Location: Kazakhstan

For more information, contact CIMMYT’s Kazakhstan office.

Research shows impact of root and crown rot in wheat

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on November 18, 2022. Posted in Publications.

Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world and the fourteenth largest producer of wheat; in 2021 alone, the country produced 14.3 million tons (t) of wheat on 12.1 million hectares (ha). Despite this impressive figure, wheat yield in the country falls below average at 1172.5 t/ha compared to 3474.4 t/ha globally.

Research into wheat diseases in Kazakhstan has primarily revolved around airborne fungal foliar diseases, such as stem rust, leaf rust and stripe rust, which can be devastating for farmers and their crops. However, the effects of fungi relating to wheat root and crown root were yet to be examined – these diseases affect yields, stands and grain quality due to infections that cause damping-off, blight, necrosis, and dry rotting.

Using plant samples taken during the 2019 growing season, scientists from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) conducted a quantitative survey to determine the distribution of this fungi. Using morphological and molecular tools on 1,221 samples from 65 sites across the central, eastern, and southeastern region, scientists found that Bipolaris sorokiniana and Fusarium acuminatum were the most predominant fungal species isolated.

In total, 74 isolates from 16 species were tested, revealing that F. culmorum and F. pseudograminearum, B. sorokinaiana, Fusarium sp., R. solani, F. redolens, C. spicifera, C. inaequalis, and N. orvzae were virulent fungi.

Results show the diverse spectrum of pathogenic fungal species linked to wheat crown and root rot in Kazakhstan and is highly likely to be the first report from the country on the presence of F. seudograminearum, Fusarium sp., C. spicifera, and C. inaequalis.

With this new data, scientists can develop mitigations to prevent crop loss and improve wheat yield across Kazakhstan.

Read the study: Fungal Pathogens Associated with Crown and Root Rot of Wheat in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Kazakhstan

Cover photo: The scientists from Turkey researching root and crown rot in Kazakhstani wheat: Abdelfattah A. Dababat (CIMMYT), Mustafa Imren (Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University), Göksel Özer (Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University) and Rauan Zhapayev. (Photo: Abdelfattah A. Dababat/CIMMYT)

Scientists from IPBB evaluate wheat infected with tan spot and wheat rusts in Kazakhstan. (Photo: IPBB)

Genome-wide association study puts tan spot-resistant genes in the spotlight

Written by Madeline Dahm on July 29, 2021. Posted in Features.

Tan spot disease, caused by the fungus Pyrenophora tritici-repentis, may be less well-known than other pathogens of wheat such as rust and blast, but its potential to become a major threat to wheat-growing regions worldwide is a serious concern.

In Kazakhstan, one of the main wheat growing nations in Central Asia, farmers have struggled with tan spot epidemics since the 1980s. During epidemic years, Kazakh farmers have reported losing nearly half of their harvest to the disease.

A recent study published in Frontiers in Genetics has unlocked a promising new weapon against tan spot disease. Scientists at the Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology (IPBB) in Kazakhstan and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) which found new sources of genetic resistance to tan spot disease.

“Bread wheat is the most important crop in Central Asia directly linked to food security. 45-60% of daily calories come from wheat,” said Alma Kokhmetova, Professor and Head of the Genetics and Breeding Laboratory at IPBB, who partnered with CIMMYT on this project.

Evaluation of tan spot disease resistance in a greenhouse. (Photo: IPBB)

Creative approaches to challenging, global issues

Global agriculture is repeatedly tested and threatened by emerging pests and diseases.

Fungicides and pesticides are not a one-stop, sustainable solution to controlling outbreaks. In addition to being unaffordable to much of the world’s smallholder population, they have also been found to have some negative environmental and health side effects. But crop breeders will argue that there is a more efficient path to resilience: through genetics.

For example, some wheat varieties are naturally resistant to diseases such as tan spot — it is in their DNA. If breeders can figure out what genes hold the code to tan spot disease resistance, in this case, they can cross and breed future varieties to be naturally immune to the disease. It is a much cleaner, cheaper and greener solution than dousing the world’s crops in fungus- and bug-killing chemicals.

A figure from the genome-wide association study shows novel genomic associations — especially here on chromosome 6A — that display resistance to both races of the tan spot fungus. (Figure: CIMMYT and IPBB)

Finding the needle in the haystack

Working together, CIMMYT and IPBB were able to find some important and novel genetic associations with resistance to tan spot for the two main races of the disease, race 1 and race 5, which are the most prevalent in Kazakhstan. The research centers assembled a panel with 191 samples of wheat having different levels of resistance from Kazakhstan, Russia and CIMMYT, through the International Winter Wheat Yield Partnership (IWWYP).

In order to conduct the genome-wide association study, the scientists used a genotyping platform called DArTseq to sequence the entries in the panel, a device that CIMMYT houses in its global headquarters in Mexico. The DArTseq method sequences the genome representations on the Next Generation Sequencing platforms and generates high-density single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) data in a cost-effective manner.

Using the SNPs generated by DArTSeq and the phenotypic scoring of resistance to tan spot at the seedling and adult plant stages in Kazakhstan, the scientists were able to mark genomic regions associated with resistance to the disease. Novel regions on chromosomes 3BS, 5DL and 6AL were all found to have some promising traits of resistance, especially 6AL, which appears to be superior in protecting plants from both of the races of the pathogen.

