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Location: Turkey

For more information, contact CIMMYT’s Turkey office.

Seed health facilities upgraded in Turkey

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By Alexey Morgounov/CIMMYT

A grant provided by the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat (CRP WHEAT) has helped improve seed health facilities in Turkey.

The grant benefited the International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP), a cooperative program between the Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, CIMMYT and ICARDA. IWWIP develops germplasm for Central and West Asia and facilitates the development and spread of global winter wheat germplasm and related knowledge. IWWIP focuses on wheat mega-environments that are home to about 20 million wheat-dependent poor who make less than US$ 2 a day.

Seed health facilities in Turkey were recently improved thanks to a grant from CRP WHEAT. Photo: CIMMYT

IWWIP operates within the framework of Turkish public research institutes, including the Bahri Dagdas International Agriculture Research Institute. Annually, tens of thousands of envelopes containing improved germplasm are prepared for distribution to IWWIP partners globally. Seed sent from Turkey must meet the highest seed health requirements.

With this in mind, the Bahri Dagdas institute applied for a collaboration grant from CRP WHEAT in 2012 to upgrade its seed health facilities; an effort that could not be funded from the regular IWWIP budget. The grant targeted improvement of infrastructure and facilities as well as staff training. For example, staff member Gul Imriz attended an advanced pathology course at CIMMYT-Mexico and a training event on seed health.

By the start of the 2014 season, the new facility will be fully equipped and ready to use for seed cleaning, washing and treatment. IWWIP acknowledges the contributions of Fatih Ozdemir, director of the Bahri Dagdas International Agriculture Research Institute; Mesut Keser, ICARDA representative in Turkey; Monica Mezzalama, head of CIMMYT’s Seed Health Unit; and Victor Kommerell, CRP WHEAT program manager.

Turkey hosts global plant breeding congress

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By Alexey Morgounov/CIMMYT

TurkeyMore than 650 people from 75 countries attended the International Plant Breeding Congress in Antalya, Turkey, from 11 to 14 November. The congress was organized by the Turkish Union of Plant Breeders, with help from CIMMYT and officials of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock of Turkey.

Simultaneous translation in English, Russian and Turkish helped expand speaker diversity. The congress included four main sections: cereals, field crops, horticultural crops and genetic resources. B.M. Prasanna, director of CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program, delivered a key-note speech entitled, “Meeting the challenges of global climate change and food security through innovative maize research.”
The International Winter Wheat Improvement Program, a collaboration between CIMMYT and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), organized a half-day session highlighting its activities and presentations from its collaborators. Alexey Morgounov, winter wheat breeder for CIMMYT, presented on climate change in winter wheat breeding sites and co-authored four additional oral presentations. In the final plenary session, it was announced that the congress will be held once every two years in Turkey. Participants appreciated the quality and organization of the event.

Pathology Research Greenhouse opened in Ankara, Turkey, honors researcher

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A new greenhouse opened at the Central Field Crop Research Institute in Ankara, Turkey, honoring Senior Pathologist Lutfi Cetin for his contribution to wheat pathology research. The new, state-of-the-art greenhouse allows independent work on yellow, leaf, and stem rust throughout the year. The greenhouse has three sections—one for each of the rusts studied—and can maintain its temperature throughout winter frosts and hot summers. Its construction was supported by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock of Turkey, FAO, and IFAD.Turquía

The pathogen collected in June of this year has been already multiplied in the greenhouse. The pathology group of the Central Field Crop Research Institute represents one of the few labs in the region dealing with rust at all stages and plays important role in research, breeding, and training. A half-day workshop was held on 27 August 2013 at the institute to recognize Mr. Cetin’s contributions.
Mr. Cetin started his wheat carrier more than 30 years ago and has been closely associated with the International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (Turkey-CIMMYT-ICARDA) in developing yellow rust resistant germplasm for the past 20 years. In the mid-1990s, when the cooperative work started, the frequency of yellow rust resistant entries did not exceed 20 to 30%. The pathology screening field with artificial inoculation was established in Haymana near Ankara with reliable and heavy infection by yellow and other rusts. This work later developed into broader rust pathology research including monitoring, pathotype identification, and screening in the seedling stage. The pathology group now annually evaluates 6,000 to 8,000 lines and populations from IWWIP in the field and around 1,000 in the seedling stage.

