Location: Europe

“Sky Walker” advances phenotyping in Southern Africa

Written by on March 11, 2013. Posted in News.

Thermal-image To free phenotyping of the varietal development bottleneck label, many new tools have been developed to enable an easier plant growth and development characterization and field variability. Until recently, these tools’ potential has been limited by the scale on which they can be used, but this is changing: a new affordable field-based phenotyping platform combining cutting edge aeronautics technology and image analysis was developed through collaboration between researchers from the University of Barcelona, Spain; Crop Breeding Institute, Zimbabwe; Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria, Peru; AirElectronics; and Sustainable Agricultural Institute of the High Research Council, Spain. The project was funded by MAIZE CRP as part of Strategic Initiative 9 activities focusing on new tools and methods for national agricultural research systems and small and medium enterprises to increase genetic gains in maize breeding.

The new platform uses ‘Sky Walker,’ an unmanned aerial vehicle which can fly at over 600-meter with an average speed of 45 km/h. The vehicle has thermal and spectral cameras mounted under each wing, and its flight path and image capturing are controlled via a laptop using Google Earth images. Jill Cairns and Mainassara Zaman-Allah tested the platform at CIMMYT-Harare along with José Luis Araus (University of Barcelona), Antón Fernández (AirElectronics president), and Alberto Hornero (Sustainable Agricultural Institute of the High Research Council) to establish the optimal flight path (distance between plane passes and height) for plot level measurements. Field experiments were phenotyped for spectral reflectance and canopy temperature within minutes; these will be compared to results from the GreenSeeker.

The measurement speed of the new platform helps to overcome problems associated with changes in cloud cover and the sun position. It will be used by the Crop Breeding Institute to assist in developing new maize hybrids with heat stress and drought stress tolerance under elevated temperatures.

German and Partec partnership facilitates DNA analysis

Written by on January 15, 2013. Posted in News.

CIMMYT has received a new flow cytometer that will allow speedy DNA analysis for breeding. “With this new technology, we save tremendous amounts of money, time, and resources. We’re really grateful to Partec for this donation and to the German people for their support,” senior scientist George Mahuku thanked Edmund Duckwitz, German Ambassador to Mexico, and Hubertus von Römer, Science Attaché of the German Embassy, during their visit to CIMMYT on 18 December 2012. The German delegation officially handed over a new flow cytometer donated by Partec, a German biotechnology company, thus re-establishing a partnership that began in 1999 when Partec equipped a CIMMYT laboratory with a flow cytometer.

According to Mahuku, the new device will facilitate producing good hybrids to fight drought, heat, or diseases, such as the maize lethal necrosis disease in Eastern Africa. “We have identified some sources of resistance to this virus,” says Mahuku, “but we need to cross the sources into the appropriate background.” Finding the sources of resistance used to be a costly and lengthy process. “Before, we would plant two hectares, and after two or three weeks, we would find out that half of them weren’t desirable, so you’d have to chop them out. This wastes part of the investment in land preparation, the chemicals for treating, and the people planting all those things,” explained Mahuku. “With this equipment, we germinate the seeds and are able to analyze them within three days. Thus we plant only the desirable materials and save a month and a half of work.” CIMMYT director general Thomas Lumpkin added: “This instrument allows us to look at the blueprint of the plant, instead of waiting for the plant to grow.” The cytometer will ultimately benefit both maize and wheat research at CIMMYT.

The delegation had the opportunity to observe a demonstration of a quick DNA analysis using the Partec cytometer.

New Global Wheat Rust Monitoring web site launched

Written by on October 31, 2012. Posted in Features.

survey-mapper-i-rusttracker RustTracker.org provides up to date information on the status of wheat rust diseases worldwide. The dynamic, content rich site provides a single source of information for all global wheat rust monitoring activities. The data content and tools of RustTracker.org are unique, nowhere else can such rich content about the actual status of major crop pathogens be found.

