Pillar: Discovery

Ancient Wild Relatives Hold Key to Climate-Proofing Global Wheat Supply

Written by dmedina on August 27, 2024. Posted in Press releases.

CIMMYT, Mexico, August 27, 2024 — Crop wild relatives that have survived changing climates for millions of years may provide the solution to adapting wheat, humanity’s most widely grown crop, to climate change. Two new studies led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) reveal how tapping into this ancient genetic diversity can revolutionize wheat breeding and safeguard global food security.

As the weather becomes more erratic and extreme, wheat — providing 20% of all calories and protein globally and serving as the primary staple food for 1.5 billion people in the Global South — faces unprecedented threats. These include heat waves, delayed rains, flooding, and new pests and diseases.

“We’re at a critical juncture,” says Dr. Matthew Reynolds, co-author of both studies. “Our current breeding strategies have served us well, but they must now address more complex challenges posed by climate change.”

The research points to a vast, largely untapped reservoir of nearly 800,000 wheat seed samples stored in 155 genebanks worldwide. These include wild relatives and ancient, farmer-developed varieties that have withstood diverse environmental stresses over millennia. Although only a fraction of this genetic diversity has been utilized in modern crop breeding, it has already delivered significant benefits.

Proven impacts of wild wheat genes

One of the studies, a review published today in Global Change Biology (GCB)*, documents the immense impact of wild relatives’ traits, including on environmental sustainability. It finds that the cultivation of disease-resistant wheat varieties has avoided the use of an estimated 1 billion liters of fungicide just since 2000.

“Without transferring disease-resistant genes from wild relatives to wheat, fungicide use would have easily doubled, harming both human and environmental health,” says Dr. Susanne Dreisigacker, Molecular Breeder at CIMMYT and co-author of the review.

Sharing of new wheat breeding lines through the CIMMYT-led International Wheat Improvement Network, comprising hundreds of partners and testing sites around the world, increases productivity worth USD 11 billion of extra grain every year. The extra productivity has saved millions of hectares of forests and other natural ecosystems from cultivation.

The review highlights other key breakthroughs using wheat wild relatives, including:

Some experimental wheat lines incorporating wild traits show up to 20% more growth under heat and drought conditions compared to current varieties.
Genes from a wheat wild relative have generated the first crop ever bred to interact with soil microbes, reducing the production of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, and enabling the plants to use nitrogen more efficiently.
New, high-yielding cultivars in Afghanistan, Egypt and Pakistan were developed using wild genes and have been released as they are more robust to the warming climate.

“Breeding the first beneficial interaction with the soil microbiome — in this case biological nitrification inhibition, or BNI-wheat — is a landmark achievement by CIMMYT and JIRCAS, opening up a whole new spectrum of opportunities to boost cropping systems’ resilience and reduce environmental footprints,” says Victor Kommerell, co-author of the GCB review, and Director of CropSustaiN, a new research initiative to determine the global climate mitigation and food security potential of BNI wheat.

The second study in Nature Climate Change* showcases the urgent need to scale-up exploration and use of genetic diversity for improved climate resilience. Among the traits needed are deeper, more extensive root systems for better water and nutrient access; photosynthesis that performs well across a wider temperature range; better heat tolerance in reproductive processes; and improved survival during delayed rains or temporary flooding.

“Tapping into the complex climate-resilient traits so urgently needed today requires both access to greater genetic diversity and a paradigm shift in breeding approaches,” explains co-author of the GCB review, Dr. Julie King of Nottingham University.

Modern crop breeding has focused on a relatively narrow pool of ‘star athletes’: elite crop varieties that are already high performers and that have known, predictable genetics. In contrast, the genetic diversity of wild wheat relatives offers complex climate-resilient traits — but their use has been more time-consuming, costly and riskier than traditional breeding approaches with elite varieties. Now, new technologies have changed that equation.

Making the impossible possible

“We have the tools to quickly explore genetic diversity that was previously inaccessible to breeders,” explains Dr. Benjamin Kilian, co-author of the review and coordinator of the Crop Trust’s Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods and Development (BOLD) project that supports conservation and use of crop diversity globally.

Among these tools are next-generation gene sequencing, big-data analytics, and remote sensing technologies, including satellite imagery. The latter allows researchers to routinely monitor traits like plant growth rate or disease resistance at unlimited numbers of sites globally.

However, realizing the full potential of these genetic resources will require global cooperation. “The most significant impacts will come through widespread sharing of genetic resources and technologies,” says Dr. Kilian.

New technologies allow crop researchers to precisely identify and transfer beneficial traits from wild relatives, making what has been seen as a risky, time-consuming process into a targeted, efficient strategy for climate-proofing crops. “Satellite technology turns the planet into a laboratory,” says Dr. Reynolds, “Combined with artificial intelligence to super-charge crop-breeding simulations, we can identify whole new solutions for climate resilience.”

This research, which also applies to any crop with surviving wild relatives, promises to enhance global food security and make cropping systems more environmentally sustainable. Developing more resilient and efficient wheat varieties will help feed a global population while reducing agriculture’s environmental footprint.

Study information and links

*Wheat genetic resources have avoided disease pandemics, improved food security, and reduced environmental footprints: A review of historical impacts and future opportunities. King J, Dreisigacker S, Reynolds M et al., 2024. Global Change Biology (Study available under embargo upon request)

*New wheat breeding paradigms for a warming climate. Xiong, W., Reynolds, M.P., Montes, C. et al. Nat. Clim. Chang. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-02069-0

Note to editors

About CIMMYT

Headquartered in Mexico, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT) is a not-for-profit agriculture research and training organization. The center works to reduce poverty and hunger by sustainably increasing the productivity of maize and wheat cropping systems in the developing world. Learn more at staging.cimmyt.org

About the Crop Trust

The Crop Trust is an international organization working to conserve crop diversity and protect global food and nutrition security. At the core of the Crop Trust is an endowment fund dedicated to providing guaranteed long-term financial support to key genebanks worldwide. The Crop Trust supports the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and coordinates large-scale projects worldwide to secure crop diversity and make it available for use, globally forever and for the benefit of everyone. The Crop Trust is recognized as an essential element of the funding strategy of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Learn more at www.croptrust.org

About the Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods and Development (BOLD) Project

BOLD is a 10-year project to strengthen food and nutrition security worldwide by supporting the conservation and use of crop diversity. The project works with national genebanks, pre-breeding and seed system partners globally. Funded by the Government of Norway, BOLD is led by the Crop Trust in partnership with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and the International Plant Treaty.

