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Tag: plant breeding

Training the next generation of plant breeders with VACS

Written by dmedina on . Posted in Blogs.

The foundation for a Vision for Adapted Crops and Soil (VACS) is capacity building: to boost adoption of opportunity crops, for nutritional security, diverse and climate-resilient cropping systems, to build healthy soils, a cohort of researchers and professionals is being supported to improve opportunity crops in Africa. Launched in October 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya, the VACS Capacity Project aims to train scholars and professionals in the latest plant breeding technologies. Professor Julia Sibiya, VACS Capacity Project Lead at CIMMYT, elaborates on how the project aims to contribute to the promotion, development and delivery of improved “crops that nourish” people, and the planet.

As part of the VACS Capacity Project, 30 Master and PhD students will be mentored by prominent experts in plant breeding. What support will they receive?

The students will be exposed to the latest technologies in plant breeding but will also learn from their mentors to deliver the VACS vision on opportunity crops and healthy soils.

The project also includes training of 40 mid-careers professionals. We want them to master the latest technologies and be able to apply them to develop improved opportunity crop varieties that will be used by farmers.

To achieve this goal, the VACS Capacity Project is supported by three hubs to facilitate the training by matching the scholars and professionals with appropriate mentors and institutes where they will be exposed to the latest research and technologies. The selected hubs are the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA-Nigeria), the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) in Ghana, and the Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) in Kenya. The hubs have “support entities” through Iowa State University and Cornell University.

For maximum and long-term impact, the CIMMYT Academy, with the support of the Sustainable Agrifood Systems program, is developing gender-aware mentoring and curriculum on a wide range of topics, to directly address priorities of the 70 scholars and professionals. Expertise is being sourced at institutions such as Iowa State University, CIMMYT and African universities for robust e-learning modules on the entire plant breeding pipeline and seed systems, with materials updated and designed for the African continent.

What gaps does the VACS Capacity Project aim to address?

Today, in Africa, very few plant breeders and scientists working on plant improvement are focusing on the opportunity crops identified by VACS, such as finger millet, bambara groundnut, and amaranth. Most breeders focus on the main staples. This is why we want to build a critical mass of scientists who work on opportunity crops that are vital for food security and nutrition under climate change.

Besides increasing the critical mass of researchers working on the opportunity crops, we also want to bring up-to-date the skills of professionals in the breeding sector, which is a sector where technologies are evolving very quickly. Most of the approaches to crop improvement used today differ greatly from approaches used ten years ago, hence the request by many professionals to upgrade their skills.

In addition to the long-term training fellowships for Master and PhD students, we will provide targeted skills training to professionals, with short-term placements between one and six months in institutions where they can learn cutting-edge techniques that they will apply to opportunity crops.

The project is also designed to build networks and communities of practice around these crops, so people can collaborate in breeding and scaling efforts that are requested by farmers and consider market intelligence for impact pathways. This is in addition to exchanging knowledge and germplasm.

How does this project differ from other plant breeding capacity building projects?

The difference is that we will place professionals into institutions where they will be provided with hands-on training. We will work with universities, international research institutes, and the private sector, including seed companies. This is like offering internships to mid-career professionals who want to upgrade their skills or learn new ones.

Our approach also includes mentorships for both scholars and professionals. Mentors will be recruited from all over the world to assist the fellows in various aspects of their research journey. Last but not least, we hope to see researchers working with farmers so they can learn from each other.

What are the expected outcomes of reaching a “critical mass of plant breeders”?

The objective is to have sufficient breeders to implement crop breeding programs designed for opportunity crops. We also want to encourage them to apply modern techniques to improve opportunity crops and, this way, to contribute to the development of more nutritious plants that are grown in healthy soils. As I mentioned earlier, besides empowering scientists themselves, we also aim to create the conditions for effective collaboration and partnerships for the successful delivery of improved opportunity crop varieties, and this delivery will be accelerated by reducing the breeding cycle. Overall, it will allow us to scale up efforts towards opportunity crops worldwide.

Expression of interest: VACS Capacity Project

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News.

USAID is partnering with CIMMYT to implement Feed the Future VACS Capacity Activity, which aims to capacitate African breeding programs and research professionals and to build a cohort of VACS Fellows in partnership with both private and public sectors. The cohort will be mentored by CGIAR, advanced research institutes and universities, and other partners around the globe. There are three areas where we are looking for partners.

  1. Hubs for training
  2. Scholars (MSc and PhD)
  3. Professionals (1–6-month placements)

The awarding process is two steps for the Hubs, which is based on the review of the submissions to this EOI solicitation, shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a more detailed application and engage further in the award process.

