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Trainees become the trainers

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In early March 2010, CIMMYT gathered 33 farmers and agricultural leaders for a course on science and technology transfer. Less than two months later, several of the participants have already embraced their role as technology disseminators. Between 28 April and 14 May, information from the original March course, held in Toluca, trickled down to 118 additional farmers through 6 different training events. The training activities took place in different locations with different strategies, but had a single purpose: to take theoretical and practical knowledge to Mexican wheat producers.

Much of the training was spearheaded by the technical staff of AGROCIME, a private agricultural service provider that specializes in technical assistance, credit management, and agricultural promotion. Based in the central Mexican state of Zacatecas, AGROCIME members, who had attended the Toluca training, hosted five events throughout the state. The days included training on soil analysis, estimating proper fertilizer doses, identifying crop plagues and diseases, weed control, and sprinkler calibration. Also, another service team from Rinconcito Norteño with offices in Río Grande, which had also been trained in Toluca, joined the training team.

The sixth event was organized by the State Committee of the Wheat Production System (Comité Estatal del Sistema Producto Trigo Zacatecas, CESPTZAC) on 14 May. Its 10 participants consisted of large-scale wheat producers, representatives of wheat producer organizations, and other wheat officers. The event was held jointly with the Zacatecas State Council of Wheat Producers, and was attended by its president (standing back left). The event was combined with the opening of new CESPTZAC offices and the introduction of the 2010 state governing plan for wheat production in Zacatecas. The meeting was led by Jorge A. Acevedo, president of CESPTZAC, who attended CIMMYT’s course in Toluca. Acevedo continued to work with Fernando Delgado, Toluca station superintendent, for several weeks after the course to learn more about tractor operation, land preparation, and crop practices. In addition to these topics, the event also included a plan to establish demonstration plots for bed planting. This multi-organization collaboration ensures that CIMMYTprovided information will be widely disseminated, which is one of the important agreements between the center and SAGARPA.

CIMMYT’s Pedro Aquino, principal researcher, and Federico Carrión, database administrator for the Socieconomics Program, attended four of the six courses. In addition to being introduced to wheat farmers and producers, they conducted surveys that will enable them to analyze the current status of wheat in Zacatecas.

Congratulations and thanks to the staff of AGROCIME Consultores, Rinconcito Norteño, Zacatecas State Committee of the Wheat Production System, and the Zacatecas State Council of Wheat Producers for all their hard work this month!

Day 2 of the 2010 technical workshop of Borlaug Global Rust Initiative in St. Petersburg

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Second day of the 2010 Technical workshop started with Session 4 on ‘Molecular Studies of Rust Pathogens chaired by Solomon Assefa (DG of Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research):

  • Sophien Kamoun (The Sanisbury Laboratory, John Innes Center, UK) focused on Exploiting Pathogen Effectors in Breeding and Deployment of Disease Resistance (N/A)
  • ‘How sweet is Parasitic Life?’ asked Ralf Voegele (Hohenheim University, Germany) in his presentation describing nutrient uptake in rust fungi
  • One of few women scientists in the workshop, Cristina Cuomo (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, USA), presented Comparative Genomics of Rust Fungi

To the session 5 on ‘Pathogen Evolution’ chaired by M. Yaqub Mujahid (National Agricultural Research Center, Pakistan) included:

4655266659_925d84290e_bDuring the special luncheon ‘Jeanie Borlaug Laube’s Women in Triticum Award’ was presented to the first 5 awardees – Hale Ann Tufan (Turkey); Jemanesh Kifetew Haile (Ethiopia); Esraa Alwan (ICARDA), Jessica Rutkoski (USA) and Maricelis Acevedo (USA), followed by special presentation by Eija Pehu (The World Bank) on ‘Gender equity in agricultural research and extension’

Thomas Lumpkin (DG of CIMMYT, Mexico) chaired the session 6 focused on ‘Advancing Rust Resistance Breeding: Germplasm and Tools’:

IMG_2048-arrangedThe last session (7) was panel discussion on ‘Delivering  Rust Resistant Wheat to Farmers’ chaired by Arun Joshi (CIMMYT, Nepal). Panelists included Peter Njau (KARI, Kenya), Girma Bedada (EIAR, Ethiopia), Mahmood Osmanzai (CIMMYT, Afghanistan) and M. Azab (ARC, Egypt).