Learn more at https://bold.croptrust.org/

For more information, contact:
Lynda Mwakisha (Nairobi, Kenya): lmwakisha@burness.com; +254 704 589 177
Jelle Boone, CIMMYT: J.BOONE@cgiar.org

Deployment of new tools and technologies into the CGIAR-NARS breeding program increases the rate of genetic gain per dollar invested

Written by dmedina on August 20, 2024. Posted in Publications.

Food security in the prevailing uncertain climatic and economic conditions can only be guaranteed by deliberate actions toward maximizing production, especially in stress-prone environments. The main priority of the CGIAR and NARS breeding programs is to enhance genetic gain in crops through the assessment of seed varieties with drought-resilient, nutritional, and yield traits. This is achieved by leveraging data-driven approaches and embracing contemporary tools and methodologies.

Innovative approaches such as molecular tools, doubled haploid technology, and refined breeding schemes have greatly contributed to the strides made in CIMMYT’s endeavor to elevate genetic gain within breeding pipelines. These advancements not only drive improved productivity but also promise cost-effective strategies for navigating the challenges posed by climate variability.

Molecular Tools

In maize breeding, traditionally, at each stage of the pipeline, entries are grown in multi-location trials. Phenotyping in multiple environments helps to select the best entries not only based on their genetic values but also on environmental factors and their interaction with diverse environments. However, this is also a labor-intensive and time-consuming step in the breeding pipeline. Molecular breeding offers a transformative solution by expanding breeding programs while minimizing phenotyping requirements. It is a well-known fact that trait phenotype results from both genetic and non-genetic factors, with genetic factors being contributed by the expression of genes at the DNA level.

Identifying genomic regions close to causative genes for traits of interest, such as high yield, disease resistance, or quality, can help to incorporate desirable genes/alleles into selected elite genotypes. DNA-based markers aid in efficiently tracking the inheritance of genetic traits, thereby facilitating the selection of desired traits in breeding programs. Marker-assisted forward breeding accelerates the selection of plants with desired traits by identifying the genetic markers associated with those traits. With such harnessed genotypic information, breeders can pre-select genetic material before embarking on the resource-intensive phenotyping stages. This strategic utilization of molecular markers, particularly in identifying susceptibility to key diseases like maize streak virus (MSV) and maize lethal necrosis (MLN), enables the judicious allocation of resources for phenotyping.

**Figure 1.** Summary of marker-assisted forward breeding across six breeding pipelines for MLN- and MSV-resistance haplotypes over the past six years.

Since 2018, CIMMYT has been implementing marker-assisted forward breeding for MSV and MLN. Since then, more than 100,000 pure breeding lines have been tested by examining their favorable haplotypes with a small set of 10 genetic markers and discarding the lines carrying unfavorable haplotypes for MSV and MLN resistance. In the last six years, nearly 30,000 lines have been rejected before undergoing field testing. In southern Africa, for instance, a rapid response to seed movement using molecular and serological techniques prevented the spread of MLN and facilitated the incorporation of resistance traits into new plant varieties.

Most hybrids in the final stages of breeding pipelines are passed through forward breeding. While Fall Armyworm, Gray Leaf Spot, common rust, and Turcicum Leaf Blight also cause substantial yield reductions in sub-Saharan Africa, research carried out under the AGG project indicates that the genetic makeup of these traits is oligogenic, governed by both moderate and small effect quantitative trait loci (QTLs), but lacking a single major-effect QTL and not amenable to forward breeding. This means that their resistance is influenced by complex multiple genetic factors, rather than being primarily controlled by a few major genetic regions. Alternatively, these biotic stress traits can be improved effectively through genomic selection.

Genomic selection is used to improve complex traits that are controlled by many small-effect QTLs. This approach does not require prior genetic information about the trait of interest and uses genome-wide marker information to estimate all marker effects and select individuals with high genomic-estimated breeding values (GEBVs). This means it uses data from various genetic markers to predict which individuals are likely to have desirable alleles for MSV and MLN. Genomic selection is being applied for grain yield under drought stress, and efforts are underway to extend its application to address more complex challenges related to plant diseases and pests. Foliar diseases are moderately complex traits.

Proof of concept on applying genomic selection for foliar diseases like gray leaf spot and northern corn leaf blight showed high prediction accuracies, supporting the implementation of genomic selection together with forward breeding for other traits at the early stage of the breeding pipeline. Implementing genomic selection for GY under optimum and drought management proved that maize breeders could obtain the same gain as with conventional breeding, where all entries are phenotyped in the field, but at approximately 35-40% less cost. Many candidate hybrids now entering the advanced stages of the breeding pipeline were developed using genomic selection. Several of our earlier studies (Beyene et al., 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021; Chaikam et al., 2019; Crossa et al., 2017; Prasanna et al., 2022; Vivek et al., 2017) showed that breeding pipelines achieved high genetic gain by adopting new molecular tools, thus confirming the benefit of adopting molecular breeding tools.

Currently, in CIMMYT’s eastern and southern breeding pipelines, all product profiles are using genomic selection at stage I, where the training population is evaluated in multiple locations with a sparse design, estimating the GEBVs for the unphenotyped lines, and using GEBVs and phenotypic BLUPs of test crosses in the selection for stage II. This process allows the handling of a large number of lines at stage I with a fixed budget without losing selection accuracy. Since 2017, we have used the “test half and predict half” strategy (Figure 2), where all the lines were genotyped with mid-density markers, and the selected ~50% of the total stage I lines were testcrossed and evaluated in multiple locations to be used as a training population to estimate the GEBVs for the other 50% of the unphenotyped lines for the traits of interest. High prediction correlations were observed in three selected product profiles for GY under optimum, managed drought, and low soil N conditions (Figure 3).

Genomic selection is also implemented to reduce the breeding cycle. However, our final products are three-way cross hybrids, where genomic selection is applied only to select the best line rather than selecting the best hybrid combinations. Historical data were used to test the possibility of reducing the breeding cycle. However, our results showed that the use of historical data to predict 100% of lines from the current year yielded low to moderate prediction correlations both under optimum and drought conditions for GY, anthesis date, and plant height (Figure 4). Incorporating 10 to 30% of the testing population into the training population leads to high prediction correlations. This concludes that by using historical data, the training population, which needs to be test-crossed and evaluated in multiple locations every year, can be reduced from 50% to 10-30%, which helps breeders allocate the saved resources to evaluate more lines without losing prediction accuracy.

Doubled Haploid Technology

Doubled haploid technology speeds up the creation of inbred lines by producing entirely uniform lines. Pedigree line development is a traditional method in plant breeding aimed at gradually improving and stabilizing the genetic makeup of the new variety over time. It involves multiple generations of controlled crosses between parent plants with known characteristics. Each subsequent generation is carefully selected based on specific traits of interest, such as yield, disease resistance, or quality. Pedigree line development is expensive, particularly when nurseries are in remote locations.

