology such as conservation agriculture – is one way to close the gender gap.

By Natalia Palacios/CIMMYT

Two posters developed by scientists from CIMMYT, Chapingo Autonomous University (UACh) and the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) as part of maize quality collaborative projects were recognized during the Fifth International Nixtamalization Conference held in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, from 7-9 October. Nixtamalization is a method of processing maize.

The poster “Nixtamalized flour mixtures for tortillas,” a collaboration between UACh and CIMMYT, won second place, while third place went to IPN and CIMMYT’s “Effect of the traditional and extruded nixtamalization process on yellow maize carotenoids.” The conference’s supervising committee evaluated 40 posters for coherence with research objectives, clarity in explanation and design, said Natalia Palacios, maize nutrition quality specialist, who coordinates MasAgro’s research on the subject.

More than 250 participants from universities, research centers and companies from the masa and tortilla industry attended the conference. The conference included subjects related to nixtamalization technology, raw materials and quality control, nutrition, biofortification of soja ixtamalized products, sustainability and energy efficiency, competitiveness and marketing.

By Alberto Chassaigne/CIMMYT

Participants in the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture (MasAgro) initiative witnessed the introduction of six new maize hybrids aimed at increasing productivity in rainfed areas of Mexico’s lowland tropics. Along with representatives of 16 Mexican seed companies and a national public sector research institution, the guests attended a demonstration at CIMMYT’s Agua Fría experiment station in the state of Puebla on 10 October.

The event also included a talk on the agronomic practices and pest and disease control measures commonly used in that region. Alberto Chassaigne, CIMMYT maize seed systems specialist, reported on the progress of entering the maize hybrids and varieties evaluated through MasAgro’s Collaborative Testing Network for the Tropics into the National Catalog of Plant Varieties of Mexico’s National Seed Inspection and Certification Service. Information on the characterization of these materials will be available to network seed producers for the effective selection of seed lots to produce certified seed, he added.

Ubaldo Marcos, CIMMYT’s seed production manager, and Manuel Velázquez, seed technology and production consultant, gave a talk on seed production technology. The participants also observed grain harvested from the six new hybrids, as well as their parents, to determine their potential for producing certified seed. In closing, Félix San Vicente, leader of MasAgro-Maize, invited seed producers to identify the best tropical hybrids being tested through the network by examining the plants in the test plots and the harvested grain. This exercise confirmed the competitiveness of white and yellow grain hybrids, which performed better than the commercial controls. Participants will continue to attend other training and dissemination events.

By Guillermina Sosa Mendoza/CIMMYT

Supporting seed producers will help MasAgro to make a bigger impact, one of its leaders said last month. Experts from MasAgro’s maize component hosted a seed business management workshop for 22 representatives of small- and medium-sized Mexican enterprises from 9-13 September. The workshop took place at El Batán and included presentations and practical activities.

Félix San Vicente, leader of the International Maize Yield Consortium – MasAgro’s maize component – highlighted the importance of maintaining close communication with seed companies to learn their needs and expectations. “What we are looking for is impact. That’s what we all want, and the better-focused the impact, the greater it will be,” San Vicente said. “We know we need to support the national seed producers and look ahead.”

The workshop fostered teamwork among companies that sometimes compete in the market. One activity asked seed producers to simulate the establishment of new enterprises and design marketing strategies to foster growth under optimal conditions. Manuel Velázquez, CIMMYT external consultant, presented on the background and development of the seed sector; Alfonso Hernández, general manager of Semillas Ceres, spoke about marketing strategies, seed sale and customer service; and Beda Anghern, from Empresa Unisem, gave a talk on seed enterprise management.

John MacRobert, CIMMYT maize expert, offered advice on strategic planning, product development, seed production and business management. MacRobert focused on seed production cycles, main production challenges and the distribution process. Participants also visited companies including the Celaya branch of BIDASEM Productora y Comercializadora de Semillas and Monsanto’s Villagrán branch.

By O.P. Yadav/Indian Council of Agricultural Research

More than 120 researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders participated in a commercial hybrid demonstration and maize brainstorming sessions organized by the Directorate of Maize Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The National Demonstration of Maize Commercial Hybrids and sessions were held 21-22 September in New Delhi.

The event demonstrated 106 maize hybrids, including leading hybrids from the public and private sectors. Visitors included S. Ayyappan, ICAR Director General; Ashish Bahuguna, secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation for the Government of India; H.S. Gupta, director of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute; B.S. Dhillon, vice chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University; J.S. Sandhu, commissioner of agriculture; R.P. Dua, assistant director general of food and fodder crops; J.S. Chauhan, assistant director general of seeds; S. Mauria, assistant director general of intellectual property & technology management; and more than 100 researchers from the national agricultural research system. P.H. Zaidi, B.S. Vivek and A.R. Sadananda from the Global Maize Program based in Hyderabad represented CIMMYT.