Tan spot, caused by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis on susceptible wheat cultivar Steklovidnaya 24. (Photo: IPBB)

Tan spot-resistant wheat cultivar Tyngysh. (Photo: IPBB)

The next steps

This discovery of a new source of genetic resistance to tan spot is exciting to breeders, researchers, donors, national agricultural systems, seed companies and, ultimately, farmers both in and outside of Kazakhstan. Essentially, any country that struggles with race 1 and race 5 of tan spot disease will benefit from this discovery.

“For breeding purposes, 25 lines with the best allele combinations of novel and known genes identified in this study are currently being used in different crossing programs in Kazakhstan,” said Deepmala Sehgal, CIMMYT wheat geneticist. The next stage of this project will also be a collaborative effort with CIMMYT, where the results will be validated in other in genetic backgrounds.

“Once the results are validated, their sequence information will be updated in a genotyping platform called Intertek, which has been designed to assist breeders in genotyping their germplasm with gene-based markers,” added Sehgal

More impact together

“Thanks to the exchange of wheat materials between CIMMYT, Turkey and ICARDA (IWWIP), we have selected and produced disease-resistant advanced wheat lines. These wheat entries now are being evaluated in the different stages of the breeding process,” said Kokhmetova.

The early success of this study and partnership between CIMMYT and IPBB has led to another round of funding approved by the Kazakhstan government to bring this research to the next stage. Additionally, more projects that seek to find sources of genetic resistance to leaf rust and yellow rusts have recently been approved.

“Due to this previous successful collaboration done between IPBB and CIMMYT, two more projects have been funded to our national agricultural research system partner Professor Alma,” said Sehgal.

Although the story of tan spot-resistant wheat is still unfolding, major strides will continue to follow in the footsteps of this exceptional discovery.

Cover photo: Scientists from IPBB evaluate wheat infected with tan spot and wheat rusts in Kazakhstan. (Photo: IPBB)

Wheat breeding must account for warmer, wetter climates in North America and Russia, new study shows

Written by on October 18, 2018. Posted in Press releases.

*A wheat crop in northern Kazakhstan. (Photo: Alexey Morgounov/CIMMYT)*

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEXICO CITY — Breeders of spring wheat for North America and Russia need to adapt their varieties to the regions’ changing climates, which are bringing longer and wetter whegrowing seasons, according to a scientific paper published yesterday.

Published by a five-country team of wheat researchers, the study analyzed changes in wheat yields, along with air temperatures and precipitation, on farms and research stations in Canada, Kazakhstan, Russia, and the USA, from 1981 to 2015.

The 22 million hectare study area — nearly the size of the United Kingdom — accounts for as much as 10 percent of global wheat production and exports nearly all its wheat, making it a big contributor to world food markets, according to Alexey Morgounov, wheat scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and first author of the paper.

“June, when the grain-holding wheat spike begins to form, turned out to be the critical month for spring wheat,” Morgounov said. “Maximum temperatures for that month rose over the 35 years studied, which hurt yields, but average rainfall increased and boosted grain yield, offsetting the temperature effect.”

Still, breeding for adaptation to higher temperatures will be critical to increasing spring wheat yields, according to Morgounov, who added that there were substantial changes in the dates of planting and harvesting, normally leading to longer growing seasons in the regions studied. “New varieties should be able to take advantage of the longer wheat growing seasons that warming brings.”

Overall, climate changes were more favorable for spring wheat in North America than in Kazakhstan and Russia, with greater precipitation in Canada and the USA and less exposure to extreme, high temperatures. Growing season precipitation increased as much as 15 percent at North American locations.

The two regions covered in this study represent distinct environments. The Kazakhstan and Russia locations are more than 500 kilometers further north than the North American latitudes and experience colder winters, hotter summers, and less precipitation.

“Interestingly, the two regions appear to complement each other, over the period we studied,” Morgounov said. “Higher-than-average wheat yields in one were normally associated with lower yields in the other, helping to foster stability in grain markets.”

“The whole high-latitude, continental climate spring wheat area certainly presents a huge potential for global wheat production,” he added, “and both can benefit from germplasm exchange and cooperation, with emphasis on the climate change challenges and opportunities presented in this paper.”

Morgounov acknowledged contributions for the study from the Prairie Recommending Committee on Wheat, Rye and Triticale, Canada, and other Canadian partners; the USDA-ARS Plant Science Research Unit; the Samara Agricultural Research Institute, the Agricultural Research Institute of Southeast Saratov, the Altay Agricultural Research Institute at Barnaul, the Siberian Agricultural Research Institute at Omsk, the Shortandy Variety Testing Site, and the Siberian Crop Production Research Institute at Novosibirsk, Russia; and the Karabalyk Agricultural Research Station, Kostanay, Kazakhstan. Finally, Morgounov thanked the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat for its support.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO ARRANGE INTERVIEWS:

Courtney Brantley
Junior communications consultant
International Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT)
Email: c.brantley@cgiar.org
Tel: +52 55 5804 2004

Agricultural attachés visit CIMMYT

Written by on February 15, 2018. Posted in News.

Group photo of agricultural attachés at CIMMYT. Photo: CIMMYT/P.Arredondo

Agricultural attachés from 10 Mexican embassies visited the headquarters of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) on February 15. Countries represented included, Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Kazakhstan, Spain, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

Annie Tremblay, who was representing the Netherlands, gave a presentation on agriculture in the Netherlands. She emphasized the most commonly traded commodities between the Netherlands and Mexico and said she sees Mexico as a “sleeping giant” in the flower-trading world.