The 2010 BGRI technical workshop was closed by pithy and acerbic summarizing presentation of Bob McIntosh (PBI, Uni of Sydney, Australia)

Live from 2010 technical workshop of Borlaug Global Rust Initiative in St. Petersburg

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IMG_1962smallMore than 600 wheat breeders, pathologists and representatives of national agricultural research institutions arrived in St. Petersburg to discuss rusts affecting wheat production globally. After introductory remarks byJeanie Borlaug Laube (BGRI chair), Ronnie Coffman (BGRI vice-chair), and Dr. Swapan Datta, DDG (CS) of ICAR, day started with session on ‘World of Rust: Global perspectives’:

Afternoon session was focused on ‘Global Climate change: Projected Impacts on Rust Epidemiology’:
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The day ended by discussion moderated by Kathie Kahn on ‘Management of Major Genes and Minor Genes’ (recording of the presentations and discussions will be available on http://www.globalrust.org) in week or two.

CIMMYT stories from Colombia

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Varieties of QPM released
Two new quality protein maize (QPM) varieties, designed to thrive in the tropical lowland coffee production zones of southwest Colombia, were released on 14 April 2010. CIMMYT-Mexico developed these two varieties—yellow maize FNC 31AC and white maize FNC 32AC—and the Fundación para la Investigación y Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDAR) evaluated them, under the supervision of Luis Narro of CIMMYT-Colombia. More than 150 people attended the launch event, held at the fields of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Palmira, a city in the Cauca Valley, Colombia.

The two varieties yield five tons per hectare, similar to normal maize, but have more tryptophan (0.08% compared to 0.05% of normal maize). Tryptophan is one of two amino acids required for protein synthesis in humans and swine livestock. The release of these QPM varieties is part of the Agrosalud Project, which aims to develop and disseminate biofortified crops, including maize, bean, rice, and sweet potato, and was the result of collaboration with CIMMYT, CIAT, and FIDAR. The National Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers (FENALCE) will take charge of seed production and distribution.

Visits and collaborations at CIMMYT-Colombia
The Global Maize Program’s new director, B.M. Prasanna, continues his travels to CIMMYT’s extensive and wide-spread maize offices. His most recent stop was to CIMMYT-Colombia where from 26-28 April he met with CIMMYTColombia staff and coordinated collaborative activities between CIMMYT and CIAT for Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Included among other activities was a visit to one of the research stations of the Federación de Cafeteros de Colombia. The experimental station, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones de Café (CENICAFE) La Catalina, is a key area for maize-coffee trails. The director of the station, Carlos Gonzalo Mejía, showed Prasanna (accompanied by Félix San Vicente, maize breeder, and Reymunda Labuguen, program administrator) the fields where since 2002 CIMMYT has collaborated with FEDERECAFE (the National Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers) and FENALCE to sow maize among coffee trees. FENALCE researcher Argemiro Moreno highlighted the benefits of this crop combination, pointing out that maize yields in coffee production zones are high. This year, for example, experimental maize fields at La Catalina yielded 18 tons per hectare.

Agronomic management was another topic of conversation. FENALCE researcher Argemiro Moreno showed staff how to use GreenSeeker, a tool that allows farmers to apply the proper amount of nitrogen to their fields, which he learned about during a recent visit to CIMMYT’s Norman E. Borlaug Experimental Station, in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico.

Later, a meeting with Rubén Echeverría, director general of CIAT, led to the conclusion that CIMMYT and CIAT can and should increase collaboration for key areas in Latin America. Highlighted initiatives included 1) improving efficiency in the maize-bean-cattle production systems, 2) efficient utilization of new tools and methods to improve and expedite plant breeding and selection, 3) evaluation and promotion of precision agriculture technologies, and 4) capacity building with students and farmers for faster, effective technology adoption.

To follow-up on these identified issues, the visitor group toured CIAT facilities and met with some of the researchers involved in the emphasized areas, including Michael Peters, tropical forages program leader, Idupulapati M. Rao, physiology and plant nutrition, and Steve Beebe, bean breeder.

Fieldbook course
Two CIMMYT-Colombia team members led a course on Fieldbook during 13-14 May 2010. The course attracted 10 participants, including representatives from two local seed companies, Semivalle and Sem-Latam S.A, and agronomy students from the Corporación Universitaria Santa Rosa de Cabal, Risaralda, Colombia.

