EL BATAN, Mexico (CIMMYT) – Maize nutritionally enhanced with vitamin A can bring significant health benefits to deficient populations, but recent modeling studies in Zambia suggest that its impact is being cut short by the low retention of provitamin A carotenoids – a naturally occurring plant pigment also found in many orange foods that the body then converts into vitamin A – during storage and postharvest grain loss.

Up to 30 percent of grain is lost in African countries when maize is stored using common storage methods, such as artisanal silos or woven bags, due mostly to insect, rodent or fungi infestations and accumulation of poisonous chemical compounds called mycotoxins, which are produced by certain fungi.

A recent study evaluated the impact of carotenoid retention in orange maize using different storage methods to assess the most efficient way to store grain without losing vitamin A carotenoids.  The researchers specifically evaluated how hammer and breakfast meal – the two most widely consumed grains in Zambia – age in metal silos, multilayer polyethylene and common woven bags, as well as single and multilayer polyethylene bags.

The researchers found significant differences between grain storage methods after 6 months of storage. Across all methods, hammer meal retained more carotenoid than breakfast meal after 4 months, though there was no difference in provitamin A carotenoid loss when using single and multilayer polyethylene bags.

Potential contribution of stored orange maize to the estimated average provitamin A requirement of children and women was around 25 percent – 26.5 and 24.3 percent for children and women, respectively – suggesting that orange maize meal can provide significant amounts of provitamin A to Zambian diets, even after 4 months of storage.

Read the full study “Carotenoid retention in biofortified maize using different post-harvest storage and packaging methods” and check out other recent publications from CIMMYT staff below.

• Economic benefits of climate-smart agricultural practices to smallholder farmers in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India. 2016. Khatri-Chhetri, A., Aryal, J.P., Sapkota, T.B., Khurana, R. In: Current Science, v. 110, no. 7, p. 1251-1256.
• Effect of different mulching materials on maize growth and yield in conservation agriculture systems of sub-humid Zimbabwe. 2016. Mupangwa, W., Nyagumbo, I., Mutsamba, E.F. In: AIMS agriculture and food, v. 1, no. 1, p. 239-253.
• Effect of in situ moisture conservation practices on environmental, energetics and economic comparisons on maize + blackgram cropping system in dryland ecosystem. 2016. Jat, M.L., Balyan, J.K., Shalander Kumar, Dadhich, S.K. In: Annals of biology, v. 32, no. 2, p. 158-163.
• Effect of long-term tillage and diversified crop rotations on nutrient uptake, profitability and energetics of maize (Zea mays) in north-western India. 2016. Yadav, M.R., Parihar, C.M., Jat, S.L., Singh, A.K., Kumar, D., Pooniya, V., Parihar M.D., Saveipune, D., Parmar, H., Jat, M.L. In: Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, v. 86, no. 6, p. 743-749.
• Effectiveness and economics of hermetic bags for maize storage: results of a randomized controlled trial in Kenya. 2016. Ndegwa, M.K., De Groote, H., Gitonga, Z.,  Bruce, A.Y. In: Crop Protection, v. 90, p. 17-26.
• Carotenoid retention in biofortified maize using different post-harvest storage and packaging methods. 2017. Taleon, V., Mugode, L., Cabrera-Soto, L., Palacios-Rojas, N. In: Food chemistry, v. 232, p. 60-66.
• Characteristics of maize cultivars in Africa: How modern are they and how many do smallholder farmers grow? 2017. Tsedeke Abate, Fisher, M., Abdoulaye, T., Kassie, G., Lunduka, R., Marenya, P., Asnake, W. In: Agriculture and food security, v. 6, no. 30.
• CIMMYT Series on carbohydrates, wheat, grains, and health: carbohydrates, grains, and whole grains and disease prevention. Part IV. Cancer risk: lung, prostate, and stomach. 2017. Jones, J.M., Peña-Bautista, R.J., Korczack, R., Braun, H.J. In: Cereal Foods World, v. 62, no. 1, p. 12-22.
• CIMMYT Series on carbohydrates, wheat, grains, and health: carbohydrates and vitamins from grains and their relationships to mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. 2017. Jones, J.M., Korczack, R., Peña-Bautista, R.J., Braun, H.J. In: Cereal Foods World, v. 62, no. 2, p. 65-75.
• Crossfire: ‘Private sector engagement in smallholder value chains’. 2017. Belt, J., Hellin, J. In: Practical Action Publishing, v. 28, no. 1-2.

MEXICO CITY (CIMMYT) — Farmers in Pakistan that practice climate change adaptation strategies like adjusting sowing time, adopting new crops and planting drought tolerant varieties have higher food security levels and are less likely to live in poverty than those that don’t, according to a new study.

South Asia is likely to be one of the most affected regions by climate change due to the region’s vast agrarian population and large number of poor, unfavorable geography, limited assets and a greater dependence on climate-sensitive sources of income.

In Pakistan, climate change has had a direct impact on rain patterns and increased the frequency of extreme weather events such as flash floods. Adaptation measures at the farm level can help lessen the impact of these negative effects on food security.

Researchers from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) recently surveyed 950 farmers across Pakistan to see what adaptation measures to climate change they use, if any.

The study found that farmers in Pakistan are using a variety of adaptation practices to counter the adverse impacts of climate change, primarily adjusting sowing time, adopting new crops and planting drought tolerant varieties. The results also highlighted the importance of awareness and knowledge about the local context, climate change, adaptation and its benefits. Younger farmers and farmers with higher levels of education are also more likely to use these adaptation practices, as do farmers that are wealthier, farm more land and have joint families.

The authors of the study conclude that adaptation policies should focus on increasing the awareness of climate change and climate risk coping strategies and its benefits, as well as increasing the affordability of climate risk coping capacity by augmenting the farm household assets and lowering the cost of adaptation.

Read the full study “Assessing farmer use of climate change adaptation practices and impacts on food security and poverty in Pakistan” and check out other recent publications from CIMMYT staff below.

• Development of multiplex-PCR systems for genes related to flour colour in Chinese autumn-sown wheat cultivars. 2016. Zhang, Y., Wang, X., Jiang, L., Liu, F., Xinyao He, Liu, S., Zhang, X. In: Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops & Foods, vol. 8, no. 2, p. 231-241.
• DNA fingerprinting of open-pollinated maize seed lots to establish genetic purity using simple sequence repeat markers. 2016. Setimela, P.S., Warburton, M.L., Erasmus, T. In: South African Journal of Plant and Soil, vol. 33, no. 2, p. 1-8.
• Do forest resources help increase rural household income and alleviate rural poverty? Empirical evidence from Bhutan. 2016. Dil Bahadur Rahut, Behera, B., Ali, A. In: Forests, Trees and Livelihoods, vol. 23, no. 3, p. 1-11.
• Dwarfing genes Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b are associated with both type I FHB susceptibility and low anther extrusion in two bread wheat populations. 2016. Xinyao He, Singh, P.K., Dreisigacker, S., Sukhwinder-Singh, Lillemo, M., Duveiller, E. In: PLoS One, vol. 11, no. 9 : e0162499.
• A Bayesian Poisson-lognormal Model for count data for Multiple-Trait Multiple-Environment Genomic-Enabled prediction. 2017. Montesinos-Lopez, O.A., Montesinos-López, A., Crossa, J., Toledo, F.H., Montesinos-López, J.C., Singh, P.K., Juliana, P., Salinas-Ruiz, J. In: G3, vol. 7, no. 5, p. 1595-1606.
• A comparative political economic analysis of maize sector policies in eastern and southern Africa. 2017. Sitko, N.J., Chamberlin, J., Cunguara, B., Muyanga, M., Mangisonib, J. In: Food Policy, v. 69, p. 243-255.
• Agriculture and crop science in China: Innovation and sustainability. 2017. Yunbi Xu, Jiayang Li, Jianmin Wan. In: The Crop Journal v. 5, p. 95-99.
• Assessing farmer use of climate change adaptation practices and impacts on food security and poverty in Pakistan. 2017. Ali, A., Erenstein, O. In: Climate Risk Management, vol. 16, p. 183-194.
• Bayesian Genomic Prediction with Genotype x Environment Interaction Kernel Models. 2017. Cuevas, J., Cuevas, J., Crossa, J., Montesinos-Lopez, O.A., Burgueño, J., Pérez-Rodríguez, P., De los Campos, G. In: G3, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 41-53.

