Written by mcallejas on . Posted in Uncategorized.
Lennin Musundire is responsible for supporting the National Agriculture Research Systems (NARS) in Africa to develop breeding improvement plans to deliver higher genetic gains targeted at smallholder farmers. These improvement plans will focus on product profiles, breeding scheme optimization, use of genotyping, automation, mechanization, appropriate breeding software and links with seed producers. Provides support to national breeding teams in African countries, implements an all-inclusive internal breeding pipeline optimization plan supported by the Excellence in Breeding platform as well as supports national partners to integrate and build breeding networks with CGIAR institutes and regional, national partners.
Written by mcallejas on . Posted in Uncategorized.
Zerihun Tadesse is an associate scientist in the Global Wheat Program based in Mexico. His research focus is on developing and implementing modern breeding strategies to accelerate genetic gain in bread wheat populations. His goal is to develop high-yielding, early maturing, disease-resistant, and nutritious bread wheat lines for large target areas in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Written by mcallejas on . Posted in Uncategorized.
The CAIGE Project seeks to offer the University of Sydney and Australian grain breeders access to provider sites, materials, and data at times to be agreed by the parties. Offer support to the recipient and Australian grain breeders to choose materials from CIMMYT and enter into supply orders.
The project aims to align with the Sustainable Development Goals: Contributing to SDG 2 – Zero Hunger.
Every alternate year, a set of elite spring wheat lines is shared with the CAIGE program in Australia.
Joint evaluation of CIMMYT & Australian lines across Australia, October 2022 (N=312 lines).
Data provided
Grain yield under full irrigation and drought
TKW under full irrigation and drought
Quality traits (protein, sedimentation volume etc) under full irrigation
Disease traits: Leaf and Yellow rust, and soil borne disease
Stem rust (Debre Zeit – Ethiopia and Njoro –Kenya
2022/23: Additional set of new cohorts of lines sent to Australia for quarantine and seed increase process.
CAIGE Australia team will visit CIMMYT Obregon March 2024
CIMMYT-Australia Scientists field evaluation, October 2022
Direct release of CIMMYT wheat in Australia
Commercial cultivation of Borlaug 100 wheat in Australia (commercialized by Rebel seeds)
Lokesh Chaudhary is an agronomist with expertise in seed physiology, crop modelling, precision agriculture and GIS GNSS. He is currently learning about drone piloting, data collection and processing.
At CIMMYT, Chaudhary works on resilient climate agriculture, under which technology transfer is done. Expertise in agronomy, seed and machinery is required and used extensively. He supports in the execution of farmers participatory and on-station demonstrations/research trials on climate-resilient agricultural practices, monitors day-to-day field activities (irrigation, fertilizer, herbicide, insecticide, etc.) and conducts data collection of the farmers participatory/research trials.
SP Poonia is a Lead Researcher with CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program and Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) program in India.
Through his work, he aims to feed nutritionally rich and safe food globally through best collective efforts for enhancing farming systems’ productivity with efficient resource use and the adoption of conservation agriculture-based preferred technologies at grassroot level.
Bram Govaerts presents at Cereals and Grains 22. (Photo: María Itria Ibba/CIMMYT)
One of the biggest challenges facing the world today is how to balance a healthy diet for humans with agricultural production that is good for the environment. At the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), scientists work closely with farmers to achieve these aims and contribute towards food security, as well as improving their livelihoods and nutrition.
Govaerts explored the sensitivity of agricultural systems to the impacts of climate change, which in turn affects farmers’ ability to successfully produce crops and their capacity to meet rising global demand for food. However, agriculture itself is not immune from contributing towards climate change, currently accounting for 24% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The effects of climate change are not the only pressure on agrifood systems, with other system shocks such as COVID-19 and conflict causing disruption to production and yields, prices, and supply chains, said Govaerts. For example, the current Ukraine crisis, which has heavily affected wheat imports and exports, underscores the need for long-term solutions to stabilize global food security. The encroaching cost of living crisis is adding further challenges to an already delicate situation, and hunger is predicted to increase across the Global South.