Yacenia Morillo, head of Semivalle’s basic research, said that Semivalle will embrace this new knowledge and software, and thanked course organizers Néstor Romero and Alba Lucía for their hard work. Counting this event, CIMMYT has now trained nearly 100 Latin American researchers from public and private organizations in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Young Mexican scientist to present work at global conference in St. Petersburg

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Several CIMMYT wheat scientists are packing their bags for St. Petersburg, Russia, where over 600 participants will gather for the 8th International Wheat Conference, running from 29 May to 04 June, and for the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative Technical Workshop on 30-31 May. Among them will be Nayelli Hernández Espinosa, a young Mexican research assistant with the GWP’s Wheat Quality Lab who joined CIMMYT in 2006.

http___intranet.cimmyt2Hernández previously studied agro-industry engineering at the University of Chapingo, Mexico, and she now uses her skills to foil the wheat stem rust Ug99. She has been analyzing biochemical, chemical, and rheological characteristics of specific CIMMYT wheat lines (previously believed to be of little use) to determine which ones have both Ug99 resistance and the quality types that correlate with wheat uses in South Asia. Selected lines will be sent to Asia, where they will be evaluated for yield potential and regional adoption. This work impressed the Monsanto Fund, which is funding Hernández´s trip to St. Petersburg to present her studies and findings.

Combining Ug99 resistance with the resistance with the diverse traits that affect yield and quality is interesting work, Hernández said, but added that it has been, and continues to be, a team effort. She thanks her colleagues in the Wheat Quality Lab for their assistance, and Roberto Javier Peña, wheat quality expert and laboratory head, for his guidance.

Maize-legume project launched in southern Africa

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During 11-15 May 2010, CIMMYT scientists from the Conservation Agriculture, Socioeconomics, and Maize programs met with SIMLESA partners in Malawi and Mozambique, coinciding with each country’s official SIMLESA launch. SIMLESA (Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Cropping Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa) is new four-year project to improve farm-level food security and productivity in eastern and southern Africa. The project is a collaboration of international and national agricultural research programs, led by CIMMYT, funded by the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and implemented in collaboration with national partners.

On 12 May in Malawi, the Principal Secretary of Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Andrew Daudi, announced the beginning of SIMLESA-Malawi. Daudi expressed his gratitude to the Australian Government and ACIAR for their generous financial assistance to SIMLESA, and to CIMMYT and its partners for developing the program document and preparing for the start of field activities.

Two days later, the Governor of Mozambique’s Manica Province, Ana Comuane, officially launched SIMELESA-Mozambique on 14 May in Chimoio, the province’s capital city and where the national maize research program is based. The Governor congratulated all those who assisted with the project’s development and encouraged SIMLESA partners to maintain the partnerships and collaborations fostered by the project, which will help meet the goal of increased productivity. She also extended her gratitude to ACIAR and the Australian government for their financial assistance.

SIMLESA project leader Mulugetta Mekuria, along with CIMMYT and ICRISAT scientists Bekele Shiferaw, Patrick Wall, Mosses Siambi, and Emmanuel Monyo presented project specific objectives and facilitated the subsequent discussions. National agricultural research institutes and private sector partners also outlined the current status and challenges of research in their respective organizations. In both Malawi and Mozambique, partners indicated their commitment to the implementation of the planned project activities. TV and press media in Malawi and Mozambique extensively covered the launch and inception meetings, and related government officials, SIMLESA project leaders, and national coordinators gave interviews.

Training on conservation agriculture in Bangladesh

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185Over 60 researchers, field technicians, farmers, machinery manufacturers, service providers, and extension workers attended two recent conservation agriculture (CA) training events in Bangladesh. The first event was held at the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) station in Comilla on 28-29 April, followed by an event at the Wheat Research Centre of BARI in Dinajpur on 04-05 May. The events focused on machinery operation and maintenance, as well as the agronomy of dry direct-seeded rice (DSR). Both were part of joint CIMMYT-IRRI efforts to promote sustainable ricemaize systems in collaboration with several national Bangladesh partners.