Unlike traditional methods where some genetic variation remains, doubled haploid lines are completely homogeneous. This means that there is increased heritability of desirable traits and improved accuracy of selection. Doubled haploid technology, which is more compatible with the use of molecular markers, simplifies breeding processes and shortens the time needed to develop inbred lines (Chaikam et al., 2019).

The first doubled haploid facility in Africa was established in 2013 and is extensively used by the CGIAR, NARES, and the private sector. Over the past five years, 1,349 populations have been induced and more than 223,144 doubled haploid lines delivered to breeding programs from CGIAR, NARES, and the private sector in sub-Saharan Africa. Shifting from traditional pedigree-based breeding to doubled haploid technology has shown a high impact on key breeding metrics (gain per cycle and gain per year) not only in CIMMYT but also in national partners’ breeding programs, thus increasing genetic gain within the available budget.

**Figure 2.** Number of lines evaluated with phenotypic selection (PS) and genomic selection (GS) at stage I in EAPP1 product profile from 2017 to 2023. (PS – phenotypic selection, GS – genomic selection)

**Figure 3.** Prediction correlations for grain yield (GY) under optimum (OPT), drought (MDt) and low soil N (low N) management conditions in EAPP1, EAPP2 and SAPP1 at stage I in 2023

**Figure 4.** Prediction accuracies for grain yield (GY), anthesis date (AD) and plant height (PH) estimated from independent validation schemes using a training population (TRN) consisting of 2017- and 2018-years breeding data and 10%, 30%, 50%, 70% and 90% of 2019 data converted from the testing population (TST) to the training population under optimum and managed drought conditions

References

Beyene, Y., Gowda, M., Olsen, M., Robbins, K. R., Pérez-Rodríguez, P., Alvarado, G., Dreher, K., Gao, S. Y., Mugo, S., and Prasanna, B. M. (2019). Empirical comparison of tropical maize hybrids selected through genomic and phenotypic selections. Frontiers in plant science 10, 1502.

Beyene, Y., Gowda, M., Pérez-Rodríguez, P., Olsen, M., Robbins, K. R., Burgueño, J., Prasanna, B. M., and Crossa, J. (2021). Application of genomic selection at the early stage of breeding pipeline in tropical maize. Frontiers in Plant Science 12, 685488.

Beyene, Y., Gowda, M., Suresh, L. M., Mugo, S., Olsen, M., Oikeh, S. O., Juma, C., Tarekegne, A., and Prasanna, B. M. (2017). Genetic analysis of tropical maize inbred lines for resistance to maize lethal necrosis disease. Euphytica 213.

Beyene, Y., Semagn, K., Crossa, J., Mugo, S., Atlin, G. N., Tarekegne, A., et al. (2016). Improving maize grain yield under drought stress and non-stress environments in sub-saharan africa using marker-assisted recurrent selection. Crop Science 56, 344–353. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2015.02.0135

Beyene, Y., Semagn, K., Mugo, S., Tarekegne, A., Babu, R., Meisel, B., Sehabiague, P., Makumbi, D., Magorokosho, C., and Oikeh, S. (2015). Genetic gains in grain yield through genomic selection in eight bi‐parental maize populations under drought stress. Crop Science 55, 154-163.

Chaikam, V., Molenaar, W., Melchinger, A. E., and Prasanna, B. M. (2019). Doubled haploid technology for line development in maize: technical advances and prospects. Theor. Appl. Genet. 132, 3227–3243. doi: 10.1007/s00122-019-03433-x

Crossa, J., Pérez-Rodríguez, P., Cuevas, J., Montesinos-López, O., Jarquín, D., de los Campos, G., et al. (2017). Genomic selection in plant breeding: Methods, models, and perspectives. Trend Plant Sci. 22, 961–975. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2017.08.011

Prasanna BM, Burgueño J, Beyene Y, Makumbi D, Asea G, Woyengo V, Tarekegne A, Magorokosho C, Wegary D, Ndhlela T, Zaman-Allah M, Matova PM, Mwansa K, Mashingaidze K, Fato P, Teklewold A, Vivek BS, Zaidi PH, Vinayan MT, Patne N, Rakshit S, Kumar R, Jat SL, Singh SB, Kuchanur PH, Lohithaswa HC, Singh NK, Koirala KB, Ahmed S, San Vicente F, Dhliwayo T, Cairns JE. 2022. Genetic trends in CIMMYT’s tropical maize breeding pipelines. Scientific Reports 12, 20110. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-24536-4

Vivek, B. S., Krishna, G. K., Vengadessan, V., Babu, R., Zaidi, P. H., Kha, L. Q., et al. (2017). Use of genomic estimated breeding values results in rapid genetic gains for drought tolerance in maize. Plant Genome 10, 1–8. doi: 10.3835/plantgenome2016.07.0070

Wheat breeding strategies for increased climate resilience

Written by dmedina on August 15, 2024. Posted in News.

Wheat breeding strategies for increased climate resilience

With the challenges of climate change already affecting plant breeding, especially warmer days and warmer nights, the time to future proof the world’s food supply is now. In order to make the best-informed changes, scientists at CIMMYT ran simulations mimicking five scenarios that might play out over the next 70+ years.

The researchers used 3,652 breeding line records from six global nurseries administered by the International Wheat Improvement Network, which is coordinated by CIMMYT, and involves hundreds of partners and testing sites worldwide. Researchers ran the data through five different climate change scenarios, ranging from stable to severe.

Along with colleagues from Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China, ICARDA, and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, CIMMYT scientists published their research in Nature Climate Change.

The results showed that less than one-third of wheat varieties adapted well to the warming the planet has already seen in the last 10 years. As temperatures increased in the simulation, researchers found a clear connection between rising temperatures and lower stability for a variety. As the global wheat-growing area becomes warmer and experiences more frequent heatwaves, breeding programs have to look beyond just yield optimization.

“Stability is key for breeding programs and farmers,” said co-lead author Matthew Reynolds, CIMMYT distinguished scientist and head of wheat physiology. “Knowing that a specific variety works well in a specific environment and produces an expected amount of yield allows farmers better plan their crop futures.”

“We performed the analysis from different perspectives, so that climate effects and appropriate adjustment suggestions for current breeding models can be considered from climate change, gene selection and/or gene–environment interaction perspectives,” said co-lead author Wei Xiong, CIMMYT Senior Scientist and Agricultural System Modeler.

