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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.

Dragan Milic

Written by mcallejas on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Dragan Milic is responsible for providing support to the National Agriculture Research Systems (NARS) in Africa, assisting them in the development of breeding improvement plans aimed at delivering increased genetic gains for smallholder farmers. These enhancement strategies will specifically target product profiles, optimization of breeding schemes, utilization of genotyping, automation, mechanization, appropriate breeding software, and establishment of connections with seed producers.

Milić also extends support to national breeding teams in African countries, implementing a comprehensive internal breeding pipeline optimization plan supported by the Excellence in Breeding platform. Furthermore, he assists national partners in integrating and establishing breeding networks with CGIAR institutes and regional and national collaborators.

Before joining CIMMYT, Dragan Milić spent his professional career at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (IFVCNS) in Novi Sad, Serbia. He served as the Head of the Forage Breeding team at IFVCNS and possesses over 20 years of experience in breeding, seed production, and leadership in conventional and molecular alfalfa/forage breeding. Dragan Milić has been a visiting scientist at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and UC Davis through different scholarships funded by the Serbian and US governments.

His main expertise is related to forage and grain legumes breeding, field-based experiment phenotyping, legume genetics, and forage and grain legumes seed systems. He was involved in defining strategies based on conventional and molecular breeding efforts towards variety selection and the development of improved forage/alfalfa germplasm for Southern East Europe and Asia. Dragan is the author of many alfalfa/grain legumes varieties released in Serbia, Belarus, Morocco, Turkey, Ukraine, and the EU.

Lennin Musundire

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.

 

Peter Setimela

Written by mcallejas on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Peter Setimela is CIMMYT Country Representative for Zambia and Legume Seed Systems Lead for the AID- Project.

Setimela is a seed systems scientist with over 20 years of experience in CG centers, universities, and national agricultural research institutes.

A credible and innovative scientist with strong technical, commercial, and financial acumen and extensive experience in leading multi-cultural teams to deliver ground-breaking agricultural initiatives primarily in the Eastern and Southern African regions. Demonstrates a comprehensive portfolio of skills including research and development, technology scaling, program management, advocacy, partnerships, capacity building, logistics, team leadership, operations, fundraising, and training. An adaptable and resilient leader with strong communication and influencing skills and the ability to unite diverse agendas to achieve outstanding results.

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 JosĂ© 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.

Xavier Mhike

Written by mcallejas on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Xavier Mhike is the Scientist – Product Development for Southern Africa at CIMMYT HQ in Mexico.

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.

 

 

 

Zerihun Tadesse Tarekegn

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.

Ulises Daniel Alvarez Chavez

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Ulises Daniel Alvarez Chavez is a Laboratory Research Technician with the Genetic Resources Program at CIMMYT HQ in Mexico. His work includes:

  • DNA and RNA Insolation, culture of groundnut for development aflatoxins resistant varieties.
  • Tissue culture and molecular biology to complement gene editing experiments.
  • Development and standardization of protocols and PCR.
  • Virus inoculation and plant phenotyping.
  • Development of high performance allele selection methods and identification of the desired cross material.

Harish Gandhi

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Harish Gandhi is a Breeding Lead for Dryland Legumes and Cereals in CIMMYT’s Genetic Resources program in Kenya. He is a transformative plant breeding and genetics professional, with more than 15 years experience of driving genetic gains, building effective teams, and pioneering innovative research and development.

David Omar Gonzalez Dieguez

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

David Omar Gonzalez Dieguez is a Post-Doctoral Fellow – Molecular Pre-Breeder in the Global Wheat Program at CIMMYT. He leads the application and integration of molecular tools in research and pre-breeding activities in wheat physiology.

In the research context, Dieguez focuses on the genetic basis of physiological traits related to yield components and climate resilience for yield potential, heat, and drought adaptation by performing GWAS analyses for gene/marker/QTL discovery and establishing marker validation for pre-breeding and breeding application to assist stacking of complementary physiological and agronomic traits.

In the pre-breeding context, Dieguez conducts the application and integration of genomic-assisted breeding tools (i.e. MAS/MABC and GS) at appropriate stages of the pre-breeding pipeline to support pre-breeder’s decisions for selecting lines for yield potential and tolerance to heat and drought stress and for trait introgression.

Carlos Alfredo Robles Zazueta

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Carlos Alfredo Robles Zazueta is a Postdoctoral Fellow – Wheat Physiology in the Global Wheat Program at CIMMYT.

His research interests are focused in understanding the physiological basis of yield improvement by studying physiological traits such as photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, biomass accumulation, resource use efficiency, all of this using conventional and high-throughput phenotyping methods.

Shubham Bhagat

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Shubham Bhagat is currently working on the Climate Resilience Agriculture program and has expertise in agriculture mechanization and equipment, remote sensing, drone usage and farmer welfare programs, and research on varieties development.