Inspiring a new generation of scientists: The Borlaug-Ruan Internship

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Liz-RocheMany scientists begin exploring at a young age; they try to figure out the things they don’t know, ask questions of others, and see how this information might be useful to them in creating new knowledge. The very lucky ones might have a mentor, or at the very least, a place where they are encouraged to cultivate their curiosity and use what they find out to help others.

This is one of the many reasons why CIMMYT participates in hosting Borlaug-Ruan Interns. Since 1998, over 180 Borlaug-Ruan Interns have traveled to Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad, and Turkey; CIMMYT has proudly hosted 19 of these intelligent, ambitious individuals. One such student, Elizabeth Roche, visited CIMMYT-Mexico during the summer of 2011. “I loved every minute of my two month internship at CIMMYT,” she said. “Working in the wheat pathology lab enabled me to learn so much about agriculture and global food security.” Elizabeth is now majoring in Plant Pathology at Ohio State University. According to Hans Braun, Director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program, by actively working alongside senior scientists, in the lab and the field, interns “really experience what science is. This is not sitting in a classroom reading from a textbook; it is about discovering a potential career and being inspired to further their scientific knowledge.”

Last summer, Tessa Ries left her hometown of Hastings, Minnesota, to conduct an internship at CIMMYT-Turkey. Based mainly at the field station in Eskisehir, Tessa worked alongside wheat pathologists screening wheat for resistance to crown rot and cereal cyst nematodes, two of the most serious constraints to wheat production in the region. Tessa is now studying at the University of Minnesota and has written a blog for the Global Agricultural Development Initiative about her time at CIMMYT. In 2013, CIMMYT hopes to welcome two more interns to its centers in Mexico and Turkey, continuing Norman Borlaug’s mission in inspiring young people worldwide to join the fight against hunger.

For more information on the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship click here.

Identifying wheat landraces in Turkey

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The International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP) in cooperation with FAO Central Asia held a workshop to summarize the results of wheat landraces inventory in Turkey and develop recommendations and a work plan for future activities. The workshop was held in Ankara, Turkey, on 09 January 2013, and was attended by 80 participants from research, academic, and farming communities, as well as local and central administration. While national in focus, its participant pool was truly international, as attendees included Hans-Joachim Braun (Global Wheat Program director), Kakoli Gosh (FAO), Calvin Qualset (UC Davis), and Nigel Maxted (University of Bristol).

The landrace inventory discussed at the workshop began in 2009 and identified around 160 landraces still grown in 41 provinces of Turkey. Although the total area where they are grown is small, these landraces are very important to small farmers in remote mountainous regions. Even the farmers who have access to modern cultivars still grow these landraces because of their unique adaptation and suitability for homemade products. Furthermore, the landraces represent a huge reservoir of genetic diversity that can be utilized in breeding. As a result of the workshop, several recommendations were developed addressing in-situ conservation of landraces and their improvement and utilization in development of modern varieties.

International Winter Wheat Improvement Program reviewed

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IWWIP2The International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP) develops winter wheat germplasm for Central and West Asia and facilitates global germplasm exchange, as part of a joint program between the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock of Turkey (MFAL), CIMMYT, and ICARDA. During 11-19 June 2012, IWWIP was reviewed by prominent scientists Paul Brennan (Australia), Daniel Danial (Holland), and Ron dePauw (Canada), who conducted interviews and visited research institutions and IWWIP activity sites in Edirne, Ankara, Eskisehir and Konya, Turkey.