The paradox of breeding elite lines

Local and regional breeding programs, as well as targeted breeding by CIMMYT, contribute to gene pools that overlap for many key agronomic traits, which limit genetic diversity.

“It is an unintended consequence,” said Reynolds. “As conventional breeding focuses on crossing the best and elite material, such focus can actually reduce genetic diversity.”

This ‘paradox’ shows the need to increase genetic variability and environmental diversification in breeding programs that are developing higher-yielding climate-resilient cultivars. Breeding programs also need to target traits associated with improved adaptation to increased temperatures and tolerance to heatwaves, which requires multidisciplinary integration.

Looking to the past for answers

Over the past 10,000 years, the climate has been unusually stable, meaning modern, domesticated bread wheat has not been exposed to wide swings in temperature that are forecast for the next 100 years. Wild wheat relatives, like Triticeae, have had millions of years of experience in weathering changing climates.

CIMMYT has a pre-breeding program that examines wild wheat races and more exotic sources for climate resilience traits. When such traits are identified genetically, new breeding techniques such as gene editing can be employed and breeding models refined.

To activate these new techniques, several barriers need to be overcome, including more sharing of germplasm between countries and breeding teams, the use of faster breeding cycles where appropriate and improved understanding of genes that improve heat tolerance without a yield penalty.

With reduced climate resilience and slow cultivar development, the need to increase genetic variability for climate adaptation is urgent, particularly in developing countries, where warming rate is unprecedented, and breeding cycles tend to be longer than in developed countries.

“Faced with more climate variability, breeders need to revisit their breeding strategies to integrate genetic diversity that confers climate resilience without penalties to productivity,” said Reynolds.

Linking sustainable agricultural methods

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on August 6, 2024. Posted in Publications.

While agricultural food systems feed the world, they also account for nearly a third of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Reducing the negative environmental footprint of agrifood systems while at the same time maintaining or increasing yields is one of the most important endeavors in the world’s efforts to combat climate change.

One promising mechanism is carbon credits, a set of sustainable agricultural practices designed to enhance the soil’s ability to capture carbon and decrease the amount of GHG’s released into the atmosphere.

Farmers generate these carbon credits based on their reduction of carbon released and then sell these credits in the voluntary carbon market, addressing the critical concern of sustainably transforming agricultural systems without harming farmers’ livelihoods.

Two is better than one

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a system that involves minimum soil disturbance, crop residue retention, and crop diversification, among other agricultural practices. Its potential to mitigate threats from climate change while increasing yields has made it increasingly popular.

Using remote sensing data and surveys with farmers in the Indian states of Bihar and Punjab, four CIMMYT researchers quantified the effect on farmer’s incomes by combining CA methods with carbon credits. Their findings were published in the April 22, 2024, issue of Scientific Reports.

Previous CIMMYT research has shown that implementing three CA practices: efficient fertilizer use, zero-tillage, and improved rice-water management could achieve more than 50% of India’s potential GHG reductions, amounting to 85.5 million tons of CO₂.

“Successfully implemented carbon credit projects could reward farmers when they adopt and continue CA practices,” said Adeeth Cariappa, lead author and environmental and resource economist at CIMMYT. “This creates a win–win scenario for all stakeholders, including farmers, carbon credit businesses, corporate customers, the government, and the entire economy.”

Farmers would enjoy an additional income source, private sectors would engage in employment-generating activities, the government would realize cost savings, and economic growth would be stimulated through the demand generated by these activities.

Less carbon and more income

The researchers found by adopting CA practices in wheat production season, farmers can reduce GHG emissions by 1.23 and 1.97 tons of CO₂ per hectare of land in Bihar and Punjab States, respectively.

The researchers determined that CA practices, when combined with carbon credits, could boost farmer income by US $18 per hectare in Bihar and US $30 per hectare in Punjab. In Punjab, however, there is a ban on burning agricultural residue, which reduces potential earnings from carbon markets to US $16 per hectare.

“More farmers engaging CA methods is an overall positive for the environment,” said Cariappa. “But convincing individual farmers can be a struggle. By showing them that carbon credits are another potential source of income, along with increased yields, the case for CA is that much stronger.”

While the potential benefits are significant, there are challenges to linking CA and carbon credits.

“To achieve these potential benefits, carbon credit prices must rise, and projects must be carefully planned, designed, monitored, and implemented,” said Cariappa. “This includes selecting the right interventions and project areas, engaging with farmers effectively, and ensuring robust monitoring and implementation mechanisms.”

Embracing the future of crop breeding

Written by dmedina on August 6, 2024. Posted in In the media.

In a discussion on the future of crop breeding at the Cereals seminar, experienced wheat breeder Bill Angus highlighted CIMMYT as a leading example of effective global crop breeding, particularly for regions with limited agricultural inputs. He emphasized that while the UK has a competitive wheat breeding environment, it could learn from CIMMYT’s approach, which successfully develops wheat varieties suited for the developing world, where farmers often lack the luxury of chemical inputs. Angus advocated for the UK to adopt a more impactful and globally engaged breeding strategy, drawing inspiration from CIMMYT’s successes.

Read the full story.

CIMMYT Distinguished Scientist Matthew Reynolds named recipient of the 2024 International Crop Science Award

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on August 1, 2024. Posted in News.

CIMMYT proudly announces that Distinguished Scientist and Head of Wheat Physiology, Matthew Reynolds, has been honored with the prestigious 2024 International Crop Science Award by the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA). Reynolds has advanced CIMMYT’s mission by promoting global partnerships that strengthen plant science, expand the center’s international reach, and provide young scientists with opportunities to engage in agricultural research.

Revolutionizing wheat breeding for climate resilience

Reynolds develops wheat breeding technologies aimed at improving climate resilience and the productivity of wheat cropping systems. His research has unveiled the physiological bases of yield potential and abiotic stress resistance in wheat. Reynolds’s efforts reveal the genetic underpinnings of complex traits, facilitating the development of hardier wheat varieties from diverse gene pools.

Global collaboration and impact

Reynolds promotes international collaboration among wheat scientists. He leads key initiatives such as the International Wheat Yield Partnership (IWYP) and the Heat and Drought Wheat Improvement Consortium (HEDWIC). These collaborations leverage collective expertise and have resulted in significant outputs, including high-yield lines tested at approximately 200 sites globally, which confirm innovative routes to enhanced yields and climate resilience.

Mentorship and educational contributions

Reynolds’s laboratory at CIMMYT is a hub for mentoring young scientists. He has provided open-access manuals on phenotyping, translated into four languages, to support global research efforts. His extensive publication record covers crop physiology, genomics, and pre-breeding. Since 2018, Reynolds has consistently ranked in the top 1% of researchers in his field by Web of Science. In 2024, Matthew Reynolds also received the Research.com Plant Science and Agronomy in Mexico Leader Award for placing 53rd in the world and 1st in Mexico.

