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Tag: soil science

Indian scientists visit Türkiye for soil and root health training program

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

Soil is the foundation of agriculture, and healthy soil is critical to the entire ecosystem. However, soil health is under threat today as many factors make soil unhealthy, leading to significant losses in farming. CIMMYT in India has been addressing these issues in partnership with national and international institutions, while CIMMYT’s SBP program in Türkiye aims to deliver high-yielding wheat germplasm that is resistant to SBP and supports the International Soil-Borne Pathogens Research & Development Center (ISBPRDC) of Türkiye. It also facilitates knowledge exchange and technology transfer to support joint research and development activities to improve soil health.

On arrival, the group of scientists and professors from Bihar was welcomed by Metin Türker, director general of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM). Talking about the intricate nexus of agriculture, climate, and technology, Türker emphasized varietal developments to irrigation advancements and engaged in lively discussions with the group, fueled by a shared vision for agricultural sustainability.

Led by Abdelfattah A. Dababat, CIMMYT country representative in Türkiye and the leader of the SBD program, the scientists and professors from India ventured into the heart of research institutions, immersing themselves in the latest innovations in wheat improvement and plant pathology. Their journey took them from Ankara to Eskisehir and ended at the Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, where they were greeted by passionate experts eager to share their knowledge. Bonds were forged amid lectures and laboratory demonstrations, and ideas ignited, paving the way for future collaborations.

Visit to Ankara Province

The participants visited the Field Crops Central Research Institute and were introduced to the TAGEM Seed Gene Bank and Herbarium. Participants were acquainted with seed processing and preservation methods with live demonstrations. Following that, participants visited the Plant Protection Central Research Institute in Ankara, where its Director Ayse Ozdem gave an overview of the institute’s mandates and research work. Participants had the opportunity to explore the plant pathology laboratory and learn about major crop diseases in Türkiye and their control measures.

Participants later visited winter wheat trial sites at the research station in Haymana, a district of Ankara province. The group then interacted with Mesut Keser, ICARDA’s wheat breeder who specializes in winter and facultative wheat while working on the International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP). This was followed by a visit to the pathology field experiments, a breeder seed production area, and an experimental trial for evaluating Syngenta TYMIRIUM® technology at the research station.

Visit to TZARI in Eskisehir

Scientists also had a chance to visit the Transitional Zone Agricultural Research Institute located in the Central Anatolian Plateau of Türkiye. The institute’s director Sabri Cakir welcomed the participants and briefed them about the ongoing research activities of the institute and its relevance to agriculture in Türkiye. Savas Belen gave a general overview of the institute and the breeding program, while Abdullah Tane Kilinc presented a glimpse of the activities of the Department of Plant Pathology. Professor Halil Toktay gave an overview of plant parasitic nematodes in wheat and potato, followed by Gül Erginbas Orakci who discussed the importance of managing soil-borne pathogens.

Beyhan Akin, wheat breeder at CIMMYT, gave a presentation on CIMMYT’s breeding activities in Türkiye, and Oğuz Önder presented fertilizer application on the quality of Bread Wheat and the importance of foliar fertilization in crops.

Thereafter, participants visited the plant pathology laboratory where Abdelfattah A. Dababat and Gül Erginbas-Orakci gave an overview of laboratory methods to study Cereal Cyst Nematodes and Root-Lesion Nematodes with live demonstrations. Innovative approaches to tackle the Plant-Parasitic Nematodes in agriculture were also discussed. In the agronomy laboratory, Oğuz Önder gave a live demonstration for estimating plant grain and biomass yield by optical sensor-based technologies. Participants also had the opportunity to explore the soil science laboratory and become familiar with state-of-the-art equipment used for soil nutrient analysis.

Visit to Bolu

The participants visited Abant Izzet Baysal University, in Bolu, where the Rector Professor. Mustafa Alişarlı welcomed them. This was followed by presentations and discussions on burning issues in agriculture. Professor Senol Yildiz gave a presentation on soil health assessment and management. Professor Halil Kütük of the Department of Plant Protection gave a brief overview of the latest research advancement in biological control of major crop diseases. In continuation, Abdelfattah A. Dababat gave an overview of the cereal cyst nematode and their management. The discussion led to a brainstorming session on soil health management, soil-borne diseases, soil microbiome, and the challenges of using microorganisms for soil health improvements. The major challenges and opportunities for agriculture development under changing climate scenarios in India and Türkiye were also discussed.