While visiting the demonstration, Ayyappan said he was impressed with the national maize program’s efforts to develop diverse maize hybrids that meet farmers’ needs in India’s different agro-ecological regions. He lauded the development and fine-tuning of maize production technology that has resulted in many improvements in the last decade. Bahuguna said the initiative was a unique showcase of hybrid technology that can improve farmers’ income. Providing farmers with a wide variety of hybrids can help achieve crop diversification in different regions, he noted. Bahuguna was also interested in new hybrids likely to be available to farmers in the near future.

Gupta emphasized the opportunities that exist to replace low-yielding, traditional maize varieties with hybrids, while Dhillon highlighted the importance of an effective seed production program to fully harness the hybrids’ benefits. Other topics included the objective of the demonstration and how to expand the scale of hybrid initiatives. Chauhan said the demonstration exhibited the strength of public research and development. Three brainstorming sessions – “Public-Private Partnerships,” “Trait Prioritization in Breeding” and “Improving Drought Tolerance” – followed the demonstration. They were led by S.K. Datta, deputy assistant director general for crop sciences, B.S. Dhillon and Sain Das, while Vivek and Zaidi contributed as panelists. More than 100 personnel from the public and private sectors participated. Datta underlined the role of both sectors and called upon scientists to identify areas where they can work together.

By Brenna Goth/CIMMYT

A long-time colleague of CIMMYT received the inaugural 2013 World Agriculture Prize from the Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for the Agricultural and Life Sciences (GCHERA), which recognizes contributions to the field by a university faculty member. Ronnie Coffman, international professor of plant breeding at Cornell University and director of the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat project, was awarded the prize for his leadership in crop improvement, the prize committee said. He received the award on 20 October during GCHERA’s annual meeting in China.

“The world’s farmers need access to the best science that the many great institutions of GCHERA can deliver in order to produce crops that are nutritionally adequate and best-adapted to future challenges,” Coffman said during his acceptance speech, according to GCHERA. Coffman spent a year as a visiting scientist with CIMMYT’s wheat program in 1970 and has continually collaborated with the organization since then. Norman Borlaug, the late CIMMYT wheat scientist and Nobel Peace Laureate, supervised Coffman when he was a graduate student, and the two worked together to address the stem rust disease race Ug99 and other wheat diseases.

Coffman is vice chair of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative, which was established to respond to wheat disease threats. He worked in the Philippines as a rice breeder for the International Rice Research Institute in the 1970s, where he developed new varieties, before joining the Cornell faculty in 1981. More recently, he has focused on fighting wheat diseases and mentoring students. Coffman has served on the board of various CGIAR centers, including the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. (ICRISAT) Coffman is also a confirmed speaker for the Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security, a Borlaug 100 event that CIMMYT will host in March 2014. For more information about the event, visit www.borlaug100.org.

By Emma Quilligan/CIMMYT

Two additional trainees will have the opportunity to participate in CIMMYT’s wheat improvement course next year, thanks to the generous donation of US $20,000 by Sanjaya Rajaram, former director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program (GWP). Presenting the check to CIMMYT, Rajaram said he “hoped it would serve as an example to other people who believe in training.”

Rajaram started his CIMMYT career as a post-doctoral fellow, working alongside Norman Borlaug. He then went on to lead the bread wheat breeding team from 1973-1995 and develop wheat varieties among the most widely-grown worldwide.

He served as director of the GWP from 1996 to 2002. In his four decades at CIMMYT, Rajaram trained more than 400 wheat scientists. “He influenced so many trainees who lead wheat breeding in their home countries and many became national research leaders,” said current GWP Director Hans-Joachim Braun. Thank you, Raj, for your dedication to training the next generation of wheat breeders!

By Vijay Chaikam/CIMMYT

The Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture —or MasAgro— program organized a five-day training in El Batán this month to develop skills in the use of new technologies to increase maize productivity in Mexico.

MasAgro is a collaboration between CIMMYT and Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA). Eighteen specialists from national seed companies attended, as well as two scientists from public institutions and research assistants from CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program. Scientists from the program and specialists from the Biometrics and Statistics Unit spoke on maize breeding. Researchers working in tropical, subtropical and highland areas described their methods to improve and evaluate germplasm. The presentations highlighted the superior CIMMYT germplasm for agroclimatic zones in Mexico.

Specialists addressed the identification of diseases and different approaches to manage them; improving diseaseresistant germplasm; techniques for evaluating traits such as low nitrogen and drought tolerance; the use of molecular markers and genomic selection; phenotyping methods; and statistical analysis of phenotypic and genotypic data. Discussions also addressed the importance of nutritional quality and the evaluation of quality characteristics.