International Crop Science Award

The International Crop Science Award recognizes creativity and innovation in transforming crop science practices, products, and programs on an international level. The award acknowledges scientists who have achieved global impact through long-lasting knowledge generation that strengthens international crop science.

For more information on the 2024 awards, including award descriptions, please visit CSSA Awards or contact awards@sciencesocieties.org.

SKUAST-K Maize Improvement Programme: Transforming Challenges into Bountiful Harvests

Written by dmedina on July 30, 2024. Posted in In the media.

The SKUAST-K Maize Improvement Programme, in collaboration with CIMMYT, is making significant advancements in maize agriculture in Jammu and Kashmir. By developing resilient maize varieties and leveraging cutting-edge research, the programme addresses key challenges such as poor soil nutrition and erratic rainfall. This partnership has not only enhanced maize productivity and climate resilience but also secured substantial funding and facilitated the release of landmark varieties, ultimately contributing to a sustainable maize-based economy in the region.

Read the full story.

Enhancing the resilience of our farmers and our food systems: global collaboration at DialogueNEXT

Written by Mike Listman on July 26, 2024. Posted in Features.

“Achieving food security by mid-century means producing at least 50 percent more food,” said U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security, Cary Fowler, citing a world population expected to reach 9.8 billion and suffering the dire effects of violent conflicts, rising heat, increased migration, and dramatic reductions in land and water resources and biodiversity. “Food systems need to be more sustainable, nutritious, and equitable.”

CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy aims to build a diverse coalition of partners to lead the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems. This approach addresses factors influencing global development, plant health, food production, and the environment. At DialogueNEXT, CIMMYT and its network of partners showcased successful examples and promising directions for bolstering agricultural science and food security, focusing on poverty reduction, nutrition, and practical solutions for farmers.

Without healthy crops or soils, there is no food

CIMMYT’s MasAgro program in Mexico has enhanced farmer resilience by introducing high-yielding crop varieties, novel agricultural practices, and income-generation activities. Mexican farmer Diodora Petra Castillo Fajas shared how CIMMYT interventions have benefitted her family. “Our ancestors taught us to burn the stover, degrading our soils. CIMMYT introduced Conservation Agriculture, which maintains the stover and traps more humidity in the soil, yielding more crops with better nutritional properties,” she explained.

CIMMYT and African partners, in conjunction with USAID’s Feed the Future, have begun applying the MasAgro [1] model in sub-Saharan Africa through the Feed the Future Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I), where as much as 80 percent of cultivated soils are poor, little or no fertilizer is applied, rainfed maize is the most widespread crop, many households lack balanced diets, and erratic rainfall and high temperatures require different approaches to agriculture and food systems.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and CIMMYT are partnering to carry out the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) movement in Africa and Central America. This essential movement for transforming food systems endorsed by the G7 focuses on crop improvement and soil health. VACS will invest in improving and spreading 60 indigenous “opportunity” crops—such as sorghum, millet, groundnut, pigeon pea, and yams, many of which have been grown primarily by women—to enrich soils and human diets together with the VACS Implementers’ Group, Champions, and Communities of Practice.

The MasAgro methodology has been fundamental in shaping the Feed the Future Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) Rapid Delivery Hub, an effort between government agencies, private, and public partners, including CGIAR. AID-I provides farmers with greater access to markets and extension services for improved seeds and crop varieties. Access to these services reduces the risk to climate and socioeconomic shocks and improves food security, economic livelihoods, and overall community resilience and prosperity.

Healthy soils are critical for crop health, but crops must also contain the necessary genetic traits to withstand extreme weather, provide nourishment, and be marketable. CIMMYT holds the largest maize and wheat gene bank, supported by the Crop Trust, offering untapped genetic material to develop more resilient varieties from these main cereal grains and other indigenous crops. Through the development of hardier and more adaptable varieties, CIMMYT and its partners commit to implementing stronger delivery systems to get improved seeds for more farmers. This approach prioritizes biodiversity conservation and addresses major drivers of instability: extreme weather, poverty, and hunger.

Food systems must be inclusive to combat systemic inequities

Successful projects and movements such as MasAgro, VACS, and AID-I are transforming the agricultural landscape across the Global South. But the urgent response required to reduce inequities and the needed investment to produce more nutritious food with greater access to cutting-edge technologies demands inclusive policies and frameworks like CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy.

“In Latin America and throughout the world, there is still a huge gap between the access of information and technology,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Livestock of Honduras, Laura Elena Suazo Torres. “Civil society and the public and private sectors cannot have a sustainable impact if they work opposite to each other.”

Ismahane Elouafi, CGIAR executive managing director, emphasized that agriculture does not face, “a lack of innovative science and technology, but we’re not connecting the dots.” CIMMYT offers a pathway to bring together a system of partners from various fields—agriculture, genetic resources, crop breeding, and social sciences, among others—to address the many interlinked issues affecting food systems, helping to bring agricultural innovations closer to farmers and various disciplines to solve world hunger.

While healthy soils and crops are key to improved harvests, ensuring safe and nutritious food production is critical to alleviating hunger and inequities in food access. CIMMYT engages with private sector stakeholders such as Bimbo, GRUMA, Ingredion, Syngenta, Grupo Trimex, PepsiCo, and Heineken, to mention a few, to “link science, technology, and producers,” and ensure strong food systems, from the soils to the air and water, to transform vital cereals into safe foods to consume, like fortified bread and tortillas.

Reduced digital gaps can facilitate knowledge-sharing to scale-out improved agricultural practices like intercropping. The Rockefeller Foundation and CIMMYT have “embraced the complexity of diversity,” as mentioned by Roy Steiner, senior vice-president, through investments in intercropping, a crop system that involves growing two or more crops simultaneously and increases yields, diversifies diets, and provides economic resilience. CIMMYT has championed these systems in Mexico, containing multiple indicators of success from MasAgro.

Today, CIMMYT collaborates with CGIAR and Total LandCare to train farmers in southern and eastern Africa on the intercrop system with maize and legumes i.e., cowpea, soybean, and jack bean. CIMMYT also works with WorldVeg, a non-profit organization dedicated to vegetable research and development, to promote intercropping in vegetable farming to ensure efficient and safe production and connect vegetable farmers to markets, giving them more sources for greater financial security.