MEXICO CITY (CIMMY) – New evidence shows that not only do improved maize varieties increase crop productivity and farmer income, they can also decrease child malnutrition.

Malnutrition is the largest single factor contributing to the global disease and accounts for about 30 percent of infant deaths. Malnutrition is particularly widespread among children in Zambia, and is one of the leading contributors to the high burden of disease in the country. Around half of all Zambian children under the age of five are stunted, or too short for their age, indicating chronic malnutrition.

A recent Food Security study published by scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) found that adoption of improved maize varieties significantly reduces the probability of stunting by an average of 26 percent in Zambian children.

The paper evaluated the impact of improved maize varieties with traits such as higher yields, early maturation and resistance to disease, on stunting in more than 800 households across eastern Zambia using an endogenous switching probit model to identify the determinants of child nutritional status and impact of improved maize varieties.

Researchers found that adoption of improved maize varieties held a key role in improving the income earning opportunities for rural households through increased maize yields. More maize – a staple of the Zambian diet – coupled with more money to spend on high calorie and protein foods led to a decline in malnutrition.

However, realizing the full benefits new technologies like improved maize can have on communities requires increased investment and policy support aimed at enhancing adoption by farmers, according to the study. Social dynamics and increasing education, especially among women, are particularly critical for promoting nutrition-enhancing child care practices, given that the probability of stunting was reduced by 16 percent with each additional year of schooling for the most educated female household member among adopters in the study.

Read the full study “Determinants of child nutritional status in the eastern province of Zambia: the role of improved maize varieties,” and check out more new publications from CIMMYT scientists below.

• Determinants of child nutritional status in the eastern province of Zambia: the role of improved maize varieties. 2016. Manda, J., Gardebroek, C., Khonje, M. G., Alene, A.D., Mutenje, M., Kassie, M. In: Food Security, vol. 8, no. 1, p. 239–253.
• Determinants of Crop Residue use along an intensification gradient in West Africa’s Savannah zones. 2016. Akinola, A. A., Abdoulaye, T., Valbuena, D.,  Erenstein, O., Amare Haileslassie, Germaine, I., Shehu, M., Ayedun, B. In: Tropicultura, vol. 34, no. 4, p. 396-410.
• Development and deployment of a portable field phenotyping platform. 2016. Crain, J.L., Yong Wei, Barker, J., Thompson, S.M., Alderman, P.D., Reynolds, M.P., Naiqian Zhang, Poland, J. In: Crop Science, vol. 56, p. 1-11.
• Development and Feasibility of innovative relay seeders for seeding wheat into standing cotton using a high clearance tractor in cotton-wheat system. 2016. Singh, M., Mahal, J.S., Sidhu, H.S., Manes, G.S., Jat, M.L., Singh, Y. In: Applied Engineering in Agriculture, vol. 32, no. 4, p. 341-352.
• Development and validation of KASP assays for genes underpinning key economic traits in bread wheat. 2016. Rasheed, A., Weie Wen, Fengmei Gao, Shengnan Zhai, Hui Jin, Jindong Liu, Qi Guo, Yingjun Zhang, Dreisigacker, S., Xianchun Xia, He Zhonghu. In: Theoretical and Applied Genetics, vol. 129, p. 1843-1860.
• The role of Hyalomma Truncatum on the dynamics of Rift Valley fever: insights from a mathematical epidemic model. 2017. Pedro, S.A., Abelman, S., Fisher, M., Tonnang, H., Mmbando, F., Friesen, D. In: Acta biotheoretica, vol.65, no.1, p.1-36.
• Use of genomic estimated breeding values results in rapid genetic gains for drought tolerance in maize. 2017. Vivek, B., Krishna, G., Vengadessan, V., Babu, R., Zaidi, P.H., Le Quy Kha, Mandal, S.S., Grudloyma, P., Takalkar, S., Krothapalli, K., Singh, I.S., Ocampo, E.T.M., Fan Xingming, Burgueño, J., Azrai, M., Singh, R.P., Crossa, J. In: The Plant Genome, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 1-8.
• Response to climate risks among smallholder farmers in Malawi: a multivariate probit assessment of the role of information, household demographics, and farm characteristics. 2017. Mulwa, C., Marenya, P.. Dil Bahadur Rahut. Kassie, M. In: Climate Risk Management, vol. 16, p. 208-221.

EL BATAN, Mexico (CIMMYT) — In northwestern India, growing maize is being advocated as an alternative to rice to address resource degradation challenges such as declining water tables and climate change induced variability in rainfall and temperature.

Sustainable agriculture practices have proven to increase farmer income, improve irrigation productivity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the cereal systems of the Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP), a fertile area extending over 2.5 million square kilometers across Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.

The IGP currently abstracts 25 percent of global groundwater withdrawals, sustaining agricultural productivity across the region. However, aquifers are being depleted at rates faster than they can recharge, threatening food security for more than 500 million people.

In response, researchers from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) observed the impact of sustainable conservation agriculture practices like zero-tillage (ZT) and permanent bed planting (PB) in irrigated maize-based systems integrated with legumes in the IGP of northwestern India.

ZT and PB practices reduced irrigation water requirement by up to 65 and 98 hectares per millimeter, respectively, compared to conventional tillage systems, resulting in a water productivity boost of nearly 20 percent. Net profit from maize-based systems under ZT was over 30 percent higher than conventional systems.

The study concludes that by adopting sustainable practices like ZT and PB, farmers can sustainably increase productivity throughout the IGP region.

Read the study “Conservation agriculture in irrigated intensive maize-based systems of north-western India: Effects on crop yields, water productivity and economic profitability,” and check out other new publications from CIMMYT staff, below.

