Open access (OA) publishing (providing access to full text free of charge) was recently presented in one of the kiosks during Science Week. The topic raised a number of questions and discussions mainly related to the availability of OA journals and the institutional support required. However publishing Open Access articles is not limited to scientific journals and is utilized by a number of CIMMYT colleagues. The library has just received an example of a book published in OA. Jiankang Wang from the CIMMYT Beijing office contributed a chapter on ‘Modelling and Simulation of Plant Breeding Strategies’ to the book PLANT BREEDING edited by Ibrokhim Y. Abdurakhmonov. The entire book can be downloaded from INTECH. Thank you Jiankang for championing Open Access. We strongly encourage more colleagues to use the same approach!

On 11 January 2011, CIMMYT welcomed a delegation of representatives from the Chinese embassy to Mexico. The Ambassador’s wife, Linge Liu, was accompanied by Wenling Ding, First Secretary of Education, and Yue Lan, Third Secretary of Science and Technology.

The delegation toured CIMMYT’s facilities including the Wheat Quality Laboratory, Applied Biotechnology Center, and the Wellhausen- Anderson Plant Genetic Resources Center. They met with Director General Thomas Lumpkin, who stressed CIMMYT’s vision and objective to develop stronger relations and promote South- South cooperation between India, China, and Mexico. “China and CIMMYT have a long history of bilateral relations. Today, China is becoming the strongest country in the world. China and CIMMYT must work very closely together as the future develops,” stated Lumpkin.

CIMMYT currently has five senior scientists based in China: Zhonghu He, Jiankang Wang, and Yunbi Xu are posted at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) in Beijing, Daniel Jeffers is based at the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Science, and Garry Rosewarne at the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Science.

For the first time this year, China became a net importer of maize, and it recently overtook rice as the country’s primary crop. Maize is currently produced on 30.2 million hectares in China compared to 29.5 for rice and 23.9 for wheat, and Lumpkin expressed concern over the current maize market and importexport trends. By 2015, China is expected to import 15 million metric tons of maize from the US alone. Both Mexico and China are current importers of maize, and may compete for maize in the future.

Zhonghu He, Country Liaison officer for China, also joined the meetings and highlighted CIMMYT’s strong training component to develop the next generation of Chinese agricultural science researchers. CIMMYT currently has a total of 16 Chinese Postdoc students pursuing specialized research in maize and wheat genetics, diseases, and breeding, and in addition to recruiting these specialized scientists, over half of China’s maize seed bank genetic resources are sourced from CIMMYT.

Since 2010, CIMMYT has been orchestrating the project “Strengthening the Plant Biotechnology Capacity for Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Kazakhstan”, in conjunction with the National Center for Biotechnology of the Republic of Kazakhstan, JSC “KazAgroInnovation” of the Ministry of Agriculture, and FAO. This initiative aims to improve breeding methods for the most important crops through the application of biotechnology and effective use of plant genetic resources, as well as identifying priorities and measures to develop these areas within Kazakhstani research institutions.

As part of the project, CIMMYT organized a training workshop on biosafety, regulations, biotechnology policy issues, plant genetic resources, and breeding, during 05-09 December 2011, in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The event was attended by scientists and experts from breeding organizations affiliated with JSC “KazAgroInnovation” and academic institutions of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan. Welcoming the participants, Muratbek Karabayev, CIMMYT-Kazakhstan, spoke of Kazakhstan’s potential to become a world-leading exporter of high-quality grain and crops, given its huge land resources, well-developed agricultural infrastructure, and scientific capacity. Izbassar Rahimbayev, Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology and Guy Riba, National Institute for Agricultural Research, France, then both highlighted the importance of biosafety and bioethics in the experiments and applications of genetic engineering. Riba informed participants about the large contribution of biotechnology to food security, and emphasized the role of well-established international collaborations in the development of agriculture. The legal aspects of labeling genetically modified products were elaborated on by Evgeniy Klimov, President of the Kazakhstan Foundation for Integration of Ecological Culture.