RustTracker.org is directly linked to a state of the art data management system – the Wheat Rust Toolbox, developed by collaborators at Aarhus University – this drives a range of interactive visualization tools. Users can pull up dynamic survey maps or graph race frequency changes over time at the click of a button. Data from 37 countries is currently included in the system, but expansion is likely. For each country, up to date rust information and tools are available. Wheat rusts are global travellers, not respecting any political boundaries, so effective control often depends on advanced knowledge of important changes in distant regions. Wheat scientists, particularly in developing countries, now have instant access to the status of rusts not only in their own country, but in neighbouring countries and across continents. Sharing knowledge in this way should improve preparedness and control of new virulent rust races.

Initial development of RustTracker.org has focused on stem rust and the “Ug99” race group in particular. Current content reflects these efforts, but in the near future expanded content forboth stripe and leaf rust will be included.

For more information. Please contact: Dave Hodson. CIMMYT-Ethiopia. Email: d.hodson@cgiar.org

Using double haploid in maize breeding

Written by on July 6, 2012. Posted in News.

The use of doubled haploids in maize breeding was first proposed more than half a century ago. Today, the in vivo haploid induction technique is routinely used in maize inbred line development, in both the public and the private sector. The DH technology enhances maize breeding in two ways: 1) it reduces the time required to produce completely homozygous inbred lines. Whereas six or more generations of self-pollination are needed to traditionally produce inbreds, DH technology produces inbreds in only two generations; and 2) because the higher genetic variance among DH lines compared to F2 plants, or selfed F3 or F4 families, improves the effectiveness of selection.

DH technology in maize breeding was the theme of a training workshop organized by the University of Hohenheim (UH) and CIMMYT at Stuttgart, Germany, during 11-15 June 2012. The program was organized under the ‘Abiotic stress tolerant maize for Asia’ (ATMA) project funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). A total of 21 scientists, including maize breeders and physiologists from Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Vietnam, UH, and CIMMYT attended the weeklong course. Experts on DH technology from UH, CIMMYT, and German seed companies served as resource persons on the course, delivering lectures on various aspects of DH technology in maize breeding. Mornings were devoted to lectures whilst in the afternoons, participants undertook hands-on, practical project in various aspects of DH line development and production.

Day-1 presenters included UH’s Wolfgang Schipprack; Vanessa Prigge, an ex-PhD student of UH and CIMMYT who is currently working as a Potato Breeder in SaKa Pflanzenzucht GbR, and T. Wegenast, Dow AgroSciences. In the afternoon, participants worked on identification of haploid kernels from various DH-induced populations and planted haploid kernels on germination paper for development of seedlings. DH lab members at UH explained and demonstrated the selection of haploid kernels and developing seedlings for colchicine treatment for chromosome doubling.

On the second day, B. Schilling and B. Devezi of the UH-DH lab jointly presented various aspects of management of greenhouses, safety issues, and requirements for running a successful DH program. E. Senger a PhD student at UH, and Vijay Chaikam, CIMMYT, also shared their experiences. During the afternoon, preparation of colchicine solution, preparation of maize seedling for colchicine treatment, application of colchicine treatment, and the transplanting the seedlings in greenhouse were demonstrated to the participants.

Participants also visited the UH-DH research station at Eckartsweier, where Schipprack detailed various field based aspects of DH development including selection of plants for transplanting in field, organized demonstration of mechanized transplanting of D0 plants, management of D0 nursery, and identification of false positives in the nursery. After the D0 nursery, participants visited the DH inducer development and maintenance nursery, D2 nurseries, and the isolation block for production of induction crosses. On the final day of the workshop, UH’s A.E. Melchinger delivered a lecture on the application of marker-based prediction strategies for DH lines and discussed various models and approaches for prediction of DH lines. George Mahuku shared updates on DH line production and development of tropical inducer lines at CIMMYT, and talked about possible models for use of DH technology by national breeding programs in Asia. Participants appreciated the initiatives and efforts of CIMMYT and UH, and discussed various options to get DH technology into their breeding programs.