How to apply

Only online submissions via the provided links below will be accepted: https://sra.cimmyt.org/vacs.

Due dates to complete your submission:

  • Hubs and Scholars by June 30, 2024, 11:59 p.m. GMT
  • Professionals by July 31, 2024, 11:59 p.m. GMT

Virtual briefing session

An information session will be conducted on June 7, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. East African Time, to explain further and clarify the application and award process. This will also constitute the official launch of the VACS Capacity Activity. Email CIMMYT-VACS-capacity@cgiar.org to register!

Advancing conservation agriculture

Written by Nur-A-Mahajabin Khan on . Posted in Blogs.

A practical demonstration at Jabalpur. (Photo: CIMMYT)

Agriculture feeds the world. Yet traditional cycles of ploughing, planting, and harvesting crop and biomass products is inefficient of labor and other scarce resources and depletes soil health while emitting greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

One effort to ameliorate the negative effects of farming is a set of practices referred to as conservation agriculture (CA), based on the principles of minimal mechanical soil disturbance, permanent soil cover with plant material, and crop diversification.

To deliver advanced, high-level instruction on current innovative science around important aspects of cropping and farming system management to scientists from India, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Morocco, the 12th Advanced Conservation Agriculture Course hosted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), CIMMYT, and the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) took place in India from December 10 to 24, 2023.

SK Chaudhari, deputy director general for Natural Resource Management, ICAR; HS Jat, director of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Maize Research (ICAR-IIMR); Arun Joshi, country representative for India and BISA managing director, CIMMYT-India; Mahesh K. Gathala, senior systems agronomist and science lead, CIMMYT-Bangladesh; and Alison Laing, agroecologist, CIMMYT-Bangladesh, all attended the opening ceremony at the National Agricultural Science Complex in New Delhi, India.

This CA course integrated scientific advancements and multidisciplinary techniques to sustainably develop agricultural systems, restore natural resources, and improve climate resilience in agriculture throughout Asia and North Africa. It was held at leading research centers throughout India.

SK Chaudhari welcomed delegates to the course and stressed its practical character and efficacy in promoting CA management innovations, as evidenced by the significant achievements and international reputations of many former attendees and resource personnel.

“As climatic variability and change increase, the need to manage agronomic risks grows, and CA is an effective tool for farmers and scientists in both irrigated and rainfed systems,” said Chaudhari.

Twenty rising scientists from such fields as agronomy, soil science, plant protection, agricultural engineering, plant breeding, and extension, took part in the workshop where they gained a better understanding of all aspects of conservation agricultural methods in rainfed and irrigated ecosystems, as well as exposure to wide networks with prominent international scientists. Organizers prioritized the inclusion of female scientists, who made up 40% of attendees.

The workshop empowered participants to act as conservation agriculture ambassadors and champions of modern, novel agronomic methods when they return to their home institutions.

Rajbir Singh, ICAR assistant director general for Natural Resource Management, and ML Jat, global research program director of Resilient Farm and Food Systems, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) provided keynote addresses at the closing ceremony, held at the ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute in Karnal, Haryana, India.

CIMMYT scientists recognized for significant research impact

Written by Julian Bañuelos-Uribe on . Posted in News.

CIMMYT applies high quality science to develop more resilient agrifood systems. This year three scientists from CIMMYT are included in Clarivate’s 2023 Analysis of the most highly cited academic papers.

Jill Cairns participates at a plenary session. (Photo: Alfonso Cortés/CIMMYT)

While CIMMYT’s mission does explicitly require academic publication from its scientists, “the recognition reflects extensive networking with academia, opening doors for new technologies to benefit resource-poor farmers and consumers as well as lending scientific kudos to CIMMYT and underpinning fundraising efforts,” says Distinguished Scientist and Head of Wheat Physiology, Matthew Reynolds.

Maize Physiologist Jill Cairns and collaborators spearheaded the application of high throughput phenotyping for maize-breeding in sub-Saharan Africa, which she says, “would not have been possible without involving leading academic experts like JL Araus at Barcelona University.”

José Crossa chairs the session: adding value to phenotypic data. (Photo: Alfonso Cortés/CIMMYT)

Biometrician and Distinguished Scientist José Crossa has pioneered wheat genetic analysis and use of artificial intelligence to solve crop research questions. “With machine learning tools like Deep Learning, there is a golden opportunity to understand the many complex dimensions of crop adaptation, so data-driven breeding models will have the necessary precision to target complex traits,” he explains. Crossa is widely respected by leading academics in biometrics for his insights on bridging statistical theory to solve real world problems.