Edgar Klose, Maerkish Institute for Promotion of Technology and Innovation, Germany, lectured on the concept of sustainable development, with particular reference to reasonable economies, the environment, and social justice. He also briefed participants on the latest devices and technologies being used in Europe for plant breeding, crop production, and ecology. Representing the Quarantine Nursery of Cereal Crops, Kazakhstan Ministry of Agriculture, Amangeldy Sarbaev, reported on issues related to testing imported seed material, as well as the ongoing collaborations between CIMMYT and the Kazakh Research Institute of Farming and Crop Production. Shymbolat Rsaliev, Institute for Biological Safety Problems, Kazakhstan, also spoke of the necessary international approach, especially when considering plant pathogens such as the potential threat of the stem rust Ug99.

Nazira Bishimbaeva, Institute of Plant Biology and Technology, Kazakhstan, spoke of the possibilities of expanding the genetic basis of selection through biotechnological techniques, particularly stem cell engineering and somaclonal variation. She described the genotype-independent plant regeneration technology for wheat lines with valuable traits, which was developed at the Institute. Biotechnology methods are already being used at the International Potato Center (IPC), and were explained at the workshop by Carlos Carli, IPC Central Asian Liaison Officer. The participants were unanimous in concluding that the national agricultural and biological research systems in Kazakhstan should utilize plant genetic resources for the benefit of food production, as well as ensuring that research and commercial production integrates advanced approaches and technologies. This will increase the efficiency of the agricultural sector in maintaining improved national food security and agricultural export capacities.

In December 2011, Nigerian’s Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Bukar Tijani, pledged the support of the federal government for CIMMYT and the Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in producing and distributing drought resistance maize seeds in West African countries. The pledge was made at a workshop organized by the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project. Read the full story here.

Fieldroid is an application for collecting data on a Android device. Examples related to CIMMYT are: A field trial with plots, an experiment in a laboratory, or bags of seeds. You can either work with an ordered list such as the sequence of plots in the field or use barcodes to identify the item to be scored, the latter is e.g. relevant for bags of seed.

During 01-02 November 2011, agricultural science, extension, and development leaders, key researchers of South Asian national agricultural research and extension systems, and representatives from regional CGIAR centers, FAO, USAID, NGOs, and farmer associations, met in New Delhi, India, for a dialogue on conservation agriculture (CA) in South Asia. The meeting focused on conservation agricultural research for development (CAR4D) and greater impacts on small-holder farmers, and was organized jointly by the Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural research Institutions (APAARI), CIMMYT, and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Raj Paroda, Executive Secretary, APAARI, emphasized the dual challenges currently facing food security in South Asia, namely resource fatigue and decelerating productivity growth. These factors are being further exacerbated by rises in the costs of food and energy, depleting water resources, vulnerability of soil to degradation, and climate change. Producers’ profits are decreasing, making farming unattractive and unsustainable in the region. CA is seen as a key driver in the Millennium Development Goals to improve efficiency and sustainability through systembased management, optimization of crop yields, economic benefits, and environmental impacts. Whilst the pace of adoption of CA in the region has slowed in the past few years, it is hoped that meetings such as this can provide a common regional platform for stakeholders to share information and define priorities for the deployment of CA, develop common strategies for local problem resolution, facilitate the exchange of knowledge, products, and experiences, and map the future of CA in South Asia.

Other speakers at the event included AK Singh, Deputy Director General (Natural Resource Management), ICAR, Peter Kenmore, IPM Expert, FAO, Thomas Lumpkin, Director General, CIMMYT, and S. Ayyappan, Director General, ICAR. Ayyappan spoke of the successes achieved by the Rice-Wheat Consortium for the Indo-Gangetic Plains (RWC), including increasing the use of CA technologies in the region. He also highlighted the current importance being given to CA, through the National Initiative on Conservation Agriculture that will be launched by the Indian Government as part of its 12th five-year plan for special programs. Lumpkin reiterated these points, mentioning that CA will play an important role in most of the CRP’s (the CGIAR mega-programs for rice, maize, wheat, climate change, etc.).

CIMMYT’s Senior Cropping Systems Agronomist, ML Jat, presented the global overview of CA with several key recommendations, including the need to establish long-term basic and strategic research in different production systems, define appropriate CA technologies for different systems with improved access for farmers, and develop communication tools to better enable sharing of knowledge, experiences, and farmer innovations between all stakeholders.