Avinash Singode, Directorate of Maize Research, Bhagya Rani Banik, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, and Le Quy Kha, National Maize Research Institute, were very supportive of the course and expressed their sincere thanks to organizers. P.H. Zaidi, Project Coordinator, ATMA, thanks Prof. Melchinger and Schipprack and his team for their time, efforts, and inputs in jointly organizing the workshop, and emphasized the need to follow up on this in the hope that within one year, each participating institution will have access to DH technology in their program, at least through Model-1 (send their most elite population to CIMMYT, and get back DH lines), as suggested by Mahuku.

ATMA annual review and planning meeting

Written by on June 18, 2012. Posted in News.

The ‘Abiotic stress tolerant maize for Asia’ (ATMA) project aims to increase incomes and food security for the poor of South and southeast Asia, with the assistance of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The second phase was launched in May 2011, and on 11 June 2012, the first annual progress review and planning session took place at the University of Hohenheim (UH), Stuttgart, Germany.

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All the collaborating institutions were represented, including: the Directorate of Maize Research (DMR), Maharana Pratap University of Agricultural Science & Technology, India, Acharya NG Ranga Agriculture University, India, the National Maize Research Institute (NMRI), Vietnam, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, the Institute of Plant Breeding, Philippines, UH, Germany, and CIMMYT.

The meeting began with a warm welcome from Albrecht E. Melchinger (UH), who highlighted the partnerships between UH and various institutions of the CGIAR, but in particular the partnership between UH and CIMMYT, which has existed for more than 20 years. In the opening session, Raman Babu, maize molecular breeder, CIMMYT, discussed recent advances in genomic selection and the genome-wide association mapping approach, focusing on its potential use in maize breeding, particularly for complex traits such as drought and water-logging.

The ATMA project country leaders, including Melchinger, R. Sai Kumar (DMR), Le Quy Kha (NMRI), and Bhagya Rani Banik, then presented the project’s progress over the past year. During this time, socio-economic studies were carried out, and these were jointly presented by T.R. Prabhakarna (CIMMYT-Delhi) and V.K. Yadav (DMR). After summarizing CIMMYT-Asia’s overall progress, CIMMYT’s senior maize physiologist and ATMA project coordinator, P.H. Zaidi, went on to outline areas that need special attention over the coming year in order to meet the project’s
milestones and commitments.

Led by MT Vinayan, post-doctoral fellow at CIMMYT-Hyderabad, the afternoon session focused on creating a detailed work-plan, assigning tasks among partners, and discussing activities for the next year. Zaidi mentioned that to date, all the multi-location trials have been conducted in India due to issues in exporting of trials to partners in other countries. However, since the export permit is now available, the ATMA trials will now be shipped to partners from Bangladesh, Philippines, and Vietnam for evaluation at their sites.

Delegates at the meeting also discussed how the ATMA project will provide opportunities for further research and learning. Among these, ATMA partners will have the opportunity to attend a capacity building workshop on “Double Haploid in Maize Breeding” to be held at UH. Details of the research project that ATMA Ph.D. scholar Do Van Dung (NMRI) will be conducting were also discussed and finalized, while two interns, one each from Bangladesh and Vietnam, have been invited to work at CIMMYT-Hyderabad. Their six-week placements will provide them with hands-on experience on key aspects of breeding for enhancing water-logging and drought tolerance in maize.

Genetic modification—yes or no? London Science Museum stages global debate

Written by on May 14, 2012. Posted in Features.

CIMMYT E-News, vol 6 no. 1, January 2009

They draw fierce criticism from environmental groups, are hailed by some companies and scientists as a solution to global hunger, and chances are you’ve eaten them. Released commercially more than a decade ago, genetically modified (GM) crops and food products still cause controversy. In an attempt to set the record straight and generate productive discussion, the Science Museum in London recently hosted a debate on the pros and cons of GM technologies in the context of the global food price crisis. Rodomiro Ortiz, CIMMYT scientist and director of resource mobilization, took part with viewpoints from a science and development perspective.