At both locations, participants learned about the power tiller operated seeder (PTOS) and the bed former/planter attached with the Chinese-made two-wheel tractor. This equipment is promoted by the project for the rapid establishment of maize, rice, and other crops under CA-based tillage systems such as zero tillage, reduced or minimum tillage, and raised beds. Participants also learned various methods to calibrate seed rates for DSR and decided that fluted roller metering devices with 8 or 16 grooves are the best currently available option for sowing DSR. They also learned basic agronomy for DSR and unpuddled transplanted rice, both of which require the use of the demonstrated machinery.

Temporary-Internet-Files“Machinery operation and maintenance is vital for rapid dissemination of CA-based technologies,” said Jagadish Timsina, IRRI-CIMMYT senior cropping system agronomist. He added that this ACIAR-funded ricemaize project has been adapting and evaluating the PTOS and the bed former/planter at project sites, and has been refining these machines for their use in different soils with the help of agriculture engineers from the national agriculture research intuitions involved in the project. The project has given special emphasis to training and capacity building for machine use and has already trained more than 120 people from government and non-governmental organizations, as well as farmers, service providers, machinery manufacturers, and extension workers since it started in November 2008.

Thanks to those who assisted with and attended these two events, including Israil Hossain and M. Wohab, principal scientific officers and agriculture engineers from BARI who helped in Dinajpur; M. Wohab and A. Rahman, principal scientific officers and agriculture engineers from BRRI who helped in Comilla; T. P. Tiwari, CIMMYT cropping system agronomist and the coordinator of the USAID Famine project; and Timsina.

Ug99 resistant wheat variety promotion continues in Nepal

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On 29 April a wheat participatory variety selection (PVS) day in Nepal attracted 50 farmers interested in preventing yield loss due to rusts and other diseases; learning about quality seed production; and raising wheat production and profitability. The event was organized by the Plant Pathology Division of the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), the National Agricultural Research and Development Fund (NARDF), Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, and CIMMYT. The objectives of the day were to 1) generate awareness among farmers for new agronomically superior Ug99 resistant varieties, and 2) involve farmers in the participatory selection of varieties and the planning for the next crop cycle seed dissemination.

The event took place in the village Dhandi in Kathmandu, where there are two mother-baby trials of eight wheat varieties, including newly CIMMYT-developed Ug99 resistant varieties, and the local check WK1204. Sarala Sharma, NARC wheat pathologist and project leader, opened the event with an explanation of the importance of new resistant varieties, especially with the emergence of new rust virulence, such as that of stem rust Ug99. Then, a team of scientists from NARC, CIMMYT, and state extension department officials took farmers around the wheat plots and introduced each variety to the group, detailing the characteristics, qualities, and differences between each one. All the attendees had received an information sheet that included varietal information such as maturity duration, yield potential, and resistance to diseases, and many of the farmer carried these around throughout the presentation to make additional notes.

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Following the introduction of the varieties, NARC scientists M.R. Bhatta and D.B. Thapa explained the steps involved in participatory selection and farmers were divided into two groups and asked to score wheat varieties in the mother trial according to their own preference. The variety Danphe emerged as the favorite, followed by BL2879 and Francolin. Overall, greater amounts of grain and straw yield, absence of diseases, maturity duration, and grain physical quality were given high preference by farmers.

All farmers expressed a deep interest in growing new varieties in the next crop cycle and said that they expect around a 10% higher yield from the selected varieties compared to the local check WK1204. Several participants wanted to know how long the seed can be maintained without any loss in its characteristics, so CIMMYT wheat breeder Arun Joshi explained the general principles of quality seed production and NARC entomologist S.B. Pradhan explained the principles of safer seed storage.

“I never thought that a variety could be maintained for many years if certain preventive measures were taken to avoid seed mixing,” said Rekha, one of the numerous female farmer attendees. Roughly 90% of event participants were female, and community-based organization of female farmers that work with seed production made up part of the participants.

Overall, the PVS day helped with selection of farmer-identified preferred varieties; improved farmer understanding of the importance of resistant varieties and seed dissemination; the planning new variety promotion for the next crop cycle; and increased interested for further collaboration between farmers, scientists, and development agencies. Similar programs were also organized in 10 other locations in Nepal, some of them in remote areas.

Welcome to new Consortium Board members

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Consortium-Board-membersTwo members of the new CGIAR Consortium Board, Lynn Haight and Carl Hausmann, visited El Batán during 06-07 May 2010 to meet CIMMYT staff and learn more about the center’s work and culture. Accompanied by CIMMYT Board Chair Julio Berdegué, they toured the facilities and attended general presentations on CIMMYT and on the center’s recently submitted proposals for CG mega programs on maize and wheat. Both said they were happy to visit CIMMYT and impressed with the mega programs.