Investing in solutions
Research and development (R&D) has an essential role to play in addressing this crisis. Evidence shows that for every $1 USD invested in anticipatory action to safeguard lives and livelihoods, up to $7 USD can be saved by avoiding losses in disaster-affected communities. Simply put, proactive investment in agricultural science will save money in the long run by solving problems before they reach critical point.
CIMMYT’s R&D projects focus on extensive research on climate change adaptation and mitigation in maize and wheat-based production systems, helping smallholder farmers adapt to climate shocks and to raise and maintain yields in profitable and sustainable ways, and on capacity building for stakeholders in the development and application of new technologies.
Scientists are also harnessing the power of genebanks and breeding, focusing on safeguarding, characterization, and use of biodiversity to identify characteristics of seeds for genetic gain, adaptation to climate change, and better nutritional quality. This means farmers can access more and better seeds that respond to agrifood needs.
These innovations are only as effective as their level of adoption, which is why CIMMYT works closely with actors at all levels of agrifood systems.
Climate science at work in Africa
Govaerts shared examples of CIMMYT’s climate change adaptation and mitigation work include the introduction of drought-tolerant maize in Zimbabwe, which yielded more than 0.6 t/ha more than previous varieties. This equates to $240 USD more income per hectare, which provides nine months’ worth of additional food security at no extra cost.
In Malawi, drought-tolerant maize varieties planted under conservation agriculture yielded 66% more than non-tolerant varieties planted under conventional tillage. Farmers harvested more maize while spending on average 35-45 fewer days working in the field.
There is also an increase in popularity for stress-tolerant wheat varieties in Ethiopia, such as Danda’a, Kakaba, Kingbird and Pavon 76.
Scientists have also combined tropical fall armyworm (FAW)-resistant maize germplasm, from Mexico, with elite stress resilient germplasm developed in sub-Saharan Africa to successfully breed three FAW-tolerant elite maize hybrids. This is addressing the serious threat of FAW to maize production in eastern and southern Africa.
Transformation through partnership working
Following an Integrated Agrifood Systems Approach (IASA) has given CIMMYT significant edge by building effective partnerships with the public and private sector. Collaboration on responsible sourcing with Kellogg’s and Grupo Bimbo, as well as a new three-year partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and Grupo Modelo to encourage water-conserving farming practices, will contribute to a one-system approach.
More than 18 million farmers worldwide benefit through CIMMYT’s improved maize and wheat system farming practices. With so much at stake for the entire world, CIMMYT has no plans to stop now.
K.M. Zasim Uddin is an agricultural development officer with CIMMYT’s Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) program in Bangladesh. He has a masters in agronomy from Rajshahi University
He is part of projects including the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), Fall Armyworm R4D and Management (FAW), Big data analytics for climate-smart agricultural practices in South Asia (Big Data² CSA), and Climate Services for Resilient Development in South Asia (CSRD). His main responsibilities are research and development on agricultural mechanization for the CSISA Mechanization and Extension Activity (CSISA-MEA). He has participated in versatile training, workshops and conference programs across Asia.
Uddin has worked in different national and international non-government organizations and companies for more than 13 years, including in research and development at Syngenta Bangladesh Limited and on the Borga Chasi Unnayan Program at BRAC. He also worked as an agriculture officer under the Char Livelihood Program, funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development.
Narain Dhar is a research fellow working with CIMMYT’s Global Wheat program and CGIAR Research Program on Wheat (WHEAT). His recent work is on charaterization and evaluation of a unique set of germplasm lines for abiotic stress.
Have you ever considered that bread and pasta are made from different types of wheat? How about the fact that there are thousands of different wheat products consumed around the world, and each one has unique characteristics and processing requirements?
Scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) understand that the quality of the final product, be it spaghetti, a loaf of sourdough bread or a tandoori naan, is highly dependent on the quality of the grain and the flour it becomes. Every year, CIMMYT analyzes thousands of wheat lines in detail at its Wheat Quality laboratory to determine the nutritional, processing and end-use quality of the grain. In this short video, CIMMYT’s Wheat Quality lab head Maria Itria Ibba explains exactly what they are looking for and how they find it.