Reynolds has built initiatives like the Heat and Drought Wheat Improvement Consortium (HeDWIC) and the International Wheat Yield Partnership (IWYP) that transfer cutting-edge technologies—from many of the best academic institutions in the world—to application in breeding, helping to widen wheat gene pools globally.

Matthew Reynolds speaks at a workshop. (Photo: Alfonso Cortés/CIMMYT)

All three scientists achieved the same recognition last year. As in 2022, Reynolds was awarded for his contribution to scientific literature in plant and animal sciences, while Cairns and Crossa were awarded for their contributions to scientific literature across several fields of research (cross fields).

Since 2001, Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list has identified global research scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their field(s) of research. It recognizes exceptional research performance demonstrated by the production of multiple papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year, according to the Web of Science citation indexing service.

In 2023, the list recognizes 6,849 individuals from more than 1,300 institutions across 67 countries and regions.

Public and Private Plant Breeding: Finding Common Ground

Written by mcallejas on . Posted in In the media.

Seed the World Group hosted a webinar to find a common ground between public and private breeding programs in North America and some possible paths forward. Fernando Gonzalez, a retired plant breeder from CIMMYT mentioned a noticeable uptick in the involvement of the private sector in breeding programs in Mexico.

Learn more about the primary goals underlying public and private breeding efforts.

 

 

 

Technology addresses gender inequality in wheat farming

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Publications.

Despite the development of improved wheat varieties with increased productivity, farming systems in the Global South are still marred by inequitable access based on gender and other social characteristics.

At the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), scientists present a case for wheat varietal improvement programs to include gender-sensitive technology development, dissemination and evaluation in order to remove barriers for women, poor and marginalized farmers.

Focusing on Ethiopia and India due to their large wheat economies and challenges with inequality, researchers assessed the barriers preventing male and female smallholders from using modern wheat varieties. Issues covered through evaluation could include wheat varietal trait preferences, adoption of technology, and decision-making and labor-use changes associated with new varieties.

Concluding the paper is the argument that institutional arrangements in research and development (R&D) programs must transform to address gender equity and inclusivity in wheat improvement.

Read the study: Gender, wheat trait preferences, and innovation uptake: Lessons from Ethiopia and India

Cover photo: Rural farmers associated with JEEViKa-Bihar attend a public wheat harvest activity organized by the Cereal Systems in South Asia (CSISA) project in Nagwa village, India, to encourage conservation agriculture practices in the region. (Photo: Nima Chodon/CIMMYT)

A wheat field of Bamyan, Afghanistan. (Photo: Nigel Poole/SOAS University of London)

It is time to invest in the future of Afghanistan’s wheat system

Written by Sarah Fernandes on . Posted in Blogs.

A wheat field of Bamyan, Afghanistan. (Photo: Nigel Poole/SOAS University of London)
A wheat field of Bamyan, Afghanistan. (Photo: Nigel Poole/SOAS University of London)

The UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet recently said of Afghanistan, “In the wake of years of conflict, and since the takeover by the Taliban in August last year, the country has been plunged into a deep economic, social, humanitarian and human rights crisis” (UN News 2022a). International humanitarian agencies and NGOs have persisted in supporting the population, half of whom are suffering food insecurity, and some of whom are facing unprecedented and catastrophic levels of hunger (UN News 2022b). The conflict in Ukraine is exacerbating the crises in poor import-dependent countries and humanitarian programmes, and Afghanistan will be among the most affected (Bentley and Donovan 2022).

The rural sector underlies Afghanistan’s economic potential, with agriculture as the foundation of the economy. Wheat, both irrigated and rainfed, is the principal agricultural crop, and bread is the major component of the Afghan diet. For decades the country has relied for food security on neighbors such as Kazakhstan and Pakistan and import dependence appears to be a permanent feature of the agricultural economy (Sharma and Nang 2018).

In a recent paper published in Plants, People, Planet, CIMMYT scientists and partners from SOAS University of London, Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, FAO-Afghanistan, The HALO Trust, Afghanaid and the Agricultural Research Institute of Afghanistan call for renewed investment in Afghanistan’s wheat and agricultural sector.

Bread and spread in Bamyan, Afghanistan. (Photo: Nigel Poole/SOAS University of London)
Bread and spread in Bamyan, Afghanistan. (Photo: Nigel Poole/SOAS University of London)

Improved CIMMYT wheat germplasm has supported agricultural development

CIMMYT’s activities in Afghanistan have focused primarily on supporting the national agricultural research system through the provision of elite, widely adapted germplasm with strong disease resistance. Recent estimates of genetic gains over 14 years (2002-2003 to 2015-2016) of testing of CIMMYT’s Elite Spring Wheat Yield Trial material across 11 locations in Afghanistan documents significant grain yield progress of 115 kg/year. Average yields across 11 testing locations ranged from 3.58 to 5.97 t/ha (Sharma et al., 2021). This indicates that yield potential can be increased through introduction and testing of internationally improved germplasm.