“Knowing the quality of the personnel on the front line makes me doubly pleased to be a new member of the Board and to be involved in this crucial mission for mankind,” said Hausmann. “I liked the way the (mega) programs were positioned to respond to the global need to raise productivity in a more sustainable way, given the environmental and climate constraints the world faces.”

Haight expressed her enthusiasm for the rigor and passion she encountered, and said that science would be at the center of the new Consortium. “The CG system cannot be fully appreciated without involvement with the scientists and in the centers; and all of us outside the centers should never forget that.”

Formerly, Haight was the Chair of Forester Holdings Europe, an insurance company, and is director/chief operating and finance officer of Foresters US. She also served until recently as Board of Trustees Chair for the World Agroforestry Centre. Hausmann has more than 30 years of experience in the agriculture processing sector, having worked in Africa, South America, Europe, and North America. He is transitioning into a new role as managing director for global government and corporate affairs at Bunge North America. Welcome, Lynn and Carl!

First international wheat blast meeting held in Brazil

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Wheat blast or ‘brusone’ is a new wheat disease caused by M. oryzae (Pyricularia oryzae). It is responsible for 5-100% of wheat yield loss in regions of South America, and has the potential to spread. To address this and other issues, a workshop titled “Wheat blast: A potential threat to global wheat production” was held in Passo Fundo, Brazil, during 03-05 May 2010, followed by a field visit to the Brasilia region. It was organized by Embrapa Wheat, Embrapa Cerrados, and CIMMYT, and attended by representatives from 11 countries.

Wheat blast was identified for the first time in 1985 in the State of Parana in southern Brazil, from where it quickly spread to neighboring countries. Four years later, it caused serious damage (40-100%) in the wheat fields of Paraguay. In the lowlands of Bolivia, it was responsible for a loss of 90,000 hectares of wheat between 1997 and 2000. In 2007, the disease was seen in summer-sown experimental wheat trials in Chaco, Argentina, and although researchers in Uruguay have not observed the disease in wheat, they have found the fungus on barley. A 2009 outbreak cut Brazilian wheat production by up to 30%.

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Of great concern is that chemical control of wheat blast may not be working. “There are places where farmers are using four fungicide applications with no results, which suggests the current chemicals are not effective against the fungus, or are not properly applied,” says Etienne Duveiller, wheat pathologist and associate director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program. “To date, there is a lack of cultivars resistant to wheat blast, and only limited tolerance can be found.”

Climate change is adding to the problem. “A more hot and humid climate favors fungal diseases such as wheat blast, which needs high temperatures of about 24- 28°C and long periods of rain to occur,” explains researcher Gisele Torres of Embrapa Wheat. CIMMYT’s Duviller echoes these concerns: “Changes in rainfall may create environmental conditions favorable to wheat blast in other parts of the world such as South Asia or Africa. This was the main reason for inviting researchers from different wheat-producing countries in several continents to discuss wheat blast in Brazil.”

The most important diseases that affect wheat production worldwide are leaf rust (5 million ha), tan spot (4.5 million ha), and fusarium (4 million ha). “So far, new diseases like wheat blast in South America has been limited to a few countries,” says Man Mohan Kohli, ex-CIMMYT researcher once posted in South America. “Similarly the distribution of the stem rust Ug99 in Africa has been limited, but has been the object of studies by several research institutes around the world.” Efforts to improve wheat resistance to Ug99 and to reduce the risk of its spread to other countries show how international collaborative research and investment facilitates scientific response to new virulent pathotypes, or races of pathogens, that could become potentially devastating.

Researchers from the following institutions participated in the workshop, which was supported by EMBRAPA and BMZ (Germany): Göttingen University (Germany), Kansas State University (United States), CIRAD (France), CIAT (Bolivia), INTA (Argentina), INIA (Uruguay), CIMMYT (Mexico), USDA/ARS (United States), MAG/ DIA (Paraguay), and Wageningen University (Netherlands), as well as Brazil Embrapa Cerrados, Embrapa Wheat, Labex Europa, OR, BIOTRIGO, COODETEC, FUNDACEP, UPF, UNESP, and Fapa/Agrária.