The training course exposed participants to the latest research and technologies for soil and root health management to increase agricultural productivity and profitability immediately and into the future. During the entire visit, participants working in different fields (soil science, agronomy, plant breeding, and microbiology) interacted with Türkiye’s expert counterparts to discuss their work and share valuable research insights. Several topics and technologies relevant to global agriculture, like zero tillage, climate-resilient agriculture, precision input management, hidden hunger, and digital agriculture, were discussed. Participants also explored future opportunities for bilateral research collaborations between India and Türkiye.

Participants expressed their deepest gratitude to the CIMMYT team at Türkiye, led by Abdelfattah A. Dababat, for arranging an effective training program and for the support provided at every step. “Your careful planning and thoughtful execution have created an environment where learning flourishes and connections are made. Thank you for your invaluable contribution to our learning journey,” said the participants. Participants also expressed their sincere thanks to the Ministry of Agriculture, Türkiye, and the BISA team for coordinating this training and making the entire experience seamless and impactful for all involved. Special thanks were offered to the Government of Bihar for supporting the travel of scientists from India for this training program under the climate-resilient agriculture project in the state.

Digging in the Dirt: Detailed soil maps guide decision-making, from the field to the policy room

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

When a non-farmer looks upon a field, they might just see it as an expanse of dirt and give no more thought to it. But to a farmer, that dirt is soil, the lifeblood of agriculture. Among other things, soil delivers necessary nutrients to crops, allowing them to grow and flourish.

About 95% of the food consumed around the world grows from soil, which is rapidly deteriorating because of unsustainable human activity. Around 33% of all soils around the world are degraded, meaning they can no longer sustain the same level of agricultural activity. This leads to lower crop yields, which potentially leads farmers to increase their use of fertilizer to overcome the damaged soil. But increased nitrogen fertilizer use has profound climate change effects, as poor fertilizer management, including overuse, can lead to nitrous oxide (a greenhouse gas) leaking into the air and nitrates into groundwater, rivers, and other water systems.

Sampling points in the state of Celaya, Guanajuato Mexico. (Photo: CIMMYT)

An important implement in the effort to preserve soil fertility is the practice of soil mapping, a process which produces detailed physical and chemical soil properties within a region. Things like the amount of nutrients, acidity, water conductivity, and bulk density, help guide decision making from individual farmers all the way to regional and national stakeholders.

The Sustainable Productivity Growth Coalition, a United Nations initiative which aims to accelerate the transition to more sustainable food systems through a holistic approach to productivity growth to optimize agricultural sustainability, featured soil mapping as an innovative, evidence-based approach for accelerating sustainable productivity growth in its 2023 report.

A global soil mapping initiative is underway led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Soil Partnership with important contributions from CIMMYT scientist working in Mexico.

“Soil mapping of an agricultural region for chemical and physical soil properties offers a range of benefits that can significantly improve agricultural practices, land management, and overall productivity,” said Ivan Ortiz Monasterio, CIMMYT principal scientist.

Map for Phosphorus Bray 1. (Photo: CIMMYT)

Soil maps = blueprints

Using up-to-date soil information at the national scale can help to plan agricultural and land planning interventions and policies, by excluding areas with higher carbon content or fertility from urbanization plans, or by planning the implementation of irrigation schemes with high-quality water in salt-affected areas.

For farmers, there are many benefits, including the creation of nutrient management plans, which are perhaps the most important. These plans guide decisions about application rates and timing of inputs like fertilizers, help avoid over-application, and reduce the risk of runoff and pollution. This supports sustainable agriculture while reducing costs and minimizing nutrient pollution.

Map for zinc. (Photo: CIMMYT)

“There are many other benefits,” said Ortiz Monasterio. “From improved irrigation management, to informed crop decisions, to things like climate resilience because more fertile soils are better able to cope with the challenges of climate variation.”

Sieg Snapp receives International Soil Science Award

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

Sieg Snapp, director of the Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) program at CIMMYT, has been selected as a recipient of the 2023 International Soil Science Award. Bestowed by the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), the award recognizes outstanding contributions to soil science on the international scene.

The awarding panel looks for lasting contributions to international soil science, including creativity and relevance in the establishment of scientific research, the application of sound principles of international significance. A key factor is evidence of bringing about long-lasting change in practices related to soil science in more than country, as Snapp has done through improved understanding of integrated nutrient management in Malawi and Tanzania. Snapp’s receipt of the prestigious award affirms her lifelong commitment to enhancing the science and practice of agriculture for the betterment of the planet and its people.