Following Tremblay’s presentation, Martin Kropff talked about how CIMMYT works globally to improve livelihoods. As Kropff explained CIMMYT’s biofortification work, he stressed that in a perfect world people would be able to diversify their diets and get nutrients from all kinds of plants, but that many people CIMMYT serves are living on less than two dollars a day. “This is not the solution, but it is a solution.”

Bram Govaerts gave a presentation about the work Sustainable Intensification Program in Latin America (SIP-LatAm) is doing and discussed the importance of public-private partnerships to the MasAgro program. This underscored Kropff’s points about the importance of public-private partnerships to CIMMYT and the importance of corporate social responsibility.

The final presentation to the group of attachés was by Hans Braun and Carolina Saint Pierre on the Global Wheat Program. They emphasized wheat as a good source of fiber, antioxidants, micronutrients and protein. The presentation focused on global partnerships in the wheat program and meeting future production goals.

The attachés then toured the CIMMYT campus, learning about the germplasm bank and biodiversity, the global wheat and maize breeding programs and goals to improve seeds and crops. They also were introduced to CIMMYT’s work enhancing nutrition, food safety and processing quality in the seed health labs and about sustainable intensification to improve rural livelihoods.

To conclude, attachés discussed the current priorities of their embassies and potential collaborations between their embassies in Mexico and CIMMYT.

Wheat area expansion faces a headwind requiring increased spending on R&D to raise yields

Written by on October 9, 2014. Posted in Blogs.

Photo credit: Madan Raj Bhatta

#WheatMatters

Derek Byerlee is a visiting scholar at Stanford University.
Any views expressed are his own.

Over the last 50 years or so, the big increases in agricultural production have come through improved yields largely as a result of the Green Revolution.

From 1961 to 2011, per capita cereal production increased by 40 percent, while the amount of cropland per capita fell by half. In most regions, the total area of cropland has either reached a peak or declined. However, in three tropical regions, land expansion has been and still is a significant source of agricultural growth: Southeast Asia, tropical South America and sub-Saharan Africa.

Since 1990, wheat is the only major crop to experience an overall decline in area.

Looking to the future, how much land can be expected to come into production for cropping?

Currently, about 1,500 million hectares (Mha) of land is used for crops.

I project that additional demand for land will be 6 to 12 Mha each year for a total of 120 to 240 Mha increase from 2010 to 2030.

The higher projection allows a greater role for trade and thereby production by the lowest-cost producers who are often located in land-abundant countries.

These estimates are broadly in line with a synthesis by Erik Lambin & Patrick Meyfroidt who also include projections of the loss of land due to expansion of urban settlements and infrastructure as well as losses due to land degradation. Taking these losses into account, Tony Fischer provides an estimate of total additional gross cropland demand from 2010 to 2030 of 160 Mha to 340 Mha. Global models also suggest expansion of cropland to 2050 of about 300 Mha, given projected yield growth.

Is there enough land to satisfy demand? The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’s World Agriculture Towards 2030/2050 report estimates that some 1.4 billion hectares of currently uncultivated land that is not forested or in protected areas is suited to crop agriculture although they note that this is an optimistic estimate. A more conservative estimate of available land with at least moderate suitability for rainfed cultivation in low population-density areas – that is, non-forested, non-protected and with a population density of less than 25 people per square kilometer – is approximately 450 Mha.

At first glance, it would thus seem that projected demand for land (even under the scenarios of the higher demand estimates) over the next two decades can be accommodated by available uncultivated land.

However, most of this uncultivated land is concentrated in a few countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Central Asia and is often far from ports and roads.

A global analysis may also miss key constraints at the local level such as human diseases and unrecorded current land use that reduce effective land supply.

In addition, an expansion of land area of the order of 160 Mha (the lower-bound estimate of the estimated future land needs) could have significant biodiversity costs from conversion of natural ecosystems, even in the non-forested areas considered above.

Indeed, one of the sustainable development goals currently under discussion in international fora is to reduce deforestation to zero by 2030 – implying a closing of the land frontier. Finally with the exception of some areas in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, most of the available land is in the tropics and is unsuitable for wheat production.

Overall then, projections of future land availability for agriculture suggest a growing land scarcity, particularly for wheat, especially when taking into account that demand for food and feed will continue to rise with growing affluence in rapidly industrializing countries, as well as the use of land for biofuel feedstocks.

Growing scarcity together with high commodity prices have combined to stimulate global investor interest in farmland that underlies much of the recent discussion on intensification as a strategy to save land and concerns about a global ‘land grab’ by investors from land-scarce countries.

Wheat area is also being pushed out by other crops in many countries. Over the period 1993 to 2013, wheat area has fallen by 4.5 Mha, exceeded only by other winter cereals (barley, rye, and oats) that have collectively lost over 40 Mha.

During the same period, the area of oil crops (mostly soybeans, rapeseed and oil palm) has increased by an astonishing 100 Mha, maize by a hefty 53 Mha and rice by 20 Mha.

This year for example, North Dakota, a quintessential wheat-producing state in the United States, for the first time planted more soybeans than wheat.

In Argentina, soybeans rotated with maize have also displaced a significant wheat area, while in northern China, increasing maize area appears to be at the expense of spring wheat. Wheat area in the United States and China has fallen by 7 Mha and 6 Mha respectively since 1993. The major exceptions to these trends are India and Australia, where wheat area is up sharply.

All of this, of course, implies that increasing wheat yields will be especially critical to maintain its competitiveness and to save further land expansion into forests.

Norman Borlaug, the pioneer of the Green Revolution, long recognized that increased yields were not only essential to increasing global food security but also to saving forests.