Virtual posters

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The American Society of Agronomy (ASA), the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and the Soil Science Society (SSSA) are offering presenters a new way to share their work. Starting 04 May 2010, these organizations will accept virtual poster submissions from those who are unable to physically attend meetings and events.

A virtual poster is a PDF file of the presentation that is submitted electronically and presented live over the internet. This submission option is available to anyone residing in and a citizen of a country outside of the USA, Mexico, or Canada.

The first event that will accept virtual posters will be the 2010 International Annual Meetings for ASA, CSSA, and SSSA. The meetings will be held in Long Beach, California, from 31 October to 04 November and will include more than 2,800 attendees. For more information, visit www.acsmeetings.org.

CA efforts continue to grow in the Pacific Zone of Mexico

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Two recent conservation agriculture (CA) events in Sonora, Mexico, attracted more than 20 farmers and technicians, and marked the beginning of a new CA technician certification course.

On April 13, the day of the first event, experienced CA farmers shared their knowledge with other farmers who were considering CA adoption. “If you are a good farmer, if you are innovative, you’re not to going to have problems with CA,” said Mayo Félix, who has extensive experience farming with CA. “You have CIMMYT’s support and ours.”

http___intranet.cimmytCIMMYT CA experts Jesús Mendoza and Dagoberto Flores led the event, which was the second of what will be a series of monthly CA meeting for local farmers in the Mexican Pacific zone who collaborate with CIMMYT and host CA modules in their land. The expectation is that the meetings will be a venue for farmers to exchange ideas and suggestion to improve their practices. “Conservation agriculture is good and has many advantages,” said farmer Héctor Aguilar, “but we, as farmers, must keep up-to-date on CA.”

Since training and knowledge is key to successful CA adoption, CIMMYT’s Conservation Agriculture Program designed a CA technician certification course. The first part of this one-year certification course took place on 22 April at the Norman E. Borlaug Experiment Station (CENEB) in Sonora. The day focused on the primary steps for summer crops—such as sorghum and maize—and included topics such as good residue management, proper fertilization, irrigation, weed control, and how to remake beds. Course leaders used a CIMMYT designed multiuse-multipurpose machine to demonstrate these steps; the same machine is used by several farmer unions, such as USPRUSS, UCHC, UCAC, and UCAY, whose representatives were among the certification course attendees.

Bram Govaerts, leader of CA efforts in Mexico, said that at the end of the one-year course participants will take a hands-on exam in a CA plot and will be required to establish two CA modules with their farmer-clients. Those who successfully fulfill these requirements will become CA certified technicians and will have access to CIMMYT facilities, including the long-term plots, which they will be able to use as a training platform.

Attendees agreed that the day was very helpful, especially the machinery demonstrations. The course was coordinated by CIMMYT with assistance from the Mexican National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture, and Livestock (INIFAP), Mexico’s national wheat marketer’s organization (CONATRIGO), the Patronato for Research and Agricultural Experimentation of the State of Sonora (PIEAES), and the Association of Agriculture Organizations of Southern Sonora ( AOASS), and with support from Fundación Produce Sonora.

Special thanks to CA team members for their help with the events: Jesús Mendoza, Nele Verhulst, Manuel Ruiz, Jesús Gutiérrez, Beatriz Martínez, Juan de Dios Sánchez, Álvaro Cermeño, Luz Paola López, Zita Gallardo, and CENEB superintendent Rodrigo Rascón.

Determining maize’s nutritional and industrial quality

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In addition to being part of the basic diet for millions of people, maize plays a role in many other food products and has a diverse array of non-consumption uses, such as for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and biofuels. To identify what grain is suitable for what purpose requires a series of lab tests and analyses. A similar process is used to identify maize with certain nutritional benefits, such as high levels of pro-vitamin A.

As part of a collaborative research agreement between the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture and CIMMYT, a workshop titled “Nutritional and industrial quality of maize” was held at El Batán during 19-24 April. More than 20 experts in breeding, biochemistry, and food technology and physiology from nine Mexican public and private institutions attended the workshop.

During the workshop participants practiced methodologies used in CIMMYT’s lab to analyze the physical and chemical properties (such as protein, starch, carotenes, lysine, tryptophan, grain hardness, and color) that determine the industrial and nutritional quality of maize grain. The group also spent two day working in labs operated by the Mexican National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research (INIFAP) in the State of Mexico. Under the guidance of INIFAP researcher Gricelda Vásquez, course participants set quality parameters for nixtamal—maize cooked with lime—and tortilla during interactive hands-on sessions.