Centers like CIMMYT and its partners in developing countries have achieved enormous success using conventional breeding methods to improve maize and wheat varieties. Farmers in developing countries grow seed derived from these efforts on nearly 100 million hectares worldwide, which has increased yields and helped lower the price of main staple crops.

Willkommen, Herr Bundespräsident!

Written by on May 9, 2011. Posted in News.

The long-standing and fruitful relationship between Germany and CIMMYT received a boost on 01 May 2011 when, as part of an official tour of Latin America, the President of the Republic of Germany, Christian Wulff, visited CIMMYT headquarters to learn more of the center’s work and discuss strengthened partnerships. President Wulff was accompanied by his wife, Bettina, and nearly 60 distinguished guests including German vice ministers and members of parliament, embassy personnel, and business and media representatives. Greeting the guests were CIMMYT Director General Tom Lumpkin and several of the center’s German and German-speaking staff.

After touring the main exhibition hall showcasing Dr. Norman Borlaug’s achievements and contributions to agricultural development, including his Nobel Prize of 1970 and the Aztec Eagle of the same year from Mexico, the entourage attended a presentation by Hans-Joachim Braun, Director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program. The talk addressed food security and related constraints—climate change, the rising demand for grains, the increasing scarcity of resources like land, water, and fertilizer—as well as CIMMYT’s work in the developing world and its relationship with Germany, a long-term and significant supporter of the center. To name just a few examples, German contributions have funded work on stress tolerant maize for Africa, a regional wheat network for Central Asia, and wheat pathology research for South Asia. German staff at CIMMYT and our partnerships with German universities and institutes have been of enormous¡ value in getting improved technology to farmers.

The whirlwind tour then moved to the seed bank, with exhibitions of maize and wheat genetic resources outside and a visit inside to the upper seed storage chamber. In an impromptu closing statement, President Wulff thanked CIMMYT and described his positive impression of the visit and Braun’s presentation, which he called one of the clearest and most fact-based he had ever heard. Reports on the visit in the German media have referred to CIMMYT as a “highly-regarded research center.In addition to Lumpkin and Braun, CIMMYT staff interacting with the guests included Marianne Bänziger, deputy director general, research and partnerships; Scott Ferguson, deputy director general, corporate services; Peter Wenzl, head of the crops research informatics lab; Susanne Dreisigacker, molecular biologist and head of marker applications in wheat; GIS expert Kai Sonder; agricultural economist Tina Beuchelt; Marc Rojas, coordinator of the International Strategy for Maize Improvement; and Petr Kosina, assisting with the event management.

Ukraine counselor visits El Batan

Written by on March 31, 2008. Posted in News.

On 28 March 2008, Anatoly Rymar, Counselor from the Ukraine Embassy in Mexico, visited El Batán to discuss strengthened collaboration of his country with the center.

According to Alex Morgounov, CIMMYT wheat breeder/agronomist and regional representative for Central Asia and the Caucasus, there is already a dynamic partnership with the Ukraine. The three main wheat breeding centers in the Ukraine–Mironovka, Kharkov, and Odessa—actively participate in germplasm exchanges with the Turkey-CIMMYT-ICARDA International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP).

“In June 2007, two breeders from Ukrainian Plant Breeding and Genetics Institute in Odessa came to Turkey and participated in an IWWIP traveling workshop,” he says. “Their suggestions were incorporated in the final workshop recommendation, a guiding document for the program.” In July 2008, Morgounov and Hans Braun, Director of CIMMYT’s global wheat program, will take part in a conference at the Ukrainian Institute of Plant Production in Kharkov, organized partly to observe the 100th anniversary of the institute. Finally, joint work with the National Gene Bank of Ukraine is being explored to preserve some of their collections at CIMMYT.