Preliminary findings were presented to representatives of MFAL, CIMMYT, and ICARDA. These were generally positive, particularly in the areas of breeding outcomes and facilitation of germplasm exchange. The group recommended that breeding should focus on fewer traits, and also consider climate change by conducting further research on heat stress and grain quality for the target region. In addition, the breeding scheme should be modified to introduce early generation head rows and yield testing, experimental techniques should be improved, new varieties should be efficiently promoted, and ICARDA-Aleppo activities should focus on trait introduction rather than breeding. The final review document will guide future IWWIP development.

Genetic resources information and analytical system (GRIS) for wheat and triticale

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20120509_120632GRIS (http://wheatpedigree.net) is designed to study the diversity of wheat through analysis of pedigrees, and provides information services for breeding and research programs. The database contains pedigree and genetic allele information on 160,000 genotypes (varieties and breeding lines). All data are accompanied by standardized reference citations.

The author of the GRIS database, Sergey Martynov of Vavilov Research Institute, and programmer of the web application Dmitriy Dobrotvorskyi, recently met in Istanbul with a group of CIMMYT scientists involved in the development of Wheat Atlas, Rust Spore and IWIS-bib, to discuss collaboration on further development of these web-based tools. The key outputs of the meeting were agreements on (1) incorporation of the GRIS search into the Wheat Atlas and (2) further development of web-based modules to broaden the use of GRIS to conduct various genealogical and statistical analyses. Compatibility of GRIS with external statistical software (ANOVA, various algorithms of cluster analysis, etc.) is also considered essential in order to extend the opportunities for use of GRIS.

Thanks go to the CIMMYT-Turkey office, and to Alexei Morgounov in particular for facilitating this meeting.

CIMMYT trustee wins prize for work on boosting yields and zinc in wheat

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June, 2005

Ismail Cakmak, recently appointed to the CIMMYT Board of Trustees, accepted the International Crop Nutrition Award from the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) this month for his work in Turkish agriculture to improve the grain yield and amount of zinc in wheat. In addition to the potential health benefits, his work has allowed farmers to reap an economic benefit of US $100 million each year.

In a NATO-Science for Stability program, Cakmak, a longtime CIMMYT partner, and colleagues from the University of Cukurova in Adana and National Research Institutions of the Ministry of Agriculture in Konya and Eskisehir, found that wheat harvests in Turkey were limited by a lack of zinc in the soil. When the plants were fed zinc-fortified fertilizer, researchers noticed spectacular increases in wheat yields. Ten years after the problem was diagnosed, Turkish farmers now apply 300,000 tons of the zinc-fortified fertilizers per year and harvest wheat with twice the amount of zinc.

HarvestPlus, a CGIAR Challenge Program, estimates that over 1.3 billion South Asians are at risk for zinc deficiency. Finding a more sustainable way to enrich the level of zinc in wheat is a goal for Cakmak, his CIMMYT colleagues, and HarvestPlus, which breeds crops for better nutrition. “Providing grain with high zinc content to people in Turkey should lead to significant improvements in their health and productivity. One can achieve this goal by applying fertilizers, a short-term answer, or through a more cost-effective and sustainable solution—breeding,” Cakmak says.

Zinc fertilizer was applied to the soil beneath

CIMMYT and HarvestPlus are set to do this and have already bred high-yielding wheat varieties with 100% more zinc than other modern varieties. CIMMYT agronomist and HarvestPlus Wheat Crop Leader Ivan Ortiz-Monasterio says, “We intend to have modern, disease resistant varieties be the vehicle for getting more micronutrients into people’s diets.” Further research this year involves testing the bioavailability of the grain’s doubled zinc content to see if it can improve human health in Pakistan.

“Today, a large number of the world’s peoples rely on wheat as a major source of dietary energy and protein. For example in Turkey, on average, wheat alone provides nearly 45% of the daily calorie intake, it is estimated that this ratio is much higher in rural regions,” Cakmak says. It is hoped that this project, which uses agricultural practices to address public health while improving crop production, can be extrapolated to other zinc-deficient areas of the world.