The workshop introduced participants to new methodologies that will help them meet the demand for germplasm characterization, and it will help ensure the conservation and effective use of germplasm. Because learning is more effective through practice and applicability—which is how this course was structured—participants said that they would enjoy attending more workshops like this one. “All the methodologies we practiced this week will be helpful in strengthening our laboratory and will help ensure the characterization of native materials from collections of our germplasm bank,” said Ángel Jiménez Cordero from the University of Guadalajara.

Seed company participants said they recognize the importance of characterizing materials to set parameters of nutritional and/or industrial quality, and including this information on seed packages. They added that the methodologies used throughout the course will be helpful for further seed characterization.

“It is so gratifying to help train the new generation of researchers in lab methodologies necessary to sustain and provide extra value to maize and its products,” said Natalia Palacios, CIMMYT maize nutrition expert and workshop organizer. “However, perhaps even more gratifying is the strengthening of existing networks and establishing new partnerships with Mexican institutions.”

CIMMYT lab workers also benefited from the workshop, as it gave them the opportunity to present theoretical and practical aspects of seed characterization, and widened many of their perspectives about their work in the laboratory. “Standing in front of a big group was new for us. It was a challenging but enriching experience,” said Aldo Rosales, research assistant. “For those of us working with maize quality, it was a week of a lot of learning and a reminder that we are always gaining new knowledge.”

Thanks to the staff of CIMMYT’s and INIFAP’s maize quality labs, along with those from the training office who helped make this workshop a success. The participating Mexican institutions were INIFAP, Colegio de Postgraduados, Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, National Autonomous University of Mexico, University of Guadalajara (UDG), Tecnológico de Monterrey, Semillas Ceres, ICAMEX (an advanced research institution in Mexico State), CINVESTAV (a postgraduate and research institution), and Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (an organization based in Managua, Nicaragua, that promotes sustainable agriculture and natural resource management)

ISAAA video: The Norman Borlaug Legacy

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The first 7:24-minute video is The Norman Borlaug Legacy. Dr. James traces the path that Dr. Borlaug took to become an icon of agricultural development for poor farmers of the developing countries of the world. His passion and vision helped “to provide bread for a hungry world” while his acknowledgment of the power of biotechnology has contributed to a better appreciation of the technology.

from: http://www.isaaa.org/resources/videos/normanborlauglegacy/default.asp

Five farmer field days focus on rice and maize

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untitledVarious research and extensions workers collaborating with the project “Sustainable Intensification of Rice-Maize Systems in Bangladesh” organized five farmer field days throughout March and April 2010. The events took place in the districts of Comilla, Rangpur, and Rajshahi and attracted over 350 farmers.

During the field days, farmers gathered in front of maize fields with site-specific nitrogen management (SSNM) and conservation agriculture (CA) trials and shared their experiences, both positive and negative, with the researchers and extension workers. At all the project sites, there are CA farmer-participatory adaptive trials and researcher-managed SSNM trials for maize and rice. Some of the key new and improved CA technological options being introduced and promoted through these trials include maize planted under minimum tillage using a powertiller operated seeder (PTOS), strip tillage, zero tillage, fresh beds, and permanent beds. In all trials, farmers’ common practice is compared with CA technologies, and researcher-managed SSNM trials have treatments ranging from zero to reduced levels of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.

“These field days provided ample opportunities for farmers, stakeholders, and researchers to share their experiences with each other on these new CA technologies being introduced and promoted by the project,” said Jagadish Timsina, IRRI-CIMMYT senior cropping system agronomist and project leader. “Grain yield and cost of production data are being collected from these trials that will allow us to compare the production and profitability of various CA technological options against farmers’ current practice of growing maize.”

untitled2Though the project, which started in November 2008, initially focused on adaptive research in farmers’ fields, it is now starting to emphasize dissemination of improved CA practicies and SSNM technologies to farmers as well. This will be done through training and capacity building with researchers, farmers, extension workers, machinery manufacturers, and service providers.

The project is run jointly by CIMMYT and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) with national partners from governmental and non-governmental organizations. This project was recently featured in The New Nation: Bangladesh’s Independent News Source.