Sieglinde Snapp receives the International Soil Science Award. (Photo: ASA, CSSA, SSSA)

Snapp is a trailblazing scientist renowned for pioneering the “mother-baby trial” method, the go-to tool for participatory research which has helped develop farmer-approved technologies in 30 countries. Her groundbreaking approach has significantly advanced participatory research, enriching our understanding of soil health, crop diversity and agroecology, informing extension services and policymakers in Africa and beyond.

Snapp received her award at the ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, where she also delivered the ASA Plenary/E.T. & Vam York Distinguished ASA Lectureship. Her talk, titled “Sustainable Agrifood Systems for a Changing World Requires Action-driven Science,” unveiled CIMMYT’s strategy for advancing the science of SAS in a rapidly changing world. In it, she addressed the pressing issues of climate change, conflict and food insecurity, emphasizing the need for action research, new data analytics and agro-diversity. These, she emphasized, are essential elements to safeguard the resilience and sustainability of our farming systems.

CIMMYT at the AIM for Climate Summit

Written by Alison Doody on . Posted in News.

Sieg Snapp, Tek Sapkota, and partners photographed during AIM for Climate (Photo: CIMMYT)

As climate change threats accelerate, new technologies, products, and approaches are required for smallholder farmers to mitigate and adapt to current and future threats. Targeting smallholder farmers will benefit not only the farmers but the entire agri-food system through enhanced locally relevant knowledge that harnesses handheld sensors and advisories on management options, soil status, weather, and market information.

The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate / AIM4C) seeks to address climate change and global hunger by uniting participants to significantly increase investment in, and other support for, climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation over five years (2021–2025).

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), as a partner of AIM for Climate, organized a breakout session titled “Smart Smallholder Fertilizer Management to Address Food Security, Climate Change, and Planetary Boundaries” during the AIM for Climate Summit in Washington DC, May 8-10, 2023.

Fertilizers are essential for increasing crop yields and ensuring food security, yet fertilizer use for food and fodder is severely skewed at the global level, leading to over-fertilization in some regions and under-fertilization in others.

Farmers in low-income countries are highly vulnerable to fertilizer supply shortages and price spikes, which have direct consequences for food prices and hunger. Improving fertilizer efficiency and integrated organic and inorganic sources is important globally as nutrient loss to the environment from inappropriate input use drives greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.

Innovation Sprint

Because smallholder farmers are the primary managers of land and water, the CIMMYT-led AIM4C Innovation Sprint, Climate-Resilient soil fertility management by smallholders in Africa, Asia, and Latin America is designed to implement and scale-up a range of climate robust nutrient management strategies in 12 countries, and to reach tens of millions of smallholder farmers in close collaboration with nearly 100 public-private partners organizations.

Sieg Snapp called for more investments in data synthesis (Photo: CIMMYT)

Strategies include innovations in extension where digital tools enable farmer-centered private and public advisories to increase the uptake of locally adapted nutrient management practices. Connecting farmers to investors and markets provides financial support for improved nutrient management.

By tailoring validated fertility management practices to their specific conditions, and integrated use of legumes and manure, smallholders will optimize productivity, enhance climate resilience, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Research from other organizations has determined that improved fertilizer management can increase global crop yield by 30% while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Right place, right time

“We need locally adapted fertilizer management approaches that work for smallholder farmers. By tailoring validated fertility management practices to their specific conditions, smallholders will optimize productivity, enhance climate resilience, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions,” said Sieg Snapp, CIMMYT’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems Program Director. She continued, “What is needed now is major investment in data synthesis. Through this SPRINT we are exploring options to enable taking sensors to scale, to reach tens of millions of farmers with hyper-local soils information.”

Inequality is the core of the problem in fertilizer management: some regions apply more than the required amount, where in other regions fertilizer application is insufficient for plant needs, leading to low yields and soil degradation.

Tek Sapkota spoke on fertilizer management (Photo: CIMMYT)

“Fertilizer efficiency can be improved through application of the right amount of fertilizer using the right source employing the right methods of application at the right time of plant demand,” said Tek Sapkota, CIMMYT Senior Scientist, Agricultural System/Climate Change.

The session included presentations by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), UN Foundation, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), USDA, and Alliance of CIAT-Bioversity. Highlights sustainable and climate-smart practices in Pakistan, novel plant genetics for improved nitrogen cycling, and soil water and nutrient management in the Zambezi to tackle food security and climate change challenges.