The last three days centered on doubled haploid technology, which allows accelerated development of inbred lines, featuring theoretical and practical sessions. The maintenance of the haploid inducer and seed production methods were shown during the visit to the El Batán experiment station. The visit also provided firsthand information on the use of doubled haploid lines in CIMMYT’s highland breeding program. At the Agua Fría experiment station, workshop participants visited the facilities for doubling chromosomes. Practical demonstrations emphasized staff safety and the careful management of waste generated during chromosome duplication.

Participants also saw induction nurseries and the phenotypic evaluation of doubled haploid lines. A field trip to the experimental site of the National Institute for Forest, Agriculture and Livestock Research (INIFAP) – Celaya showcased the agronomic management of a treated haploid nursery (D0) and the use of doubled haploid lines in INIFAP’s maize breeding program.

By Arun Joshi /CIMMYT

Over the past five years, more than a dozen new stress tolerant wheat varieties have become available to farmers in South Asia, through breeding research and partnerships as part of the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), according to Arun K. Joshi, CIMMYT wheat breeder. Joshi said that germplasm exchange with CIMMYT had increased significantly; that most advanced breeding lines in CIMMYT trials were resistant to Ug99 stem rust and other rusts; more segregating generation lines from South Asia were being sent to Njoro, Kenya, for stem rust resistance screening; the use of physiological tools to select for heat and drought tolerance in the region had increased; links among breeders, seed producers and farmers had strengthened; and capacity building had been promoted.

These and other achievements, as well as challenges and opportunities for improvement, came to light in two recent review meetings in Dhaka, Bangladesh. From 6 to 8 October, 56 scientists from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal, as well as representatives of government councils and ministries, research centers, agricultural institutes and universities, convened for CSISA’s 5th wheat breeding review meeting. Participants also attended the 2nd review and work plan meeting for the project, “Increasing the productivity of the wheat crop under conditions of rising temperatures and water scarcity in South Asia,” funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany. The meetings were organized by Joshi, team leader of the two projects in South Asia, and facilitated by CIMMYT’s Dhaka office, led by T.P. Tiwari. CIMMYT was represented in the meetings by scientists from Bangladesh, India and Nepal and a consultant from Cambridge.

The CSISA meeting reviewed the progress of the 2012-13 wheat cycle and established work plans for the 2013-14 crop cycle. The event was inaugurated by chief guest Khalid Sultan, director of research at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), and R.P. Dua, assistant director general for the Indian Council of Agricultural research (ICAR). Dua praised the regional focus and presence of CSISA wheat breeding, and Sultan said “the South Asia-CIMMYT collaboration is paramount to the food security of the region.” Ten participating research centers presented reports and work plans.

Participants discussed how to strengthen links among wheat breeding, fast-track seed production, distribute new, improved varieties to farmers and work on conservation agriculture and participatory variety selection. Wheat breeders, pathologists, physiologists, agronomists and soil scientists attended the “Increasing the productivity of the wheat crop” meeting, which addressed project work plans and progress in breeding and agronomy.

Six Indian research centers reported on progress in evaluating more than 3,300 wheat lines screened last cycle for early sowing, as well as the 2013-14 work plan. The top 50 lines will be used to develop two trials in India: one for the northwestern plains and one for the central and peninsular zone, Joshi said. He also presented the highlights of the molecular research by Marion Roder, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Germany, and Susanne Dreisigacker, CIMMYT molecular breeder, in screening some 3,000 wheat lines for genes controlling vernalization and response to changes in day length.

CIMMYT Director General Thomas Lumpkin displays an agreement between CIMMYT and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) regarding office space at its headquarters in Nairobi. Lumpkin was accompanied by CIMMYT Regional Liaison Officer Wilfred Mwangi (left) and ICRAF Director of Finance and Operations Laksiri Abeysekera.

This blog was originally posted here by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).
By Caity Peterson (International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT))

1 + 2 definitely equals 3. No one needs to question elementary math.

But what happens if you try to add words? Does peanut + butter = peanut butter? Not really. Enter the terms separately in a web search engine, and you’ll get a different result than if you enter the two together. And genes? As it turns out, basic addition won’t work with them, either.

Research from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has elicited an unusual hiccup in breeding for stress tolerance in maize: drought tolerance + heat tolerance does not = drought and heat tolerance. That is to say, the genes responsible for tolerance to the combined stressors of heat and drought are not the same as the genes for tolerance to either of those stressors alone.

A maize plant that has been bred to tolerate high temperatures or drought, or even both, is distinct from a plant that has been bred to tolerate simultaneous exposure to both stressors – the latter has the “combo” trait, let’s say, while the others have the “solo” trait. Even if a variety features both of the solo traits, that doesn’t necessarily add up to the combo trait. This may seem like a small detail, but it means that when the combo drought/heat trait is not present a cultivar expressing drought tolerance could still experience markedly diminished yields when hit with a simultaneous blow of heat stress.

CIMMYT and CCAFS are now rolling out strategies to ensure that improved varieties are productive even when exposed to multiple, concurrent stressors.

Read the rest of the story here.