• Comparative performance of top-cross maize hybrids under managed drought stress and variable rainfed environments. 2016. Menkir, A., Meseka, S., Bossey, B. Ado, S., Obengantiwi, K., Yallou, C., Coulibaly, N., Olaoye, G., Alidu, H., Crossa, J. In: Euphytica, vol.212, p.455-472.
• Conservation agriculture in irrigated intensive maize-based systems of north-western India: effects on crop yields, water productivity and economic profitability. 2016. Parihar, C.M., Jat, S.L., Singh, A.K., Kumar, B., Singh, Y., Pradhan, S., Pooniya, V., Dhauja, A., Chaudhary, V., Jat, M.L., Jat, R.K., Yadav, O.P. In: Field Crops Research, vol.193, p.104-116.
• Control of Helminthosporium leaf blight of spring wheat using seed treatments and single foliar spray in Indo-Gangetic Plains of Nepal. 2016. Sharma-Poudyal, D., Sharma, R.C., Duveiller, E. In: Crop Protection, vol.88, p.161-166.
• Dairy farm households, processor linkages and household income: the case of dairy hub linkages in East Africa. 2016. Rao, E.J.O., Omondi, I., Karimov, A., Baltenweck, I. In: The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, vol. 19, no. 4, p. 95-108.
• Detection of wheat stem rust races TTHSK and PTKTK in the Ug99 race group in Kenya in 2014. 2016. Fetch, T.G., Zegeye, T., Park, R.F., Hodson, D.P., Wanyera, R. In: Plant Disease, vol. 100, no. 7, p. 1495.
• Occurrence and population dynamics of the root lesion nematode Pratylenchus thornei (Sher and Allen) on wheat in Bolu, Turkey. 2017. Imren, M., Ciftci, V., Senol Yildiz, Kutuk, H., Dababat, A.A. In: Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, vol. 41, no. 1, p. 35-41.
• Population structure and genetic diversity analysis of germplasm from the Winter Wheat Eastern European Regional Yield Trial (WWEERYT). 2017. Beil, C. T., Manmathan, H. K., Anderson, V. A., Morgounov, A.I., Haley, S. D. In: Crop Science, vol. 57, p. 1-9.
• QTL mapping for grain zinc and iron concentrations and zinc efficiency in a tetraploid and hexaploid wheat mapping populations. 2017. Velu, G., Yusuf Tutus, Gomez-Becerra, H.F., Yuanfeng Hao, Demir, L., Kara, R., Crespo-Herrera, L.A., Orhan, S., Yazici, A., Singh, R.P., Cakmak, I. In: Plant and Soil, vol. 411, no. 1, p. 81–99.
• Ratooning pigeonpea in maize-pigeonpea intercropping: productivity and seed cost reduction in eastern Tanzania. 2017. Rusinamhodzi, L., Makoko, B. Sariah, J. In: Field Crops Research, vol.203, p.24-32.

NAIROBI (CIMMYT) — A new study has revealed that sub-Saharan Africa’s maize variety turnover continues to fall behind the rest of the world.

The study – which observed nearly 500 maize varieties grown across 13 African countries during the 2013-2014 main crop season – found that the average age of maize seed being planted in the region is 15 years, compared to 3 to 5 years in the U.S. and other world regions such as Latin America and Asia, making sub-Saharan Africa slower in maize variety turnover.

“We have witnessed a positive and accelerated trend over the last decade, but the performance of maize is still much lower than what could be achieved with improved varieties and good agronomic management practices,” said Tsedeke Abate, lead author of the study.

The current low yield and slow variety turnover of the region contrasts sharply with the tremendous progress made to develop and release significant numbers of varieties. A record annual rate of 73 varieties were released from 2000-2014, compared to 12 varieties per year in the preceding five decades combined.

According to Abate, a major challenge is ensuring these newly released varieties are widely adopted by farmers, which is key for successful variety renewal and replacement. The study found adoption rates for hybrids and open pollinated varieties (OPVs) were just 37 and 21 percent, respectively, across the surveyed countries. Critical to successful adoption is sound government policy that facilitates increased investments in agriculture, availability and affordability of inputs like seeds and fertilizer, a strong extension system and market access for products, the authors of the study argue.

“This information should inform our breeding strategies to look at adaptability of the varieties in different agroecologies, and how this affects resources currently being used in breeding programs in the region,” said Abate. Maize provides more calories than any other crop for over 200 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, so ensuring high-quality, improved seed is being grown is vital for ensuring food security in the region.

The study also indicates that many farmers have higher preference for open pollinated varieties due to affordability, ease of storage, high poundability, high flour-to-grain ratio and favorable taste. The study emphasizes the importance of incorporating production, processing and consumption traits that are valued by farmers, not just yield and stress tolerance. This can allow national breeding efforts to rid biased and inappropriate varietal promotions, and therefore low adoption of new varieties.

One of the key recommendations the study suggests is that all varieties older than 10 years should be eligible for replacement, to reverse the current slow varietal turnover.

Read the full study “Characteristics of maize cultivars in Africa: How modern are they and how many do smallholder farmers grow?” and learn more about CIMMYT’s latest publications below.

• But what do rural consumers in Africa think about GM Food? 2016. De Groote, H., Gitonga, Z., Kimenju, S.C., Keter, F., Ngigi, O. In: AgBioForum, vol.19, no.1, p.54-65.
• By-laws formulation and enforcement in natural resource management: lessons from the highlands of eastern Africa. 2016. Mowo, J., Masuki, K., Lyamchai, C., Tanui, J., Adimassu, Z., Kamugisha, R. In: Forests, Trees and Livelihoods, vol.25, no.2, p.120-131.
• Characterization of Research Nodes: an integrative approach through indexing. 2016. Das, K.K., Bhattacharya, P.M., Ghosh, A.K., Dhar, T., Pradhan, K., Chowdhury, A.K., Joshi, P.K., Gathala, M.K. In: International Journal of Bio-resource and Stress Management, vol.7, no.5, p.1083-1092.
• Combined linkage and association mapping identifies a major QTL (qRtsc8‑1), conferring tar spot complex resistance in maize. 2016. Mahuku, G., Jiafa Chen, Shrestha, R., Narro, L., Osorio Guerrero, K.V., Arcos, A.L., Yunbi Xu. In: Theoretical and Applied Genetics, vol.129, p.1217-1229.
• Identification and mapping of adult plant resistance loci to leaf rust and stripe rust in common wheat cultivar kundan. 2017. Ren, Y., Singh, R.P., Basnet, B.R., Caixia Lan, Huerta-Espino, J., Lagudah, E.S., Ponce-Molina, L.J. In: Plant Disease, vol.101, no.3, p.456-463.
• Identification of genomic regions for grain yield and yield stability and their epistatic interactions. 2017. Sehgal, D., Autrique, E., Singh, R.P., Ellis, M., Sukhwinder-Singh, Dreisigacker, S. In: Nature Scientific reports, vol. 7, no. 41578.
• Integrating islands of knowledge for greater synergy and efficiency in crop research. 2017. Borrell, A., Reynolds, M.P., In: Food and energy security vol. 6, no. 7, p. 26–32.
• Is production intensification likely to make farm households food-adequate? A simple food availability analysis across smallholder farming systems from East and West Africa. 2017. Ritzema, R.S., Frelat, R., Douxchamps, S., Silvestri, S., Rufino, M.C., Herrero, M., Giller, K.E., Lopez-Ridaura, S., Teufel, N., Paul, B., Wijk, M.T. van. In: Food Security, vol. 9, no. 1, p. 115–131.
• Maize market participation among female- and male-headed households in Ethiopia. 2017. Marenya, P., Kassie, M., Jaleta Debello Moti, Dil Bahadur Rahut. In: Journal of Development Studies, vol.53, no,4, p.1-14.

MEXICO CITY (CIMMYT) — A common platform through which data on genetic resources can be disseminated to both crop researchers and breeders can strengthen research communities, according to authors of a soon to be published Crop Science study.

Conservation and exploitation of crop wild relative species is a key component in ensuring food security and improving current agricultural output. By identifying traits that express resistance or tolerance to stresses like pests or drought, breeders can incorporate this genetic material into genetic background stocks, which could help mitigate problems imposed by climate change, land degradation and population pressure. This is particularly important in countries that will be more severely affected by the threat of reduced yields.

The researchers of the study “Germinate 3: Development of a Common Platform to Support the Distribution of Experimental Data on Crop Wild Relatives” used the Germinate platform to build web-based information resources on wild barley and potato collections, along with wheat, maize and their wild relatives in a way that could better meet the demands of researchers by developing new data visualization tools and integration with current software.

While the underlying species differ, the approach taken ensured that tools were compatible across all database instances. The researchers found that Germinate offers a common platform that can improve the exploration and wider use of genetic resources in breeding programs globally.

Read the advanced copy of “Germinate 3: Development of a Common Platform to Support the Distribution of Experimental Data on Crop Wild Relatives” and check out other new publications from CIMMYT scientists below.