For further information, contact Ismail Cakmak (cakmak@sabanciuniv.edu) or Ivan Ortiz-Monasterio (i.ortiz-monasterio@cgiar.org).

Spreading the word on CA from Mexico

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AC21“It is very difficult to find conservation agriculture machinery. You have to go to China or India to get it,” said Mahesh Kumar Gathala, new CIMMYTBangladesh-based cropping systems agronomist for South Asia. Gathala, a native of India, was just one of the 15 participants invited to attend a five-week conservation agriculture course at CIMMYT-El Batán, Mexico, where improving machinery and professional capacity were hot topics.

Begun in late May 2011, the course combined research advances in multidisciplinary approaches to sustainable crop management with the vast experience of countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The main aim was to enhance participants’ understanding of the use and application of conservation agriculture sowing technologies and relevant agricultural implements in irrigated and rainfed wheat and maize production systems.

The participants came from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Morocco, Tunisia, India, and Turkey. For many, it was their first time in Mexico. They spent most of their time at CIMMYT-El Batán, but also visited the Toluca station and farmers’ fields in Hidalgo to see CA practices in action and share experiences from their own countries.

Gathala noted the major differences in CA farming in Mexico and South Asia. “Fields are much smaller in Bangladesh, and crop residues are in much higher demand as animal feed,” he said. “These conditions make CA more difficult to push.” A CA practitioner for a decade, Gathala nonetheless felt the course was useful: “There is always something new to learn and share.”

Participant Raju Teggelli of India agreed. “I enjoyed the coursework, especially the practical experience. I found the instrument calibration and the hands-on training most useful,” said the Entomologist from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, in Karnataka, India.

Sincere thanks to all who made the course possible, and especially to the participants for their valuable and engaging contributions.

First global meeting on Cereal Cyst Nematode Initiative

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The first international Cereal Cyst Nematode Initiative Conference took place in Antalya, Turkey, during 21-23 October 2009. The cereal cyst nematode has been gaining recognition in global wheat production areas, particularly rainfed ones, where it has caused yield losses of 20-50% in many countries. The conference drew more than 60 participants from 20 countries and there were more than 45 presentations on the status of the pest and on integrated control methods, with emphasis on host plant resistance.

The conference was coordinated by CIMMYT nematologists Julie Nicol and Amer Dababat of CIMMYT-Turkey as part of the ICARDA-CIMMYT Wheat Improvement Program (ICWIP) and with funding from CIMMYT, the CGIAR Systemwide Program on Integrated Pest Management (Sp-IPM), the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the ATSE Crawford Fund, Australia, and Syngenta. A 260 page proceedings was published and distributed. For further information, contact Julie Nicol (j.nicol@cgiar.org).

International winter wheat traveling seminar in the Ukraine

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The International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (Turkey- CIMMYT-ICARDA) conducted a traveling seminar in Ukraine during 08-13 June 2009 to learn about wheat research and breeding in the country and strengthen international and regional cooperation on winter wheat. The seminar attracted 62 participants from 19 countries, even with scientists covering their own travel costs to Ukraine. The group assembled in Kiev for visits to the Ukrainian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Institute of Genetics and Physiology, and the Mironovka Wheat Institute.

Then the group traveled by bus to Odessa (500 km) to see the Breeding and Genetics Institute. “All participants were impressed by the level of research and breeding they saw,” says Alexey Morgounov, Global Wheat Program breeder based in Turkey, who led the seminar. “Experimental and production fields were well maintained and the crop diversity was very interesting.” Ukraine produces almost twice as much wheat as it consumes and plays an important role in the region’s food security. New, locally-bred varieties characterized by high yield potential, good grain quality, and good disease resistance contribute to this success. At the concluding session the group developed proposals to enhance regional cooperation in breeding for drought, rust resistance, and grain quality, and in networking. “We especially appreciated our hosts’ hospitality and good logistics,” says Morgounov.