Conflict aggravates inequities and instability. CIMMYT leads the Feed the Future Sustainable Agrifood Systems Approach for Sudan (SASAS) which aims to deliver latest knowledge and technology to small scale producers to increase agricultural productivity, strengthen local and regional value chains, and enhance community resilience in war-torn countries like Sudan. CIMMYT has developed a strong partnership funded by USAID with ADRA, CIP, CRS, ICRISAT, IFDC, IFPRI, ILRI, Mercy Corps, Near East Foundation, Samaritan’s Purse, Syngenta Foundation, VSF, and WorldVeg, to devise solutions for Sudanese farmers. SASAS has already unlocked the potential of several well-suited vegetables and fruits like potatoes, okra, and tomatoes. These crops not only offer promising yields through improved seeds, but they encourage agricultural cooperatives, which promote income-generation activities, gender-inclusive practices, and greater access to diverse foods that bolster family nutrition. SASAS also champions livestock health providing food producers with additional sources of economic resilience.

National governments play a critical role in ensuring that vulnerable populations are included in global approaches to strengthen food systems. Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture, Victor Villalobos, shared examples of how government intervention and political will through people-centered policies provides greater direct investment to agriculture and reduces poverty, increasing shared prosperity and peace. “Advances must help to reduce gaps in development.” Greater access to improved agricultural practices and digital innovation maintains the field relevant for farmers and safeguards food security for society at large. Apart from Mexico, key government representatives from Bangladesh, Brazil, Honduras, India, and Vietnam reaffirmed their commitment to CIMMYT’s work.

Alice Ruhweza, senior director at the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, and Maria Emilia Macor, an Argentinian farmer, agreed that food systems must adopt a holistic approach. Ruhweza called it, “The great food puzzle, which means that one size does not fit all. We must integrate education and infrastructure into strengthening food systems and development.” Macor added, “The field must be strengthened to include everyone. We all contribute to producing more food.”

Generating solutions, together

In his closing address, which took place on World Population Day 2024, CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts thanked the World Food Prize for holding DialogueNEXT in Mexico and stressed the need for all partners to evolve, while aligning capabilities. “We have already passed several tipping points and emergency measures are needed to avert a global catastrophe,” he said. “Agrifood systems must adapt, and science has to generate solutions.”

Through its network of research centers, governments, private food producers, universities, and farmers, CIMMYT uses a multidisciplinary approach to ensure healthier crops, safe and nutritious food, and the dissemination of essential innovations for farmers. “CIMMYT cannot achieve these goals alone. We believe that successful cooperation is guided by facts and data and rooted in shared values, long-term commitment, and collective action. CIMMYT’s 2030 Strategy goes beyond transactional partnership and aims to build better partnerships through deeper and more impactful relationships. I invite you to partner with us to expand this collective effort together,” concluded Govaerts.

[1] Leveraging CIMMYT leadership, science, and partnerships and the funding and research capacity of Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry (SADER) during 2010-21, the program known as “MasAgro” helped over 300,000 participating farmers to adopt improved maize and wheat varieties and resource-conserving practices on more than 1 million hectares of farmland in 30 states of Mexico.

Visual summaries by Reilly Dow.

CIMMYT scientists deliver training to improve agriculture in Uzbekistan

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on July 22, 2024. Posted in News.

Scientists from the Research Institute of Plant Genetic Resources in Uzbekistan (RIPGR) attended training on gene bank management and genetic resources, coordinated by CIMMYT-Türkiye on 13-20 April 2024. Hosted at the Turkish Department of Agricultural Economics and Project Management (TAGEM), the training is supported by the World Bank Group, which is helping Uzbekistan to modernize the country’s agriculture. With one of the highest levels of wheat consumption in Central Asia, the modernization project aims to increase Uzbekistan’s wheat yield and meet demand for the crop.

The course included lectures on status and activity of the Turkish Seed Germplasm Bank (TSGB), policy instruments and international perspectives on plant genetic resources, herbarium techniques, biotechnology studies, and genetic resources. Uzbek scientists also became acquainted with scientific laboratories, visiting the field station in İkizce Gölbaşı and learned about the breeding, pathology, and agronomy activities at the station as well as the collaboration activities between CGIAR Research Centers and TAGEM.

Country-wide expertise

In addition to sessions at CIMMYT’s office in Türkiye, participants also visited the National Gene Bank in Ankara and the National Gene Bank of Izmir.

At the latter location, experts delivered sessions on a range of topics, such as the Plant Diversity and Genetic Resources Program of Türkiye; in vitro and cryopreservation techniques; the conservation, data recording, and documentation of plant genetic resources; conservation and utilization of vegetable genetic resources; conservation studies on mushroom genetic resources; studies on wheat genetic resources and wheat breeding at the international winter wheat breeding program; regional collaboration to combat wheat rust disease in Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA); and international winter wheat breeding strategies.

In addition to the seminar sessions, the participants also visited several locations to familiarize themselves with scientific processes in field and laboratory conditions. They visited the field gene banks, guided by Fatih Çağir, who provided brief information about the fruit genetic resources activities of Türkiye. They also visited the plant collection activities and herbarium techniques laboratory, the National Gene Bank, Herbarium, Fungarium & Seed Physiology Laboratory of the Plant Genetics Resources Department & Plant Tissue Center, and the Regional Cereal Rust Research Center.

The importance of the training course for Uzbek scientists is to study the system of rational use, conservation, and management of plant genetic resources of Türkiye and to introduce new innovative knowledge in Uzbekistan. It also consists of discussing aspects related to bilateral cooperation and sustainable development in the field of plant genetic resources as well gene bank management.

The delegation from Uzbekistan, on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the director of the Research Institute of Plant Genetic Resources, Zafarjon Mashrapovich Ziyaev, expressed their deep gratitude to the organizers and departments for this training course.

‘Rajaram – DCM Shriram Scholarship’ launched at DialogueNEXT conference

Written by dmedina on July 17, 2024. Posted in In the media.

The launch of the ‘Rajaram-DCM Shriram Scholarship’ to foster the next generation of agricultural scientists and the unveiling of Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram’s bust at the DialogueNEXT conference in Mexico were significant initiatives.

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Transforming agriculture together: insights from the Ukama Ustawi Share Fair

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on June 26, 2024. Posted in Blogs.

The Zimbabwe Team of the Agroecology Initiative participated in the Share Fair event of the CGIAR initiative Ukama Ustawi (UU), which was held in Masvingo, Zimbabwe, and brought together farmers, the private sector, and researchers from seven countries (Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Kenya, and Ethiopia). The overarching goal for our participation was twofold: Glean insights from the UU initiative’s experiences and practices and, where possible, to adopt and adapt approaches and technologies relevant to the Agroecology Initiative. Equally significant was the aim to share our learnings and explore potential areas of collaboration. From the UU initiative perspective, the Share Fair engagement sought greater integration and knowledge exchange across its work packages, and countries where UU is being implemented, and other CGIAR initiatives. Farmers were at the center of the Share Fair, sharing and learning from each other, together with the experts.