But such investment in research has come to a halt. Local public- and private-sector wheat breeding activities have been largely absent in Afghanistan for over a decade. Hence, wheat productivity remains low due to the limited availability of improved varieties, inadequate quality seed production and distribution. Although in the short term, humanitarian interventions are likely to be the major determinant of food security, we propose that strategic rebuilding of the wheat system will lay the foundation for restoring Afghanistan’s agricultural production, food supplies, nutrition and health. Here we signal opportunities for future improvement.

Opportunities to build climate resilience and enhance seed systems

The need for climate-resilient varieties that meet farmers’ varied requirements and consumer preferences is paramount. Afghan farmers need varieties with improved traits such as heat and drought resilience, incorporating functional variation from existing landrace collections. In addition, agronomic interventions such as conservation agriculture will offer substantial benefits in buffering environmental stresses.

The technological pathways for seed (re-)distribution are a critical part of the innovation pathway from plant breeding to production and productivity. Given the particularities of markets in Afghanistan, both the public sector and the private sector often fail to reach farming geographies that are remote, diverse, and unserved by physical and institutional infrastructure. For many years, basic public services and agricultural interventions have been provided by the NGO sector, and this form of delivery continues. Hence, local ‘informal’ systems for seed and inputs are important to smallholder farmers.

Investment to support both irrigated and rain-fed wheat production

Rehabilitation of ancient irrigation practices and infrastructure could once again serve local farming in a way that supports stable production, restores Afghan heritage, and rebuilds social cohesion. However, there are no easy solutions to the challenges of increasing irrigation to boost agriculture. Although yields are lower, there is potential to optimize breeding specifically for rain-fed production. We expect rain-fed agriculture to continue given the limitations of water and infrastructure access.

Wheat improvement must be embedded in the wider agricultural environment. There is a renewed need for a deep understanding of social, political, and cultural systems and how they vary between villages, and from districts, provinces, and regions to people groups. We need to re-envision the roles of men and women in agriculture, and investment in skills and capacity building to provide a stable foundation for the eradication of poverty and food insecurity.

A new wheat program for Afghanistan

We highlight the urgent need for:

  • Resumption of breeding of nutritious and climate-resilient varieties.
  • Development of a knowledge base on current wheat production systems, gendered agricultural roles, farmer needs for varietal change and consumer preferences for tasty and nutritious wheat-based products.
  • Development of seed information systems using new technologies to enhance farmer engagement in research.
  • Expansion of appropriate irrigation systems and development of nature-based solutions to protect soil and to preserve and conserve water.
  • Investment in capacity building among private, non-governmental, university and public stakeholders in seed systems and delivery of agricultural services.

These foundations will support the wider regeneration of Afghanistan’s agricultural sector and enhance food security, nutrition and health of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.

Full paper

Poole, N., Sharma, R., Nemat, O.A., Trenchard, R., Scanlon, A., Davy, C., Ataei, N., Donovan, J. and Bentley, A.R. (in production). Sowing the wheat seeds of Afghanistan’s future. Plants, People, Planet DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10277

References

Bentley, A. and Donovan, J. (2022). What price wheat? Crisis in Ukraine underscores the need for long-term solutions for global food security. Retrieved 16 June 2022, from https://staging.cimmyt.org/blogs/what-price-wheat/.

Sharma, R.K. and Nang, M. (2018). Afghanistan wheat seed scenario: Status and imperatives. International Journal of Agricultural Policy and Research 6(5): 71-75 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15739/IJAPR.18.008

UN News (2022a). Afghanistan facing ‘the darkest moments’ in a generation. Retrieved 16 June 2022, from https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1120492.

UN News (2022b). Afghanistan: Nearly 20 million going hungry. Retrieved 16 June 2022, from https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1117812.

A generalized wiring diagram for wheat, as proposed by the authors. The diagram depicts the traits most commonly associated with the source (left) and sink (right) strengths and others that impact both the sink and source, largely dependent on growth stage (middle). TGW, thousand grain weight.

Diagram links physiological traits of wheat for yield potential

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on . Posted in Press releases.