Class act

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Seventy-four students graduated Friday, 18 May from an intensive, four-month English course at the Turkish-American Association in Ankara, Turkey. What makes the students and the course special is that they are all agricultural researchers with the government of Turkey and the course was organized by CIMMYT and ICARDA. It’s the second year in a row the course has been given. Turkey requires that its employees have proficiency in English before they can go abroad for advanced training, such as that offered by CIMMYT.

This course was designed to help bring as many young researchers to the required level as possible. Funding for the course was part of Turkey’s contribution as a member of the CGIAR. In addressing the graduates, Alexei Morgunov, the CIMMYT country representative in Turkey, congratulated them on the hard work they had done, pointing out that the knowledge and the friendships they had formed would stay with them throughout their careers. Morgunov was joined at the ceremony by Mesut Keser, the ICARDA country representative and by Masum Burak, the Director General of the General Directorate for Agricultural Research for Turkey. He thanked CIMMYT and ICARDA for their work in organizing the course. Morgunov said he hoped the course would become an annual event.

Course prepares Turkish researchers to conduct impact assessments

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Referring to the first-ever training course in Turkey on assessing the impacts of agricultural research and development, held during 22 November-01 December, Mesut Keser, Deputy Director General of the Turkish General Directorate of Agricultural Research (TAGEM), called the event a success and said that participants are now eager to apply what they learned: “The lecturers’ intelligence, enthusiasm and friendly approach helped a lot, creating an interactive learning setting which (allowed) participants to get the most from the course.”

Organized jointly by CIMMYT, ICARDA, and TAGEM, and hosted at TAGEM facilities in Ankara, the course drew 26 participants—all Turkish nationals, 9 of whom were women—from diverse research institutes and regions of Turkey.

According to CIMMYT impact assessment specialist Roberto La Rovere, who helped organize the course and served as facilitator and lecturer, objectives included increasing awareness, knowledge, and critical thinking on impact assessment; allowing participants a chance to practice; and identifying opportunities for follow-up impact assessments in Turkey, including one focused on wheat research. “We gave participants an overview of concepts, approaches, and best practices,” says La Rovere.

At the end of the workshop, participants were also able to sketch the main elements of a potential expost impact assessment of the joint MARA/CIMMYT/ ICARDA International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP) in Turkey. Other CIMMYT staff involved included wheat breeder/ agronomist Alexei Morgounov, who presented the IWWIP program and oversaw logistics; wheat pathologist Julie Nicol; and economist Erika Meng, who assisted with pre-course preparations.

The course helped lay the groundwork for future ICARDA-CIMMYT-TAGEM collaboration, especially in impact assessment. Says La Rovere: “Despite the wide variety of skills, expectations, and knowledge of English, the workshop went well beyond expectations and yielded a network of potential assessors and partners in for impact assessment in Turkey.”

Turkey dinner

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The TURKEY-CIMMYT-ICARDA office in Ankara held a dinner on 1 July to welcome Alex Morgounov while saying farewell to Arne Hede and Hans-Joachim Braun.

Alex, not a really a newcomer to Turkey having worked in the TURKEY-CIMMYT-ICARDA International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP), 1994-1998, has returned now to lead the program. He still remembers many colleagues from his previous experiences in Turkey and started full speed from day one.

Arne, based in Turkey since 2002, has accepted a position with the Swedish SIDA project “Support to Seed Sector Development in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan” to be based Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Arne will stay in close contact with the IWWIP, in which SIDA is a key partner. Hans will return to Mexico as Director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program.

He came to Turkey in 1985 and contributed to the establishment of IWWIP. He was Director of CIMMYT’s Rainfed Wheat Systems program until its amalgamation with Intensive Agro-Ecosystems to form the new Global Wheat Program. Arne received a plaque noting his contributions to wheat improvement in the IWWIP. A plaque given to Hans noted personal achievements and remembrances from the TURKEY-CIMMYT-ICARDA office staff. Both Hans and Arne thanked the TURKEY-CIMMYT-ICARDA staff for their support and warmth over the years.