• Avoiding lodging in irrigated spring wheat. I. Stem and root structural requirements. 2016. Piñera Chavez, F.J., Berry, P.M., Foulkes, M.J., Jesson, M.A., Reynolds, M.P. In: Field Crops Research. Vol.196, p.325-336.
• Avoiding lodging in irrigated spring wheat. II. Genetic variation ofstem and root structural properties. 2016. Piñera Chavez, F.J., Berry, P.M., Foulkes, M.J., Molero, G., Reynolds, M.P. In: Field Crops Research. vol.196, p.64-74.
• Awns reduce grain number to increase grain size and harvestable yield in irrigated and rainfed spring wheat. 2016. Rebetzke, G.J., Bonnett, D.G., Reynolds, M.P., In: Journal of Experimental Botany. vol. 67, no.9, p.2537-2586.
• Breeding value of primary synthetic wheat genotypes for grain yield. 2016. Jafarzadeh, J., Bonnett, D.G., Jannink, J.L., Akdemir, D., Dreisigacker, S., Sorrells, M.E. In: PLoS One. vol.11, no.9: e0162860.
• Bulked sample analysis in genetics, genomics and crop improvement. 2016. Cheng Zou, Pingxi Wang, Yunbi Xu. In: Plant biotechnology journal. Vol.14, no.10, p.1941-1955.
• Forward genetics by sequencing EMS variation induced inbred lines. 2017. Addo-Quaye, C., Buescher, E., Best, N., Chaikam, V., Baxter, I., Dilkes, B.P. In: G3. vol. 7, no. 2, p. 413-425.
• From stakeholders narratives to modelling plausible future agricultural systems. Integrated assessment of scenarios for Camargue, Southern France. 2017. Delmotte, S., Couderc, V., Mouret, J.C., Lopez-Ridaura, S., Barbier, J.M., Hossard, L. In: European Journal of Agronomy. vol. 82, p. 292-307.
• Genetic analysis and mapping of adult plant resistance loci to leaf rust in durum wheat cultivar Bairds. 2017. Caixia Lan, Basnet, B.R., Singh, R.P., Huerta-Espino, J., Herrera-Foessel, S., Yong Ren Randhawa, M.S., In: Theoretical and Applied Genetics. vol. 130, no. 3, p. 609–619.
• Genetic loci conditioning adult plant resistance to the Ug99 Race group and seedling resistance to races TRTTF and TTTTF of the stem rust pathogen in wheat landrace CItr 15026. 2017. Babiker, E.M., Gordon, T., Bonman, J.M., Shiaoman Chao Rouse, M.N., Yue Jin, Newcomb, M., Wanyera, R., Bhavani, S. In: Plant Disease. vol. 101, no. 3, p. 496-501.
• Genotype by trait biplot analysis to study associations and profiles of Ethiopian white lupin (Lupinus albus) landraces. 2017. Atnaf, M., Kassahun Tesfaye, Kifle Dagne, Dagne Wegary Gissa. In: Australian Journal of Crop Science. vol. 11, No. 1, p. 55-62.

MEXICO CITY (CIMMYT) – A new review of a biological control (BC) program for control of stem borers implemented from 1993 to 2008, in an effort to reduce cereal yield losses due to stemborer attacks in East and Southern Africa, highlights the potential for BC programs to lift a large number of people out of poverty and create greater returns for consumers and producers.

In 1993 the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology program released four biological control agents to control the economically important stem borer pests Busseola fusca, Chilo partellus and Sesamia calamistis. Two of the natural enemies that were released were established and spread throughout the region. The researchers used an economic surplus approach, using bio-agents related data and market data from Kenya, Mozambique and Zambia, to determine the benefits of BC for producers and consumers.

More than 135,000 people were estimated to be lifted out of poverty annually due to the BC intervention, contributing an aggregate monetary surplus of $1.4 billion to the economies of the three countries, with 84 percent from maize production. The study also found that BC research and intervention is very efficient, with an internal rate of return of 67 percent – compared to the considered discount rate of 10 percent – and an estimated benefit-cost ratio of 33:1.

The authors of the study argue that these successful findings underscore the need for increased investment in BC research to sustain cereal production and improve poor living conditions.

Learn more about the study “Assessing the long-term welfare effects of the biological control of cereal stemborer pests in East and Southern Africa: Evidence from Kenya, Mozambique and Zambia” and check out other new publications from CIMMYT scientists, below.

• Access to safe drinking water and human health: empirical evidence from rural Bhutan. 2016. Dil Bahadur Rahut, Ali, A., Nar Bahadur Chhetri Behera, B., Pradyot Ranjan Jena. In: Water Science and Technology. Vol. 16, no. 5, p. 1349-1360.
• Agricultural technology adoption, commercialization and smallholder rice farmers’ welfare in rural Nigeria. 2016. Awotide, B. A., Karimov, A., Diagne, A. In: Agricultural and food economics. Vol. 4, no. 3.
• Agrobiodiversity: prospects for a genetic approach to In situ conservation of crop landraces. 2016. Qualset, C.O., Castillo-Gonzales, F., Morgounov, A.I., Keser, M., Ozdemir, F. In: Indian Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. Vol. 29, issue 3, p. 278-280.
• An alternative strategy for targeted gene replacement in plants using a dual-sgRNA/Cas9 design. 2016. Yongping Zhao, Congsheng Zhang, Wenwen Liu, Wei Gao, Changlin Liu, Gaoyuan Song, Wen-Xue Li, Long Mao, Beijiu Chen, Yunbi Xu, Xinhai Li, Chuanxiao Xie. In: Nature Scientific reports. 2016., vol.6, no. 23890.
• Assessing the long-term welfare effects of the biological control of cereal stemborer pests in East and Southern Africa:  Evidence from Kenya, Mozambique and Zambia. 2016. Midingoy, S. G., Affognon, H. D. Macharia, I. Ong’amo, G. Abonyo, E. Ogola, G. De Groote, H. LeRu, B. In: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. Vol. 23, p. 10-23.
• Development of a maize 55 K SNP array with improved genome coverage for molecular breeding. 2017. Cheng Xu, Yonghong Ren, Yinqiao Jian, Zifeng Guo, Zhang Yan, Chuanxiao Xie, Junjie Fu, Hongwu Wang, Guoying Wang, Yunbi Xu, Zhang Li-Ping, Cheng Zou. In: Molecular Breeding. Vol.37, no.20, p.1-12.
• Development of a multiple-hybrid population for genome-wide association studies: theoretical consideration and genetic mapping of flowering traits in maize. 2017. Hui Wang, Cheng Xu, Xiaogang Liu, Zifeng Guo, Xiaojie Xu, Shanhong Wang, Chuanxiao Xie, Wen-Xue Li, Cheng Zou, Yunbi Xu. In: Nature Scientific reports. Vol.7, no. 40239.
• Elite Haplotypes of a Protein Kinase Gene TaSnRK2.3 associated with important agronomic traits in Common Wheat. 2017. Lili Miao, Xinguo Mao, Jingyi Wang, Zicheng Liu, Bin Zhang, Weiyu Li, Xiaoping Chang, Reynolds, M.P., Zhenhua Wang, Ruilian Jing. In: Frontiers in Plant Science. v.8, no.368.
• Evaluation of the APSIM model in cropping systems of Asia. 2017. Gaydon, D.S., Singh, B., Wang, E., Poulton, P.L., Ahmad, B., Ahmed, F., Akhter, S., Ali, I., Amarasingha, R., Chaki, A.K., Chen, C., Choudhury, B.U., Darai, R., Das, A., Hochman, Z., Horan, H., Hosang, E.Y., Vijaya Kumar, P., Khan, A.S.M.M.R., Laing, A.M., Liu, L., Malaviachichi, M.A.P.W.K., Mohapatra, K.P., Muttaleb, M.A., Power, B., Radanielson, A.M., Rai, G.S., Rashid, M.H., Rathanayake, W.M.U.K., Sarker, M.M.R., Sena, D.R., Shamim, M., Subash, N., Suriadi, A., Suriyagoda, L.D.B., Wang, G., Wang, J., Yadav, R.K., Roth, C.H. In: Field Crops Research. Vol.204, p.52-75.
• Farmers’ prioritization of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies. 2017. Khatri-Chhetri, A., Aggarwal, P.K., Joshi, P.K., Vyas, A.K. In: Agricultural Systems. Vol.151, p.184-191.