This has now been enshrined in the environmental literature as the Borlaug Hypothesis. The real world is not so simple since there are situations where increasing yields may enhance crop profitability and encourage its expansion at the expense of forests. However, we found that just the CGIAR investment in germplasm is likely to have saved from 18-27 Mha of land from 1965-2000.

The bottom line is that increased spending on research and development (R&D) by national programs and CGIAR is a priority to achieving not only food security but confronting land scarcity.

None of the above considers the negative impacts of climate change, but a recent thoughtful analysis by David Lobell of Stanford University has shown that investing in R&D to adapt to climate change and maintain yields in the face of rising temperatures and increased drought is one of the most cost-effective ways to save forests and therefore mitigate climate change.

Surprisingly, wheat is the crop that faces the strongest headwind from both land scarcity and climate change. Wheat also appears to be grossly underfunded at the international level as measured by the budget provided to the WHEAT CRP – one of the lowest among the 15 CRPs. Tony Fischer, Honorary Research Fellow, at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), in a companion piece has shown that there are many promising avenues to higher R&D spending, both to raise yield potential and close large yield gaps.

Interested in this subject? Find out more information here:

Alexandratos, N., & Bruinsma, J. (2012). World agriculture towards 2030/2050: the 2012 revision (No. 12-03, p. 4). Rome, FAO: ESA Working paper.

Borlaug, N. 2007. “Feeding a Hungry World.” Science 318(5849):359–359.

Deininger, K.W., and D. Byerlee. 2011. Rising Global Interest in Farmland: Can it Yield Sustainable and Equitable Benefits? Washington D.C.: World Bank Publications.

Fischer RA, Byerlee D, Edmeades GL. 2014. Crop Yields and Food Security: Will Yield Increase Continue to Feed the World? Canberra: Aust. Cent. Int. Agric. Res.

Lambin, E. F. 2012. Global land availability: Malthus versus Ricardo. Global Food Security. 1; 83-87.

Lobell, D.B., U.L.C. Baldos, and T.W. Hertel. 2013. “Climate Adaptation as Mitigation: the Case of Agricultural Investments.” Environmental Research Letters 8(1):015012.

Stevenson, J.R., N. Villoria, D. Byerlee, T. Kelley, and M. Maredia. 2013. “Green Revolution Research Saved an Estimated 18 to 27 Million Hectares from Being Brought into Agricultural Production.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Available at: 10.1073/pnas.1208065110 [Accessed May 13, 2013].

Go back to: Wheat Matters

Conservation agriculture in Central Asia: A bumpy road to food security?

Written by on April 30, 2013. Posted in News.

Conservation agriculture methods enable producers to sustainably intensify production, improve soil health, and minimize or avoid negative externalities. However, these practices have not yet taken off in most Central Asian countries. The FAO Sub-Regional Office for Central Asia, in cooperation with CIMMYT, ICARDA, and the national counterparts, conducted a study on the status of conservation agriculture in Central Asia to develop policy recommendations for its promotion. The document titled “Conservation Agriculture in Central Asia: Status, Policy, Institutional Support, and Strategic Framework for its Promotion” presents the existing opportunities for adoption and uptake of conservation agriculture techniques, as well as the conditions that need to be taken into account in designing and promoting policy and institutional support strategies for its up-scaling.

The challenges facing the dissemination and adoption of conservation agriculture practices in the region include development of enabling government policies and institutional environment to mainstream conservation agriculture, changing the farmers’ tillage mind-set, training to operate conservation agriculture equipment, and availability and accessibility of suitable implements. However, the authors believe that there is a great potential to revitalize the withered economies of Central Asian countries via improved productivity and higher total output through conservation agriculture based agricultural development. Kazakhstan, the only country that has actively embraced conservation agriculture, provides great evidence for such claims. With the support of CIMMYT, FAO, ICARDA, the World Bank, the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, and other international organizations and donors, Kazakhstan began adoption of conservation agriculture practices in 2000; by 2012 there were 2 million hectares —13% of the country’s wheat growing area— under conservation agriculture. According to the FAO Investment Center mission to Kazakhstan, the adoption of zero tillage and conservation agriculture had raised domestic wheat production by almost 2 million tons, which equals some US$ 0.58 billion more income over 2010-12, enough grain to satisfy the annual cereal requirements of almost 5 million people, and the sequestering of about 1.8 million additional tons of CO2 per year. CIMMYT’s work in Kazakhstan demonstrates that the challenges facing Central Asia regarding conservation agriculture can be overcome. “The main achievement of CIMMYT in Kazakhstan has been the changing of the minds of farmers and scientists,” observes Bayan Alimgazinova, head of the Crop Production Department of KazAgroInnovation. Auyezkhan K. Darinov, president-chairman of the Republic Public Union of Farmers of Kazakhstan adds: “Kazakhstan is now the most experienced in conservation agriculture in Central Asia.” Hopefully, the practices and experience will spread to other Central Asian countries seeking to ensure food security.

For the full FAO report: Conservation Agriculture in Central Asia: Status, Policy, Institutional Support, and Strategic Framework for its Promotion.

For more information on conservation agriculture in Kazakhstan: Water-saving techniques salvage wheat in drought-stricken Kazakhstan.

Water-saving techniques salvage wheat in drought-stricken Kazakhstan

Written by on March 21, 2013. Posted in Features.