Launched in 2010 by the National Center for Biotechnology of the Republic of Kazakhstan, JSC “KazAgroInnovation”, FAO, and CIMMYT, the “Strengthening the Plant Biotechnology Capacity for Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Kazakhstan” initiative gained further momentum when CIMMYT organized a training seminar on “Modern Plant Genetic Resources: Conservation, Characterization, and Use Methods” during 24-28 October 2011 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

In his welcome address, Muratbek Karabayev (CIMMYT-Kazakhstan) focused on the mobilization of genetic plant resources, and the role of biotechnology and breeding in the preservation and management of genetic resources, agriculture, and food production. Karabayev stressed that success can only be achieved through mutually beneficial cooperation between plant breeders and biotechnologists, and that partnerships should have a common purpose and trust between collaborators, with proper funding to assist research at the highest international standards.

Olga Mitrofanova, Head of the Wheat Genetic Resources Department, N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry (VIR), presented on the role of plant genetic resources in crop breeding, and the contribution of VIR to this science, such as the agroecological classification of cereals by sub- regions according to climatic conditions and varieties. This is particularly important in countries as large as Kazakhstan as regional factors need to be considered when drafting and implementing development strategies for biotechnology, plant genetic resources, and breeding.
Other speakers included Sergej Martynov, Key Researcher, VIR, and Elena Salina, Cytology and Genetics Institute, who delivered lectures on the genetic diversity and evolution of domestic and wild wheat species, and the various approaches of analyzing plant genetic resources.

Seminar participants agreed that the use of biotechnology in crop production should be assessed based on the breeding efficiency of new varieties. At the national level, activities should involve a wide range of stakeholders to efficiently preserve and use plant genetic resources in the long-term. The key priorities are that disease-free seeds should be preserved in-situ and ex-situ, with duplication in other seed banks, as well as appropriate regeneration and replenishment of collections. The contents of collections should be properly characterized and documented by well-qualified staff. Communication with other collections is also vital for identifying and obtaining new seed sources, and for subsequent distribution and utilization of germplasm.

As mentioned in the Informa issue 1767, many Kazakhstani scientists also feel it is necessary to establish a National Bank of Genetics Resources in Kazakhstan, and to develop a National Strategy on the conservation of plant genetic resources and their use in food and agriculture.

Training is a key CIMMYT activity, and in the CIMMYT-Colombia office it has been essential for all staff. During 08-11 November 2011, CIMMYT colleagues and partners took part in a course on analysis and interpretation of experiments, and genetic designs applied to breeding.

The course was attended by 75 plant breeders, biometricians, and molecular biologists, from a range of institutions such as Colombian and Ecuadorian research centers (CENICAÑA, CENIPALMA, CENICAFE, INIAP), guilds and private seed companies (FENALCE, FEDEARROZ, FEDEPALMA, Dow Agrosciences, Monsanto, Semillas Valle), Colombian universities, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and CIMMYT. From the CIMMYT biometrics and statistics unit, consultant and University of Chapingo professor Mateo Vargas and researcher Gregorio Alvarado taught how to develop theoretical concepts of experimental designs and demonstrated the use of SAS, Genstat, ASREML, and R to analyze experiments.

Participants praised the course and requested similar courses and training events in the future. The course was organized by CIMMYT maize breeder Luis Narro and CIAT biometrician Myriam Cristina Duque, with funding from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Colombia, as part of a collaborative project with the Colombian Corporation of Agriculture and Livestock Research (CORPOICA) and the Colombian National Federation of Cereals and Legume Growers (FENALCE).

CIMMYT-Colombia also fosters the professional development of support staff, through CIAT’s employees program. The CIAT fund for human resource development covers as much as half of employees’ training expenses, and they can pursue studies as long as they are able to keep up with their work. Thesis students also have time for research.

CIMMYT-Colombia wishes to recognize the efforts of Joel Bolaños, field worker, who has finished his elementary and secondary studies, and will soon start high school education. Néstor Romero, systems engineer, and Claudio Romero, business administrator, have graduated and will now study agronomy. Alba Lucía Arcos, research assistant, received an MSc in plant genetic breeding, and is now working on a PhD. Luz Karime Gómez, former administrative assistant, received an MSc and has since gone to study for a PhD in international relations in Spain.