The event aimed to foster collaboration and innovation in addressing key issues related to agriculture and sustainability in the region.

Insights from UU Share Fair activities

The Share Fair showcased an array of innovative technologies poised to transform agricultural practices in the region, among these new solar-powered borehole irrigation, chameleon soil moisture sensors for irrigation management, and conservation agriculture practices that included crop intercropping and rotation, cover cropping (mulching), and minimum tillage. Notably, mechanization options tailored for conservation agriculture, such as 2-wheel tractors and basin diggers, were demonstrated, with particular emphasis on gender-inclusive approaches for smallholder farmers. UU initiative prioritizes integrated crop and livestock systems, which are vital for small-scale farmers in terms of both dietary needs and income generation.

UU service providers and CIMMYT staff demonstrating the basin digger.

LERSHA, in collaboration with IWMI, demonstrates the chameleon soil moisture sensor.

We shared insights on the benefits of the adoption of mother-baby trials. Setting up such trials can help researchers and stakeholders identify potential risks, challenges, and limitations of the innovation without risking large-scale failure or negative impacts on the environment or communities. This helps in making informed decisions about whether or not to adopt an innovation.

In addition to technological innovations, we discussed various agribusiness tools aimed at supporting and empowering smallholder farmers. Different companies presented their agribusinesses and how they complement farming practices related to a spectrum of services, ranging from agroclimatic advice and improved access to financial services, mechanization, and digital technologies. Central to these endeavors was the objective of fostering business growth, promoting diversification, and nurturing stronger value chains within the agricultural sector.

Both initiatives (Agroecology and UU) acknowledge that farming enterprises must be matched with strong business models to guarantee long-term viability, and recognize the critical nexus between production and markets, underlining the importance of equipping farmers with financial literacy skills and encouraging diligent record-keeping practices.

Farmers participating in the Share Fair were trained on the use of the business model canvas to manage their businesses. They were taken through a practical session of aligning their farming enterprises with the business model canvas. The importance of ensuring the balance of all elements of the business model canvas was stressed. Farmers were encouraged to adopt a market-based approach to farming as a business. Farmers were urged to develop a thorough grasp of market dynamics in addition to skillful financial management techniques, emphasizing a market-based approach. The activities of the session, although summarized, were similar to the training that the Agroecology Initiative team has been carrying out in the identified business models of sorghum contract farming and the SASSO brooding program.

Blessing from CIMMYT at one of UU’s mother trial plots explaining the importance and benefits of crop diversification, rotation, and mulching.

Conclusion: Similar approaches, same objectives

The Agroecology Initiative team of Zimbabwe and the UU Initiative share a common goal of strengthening the resilience of the food systems and improving farmer livelihoods through sustainable agriculture methods. Through the development of synergies and the utilization of complementary strengths, they are in a position to jointly map out a course toward a more fair and sustainable agricultural landscape that promises prosperity for future generations. By facilitating cross-learning initiatives and leveraging indigenous knowledge systems, both initiatives can empower farmers with the tools and resources necessary to combat agricultural pests and diseases sustainably. The shared commitment to agroecological principles underscores the potential for collaboration in building resilient production systems. By facilitating cross-learning among farmers, who often have limited resources, the initiatives can empower them to leverage local knowledge and resources to solve their problems.

One major difference between the initiatives is that the UU places farmers at the center of its intervention and stakeholders as enablers, while the Agroecology Initiative emphasizes full partnerships among researchers and food system actors in addressing challenges related to local food systems and the co-development of relevant innovations that can strengthen and support resilience.

A panel of stakeholders and farmers in agribusiness explaining their business models.

Building on UU’s successful interactions with agribusinesses like LERSHA and Farm Africa, which provide mechanization, inputs, and financial services and assist farmers in developing strong and sustainable business models, we can gain from establishing similar alliances to support sustainable business models in the agricultural sector. Given the severe drought in 2023/24, farmers engaged with the SASSO chicken business model will face challenges in obtaining feed for their livestock and poultry. Exploring alternative feed sources, such as the black soldier fly, could be a potential solution. Collaborating with Insectary (a company that was present at the fair) and other local programs focused on alternative feed options could provide valuable insights and support.

The UU initiative has not actively engaged with youth in their study, while we have developed tools to understand youth participation in agriculture. There is an opportunity for the two initiatives to collaborate on a study targeting youth engagement, combining their expertise and resources to gain a deeper understanding of this issue of demographic importance and develop strategies to involve them in sustainable agriculture practices.

The original piece was written by Craig E. Murazhi, Dorcas Matangi, and Vimbayi G. P. Chimonyo and published by CGIAR’s Initiative on Agroecology.

Climate-proofing India’s daily bread: The race for resilient wheat

Written by dmedina on June 26, 2024. Posted in In the media.

CIMMYT collaborates with Indian research institutions like IIWBR to develop climate-resilient wheat varieties, supplying essential genetic materials and leveraging global research initiatives, advanced breeding techniques, and technological tools. This partnership accelerates the creation and distribution of resilient crops, supporting local scientists and smallholder farmers through training, capacity-building programs, and knowledge sharing to ensure sustainable agriculture and enhanced food security in the face of climate change.

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CIMMYT scientist recognized with research leader award

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on June 25, 2024. Posted in News.

Distinguished Scientist and Head of Wheat Physiology at CIMMYT, Matthew Reynolds, received the Research.com Plant Science and Agronomy in Mexico Leader Award 2024 for placing 53rd in the world and 1st in Mexico in the Research.com ranking of Best Plant Science and Agronomy Scientists 2023.

“Being recognized with this award highlights the far-reaching influence of the wheat science taking place in Mexico and its impact on the development of agronomy around the world,” said Reynolds. “Sharing outputs as international public goods with scientists globally has positive benefits for smallholder farmers and their communities. Widening genetic diversity for key traits helps to improve yield and climate resilience -including resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, providing reliable harvests and food security.”

This marks the third consecutive year that Reynolds has received the award, having held the top position in plant science and agronomy in Mexico since 2022. His most cited papers include ‘Physiological breeding’ (2016), ‘Raising Yield Potential in Wheat ’ (2009)’, and ‘Drought-adaptive traits derived from wheat wild relatives and landraces ’ (2007).

Specializing in technologies to increase the productivity of wheat cropping systems around the world, Reynolds has helped to create a new generation of advanced lines at CIMMYT through physiological breeding approaches that widen the genepool, increasing understanding of yield potential and adapting wheat to drought and heat, developing high throughput phenotyping methodologies, and training other researchers.