MEXICO CITY (CIMMYT) – While genetically modified (GM) foods continue to be a topic of debate in much of the developed world, few studies have focused on consumers’ acceptance of GM food in developing countries.

A new study from researchers at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) used a comprehensive primary dataset collected from 320 consumers in 2013 from Pakistan to analyze the determinants of consumer acceptability of GM foods in the country.

The researchers found that GM foods were more accepted among female consumers as compared to male consumers. In addition, older consumers were more willing to accept GM food compared to young consumers. The acceptability of GM foods was also higher among wealthier households. Low price is the key factor leading to the acceptability of GM foods.

Read the full study “Acceptability of GM Foods among Pakistani Consumers” here and check out other new publications from CIMMYT staff below.

• A study of allelic diversity underlying flowering-time adaptation in maize landraces. 2017. Romero Navarro, J. A., Wilcox, M. Burgueño, J. Romay, C. Swarts, K. Trachsel, S. Preciado, E. Terron, A. Vallejo, H. Vidal, V. Ortega, A. Espinoza Banda, A. Gomez, N. Ortiz-Monasterio, I. San Vicente, F.M. Guadarrama, A. Atlin, G.N. Wenzl, P. Hearne, S. Buckler, E. In: Nature genetics, vol. 49, p. 476-480. http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v49/n3/full/ng.3784.html
• Bio-energy, water-use efficiency and economics of maize-wheat-mungbean system under precision-conservation agriculture in semi-arid agro-ecosystem. 2017. Parihar, C.M., Jat, S.L. Singh, A.K. Majumdar, K. Jat, M.L. Saharawat, Y.S. Pradhan, S. Kuri, B.R. In: Energy, vol.119, p.245-256. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544216318746
• Canopy temperature and vegetation indices from high-throughput phenotyping improve accuracy of pedigree and genomic selection for grain yield in wheat. 2017. Rutkoski, J., Poland, J. Mondal, S. Autrique, E. Gonzalez-Perez, L. Reynolds, M.P. Singh, R.P. Crossa, J. In: G3, vol. 7, no. 2. http://www.g3journal.org/content/suppl/. 2016./07/06/g3.116.032888.DC1
• Crop model improvement reduces the uncertainty of the response to temperature of multi-model ensembles. 2017. Maiorano, A., Martre, P. Asseng, S. Ewert, F. Müller, C. Rotter, R. Ruane, A.C. Semenov, M.A. Wallach, D. Wang, E. Alderman, P.D. Kassie, B.T. Biernath, C. Basso, B. Cammarano, D. Challinor, A.J. Doltra, J. Dumont, B. Eyshi Rezaei, E. Gayler, S. Kersebaum, K.C. Kimball, B.A. Koehler, A.K. Bing Liu O’Leary, G.J. Olesen, J.E. Ottman, M.J. Priesack, E. Reynolds, M.P. Stratonovitch, P. Streck, T. Thorburn, P.J. Waha, K. Wall, G.W. White, J.W. Zhigan Zhao Zhu, Y. In: Field Crops Research, vol.202, p.5-20. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378429016301368
• A genomic bayesian multi-trait and multi-environment model. 2016. Montesinos-Lopez, O.A., Montesinos-López, A. Toledo, F.H. Pérez-Hernández, O. Eskridge, K. Rutkoski, J. Crossa, J. In: G3, vol.6, p.2725-2744. http://www.g3journal.org/content/early/. 2016./06/23/g3.116.032359.full.pdf+html
• A hierarchical bayesian estimation model for multienvironment plant breeding trials in successive years. 2016. Jarquín, D., Perez-Elizalde, S. Burgueño, J. Crossa, J. In: Crop Science, vol. 56, p. 1-17. https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/cs/abstracts/56/5/2260?search-result=1
• A predetermined proportional gains eigen selection index method. 2016. Ceron Rojas, J.J., Toledo, F.H. Sahagún-Castellanos, J. Crossa, J. In: Crop Science, vol.56, p.1-12. https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/cs/abstracts/56/5/2436
• ABCs of diversifying information resources among rice smallholders of Ghana. 2016. Misiko, M., Halm, E. In: The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, vol.22, no.3, p.271-289. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1389224X.2015.1038281
• Acceptability of GM Foods among Pakistani Consumers. 2016. Ali, A., Dil Bahadur Rahut Imtiaz, M. In: Forests, Trees and Livelihoods, vol.7, no.2. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21645698.2016.1211216?scroll=top&needAccess=true

MEXICO CITY (CIMMYT) – Traditionally, agricultural research organizations measured impact by the number of technologies developed, with less attention given to whether or not these technologies were adopted by farmers and the impact they had in communities.

Today organizations must clearly demonstrate impact in farmers’ fields. Research and extension approaches based on agricultural innovation systems, or networks of organizations within an economic system that are directly involved in the creation, diffusion and use of scientific and technological knowledge, as well as the organizations responsible for the coordination and support of these processes.

This shift represents a new focus on innovation as a social process, as opposed to a research-driven process of technology transfer.

Despite growing interest in agricultural innovation system, little is still known about the most effective ways to operationalize these systems, especially within short and medium timeframes, according to researchers from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in a new paper “Agricultural research organisations’ role in the emergence of agricultural innovation systems.”

The study claims that external input is often needed to generate an agricultural innovation system, and that network brokers – actors like NGOs and others, who catalyze collective action by enhancing farmers’ access to information and technical assistance – play a crucial role.

The authors conclude that while scientific research is an important component of the development of an agricultural innovation system, it is not enough; more emphasis has to be directed at extension and education of different actors to achieve a genuine paradigm shift in agricultural innovation.

Read the full study here and check out other recent publications from CIMMYT staff below.