Three tons of seed shipped to Svalbard vault

Written by on January 25, 2008. Posted in News.

On 22 January 2008, CIMMYT sent more than 160 boxes of seed for long-term deposit in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norway. The shipment comprised 10,000 maize accessions and 48,000 of wheat, and weighed around 3 tons in all. It was part of 200,000 seed collections of crop varieties sent this month for storage in the vault from CGIAR germplasm banks worldwide. The vault was built by the Norwegian government as a service to the global community, and a Rome-based international NGO, the Global Crop Diversity Trust, will fund its operation. The aim is to ensure that the collections remain available for bolstering food security, should a man-made or natural disaster ever threaten agricultural systems or germplasm bank collections.

CIMMYT’s shipment was drawn from regenerations performed over the past two years, and represents roughly a third of the center’s entire collection of crop genetic resources. The CGIAR shipments, were brought to the attention of the global media through timely public-relations efforts of the CG Secretariat communications team, with support from Burness Associates. Reports have appeared to date on 8 wire services, 5 TV and radio stations, 10 newspapers, and 6 web-based outlets. Coverage in Mexico included articles in the major dailies El Universal and La Jornada, as well as a spot in the Canal 11 evening news, all reflecting favorably on CIMMYT.

Congratulations to Tom Payne, Suketoshi Taba, Bibiana Espinosa, Víctor Chávez, and all staff in the germplasm bank and seed areas, who coordinated and prepared the shipment and interacted with reporters. Thanks as well to Rodomiro Ortiz, who served as CIMMYT spokesperson to the media for this initiative.

Visit of Slovakian Minister

Written by on November 16, 2007. Posted in News.

Miroslav Jurena, Minister of Agriculture of the Slovak Republic, spent the day at El Batán on 15 November 2007 to learn about wheat research and related work in crop genetic resources and biotechnology. There will be follow-up communication with the Ministry to establish stronger links with CIMMYT, through the center’s office in Turkey.

CIMMYT mourns the passing of Bent Skovmand

Written by on February 9, 2007. Posted in News. 1 Comment on CIMMYT mourns the passing of Bent Skovmand

After years of battling illness, former CIMMYT scientist Bent Skovmand died on 06 February 2007 in Kävlinge, Sweden, at the age of 62. Born in Frederiksberg, Denmark, Skovmand did his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Minnesota, USA, obtaining a PhD in plant pathology, with a minor in genetics and plant breeding, in 1976. That same year he joined CIMMYT as a postdoctoral fellow with the Wheat Program, working as a breeder and pathologist. After a four-year posting in Turkey, in 1988 he assumed leadership of the Wheat Genetic Resources Unit, where he remained until leaving CIMMYT in early 2004 for an appointment as Director of the Nordic Gene Bank. Known for his mordant humor and enthusiasm for science, Bent will be sorely missed by all who knew him. The CIMMYT community sends its sincere condolences to his wife, Eugenia, and their children.

Published February 2007.

Payne on the radio

Written by on June 16, 2006. Posted in News.

payne en el radio Tom Payne, head of the CIMMYT wheat collection in the Wellhausen-Anderson Genetic Resources Center will be heard on the stations of National Public Radio in the United States later this month. He was interviewed this week for a story about the launching of a new genebank project in Norway. The interview was conducted over the telephone by NPR journalist Dan Charles from a studio in Washington DC. NPR sent their Mexico City journalist, Karina Pais to record Tom’s answers to the questions.

Norway announced that it will dig a large cave deep inside a frozen mountain on the arctic island of Svalbard with the capacity to hold copies of all the world’s crop seed varieties. Norway says the arctic cold will provide a failsafe backup for the world’s major genebanks, like the one at CIMMYT, which depend on electricity to keep their refrigeration equipment running. The Norwegian project is expected to be ready in 2007.