Kazakhstan’s 2012 drought and high temperatures cut the country’s wheat harvests by more than half from 2011 output, but wheat under zero-tillage practices gave up to three times more grain than conventionally cultivated crops. Two million hectares are currently under zero tillage, making Kazakhstan one of the top-ten countries for conservation agriculture and helping to avoid severe wheat shortages.

“If no-till practices had not been used this period of drought, we would have gotten nothing. It would have been an absolute catastrophe,” says Valentin Dvurechenskii, Director General of the Kostanay Agricultural Research Institute in Kazakhstan, giving his verdict on the 2012 wheat crop.

After farmers planted their wheat in April, Kostanay—the country’s main wheat growing region—went two months without rain. Making matters worse, daily temperatures were several degrees above normal. At the time, farmer and Director General of the Agrofirm Dievskaya, Oleg Danilenko, echoed the view of peers: “I’ve been a farmer for 35 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this.” Danilenko said the harsh conditions pointed up the advantages of conservation agriculture, which involves reduced or zero tillage, keeping crop residues on the soil, and rotating crops. “No other results have been nearly as successful.”

Wheat on Kazakhstani farms using conventional agriculture has been severely affected by 2012's drought and high temperatures. According to farmer Idris Kozhebayev, wheat crops in Akmola Region normally average 42 grains per spike, but this year are producing only 2-4 grains per spike. — Wheat on Kazakhstani farms using conventional agriculture has been severely affected by 2012’s drought and high temperatures. According to farmer Idris Kozhebayev, wheat crops in Akmola Region normally average 42 grains per spike, but this year are producing only 2-4 grains per spike.

Lack of rain darkens crop outlook

In the village of Tonkeris, 45 km from the capital Astana in the Akmola region, farmers’ fields had received no rainfall between May and September. According to farmers in the area, drought conditions used to be rare but are becoming more frequent. “I’ve been a farmer for 30 years,” said Idris Kozhabayev. “There was drought like this in 2000 and 2010. In recent years, it’s getting worse.”

Cultivated using conventional practices, the fields of Akmola were expected to produce only enough wheat for next year’s seed. “The farmers’ fields I work with all look like this. Some are worse,” said Daniyar Andibayev, an agronomist in the region.

Meanwhile, in Kostanay, many farmers had adopted conservation agriculture techniques that protected them from drought’s worst effects. With these, farmers reported yields of 2 tons per hectare, while some farmers using conventional practices lost their entire crop.

Wheat grown under conservation agriculture in the Kostanay region of Kazakhstan has stayed healthy and is set to give a good yield despite the year's severe drought and high temperatures. — Wheat grown under conservation agriculture in the Kostanay region of Kazakhstan has stayed healthy and is set to give a good yield despite the year’s severe drought and high temperatures.

Conserving where it counts

Kazakhstan is the world’s sixth largest wheat exporter. More than 14 million of the country’s 15 million hectares of wheat is rainfed, meaning the crop relies on precipitation and is thus vulnerable to dry weather. Reports in January 2013 said the 2012 drought had shrunk the wheat crop 57% from 2011’s record harvests.

Farmers are initially attracted to zero tillage and conservation agriculture because the approaches dramatically cut costs: farming this way requires less labor, machinery use, fuel, water, or fertilizers. In rainfed cropping, conservation agriculture can also boost yields.

Research has shown that conservation agriculture increases soil moisture by as much as 24% on most fields. In Kazakhstan the practices capture snow on the surface and improve water retention under heavy snowfall and subzero temperatures. Zero tillage also augments soil organic matter and cuts erosion by 75-100%. All this has helped to nearly double average wheat yields, from 1.4 to 2.6 tons per hectare, according to Dvurechenskii. In December 2011 Dvurechenskii was awarded the “Gold Star” medal and the rank “Hero of Labor of Kazakhstan” by the country’s President, in recognition of his work to promote conservation agriculture.

The findings of a 2012 FAO-Investment Centre mission to Kazakhstan^₁ suggest that adoption of zero tillage and conservation agriculture had raised domestic wheat production by almost 2 million tons. According to the mission report, this represents some US$ 0.58 billion more income over 2010-12, enough grain to satisfy the annual cereal requirements of almost 5 million people, and the sequestering of about 1.8 million additional tons of CO₂ per year.

Pushing out with better practices

With the support of CIMMYT, FAO, ICARDA, the World Bank, the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, and other international organizations and donors, Kazakhstan went from practically nothing under conservation agriculture in 2000 to 0.5 million hectares in 2007. In 2012, as a result of ongoing farmer engagement through demonstration plots, field days, and close work with farmer unions, conservation agriculture is now practiced on 2.0 million hectares—13% of the country’s wheat-growing area.”This amazing adoption is thanks to a few scientists who saw the potential, but more importantly to the pioneer farmers who perfected the techniques and put them into practice; farmers believe farmers,” says conservation agriculture expert Pat Wall, who, together with CIMMYT colleagues Alexei Morgounov and Muratbek Karabayev, initiated field trials with Kazakhstani scientists in the country’s northern steppes in 2000.

“The main achievement of CIMMYT in Kazakhstan has been the changing of the minds of farmers and scientists,” observes Bayan Alimgazinova, head of the Crop Production Department of KazAgroInnovation, a specialized organization created by the Ministry of Agriculture to increase the competitiveness of the country’s agricultural sector. Based on the positive results of research trials and tests in farmers’ fields, Kazakhstan’s current state policy calls for every province to pursue zero tillage.