First, CIMMYT scientists test the overall grain quality by analyzing grain weight, density, protein content, moisture content and hardness.
The grains are then milled into flour, which is again analyzed for moisture content, protein content, color and protein quality. Protein quality is especially important to determine the end-use for the type of flour, and CIMMYT conducts several tests to determine this characteristic. Bread and durum wheat flours specifically are analyzed for overall protein quality by checking SDS-sedimentation volume. Mixographs are used to assess the flour’s mixing and absorption characteristics, and alveographs are used to measure dough deformation properties.
At the end of the tests, bread wheat flours are transformed into leavened breads and scored based on the loaf’s volume and crumb quality. Durum wheat flour, used to make Italian-style pasta, is scored based on grain quality, flour yellowness, high protein content and protein quality.
CIMMYT’s work ensures that wheat-derived foods produced in developing countries are nutritious, affordable, and maximize profits for each actor in the value chain.
Cover photo: At CIMMYT’s Wheat Quality lab, researchers evaluate how different bread wheat varieties behave at the time of baking. (Photo: CIMMYT)
Natalia Palacios, Maize Quality Specialist at CIMMYT, spoke about the center’s work in Colombia and the future of maize production in the program ‘Tierra de Sueños’ (Land of Dreams).
Chengetai Kadzere is a field auxiliary with CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program, based in Zimbabwe. His work involves preparation of seed shipments for local and international partners, generation of hybrids, OPVs and parent materials descriptor data, and management of demonstration sites for regional trials.
Walter Chivasa is CIMMYT’s maize seed systems coordinator for Africa. He is responsible for co-developing and executing CIMMYT’s maize seed scaling strategies, managing and developing strategic partnerships, and implementing activities to promote the effectiveness and impacts of CIMMYT products in sub-Saharan Africa. This entails driving and documenting the impact of CIMMYT-derived varieties, contributing to the sustainability, profitability, and growth of seed company partners, and ultimately bringing the benefits of improved and affordable maize seed to smallholder farmers, who face wide-ranging constraints in sub-Saharan Africa.
Chivasa supervises scientists working to improve maize seed systems efficiency through the generation of seed production data, assisting partners in the design and implementation of seed road maps, including inbred line maintenance, production of early generation seed of CIMMYT-derived varieties, and extensive on-farm testing through a network of partners in order to accelerate the deployment of improved varieties.
Velu Govindan is a senior wheat breeder at the CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program in Mexico. He has been engaged in wheat improvement research for the past 15 years. During this period, he made significant contributions towards the development and release of more than 20 biofortified wheat varieties in South Asia with enhanced zinc and iron concentration, with tolerance to rusts & other foliar diseases and climate change-induced heat and drought stress.
Govindan is leading the two of the spring wheat breeding pipelines targeted to early maturing wheat environments with wheat yield potential, climate resilience and yield stability across diverse environments by combining traditional breeding and cutting-edge genomic tools. He is leading the CIMMYT breeding efforts towards mainstreaming grain Zn across elite wheat lines through accelerated breeding strategies. He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and 15 book chapters. He received young scientist award from India.
Zhonghu He serves as a Distinguished Scientist and Country Representative in China for CIMMYT and a Research Professor at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science. Research areas include quality improvement of Chinese products and disease resistance, molecular marker development and application, and cultivar development.
Major contributions include the development and validation of 50 functional markers, the release of 36 improved cultivars, author/coauthor of more than 400 papers in refereed journals including 180 publications in international journals, and training more than 80 postgraduates and visiting scientists.
Received the First-Class Award and Prestigious Award in Science and Technology Progress from State Council in 2008 and 2015, selected as Fellow of Crop Science Society of America in 2009 and Fellow of American Society of Agronomy in 2013, the Guanghua Award from Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2010, the China Agriculture Elite Award in 2012, and the National Labor Medal in 2020.