On 23 November 2011 CIMMYT-El Batán welcomed six hybrid wheat researchers from China. Changping Zhao, Yiqiang Ge, Mingshan You, Mujun Yang, Shengrong Li, and Shengquan Zhang came to discuss the advances of wheat photoperiod and thermo-sensitive male sterility (PTMS) systems in China. In the last 20 years, approximately 5000 different PTMS lines have been bred, with BS and C49S now being successfully used in hybrid wheat breeding. Seven PTMS hybrid wheat cultivars have been approved by national or provincial governments, with 500 tons of seed now being produced on 700 ha. Progress is also being made on hybrid seed production, and it is now possible to obtain 3.75 tons/ha. The discussion was hosted by Hans Braun, Director, Global Wheat Program, and attended by CIMMYT scientists and eight Chinese visiting scientists.

M.T. Vinayan has been working with P.H. Zaidi at CIMMYT-Asia, Hyderabad, and was recently awarded the 2011 gold medal for the ‘Best PhD student in Plant Breeding and Genetics’ from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), India. During the ceremony on 23 November 2011, Vinayan was also presented with the ‘Dr. R. Appadurai, Dr. R Rathinasamy, and Dr. S. Kannaiyan Award’ by the Governor of Tamil Nadu, K. Rosaiah. Vinayan conducted his thesis on “Genetic architecture of spotted stem borer resistance in sorghum as inferred from QTL mapping and synteny with the maize genome” under the guidance of C.T. Hash (Principal Scientist, ICRISAT) and K. Mohanasundaram (TNAU).

At the 11th Asian Maize Conference, Jewel Jameeta Noor, a CSISA PhD student, won a ‘Best Paper’ award for her submission on “Morpho-physiological traits associated with heat stress tolerance in tropical maize (Zea mays L.), co-authored by P.H. Zaidi, Shahid Umar, M.T. Vinayan, and Pooja Devi. Noor is currently studying at Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, under P.H. Zaidi, Senior Maize Physiologist, Global Maize Program, CIMMYT.

Congratulations to everyone involved for all their efforts!

On 02 December 2011, the CGIAR celebrated its 40th anniversary. To commemorate this event, they are publishing stories illustrating the work of each of the CGIAR centers. Today was the turn of CIMMYT; go to the CGIAR website to read about how Felista Mateo is working with CIMMYT and the Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Cropping Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) project to plant new varieties of maize and pigeon pea using conservation agriculture techniques, thus increasing her yields and making her farming practices more sustainable.

“Cooperation between the public and private sectors will be crucial to achieve the objectives of the International Maize Improvement Consortium for Latin America (IMIC-LA),” said Marc Rojas, IMIC-LA Leader. As one part of CIMMYT’s MasAgro initiative, IMIC aims to increase maize yields by 85 percent over the next 10 years, through the adoption of improved varieties by farmers, sustainable farming practices, and enhanced efficiency across the entire maize value chain.

During 23-25 November 2011, 36 representatives of seed companies and organizations met to discuss the potential contributions of private seed companies to IMIC-LA, and to learn how they can benefit from participating in MasAgro. The representatives came from many different areas of Mexico, and from organizations of varying sizes. “Through collaboration in the consortium, these small companies can become collectively competitive,” said Rojas, “this is vital if we are to achieve IMIC’s target of increasing the average maize production of Mexico’s rain fed areas from 2.2 tons/hectare to 3.7 tons/hectare,” he added.

The first two days of the workshop provided an opportunity for capacity building, specific to seed businesses. John MacRobert, CIMMYT Seed Systems Specialist, gave an overview of IMIC’s activities in Africa and Asia, and introduced the main aspects of the value chain of a seed business. Open communication allowed the group to identify many similarities between Africa and Latin America, and how lessons learnt within other projects could be applied to operations in Latin America. MacRobert also helped participants to pinpoint potential weaknesses in their businesses, and how these could be addressed. “Good seed must come with good planning,” said MacRobert, emphasizing that planning is key, particularly in anticipating the requirement for parent seed, and in ensuring budgeting prevents bottlenecks. Other factors to ensure success, such as production research and quality assurance, were reviewed by Manuel Velázquez, a Mexican seed sector specialist.

The many advantages that IMIC can provide to seed companies were highlighted during the meeting: diverse training, supply of pre-basic seed of identified final products, and collaborative evaluation networks. In return, participants are expected to provide input for market analyses and testing sites and products for the evaluation networks, as well as to produce and market high-quality seed. Ángelo Vera Gómez from the Federation of Maize Producers for the State of Mexico said that he sees MasAgro as a turning point: “It’s what we as producers have been waiting for; we would like that farmers’ experience can be combined with research, to take advantage of both aspects,” he said.