“Kazakhstan has a wheat growing area of 15 million hectares presently and can increase it up to 20 million hectares,” added Murat Karabayev, CIMMYT representative in Kazakhstan. “This is extremely important for the food security of the country, the Central Asian region, and globally. There is a real opportunity to double yields using new advanced technologies and improved varieties. We’ve already seen this through conservation agriculture.”

For more information: Muratbek Karabayev, CIMMYT Representative in Kazakhstan (m.karabayev@cgiar.org)
CIMMYT’s conservation agriculture activities in Kazakhstan have been funded by the different sources, including from CIMMYT’s own resources and the comprehensive World Bank Agriculture Competitiveness Project (ACP). CIMMYT received two grants between 2008 and 2010 from the World Bank’s ACP to promote conservation agriculture practices in Kazakhstan.

Muratbek Karabayev, CIMMYT Representative in Kazakhstan (left) and Auyezkhan K. Darinov, President–Chairman, Republic Public Union of Farmers of Kazakhstan.

Interview: Auyezkhan K. Darinov, 2012

Auyezkhan K. Darinov has been a farmer since 1993, and represents two million of his fellows as President-Chairman of the”Kazakhstan Farmers Union”. He works to unite and provide a voice to small and medium-scale farmers in Kazakhstan and to promote pro-farmer policies with the Ministry of Agriculture.

What are the main activities of the Kazakhstan Farmers Union?
We work with farmers to influence the government and to push for policies that can benefit farmers. The government sometimes doesn’t understand the issues farmers are facing. We meet with the Prime Minister, ministers, other officials every week to push for ideas for farmers. We organize events, meetings, and seminars and this has been our best strategy for getting conservation agriculture to farmers.

What strategies do you use to introduce conservation agriculture to farmers?
The Farmers Union was established in 2000. Since 2002, we have been working with farmers to introduce them to the merits of conservation agriculture. Now, we are working with farmers in all of the provinces and districts. Through our representatives, we have established a network of farmers who work on spreading the technology of conservation agriculture throughout the country. We are the largest NGO in Kazakhstan and we represent the interests of farmers in all levels of the social-economic and political spheres of the country. We are working with the government to develop policies for next year and to draft programs.

What does this year’s drought mean for farmers?
There are estimates of expected yields for this year which are being reported. However since we know the stories of farmers and the real situation of farmers’ fields, we know that the official estimates are higher than the reality. We’re expecting up to 2 million tons of grain less than official estimates. This year, many farmers are in crucial situations and need assistance from the government.

Do you think more farmers will be convinced to start using conservation agriculture following the drought?
Conservation agriculture is still a challenge in some areas, like Southern Kazakhstan. However, on the whole, farmers are already convinced of the merits of conservation agriculture, but it’s a problem of resources. There have to be changes in the agriculture system to equip small and medium-sized farmers with equipment that they can’t afford. It’s an expensive venture to make the shift from traditional practices to new technologies. That’s why we’re working with farmers to form cooperatives so equipment can be shared and lent to farmers.

What role has CIMMYT played in Kazakhstan?
Kazakhstan is now the most experienced in conservation agriculture in Central Asia. We worked with pioneers of conservation agriculture technologies such as Ken Sayre and Pat Wall. CIMMYT was one of the first and the best in conservation agriculture. In all large projects, CIMMYT invites the Farmers’ Union and similarly, the Farmers’ Union invites CIMMYT.

What are some of the main challenges you see for agriculture in Kazakhstan in the future?
All irrigation water is coming from neighboring countries. We need to change the agriculture system to use less water and produce higher yields. There is also a need to develop new varieties which are drought tolerant. That’s where the work of CIMMYT comes in. That’s why the work of CIMMYT in Kazakhstan is so important.

Wheat seems to have a special importance to farmers here. Why is that?
Wheat… it is our money. Basically, if farmers have wheat, they have money. We are a wheat and meat country. Other crops have importance, but not like wheat. Changing the volume of wheat changes the national economy. Farmers cannot imagine how they would survive without wheat. Farmers knew that this year would be dry. But nevertheless, they planted wheat. That’s how important wheat is in Kazakhstan.

¹ Unpublished; see also a 2009 Investment Centre report on zero tillage in Kasakhstan.

The best photo of 2012

Written by on January 14, 2013. Posted in News.

Since the beginning of our weekly photo contest, we have received many pictures of maize and wheat from staff and friends around the world. Every week, we chose a winner, but we asked you to choose the best photo of 2012. After three weeks of online voting, the winner is Vadim Ganeyev, one of our friends and partners in Kazakhstan, with his photo of a grasshopper on a wheat spike. Congratulations to Vadim and many thanks for everyone’s participation!

Drought tolerant wheat in Kazakhstan

Written by on August 27, 2012. Posted in News.

“This year has been terrible for wheat production,” said Yuriy Zelenskiy, CIMMYT wheat breeder in Kazakhstan. “Since planting, there have been 60 days without rain, and the temperature has been on average between three and five degrees higher than normal,” he added. Drought and heat-tolerant wheat varieties were among the major topics during the 10th International Meeting at the Kazakhstan-Siberian Network on Wheat Improvement (KASIB) held during 6-9 August 2012 at Kostanay and Karabalyk Agricultural Experimental Station in Kazakhstan. The meeting was attended by 35 leading breeders and agricultural specialists from Kazakhstan and Russia, as well as experts from CIMMYT, JSC “KazAgroInnovation”, and representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan.