1. Agricultural research organisations’ role in the emergence of agricultural innovation systems. 2017. Hellin, J.; Camacho Villa, T.C. Development in Practice 27 (1) ; 111-115.
2. Evaluation of the APSIM model in cropping systems of Asia. 2017. Gaydon, D.S.; Singh, B.; Wang, E.; Poulton, P.L.; Ahmad, B.; Ahmed, F.; Akhter, S.; Ali, I.; Amarasingha, R.; Chaki, A.K.; Chen, C.; Choudhury, B.U.; Darai, R.; Das, A.; Hochman, Z.; Horan, H.; Hosang, E.Y.; Vijaya Kumar, P.; Khan, A.S.M.M.R.; Laing, A.M.; Liu, L.; Malaviachichi, M.A.P.W.K.; Mohapatra, K.P.; Muttaleb, M.A.; Power, B.; Radanielson, A.M.; Rai, G.S.; Rashid, M.H.; Rathanayake, W.M.U.K.; Sarker, M.M.R.; Sena, D.R.; Shamim, M.; Subash, N.; Suriadi, A.; Suriyagoda, L.D.B.; Wang, G.; Wang, J.; Yadav, R.K.; Roth, C.H. Field Crops Research 204 : 52-75.
3. Forward genetics by sequencing EMS variation induced inbred lines. 2017. Addo-Quaye, C.; Buescher, E.; Best, N.; Chaikam, V.; Baxter, I.; Dilkes, B.P. G3 7 (2) : 413-425.
4. Genetic analysis and mapping of adult plant resistance loci to leaf rust in durum wheat cultivar Bairds. 2017. Caixia Lan; Basnet, B.R.; Singh, R.P.; Huerta-Espino, J.; Herrera-Foessel, S.; Yong Ren; Randhawa, M.S. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 130 (3) : 609–619.
5. Genotype by trait biplot analysis to study associations and profiles of Ethiopian white lupin (Lupinus albus) landraces. 2017. Atnaf, M.; Kassahun Tesfaye; Kifle Dagne; Dagne Wegary Gissa. Australian Journal of Crop Science 11 (1) : 55-62.
6. Application of remote sensing to identify adult plant resistance loci to stripe rust in two bread wheat mapping populations. 2016. Pretorius, Z.A.; Caixia Lan; Prins, R.; Knight, V.; McLaren, N.W.; Singh, R.P.; Bender, C.; Kloppers, F.J. Precision Agriculture. Online First.
7. Genomic prediction models for grain yield of spring bread wheat in diverse agro-ecological zones. 2016. Saint Pierre, C.; Burgueño, J.; Crossa, J.; Fuentes Dávila, G.; Figueroa López, P.; Solís Moya, E.; Ireta Moreno, J.; Hernández Muela, V.M.; Zamora Villa, V.; Vikram, P.; Mathews, K.; Sansaloni, C.P.; Sehgal, D.; Jarquín, D.; Wenzl, P.; Sukhwinder-Singh. Nature Scientific reports 6 :  27312.
8. Genomic prediction using phenotypes from pedigreed lines with no marker data. 2016. Ashraf, B.; Edriss, V.; Akdemir, D.; Autrique, E.; Bonnett, D.G.; Crossa, J.; Janss, L.; Singh, R.P.; Jannink, J.L. Crop Science 56 (3) : 957-964.
9. Identification of genomic associations for adult plant resistance in the background of popular South Asian wheat cultivar, PBW343. 2016. Huihui Li; Sukhwinder-Singh; Bhavani, S.; Singh, R.P.; Sehgal, D.; Basnet, B.R.; Vikram, P.; Burgueño, J.; Huerta-Espino, J. Frontiers in Plant Science 7 (1674) : 1-18.
10. Mapping of spot blotch disease resistance using NDVI as a substitute to visual observation in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). 2016. Suneel Kumar; Roder, M.S.; Singh, R.P.; Kumar, S.; Ramesh Chand; Joshi, A.K.; Kumar, U. Molecular Breeding 36 (95) : 1-11.

EL BATAN, Mexico (CIMMYT) – Stem rusts have proven to be a challenge to wheat farmers in Kazakhstan and Russia, particularly with higher rainfall in recent years.

Western Siberia in Russia and northern Kazakhstan grow more than 15 million hectares (ha) of wheat, and is expected to have an important impact on global food security as part of the “Eurasian wheat belt” – the only region in the world with a significant amount of uncultivated arable land that is at the same time experiencing rising agricultural productivity.

Wheat stem rust disease is highly mobile and has the capacity to turn a healthy looking crop, only weeks away from harvest, into nothing more than a tangle of black stems and shriveled grains at harvest. Stem rust was not considered a threat until 2015, when a local epidemic occurred in Russia and neighboring areas of Kazakhstan, affecting more than 1 million ha. It occurred again in 2016 though the spread, severity and losses were less.

In response, scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) with partners characterized a set of 146 spring wheat varieties and breeding lines identified as stem rust resistant in Kenya and the Kazakhstan–Siberia region for the presence of major genes. Over nine genes with resistance were identified, and adult plant resistance to stem rust was observed in 26 genotypes.

Learn more about the study “Genetic diversity of spring wheat from Kazakhstan and Russia for resistance to stem rust Ug99” and check out other new publications from CIMMYT staff, below.

• Bio-energy, water-use efficiency and economics of maize-wheat-mungbean system under precision-conservation agriculture in semi-arid agro-ecosystem. 2017. Parihar, C.M.; Jat, S.L.; Singh, A.K.; Majumdar, K.; Jat, M.L.; Saharawat, Y.S.; Pradhan, S.; Kuri, B.R. Energy 119 : 245-256.
• From stakeholders’ narratives to modelling plausible future agricultural systems. Integrated assessment of scenarios for Camargue, Southern France. 2017. Delmotte, S.; Couderc, V.; Mouret, J.C.; Lopez-Ridaura, S.; Barbier, J.M.; Hossard, L. European Journal of Agronomy 82 : 292-307.
• Is production intensification likely to make farm households food-adequate? A simple food availability analysis across smallholder farming systems from East and West Africa. 2017. Ritzema, R.S.; Frelat, R.; Douxchamps, S.; Silvestri, S.; Rufino, M.C.; Herrero, M.; Giller, K.E.; Lopez-Ridaura, S.; Teufel, N.; Paul, B. ; Wijk, M.T. van. Food Security 9 (1) : 115–131.
• Planting date and yield benefits from conservation agriculture practices across Southern Africa. 2017. Nyagumbo, I.; Mkuhlani, S.; Mupangwa, W.; Rodriguez, D. Agricultural Systems 150 : 21-33.
• Sustainable crop intensification through surface water irrigation in Bangladesh? A geospatial assessment of landscape-scale production potential. 2017. Krupnik, T.J.; Schulthess, U.; Zia Ahmed; McDonald, A. Land Use Policy 60 : 206-222.
• Adult plant resistance to Puccinia triticina in a geographically diverse collection of Aegilops tauschii. 2016. Kalia, B.; Wilson, D.L.; Bowden, R.L.; Singh, R.P.; Gill, B. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. Online First.
• Detection of wheat stem rust races TTHSK and PTKTK in the Ug99 race group in Kenya in 2014. 2016. Fetch, T.G.; Zegeye, T.; Park, R.F.; Hodson, D.P.; Wanyera, R. Plant Disease 100 (7) : 1495.
• Disease impact on wheat yield potential and prospects of genetic control. 2016. Singh, R.P.; Singh, P.K.; Rutkoski, J.; Hodson, D.P.; Xinyao He; Jorgensen, L.N.; Hovmoller, M.S.; Huerta-Espino, J. Annual Review of Phytopathology 54 : 303-322.
• Genetic diversity of spring wheat from Kazakhstan and Russia for resistance to stem rust Ug99. 2016. Shamanin, V.; Salina, E.; Wanyera, R.; Zelenskiy, Y.; Olivera, P.; Morgounov, A.I. Euphytica 212 (2) 287-296.
• Genome-wide association study in wheat identifies resistance to the cereal cyst nematode Heterodera Filipjevi. 2016. Pariyar, S.R.; Dababat, A.A.; Sannemann, W.; Erginbas-Orakci, G.; Elashry, A.; Siddique, S.; Morgounov, A.I.; Leon, J.; Grundler, F. Phytopathology 106 (10) : 1128-1138.

Smallholder farmers throughout southern Africa continue to be constrained by high rainfall variability and lack of access to agricultural inputs, resulting in poor harvests and challenges from food shortages to malnutrition.

Conservation agriculture (CA) practices such as minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover and the use of crop rotation have been promoted as a useful set of tools that could improve farmer resilience to these challenges. However, matching CA practices to agro-ecological and socioeconomic conditions remain contentious.

In a recent study conducted by scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) with other partners, empirical data and results from a cropping system model were combined to quantify benefits and trade-offs, in terms of sowing opportunity, yield, and yield variability, from adopting CA practices in southern Africa.