The third day of the workshop welcomed representatives from Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) and the National Service for Seed Inspection and Certification (SNICS). Rojas stressed to participants that whilst IMIC does not provide funding for seed companies, once within the MasAgro program, it becomes easier for them to gain financial support from other government programs. Participants used this final day to plan work activities for the coming year and create a collaboration agreement; by the end of November, around 90 percent of participants are expected to have signed up to the consortium.

The second “Wheat Improvement and Pathology” course took place during 16-29 November 2011 in Nepal. Organized by Arun Joshi, CIMMYT Regional Wheat Breeder, in conjunction with the Nepal Agriculture Research Council (NARC) and the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), the course welcomed 22 early- and mid-career wheat breeders and pathologists from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, and Afghanistan.

The importance of a multidisciplinary approach to wheat improvement was emphasized through lectures on modern breeding methods and approaches, genetic diversity, wheat pathology, experimental design and statistical analysis, hybrid wheat, biotechnology, bioinformatics, wheat quality, breeding for physiological traits, conservation agriculture, participatory variety selection (PVS), and data sources and knowledge management for wheat scientists.

Dinesh Pariyar, NARC Executive Director, opened the program and spoke of the emerging challenges for wheat breeding in South Asia and the potential to build capacity under the CSISA project by bringing together early-career field scientists from different nations. Ravi Singh, CIMMYT Wheat Breeder, then gave introductory sessions on “Breeding wheat for current and future needs of South Asia” and “Breeding for durable resistance to rust diseases of wheat”, elaborating on the wheat breeding tools and technologies that will enable the development of drought- and heat-tolerant wheat varieties whilst retaining quality and yield potential.

Participants also visited the NARC research station in Khumaltar, Lalitpur, the regional agricultural research station in Lumle, and PVS villages, to engage in discussions with the various stakeholders and undertake practical sessions in field experimentation and sowing. The participants were also shown the tools and techniques for creating artificial epiphytotic rusts and spot blotch.

The diverse range of participants were able to share their experiences and the highlights of their work. Four women scientists were included in the group, and Sabina, who travelled outside of Pakistan for the first time for this course, hopes that her visit “will show the way forward to other women scientists of Pakistan.” Joshi echoed this sentiment, saying: “Our endeavor is to work together in South Asian countries and to produce an environment capable of supporting the needs of talented future scientists and wheat researchers. Future generations of scientists need to keep pace with new science and this course provides them with the most recent knowledge, tools, and methodologies to meet the challenges of the future.”

Overall, the course improved the participants’ understanding on new tools and techniques for wheat breeding, pathology, and their related subjects. It also sparked interest in further collaborations between farmers, scientists and development agencies. Resource personnel for the course included CIMMYT’s Medha Devare, Andrew McDonald, and Bharat Adhikary; NARC’s B.N. Mahto, M.R. Bhatta, D.B. Thapa, and Sarala Sharma; P.K. Gupta, S.M.S. Tomar, Ratan Tiwari, V. Tiwari, C.P. Srivastava, Ramesh Chand, G.C. Mishra, and R.P. Singh from India; and KD Joshi (CARIAD, UK). Special thanks also to the staff of NARC for providing a great venue and logistical support, and to Surath Pradhan for administering the course.

As part of the Cereal System Initiative in South Asia expansion in Bangladesh (CSISA-BD), 21 agricultural field staff and extension personnel from CIMMYT and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) undertook training on improved upland cereal and legume production systems during 01-02 November 2011 in Dhaka.

Focusing on adaptation to conservation agriculture/based cropping, participants received advanced training on elite wheat and maize varieties, quality seed production, fertility, and integrated pest and weed management practices. A key purpose of the training was to prepare staff to support farmers in the upcoming Rabi planting season in Bangladesh. Additional courses were given on the integration of legumes and high-value vegetable production in cereal-based farming systems.

This short course was jointly organized with the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), and will provide a foundation for the intensive, practical field training to be conducted with farmers throughout Bangladesh in early 2012. TP Tiwari, Timothy Krupnik, Dinabandhu Pandit, Elahi Baksh, and BARI’s B. R. Banik, Shahabuddin Ahmed, M. Amiruzzaman, and M. Omar Ali facilitated the training. A.K. M. Salah Uddin (CIMMYT) provided organizational assistance and support.