KASIB was established by CIMMYT in 2000 to foster international collaboration in the region. The network currently includes 19 breeding programs in Kazakhstan and Russia, representing an area of over 20 million hectares of spring wheat production. Each of the breeding programs provides three lines for testing by each partner, and the 50 best lines are then selected and distributed throughout the network to increase efficiency and speed up the process of wheat breeding.

Kazakhstan is among the top ten wheat producers in the world. This year, the crop was sown on 16 million hectares, though it was estimated that over 7 thousand hectares of wheat were destroyed as a result of severe drought. Kazakhstan’s grain harvest is expected to reach 14 million tons, 50% less than last year. While this output is still above the yearly average (about 13 million tons), last year’s record yield of almost 23 million tons showed the potential with the use of drought-tolerant wheat varieties. The situation is similar in the rest of the region: wheat production in Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan is estimated to be 30% less than 2011 yields.

Over 15,000 lines have been exchanged and tested through KASIB network since its inception. KASIB materials are tested for 20 traits, such as resistance to diseases and drought and heat tolerance, and include high-yielding varieties best suited for this agro-ecological zone. “This kind of international cooperation is the best way to introduce new varieties,” stated Muratbek Karabayev, CIMMYT representative in Kazakhstan.

Training seminar to promote the effective use of plant genetic resources in Kazakhstan

Written by on December 14, 2011. Posted in News.

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

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

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

Kazakhstan.EQ_

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

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

Biotechnology issues addressed in Kazakhstan

Written by on October 20, 2011. Posted in News.

In the Republic of Kazakhstan, general breeding programs are funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, whilst those relating to biotechnology are funded through the Ministry of Education and Science. The use of biotechnology within plant breeding is a complex issue, and genetic and physiological studies within national breeding programs are often limited. To help develop a national strategy for the use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in Kazakhstan and foster relevant collaboration between the country’s biotechnology and agricultural crop research organizations, CIMMYT-Kazakhstan staff organized a training seminar on modern trends and methods for plant breeding and seed production during 15-19 August 2011. The event drew scientists and experts from Kazakhstani breeding programs, the Kazakhstan-Siberia Network on Spring Wheat Improvement (KASIB), and national research and educational organizations.

Representing FAO, Chikelu Mba delivered a presentation highlighting food security issues. He argued that if food production is to increase by the necessary 70% within the next 40 years, we must use not only conventional plant breeding, but also increase experimental mutagenesis (chemical and physical), use of in vitro tissue culture, cell selection, technologies based on haploidy and somaclonal variability, molecular markers, and DNA recombinations. Mba also drew attention to the new FAO program, “Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building” (GIPB), which aims to improve food security and sustainable development within developing countries through improved crop breeding.

The current challenges of plant breeding in Kazakhstan and central Asia were addressed in a presentation by R. Urazaliev. Presently, projects are focused on breeding new varieties and improving wheat cultivars, increasing yield, improving quality, decreasing the share of by-products, and reducing losses from pests and diseases. V.P. Shamanin, Professor at Omsk Agricultural University, also spoke of the economic importance of wheat and the current issues and trends related to crop breeding. Emphasis was given to adaptive breeding and breeding for resistance to environmental stresses, and Shamanin also described the seed production and distribution systems in Russia and other developed countries. The focus was not only on wheat however, as Carlo Carli from the International Potato Center, Peru, also emphasized how these issues are also relevant to potato crops worldwide, and also how biotechnology is currently being applied to improve the yield of potatoes and raise their nutritional value.

V. Syukov (Samara, Russia) gave a presentation on the genetic basis of plant breeding, and also described how physiological and genetic approaches are being applied to breeding at the Samara Agricultural Research Institute. The speakers emphasized that development and implementation of multi-disciplinary projects should be prioritized, in addition to building capacity within breeding, biotechnology, and genetic resources, and promoting training seminars featuring international expertise.

In concluding the seminar, participants agreed that several measures should be taken at the national level to develop breeding and seed production; including expanding current research methods through modern applied methods, biotechnology, and active utilization of artificial climate techniques; use of ICTs in the breeding process; improvement of state testing of varieties with expedited testing procedures; introduction of efficient variety replacement and seed farming systems; and further training of specialists and increased international collaboration. With respect to Kazakhstan, participants felt that the legislative and regulatory framework governing breeding, seed growing, and PGR should be improved; a National Gene Bank should be created, with Kazakhstan joining the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants and the International Seed Testing Association; and the National Strategy on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture must be developed and approved.

Participants felt that the seminar was important in addressing Kazakhstan’s agricultural issues, and thanked the FAO and CIMMYT-Kazakhstan for organizing and coordinating the activities.

Linking breeding, plant genetic resources, and biotechnology in Kazakhstan

Written by on July 18, 2011. Posted in News.

During 6-14 June 2011, a group of 24 national specialists from different institutions and regions traversed 1,400 kilometers of southeast, south, and southwest Kazakhstan in a travelling seminar organized by CIMMYT on breeding, plant genetic resources (PGR), and biotechnology. The aim was to evaluate the status of those research pursuits in the region, as well as prospects for their development, and to promote innovative technologies. The group visited farms and the region’s leading agricultural research organizations: the Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, the Kazakh Advanced Research Institute for Farming and Crop Production, the Krasnovodopad Agricultural Experimental Station, the Southwest Agricultural Research Center for Livestock and Crop Production, and the Kazakh Advanced Research Institute for Rice Production.