A generalized wiring diagram for wheat, as proposed by the authors. The diagram depicts the traits most commonly associated with the source (left) and sink (right) strengths and others that impact both the sink and source, largely dependent on growth stage (middle). TGW, thousand grain weight.
A generalized wiring diagram for wheat, as proposed by the authors. The diagram depicts the traits most commonly associated with the source (left) and sink (right) strengths and others that impact both the sink and source, largely dependent on growth stage (middle). TGW, thousand grain weight.

As crop yields are pushed closer to biophysical limits, achieving yield gains becomes increasingly challenging. Traditionally, scientists have worked on the premise that crop yield is a function of photosynthesis (source), the investment of assimilates into reproductive organs (sinks) and the underlying processes that enable and connect the expression of both. Although the original source-and-sink model remains valid, it must embrace more complexity, as scientific understanding improves.

A group of international researchers are proposing a new wiring diagram to show the interrelationships of the physiological traits that impact wheat yield potential, published on Nature Food. By illustrating these linkages, it shows connections among traits that may not have been apparent, which could serve as a decision support tool for crop scientists. The wiring diagram can inform new research hypotheses and breeding decisions, as well as research investment areas.

The diagram can also serve as a platform onto which new empirical data are routinely mapped and new concepts added, thereby creating an ever-richer common point of reference for refining models in the future.

“If routinely updated, the wiring diagram could lead to a paradigm change in the way we approach breeding for yield and targeting translational research,” said Matthew Reynolds, Distinguished Scientist and Head of Wheat Physiology at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and lead author of the study. “While focused on yield potential, the tool can be readily adapted to address climate resilience in a range of crops besides wheat.”

Breeding milestone

The new wiring diagram represents a milestone in deterministic plant breeding. It dovetails simpler models with crop simulation models.

It takes into account how source and sink strengths may interact with wheat developmental stages to determine yield. For example, at the time of stem growth, spike growth or effective grain filling.

This diagram can be used to illustrate the relative importance of specific connections among traits in their appropriate phenological context and to highlight major gaps in knowledge. This graphical representation can also serve as a roadmap to prioritize research at other levels of integration, such as metabolomic or gene expression studies. The wiring diagram can be deployed to identify ways for improving elite breeding material and to explore untapped genetic resources for unique traits and alleles.

Yield for climate resilience

The wheat scientific community is hard at work seeking new ways to get higher yields more quickly to help the world cope with population growth, climate change, wars and stable supplies of calories and protein.

“To ensure food and nutritional security in the future, raising yields must be an integral component of making crops more climate-resilient. This new tool can serve as a roadmap to design the necessary strategies to achieve these goals,” said Jeff Gwyn, Program Director of the International Wheat Yield Partnership (IWYP).

— ENDS —

READ THE FULL PUBLICATION:

A wiring-diagram to integrate physiological traits of wheat yield potential

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:

Matthew Reynolds – Distinguished Scientist and Head of Wheat Physiology at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)

Gustavo Ariel Slafer – Research Professor at the Catalonian Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) and Associate Professor of the University of Lleida

For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact the CIMMYT media team:

Marcia MacNeil and Rodrigo Ordóñez: https://staging.cimmyt.org/media-center/

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

The study is an international collaboration of scientists from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the Catalonian Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), the Center for Research in Agrotechnology (AGROTECNIO), the University of Lleida, the University of Nottingham, the John Innes Centre, Lancaster University, Technische Universität München, CSIRO Agriculture & Food, and the International Wheat Yield Partnership (IWYP).

ABOUT CIMMYT:

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is an international organization focused on non-profit agricultural research and training that empowers farmers through science and innovation to nourish the world in the midst of a climate crisis.

Applying high-quality science and strong partnerships, CIMMYT works to achieve a world with healthier and more prosperous people, free from global food crises and with more resilient agri-food systems. CIMMYT’s research brings enhanced productivity and better profits to farmers, mitigates the effects of the climate crisis, and reduces the environmental impact of agriculture.

CIMMYT is a member of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources.

For more information, visit staging.cimmyt.org.

ABOUT IWYP:

The International Wheat Yield Partnership (IWYP) represents a long-term global endeavor that utilizes a collaborative approach to bring together funding from public and private research organizations from a large number of countries. Over the first five years, the growing list of partners aims to invest up to US$100 million.

For more information, visit https://iwyp.org

Throwing money at the problem won’t solve world hunger

Written by Bea Ciordia on . Posted in In the media.

In this op-ed, Harvard Professor Gabriela Soto Laveaga stresses the importance of tackling hunger as more than a technical problem to be addressed through scientific advancement alone, praising CGIAR for its community-centered & inclusive approach to food systems amid the climate crisis.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/11/22/throwing-money-problem-wont-solve-world-hunger/