Simulated results in the study showed that some practices like direct seeding and farming in a basin planting system prepared late and at the onset of the rains improved timeliness of operations, and enabled earlier planting across all locations compared to conventional systems. Mechanized CA systems also offered farmers potential flexibility on when to plant.

However, timely planting of CA systems did not translate into higher yields when carried out during periods of high rainfall variability. Yield benefits of early plantings in CA were only apparent in Zimbabwe.

The authors conclude that draught power mechanized CA systems offer farmers the capacity to plant closer to optimum dates, and that model-generated optimum planting dates could be used to provide farmers with site-specific planting date recommendations.

Learn more about the study “Planting date and yield benefits from conservation agriculture practices across Southern Africa” here and more new publications from CIMMYT staff below.

1. Breeding value of primary synthetic wheat genotypes for grain yield. 2016. Jafarzadeh, J.; Bonnett, D.G.; Jannink, J.L.; Akdemir, D.; Dreisigacker, S.; Sorrells, M.E. PLoS One 11 (9): e0162860.
2. Control of Helminthosporium leaf blight of spring wheat using seed treatments and single foliar spray in Indo-Gangetic Plains of Nepal. 2016. Sharma-Poudyal, D.; Sharma, R.C.; Duveiller, E. Crop Protection 88: 161-166.
3. Development and validation of KASP assays for genes underpinning key economic traits in bread wheat. 2016. Rasheed, A.; Weie Wen; Fengmei Gao; Shengnan Zhai; Hui Jin; Jindong Liu; Qi Guo; Yingjun Zhang; Dreisigacker, S; Xianchun Xia; He Zhonghu. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 129: 1843-1860.
4. Dwarfing genes Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b are associated with both type I FHB susceptibility and low anther extrusion in two bread wheat populations. 2016. Xinyao He; Singh, P.K.; Dreisigacker, S.; Sukhwinder-Singh; Lillemo, M.; Duveiller, E. PLoS One 11 (9): e0162499.
5. Genome-wide association study in wheat identifies resistance to the cereal cyst nematode Heterodera Filipjevi. 2016. Pariyar, S.R.; Dababat, A.A.; Sannemann, W.; Erginbas-Orakci, G.; Elashry, A.; Siddique, S.; Morgounov, A.I.; Leon, J.; Grundler, F. Phytopathology 106 (10): 1128-1138.
6. Genomic regions associated with root traits under drought stress in tropical maize (Zea mays L.). 2016. Zaidi, P.H.; Seetharam, K.; Krishna, G.; Krishnamurthy, S.L.; Gajanan Saykhedkar; Babu, R.; Zerka, M.; Vinayan, M.T.; Vivek, B. PLoS One 11 (10): e0164340.
7. Pm55, a developmental-stage and tissue-specific powdery mildew resistance gene introgressed from Dasypyrum villosum into common wheat. 2016. Ruiqi Zhang; Bingxiao Sun; Chen, J.; Aizhong Cao; Liping Xing; Yigao Feng; Caixia Lan; Peidu Chen. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 129: 1975-1984.
8. Stem rust resistance in a geographically diverse collection of spring wheat lines collected from across Africa. 2016. Prins, R.; Dreisigacker, S.; Pretorius, Z.A.; Schalkwyk, H. van.; Wessels, E.; Smit, C.; Bender, C.; Singh, D.; Boyd, L.A. Frontiers in Plant Science 7 (973): 1-15.
9. Wheat quality improvement at CIMMYT and the use of genomic selection on it. 2016. Guzman, C.; Peña-Bautista, R.J.; Singh, R.P.; Autrique, E.; Dreisigacker, S.; Crossa, J.; Rutkoski, J.; Poland, J.; Battenfield, S.D. Applied and Translational Genomics 11: 3-8.

El BATAN, Mexico (CIMMYT) — Wheat, rice, maize, pearl millet, and sorghum provide over half of the world’s food calories. To maintain global food security under climate change, there is an increasing need to exploit existing genetic variability and develop crops with superior genetic yield potential and stress adaptation.

Climate change impacts food production by increasing heat and water stress among other environmental challenges, including the spread of pests, according to a recent study published by researchers at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). If nothing is done to currently improve the crops we grow, wheat, maize and rice are predicted to decrease in both tropical and temperate regions. Wheat yields are already slowing in most areas, with models predicting a six percent decline in yield for every 1 degree Celsius increase in global temperature.

While breeding efforts in the past have traditionally focused on increasing yield rather than survival under stresses, researchers are now working to use existing genetic diversity to create varieties that can withstand extreme weather events with yield stability in both “good” and “bad” years to better prepare our global food system for future climate variability.

The study “An integrated approach to maintaining cereal productivity under climate change” concludes the opportunity to share knowledge between crops and identify priority traits for future research can be exploited to increase breeding impacts and assist in identifying the genetic loci that control adaptation. The researchers also emphasize a more internationally coordinated approach to crop phenotyping and modeling, combined with effective sharing of knowledge, facilities, and data, will boost the cost effectiveness and facilitate genetic gains of all staple crops.

Learn more about this study and other recent publications from CIMMYT scientists, below.

1. Africa’s changing farm size distribution patterns: the rise of medium-scale farms. Jayne, T.S.; Chamberlin, J.; Traub, L.; Sitko, N.J.; Muyanga, M.; Yeboah, K.; Anseeuw, W.; Chapoto, A.; Ayala Wineman; Nkonde, C.; Kachule, R. Agricultural Economics 47 (Supple.): 197-214.
2. An integrated approach to maintaining cereal productivity under climate change. Reynolds, M.P.; Quilligan, E.; Bansal, K.C.; Cavalieri, A.J.; Chapman, S.; Chapotin, S.M.; Datta, S.K.; Duveiller, E.; Gill, K.S.; Jagadish, K.S.V.; Joshi, A.K.; Koehler, A.K.; Kosina, P.; Krishnan, S.; Lafitte, R.; Mahala, R.S.; Muthurajan, R.; Paterson, A.H.; Prasanna, B.M.; Rakshit, S.; Rosegrant, M.W.; Sharma, I.; Singh, R.P.; Sivasankar, S.; Vadez, V.; Valluru, R.; Prasad, V.P.V.; Yadav, O.P.; Aggarwal, P.K. Global Food Security 9 : 9-18.
3. Application of unmanned aerial systems for high throughput phenotyping of large wheat breeding nurseries. Haghighattalab, A.; Gonzalez-Perez, L. Mondal, S.; Singh, D.; Schinstock, D.; Rutkoski, J.; Ortiz-Monasterio, I.; Singh, R.P.; Goodin, D.; Poland, J. Plant Methods 12: 35.
4. Effect of traditional and extrusion nixtamalization on carotenoid retention in tortillas made from provitamin A biofortified maize (Zea mays L.). 2016. Rosales-Nolasco, A.; Agama-Acevedo, E.; Bello-Pérez, L.A.; Gutiérrez-Dorado, R.; Palacios-Rojas, N. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 64 (44): 8229-8295.
5. Grain yield, adaptation and progress in breeding for early-maturingand heat-tolerant wheat lines in South Asia. Mondal, S.; Singh, R.P. Mason, E.R.; Huerta-Espino, J.; Autrique, E.; Joshi, A.K. Field Crops Research 192: 78-85.
6. The marketing of specialty corns in Mexico: current conditions and prospects. López-Torres, J.; Rendon-Medel, R.; Camacho Villa, T.C. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Agricolas 15: 3075-3088.
7. Mining centuries old In situ conserved turkish wheat landraces for grain yield and stripe rust resistance genes. Sehgal, D.; Dreisigacker, S.; Belen, S.; Kucukozdemir, U.; Mert, Z.; Ozer, E.; Morgounov, A.I. Frontiers in Geenetics 7 : 201.
8. Molecular characterisation of novel LMW-m and LMW-s genes from four Aegilops species (Sitopsis section) and comparison with those from the Glu-B3 locus of common wheat. Cuesta, S.; Guzman, C.; Alvarez, J.B. Crop and Pasture Science 67: 938-947.
9. Relay intercropping and mineral fertilizer effects on biomass production, maize productivity and weed dynamics in contrasting soils under conservation agriculture. Mhlanga, B.; Cheesman, S.; Maasdorp, B.; Mupangwa, W.; Thierfelder, C. Journal of Agricultural Science. Online First.
10. The evolution of the MasAgro hubs: responsiveness and serendipity as drivers of agricultural innovation in a dynamic and heterogeneous context. Camacho Villa, T.C.; Almekinders, C.; Hellin, J.; Martinez-Cruz, T.E.; Rendon-Medel, R.; Guevara-Hernández, F.; Beuchelt, T.D.; Govaerts, B. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 22 (5) : 455-470.