Seminar participants agreed that one of the most important tasks today is to increase crop yields by developing new varieties, mobilizing plant genetic resources, and using advanced biotechnologies—work now hindered by the weak link between biotechnology, breeding, and use of plant genetic resources in the country. Kazakhstan has stronger biotechnology capacity and more extensive plant collections than other Central Asian countries, but studies in those areas are conducted in parallel, without close interaction between breeders and biotechnologists. In most cases, biotechnology and molecular biology methods and developments stay locked away in the lab, with rare use by breeders and only rudimentary application to study, characterize, or use plant genetic resources for breeding.

Use of modern biological methods could significantly speed breeding, raise crop yields, and improve agronomic and economically-valuable traits. With Kazakhstan agriculture being categorized as ”risk farming,” biotechnology could help in breeding high-yielding, stress tolerant crop varieties.

Scientists gather for spring wheat improvement meeting

Written by on August 30, 2010. Posted in News.

Nearly 40 Russian and Kazakhstan scientists from 19 different institutions gathered at Chelyabinsk Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture, located in the Kazakhstan-bordering Russian region of Chelyabinsk, from 03-06 August 2010 for a meeting of the Kazakhstan- Siberia Network on Spring Wheat Improvement (KASIB), which is held once every two years. The main focus of the meeting was to improve wheat resistance to rust disease through effective collaboration.

CIMMYT helped establish KASIB 10 years ago. Today, it unites 15 breeding and research programs from Kazakhstan and Siberia (Russia) with the goal of improving regional spring wheat breeding through the exchange of varieties and breeding materials, complemented by information sharing, workshops, and meetings. About 500 varieties and advanced lines of bread and durum wheat, including varieties already sown on roughly 20 million hectares, have been studied at KASIB nurseries.

e-Informa1716 The meeting consisted of lectures on challenges and achievements in wheat breeding, including improvement of rust resistance. Alex Morgounov, of CIMMYT-Turkey and head of the International Wheat Improvement Program, gave an overview of the 8th International Wheat Conference, which was held in St. Petersburg during 01-04 June 2010, and reflected on the current status and latest achievements in wheat breeding. In general, the attending scientists noted that the Kazakhstan-Siberia Network is developing dynamically and that participating institutions are providing varieties for testing that display a higher performance of desirable agronomic traits in comparison with previous years, including resistance to rust (like Ug99). Additionally, breeders are working in harmony to: develop research methodologies; evaluate wheat rust diseases on an international scale; develop criteria to share credit for joint creation of varieties; and increase study on leaf rust, stem rust, and septoria leaf blotch. This shows that there has been an improvement in variety selection and that breeders take KASIB collaboration seriously. Impressed, a number of agencies not currently participating in KASIB expressed their desire to join the network.

Another important aspect of KASIB is shuttle breeding between Kazakhstan and Mexico. This is done in conjunction with CIMMYT’s rainfed breeding program, led by Yann Manes, CIMMYT wheat breeder. The resulting new breeding material is not only resistant to leaf and stem rust, but also shows high yield, drought resistance, good end-used grain quality, and the ability to adapt to local conditions. These lines have reached advanced variety yield trials at Fiton Research and Production Company, the Karabalyk Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Chelyabinsk Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture. Two of these lines were incorporated in KASIB’s nursery in 2009- 10 and showed good results in broad environmental testing.

Despite these successes, participants did discuss new ways to further improve the KASIB network for both performance and shuttle breeding. Morgounov and Yuriy Zelenskiy, of CIMMYT- Kazakhstan, visited several breeding programs to see how shuttle materials were fairing at various stages of the breeding process and in different ecological zones. Scientists from the KASIB network expressed their gratitude and appreciation to CIMMYT for organizing and funding this meeting.

Conservation agriculture conference for Central Asia

Written by on July 20, 2009. Posted in News.

Kazhakstan1 CIMMYT staff in Kazakhstan organized an international conference on conservation agriculture (CA) 08-10 July 2009 in northern Kazakhstan at the Institute for Grain Farming. The conference, “No-till with soil cover and crop rotation: A basis for policy support to conservation agriculture for sustainable production intensification,” was financed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CIMMYT, and the International Collaboration for Agricultural Research in Central Asia and the Caucuses (ICAR) project, which is managed by Washington State University. There were 150 participants including scientists from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan along with 70 farmers from Kazakhstan and Russia. Dr. Akylbek Kurishbayev, Kazakhstan’s minister of agriculture and an old friend of CIMMYT, opened the conference and stressed that the government of Kazakhstan is firmly committed to supporting the spread of CA; it already gives a higher subsidy to small farmers who use CA than it does to those who use conventional tillage.

“There was a lot of discussion on the definition of CA, not only because of some confusion with conservation tillage—the common tillage method for wheat in northern Kazakhstan—but also because of the problem of expressing the term in other languages, including Russian,” said Pat Wall, director of CIMMYT’s CA program. The papers presented at the conference, however, showed that CA is gaining in acceptance and application in Central Asia, both in dryland and irrigated situations, he said.

Kazhak2 The conference highlighted the many problems still to be overcome for CA dissemination including the need for reorganization of many of the research and extension systems. Necessary diversification of cropping systems is often hampered by governmental policies and/or undeveloped markets. Weeds continue to be a problem and there is a lack of information on the adaptation of different crop varieties to CA, according to Wall.

Special thanks to CIMMYT staff in Kazakhstan who worked strenuously to make the conference a success: congratulations to Murat Karabayev, Arman Baitassov, Sagat Ishmuhanbetov, Mekhlis Suleimenov, Larissa Geronina, Zhumagali Ospanbayev, Tansara Murzatayeva, and Zina Telgarayeva.