Reynolds developed and led the Heat and Drought Wheat Improvement Consortium (https://hedwic.org/) and initiated a global academic network that led to the International Wheat Yield Partnership (https://iwyp.org/), where he champions collaboration that brings together plant science expertise from around the globe to boost yield and climate resilience.

Other CIMMYT scientists in the top 100 world rankings include Distinguished Scientist and former Head of Global Bread Wheat Improvement Ravi P. Singh in 57^th place globally and 2^nd in Mexico, and Distinguished Scientist in the Biometrics and Statistics Unit, José Crossa, who ranked 59^th globally and 3^rd in Mexico.

This is the third edition of Research.com positioning scholars based on their research output in plant science and agronomy. Rankings are allocated based on a detailed study of 166,880 scientists in bibliometric data sources, with up to 10,700 people analyzed for this field of work.

New heat-tolerant wheat varieties prove fruitful for Ethiopia’s irrigated lowlands

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on June 14, 2024. Posted in Blogs.

Ethiopia is the largest wheat producer in Africa, accounting for around 65% of the total wheat production in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the old tradition of rainfed wheat cultivation in the highlands, irrigated production in the dry, hot lowlands is a recent practice in the country.

In the irrigated lowlands of Afar and Oromia, situated along the Awash River Basin, CIMMYT and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) have been supporting small scale farming households to improve yields since 2021. The Adaptation, Demonstration and Piloting of Wheat Technologies for Irrigated Lowlands of Ethiopia (ADAPT-Wheat) project supports research centers to identify new technologies suitable for target planting areas through adaptation and development, which are then released to farmers. Funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Development (BMZ) and Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GMBH, EIAR leads on implementation while CIMMYT provides technical support and coordination.

In the Afar and Oromia regions of Ethiopia, farmers observe wheat trials of the new varieties released in partnership with CIMMYT and EIAR. (Photo: Ayele Badebo)

So far, several bread and durum wheat varieties and agronomic practices have been recommended for target areas through adaptation and demonstration. The seeds of adapted varieties have been multiplied and distributed to small scale farmers in a cluster approach on seed loan basis.

Cross-continent collaboration

The Werer Agricultural Research Center (WRC) run by EIAR has released two wheat varieties: one bread wheat line (EBW192905) and one durum wheat line (423613), both suitable for agroecology between 300-1700 meters above sea level.

Both varieties were selected from the CIMMYT wheat breeding program at its headquarters in Mexico. The new bread wheat variety exceeded the standard checks by 17% (Gaámabo and Kingbird) and 28% (Mangudo and Werer).

The lines were trialed through multi-location testing in Afar and Oromia, with both lines displaying tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Accelerated seed multiplication of these varieties is in progress using main and off seasons.

The ADAPT-Wheat project, working in the region since 2021, has released two new varieties for use in the Ethiopian lowlands. (Photo: Ayele Badebo)

“These new varieties will diversify the number of adapted wheat varieties in the lowlands and increase yields under irrigation” said Geremew Awas, a CIMMYT research officer working for the ADAPT project in Ethiopia. Hailu Mengistu, EIAR wheat breeder at WRC, also indicated the need for fast seed delivery of climate resilient wheat varieties on farmers’ hands to realize genetic gain and increase income and food security of the households.

These new varieties will be provided with a local name by breeders to make it easy for farmers and other growers to identify them and will be introduced to farmers through demonstrations and field days. Eligible seed growers who are interested in producing and marketing the basic and certified seeds of these varieties can access early generation seeds from the WRC.

Ethiopian researchers travel to India to strengthen knowledge regarding increasing wheat productivity

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on June 13, 2024. Posted in News.

The irrigated lowlands of Afar and Oromia in Ethiopia are vital areas for the cultivation of wheat and increasing their productivity is crucial to attaining food security in the light of extended drought and other climate shocks.

Adaptation, Demonstration, and Piloting of Wheat Technologies for Irrigated Lowlands of Ethiopia (ADAPT-Wheat) is a three-year project funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development with the objective of identifying, verifying, and adopting wheat technologies that increase wheat production and productivity in Afar and Oromia.

As part of ADAPT-Wheat’s capacity building mission, four Ethiopian wheat researchers from different disciplines visited the Indian Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barely Research (IIWBR), Land force (Dasmesh Mechanical Works), the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), and National Agro Industries from 13 -22 March 2024.

At CSSRI, the researchers learned how to reclaim salt-affected soils through the use of salt tolerant crops, improve management of water usage, and employ cover crops in salt-affected soils to reduce soil temperature and evapotranspiration. They also visited a sodic and saline microplot facility used to screen genotypes under the desired salinity and sodicity stresses. The researchers witnessed ongoing activities such as agrochemical/ biological/hydraulic technologies to reclaim salt-affected soils, the use of poor-quality irrigation water for crop production and the adoption of ameliorative technologies for salinity management.

The Ethiopian researchers also attended an international conference organized by the Indian Society of Soil Salinity and Water Quality, “Rejuvenating salt affected soil ecologies for land degradation neutrality under changing climate.”

At IIWBR, researchers visit a gene bank. (Photo: CIMMYT)

They learned about breeding methods, and advances in yield enhancement, disease resistance, sustainable agricultural practices, innovative farming methods, genetic stocks developed for grain protein, iron, and zinc enhanced wheat varieties, phytic acid levels, gluten strength, and grain texture.

At Dasmesh Mechanical Works, they learned the operation and maintenance of equipment ADAPT-Wheat has purchased from Dasmesh, including machines for plowing, land leveling, planting, and threshing.

The visit to BISA included an introduction to Conservation Agriculture methods, such as fertilizer use efficiency and crop residue management, which will ultimately help improve productivity back in Ethiopia. They also viewed an ongoing experiment on Precision–Conservation Agriculture Based Maize-Wheat Systems.

Finally, the researchers visited the CIMMYT-India office and met with Mahesh Kumar Gathala, systems agronomist and lead scientist.

“We are proud to host our Ethiopian colleagues. Collaborating with them allowed us to learn as much from them as they hopefully learned from us during their visit,” said Gathala.

For Daniel Muleta (irrigated wheat project coordinator), Shimelis Alemayehu (agronomist), Hailu Mengistu (wheat breeder) and Lema Mamo (soil scientist) all from Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), the visit to India was beyond their imagination and gave them the opportunity to participate in salinity workshop, visited different institutions and gained experience. Shimelis said “even though the workshop was for experience sharing the travel made was beyond that”.

The team acknowledged CIMMYT-Ethiopia and CIMMYT India offices and EIAR management.