EL BATAN, Mexico (CIMMYT) — Cereal yields in sub-Saharan Africa must increase to 80 percent of their potential by 2050 to meet the enormous increase in demand for food, according to a new report.

Currently, sub-Saharan Africa is among the regions with the largest gap between cereal consumption and production, with demand projected to triple between 2010 and 2050. The study “Can Sub-Saharan Africa Feed Itself?” shows that nearly complete closure of the gap between current farm yields and yield potential is needed to maintain the current level of cereal self-sufficiency by 2050. For all countries, such yield gap closure requires a large, abrupt acceleration in rate of yield increase. If this acceleration is not achieved, massive cropland expansion with attendant biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions or vast import dependency are to be expected.

Learn more about how Africa can meet future food demand in the feature “Can sub-Saharan Africa meet its future cereal food requirement?” and check out other new publications from CIMMYT scientists below.

• Genomic regions associated with root traits under drought stress in tropical maize (Zea mays L.). 2016. Zaidi, P.H.; Seetharam, K.; Krishna, G.; Krishnamurthy, S.L.; Gajanan Saykhedkar; Babu, R.; Zerka, M.; Vinayan, M.T.; Vivek, B. Plos one, 11(10): e0164340.
• Can sub-Saharan Africa feed itself? 2016. Ittersum, M.K. van; Bussel, L.G.J. van; Wolf, J.; Grassini, P.; Wart, J. van; Guilpart, N.; Claessens, L.; De Groote, H.; Wiebe, K.; Mason-D’Croz, D.; Haishun Yang; Boogaard, H.; Oort, P.J.A. van; Van Loon, M.P.; Saito, K.; Adimo, O.; Adjei-Nsiah, S.; Agali, A.; Bala, A.; Chikowo, R.; Kaizzi, K.; Kouressy, M.; Makoi, J.H.; Ouattara, K.; Kindie Tesfaye Fantaye; Cassman, K.G. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America PNAS, 113 (52): 14964-14969.
• QTL mapping for grain zinc and iron concentrations and zinc efficiency in a tetraploid and hexaploid wheat mapping populations. 2016. Velu, G.; Yusuf Tutus; Gomez-Becerra, H.F.; Yuanfeng Hao; Demir, L.; Kara, R.; Crespo-Herrera, L.A.; Orhan, S.; Yazici, A.; Singh, R.P.; Cakmak, I. Plant and Soil, online first.
• Control of Helminthosporium leaf blight of spring wheat using seed treatments and single foliar spray in Indo-Gangetic Plains of Nepal. 2016. Sharma-Poudyal, D.; Sharma, R.C.; Duveiller, E. Crop Protection, 88: 161-166.
• Breeding value of primary synthetic wheat genotypes for grain yield. 2016. Jafarzadeh, J.; Bonnett, D.G.; Jannink, J.L.; Akdemir, D.; Dreisigacker, S.; Sorrells, M.E. Plos one, 11 (9): e0162860.

EL BATAN, Mexico (CIMMYT) — Micro-satellites are emerging as an effective low-cost option to collecting data like sow date and yields on small farms across the developing world. When used in combination with bio-physical and socio-economic data, micro-satellite data can improve monitoring and evaluation, better assess and understand changes and shocks in crop-based farming systems and improve technology targeting across farmer communities.

Data taken from satellites – remotely controlled communications systems that orbit the earth – can provide different spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions for agriculture that detail crop health, irrigation use, yield, soil analysis and more.

While this information has greatly benefited the accuracy and precision of farming across the globe, it’s traditionally been a challenge to collect data on farms in the developing world. Many farmers have small pieces of land that can’t be accurately observed by most freely available satellite imagery, and it’s extremely expensive to access information that isn’t free.

However, a trend in recent years towards smaller, often private organizations sending their own micro-satellites into the sky have made access to satellite imagery much more affordable due to their smaller size, shorter life cycles and lower upfront costs.

A recent study by scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) looked at the impact of the micro-satellite SkySat in Bihar, India, which mapped sowing dates and yields of smallholder wheat fields during the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 growing seasons. The study then compares how well sowing date and yield were predicted when using ground data, like crop cuts and self-reports, versus using crop models, which require no on-the-ground data, to develop and parameterize prediction models.

The study “Mapping Smallholder Wheat Yields and Sowing Dates Using Micro-Satellite Data,” concludes that micro-satellite data can be used to map individual field-level characteristics of smallholder farms with significant accuracy, capturing roughly one-half and one-third of the variation in field-measured sow date and yields, respectively, when parameterized with field measures. These results suggest that micro-satellites and the data they provide will continue to serve as an important resource for mapping field-level farm characteristics, and that their utility will only improve as micro-satellites develop increased temporal frequency throughout the growing season.

Learn more about this and other recent publications from CIMMYT scientists below.

1. Association analysis of resistance to cereal cyst nematodes (Heterodera avenae) and root lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus neglectus and P. thornei) in CIMMYT advanced spring wheat lines for semi-arid conditions. 2016. Dababat, A.A.; Gomez-Becerra, H.F.; Erginbas-Orakci, G.; Dreisigacker, S.; Imren, M.; Toktay, H.; Elekcioglu, I.H.; Tesfamariam Mekete; Nicol, J.M.; Ansari, O.; Ogbonnaya, F.C. Breeding Science. Online First.
2. Developing and deploying insect resistant maize varieties to reduce pre-and post-harvest food losses in Africa. 2016. Tadele Tefera; Mugo, S.N.; Beyene, Y. Food Security 8 (1) : 211-220.
3. Mapping smallholder wheat yields and sowing dates using micro-satellite data. 2016. Meha Jain; Srivastava, A.; Singh, B.; Rajiv K. Joon; McDonald, A.; Royal, K.; Lisaius, M.C.; Lobell, D.B. Remote Sensing 8 (10) : 860.
4. Nitrogen fertilizer placement and timing affects bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) quality and yield in an irrigated bed planting system. 2016. Grahmann, K.; Govaerts, B.; Fonteyne, S.; Guzman, C.; Galaviz-Soto, A.P.; Buerkert, A.; Verhulst, N. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 106 : 185-199.
5. Resistance of Bt-maize (MON810) against the stem borers Busseola fusca (Fuller) and Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) and its yield performance in Kenya. 2016. Tadele Tefera; Mugo, S.N.; Mwimali, M.; Anani, B.; Tende, R.; Beyene, Y.; Gichuki, S.; Oikeh, S.O.; Nang’ayo, F.; Okeno, J.; Njeru, E.; Pillay, K.; Meisel, B.; Prasanna, B.M. Crop Protection 89 : 202-208.