Improved nitrogen use can boost tomato yields

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Publications.

Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and tomato production in Nepal have both been negatively affected by universal fertilizer recommendations that do not consider the soil type, nutrient status, or climate and crop management practices. Improved use of appropriate levels of nitrogen (N) fertilizer, application time, and application methods could increase yields and reduce environmental impact.

Scientists from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), the National Soil Science Research Center (NSSRC), and the International Fertilizer Development Center completed a study to identify the optimum N rate and application method to increase NUE and tomato crop yield as part of the Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project.

Randomized trials with nine treatments across five districts included the omission of N, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) (N0, P0, K0), variable N rates of 100, 150, 200 and 250 kg ha−1 (N-100, N-150, N-200 and N-250), use of urea briquettes (UB) with deep placement (UBN-150) and a control (CK).

Considering its anticipated higher NUE, N input in UB was reduced from the recommend N rate of 200 kg ha−1 by a quarter. N was revealed as the most limiting plant nutrient based on yield responses from an NPK omission plot.

Tomato yield was increased by 27 percent, 35 percent, 43 percent, and 27 percent over N0 with respective applications of fertilizer at N-100, N-150, N-200 and N-250. Yields responded quadratically to the added N fertilizers, with optimum rates ranging from 150 to 200 kg ha−1.

UBN-150 produced a similar yield to the recommended rate of N-200 and significantly increased tomato yield by 12% over N-150.

At N-100, scientists observed the highest partial factor productivity of N (PFPN), while at N-200, the highest agronomic efficiency of N (AEN) was recorded.

Results suggest that there is opportunity to develop more efficient N fertilization strategies for Nepal, leading to benefits of higher yields and less environmental damage.

Read the study: Optimum Rate and Deep Placement of Nitrogen Fertilizer Improves Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Tomato Yield in Nepal

Cover photo: Generic, non-specific recommendations for fertilizer use in Nepal have affected the production of tomato crops. (Photo: Dilli Prasad Chalise/CIMMYT)

How does physical disturbance of soil impact carbon mineralization?

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Publications.

Higher levels of potential carbon mineralization (Cmin) in soil indicate that the soil is healthier. Many reports indicate that Cmin in agricultural soils increases with reductions in soil disturbance through tillage, but the mechanisms driving these increases are not well understood.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has established a network of research platforms in Mexico, where collaborating scientists evaluate conservation agriculture and other sustainable technologies to generate data on how to improve local production systems. This network of research trials, many of which have over five years in operation, allowed us to participate with Mexican sites in the North American Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements (NAPESHM). This project aimed to identify widely applicable soil health indicators and evaluate the effects of sustainable practices on soil health in 124 long-term experiments across Canada, the United States of America, and Mexico.

Experienced field teams from CIMMYT sampled the soils from 16 experiments in Mexico, which were then analyzed by the Soil Health Institute for this study. Potential carbon mineralization, 16S rRNA sequences, and soil characterization data were collected, with results demonstrating that microbial (archaeal and bacterial) sensitivity to physical disturbance is influenced by cropping system, the intensity of the disturbance, and soil pH.

A subset of 28 percent of amplicon sequence variants were enriched in soils managed with minimal disturbance. These enriched sequences, which were important in modeling Cmin, were connected to organisms that produce extracellular polymeric substances and contain metabolic strategies suited for tolerating environmental stressors.

The unique sampling design of this study – analyzing across a variety of agricultural soils and climate – allows to evaluate management impacts on standardized measures of soil microbial activity. Additionally, understanding the microbial drivers of soil health indicators like Cmin can help with the interpretation of those indicators and ultimately the understanding of how to better manage soils.

Read the study: Linking soil microbial community structure to potential carbon mineralization: A continental scale assessment of reduced tillage

Cover photo: Soil sampling in the Tlaltizapan station, Mexico in March 2019. (Photo: Simon Fonteyne/CIMMYT)

Using ENM principles to preserve soil health

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Publications.

In a new Frontiers publication, scientists from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) outline how to achieve an ecologically based approach to sustainable management of soil fertility, particularly for smallholders.

What is ecological nutrient management (ENM)?

Across the globe, smallholder farming communities only have limited resources to improve their financial and food security, and soil degradation is common. Ecological nutrient management (ENM), an agroecological approach to managing the biogeochemical cycles that regulate soil ecosystem services and soil fertility, can prevent degradation and preserve soil health.

Five principles guide ENM strategies:

  • Building soil organic matter and other nutrient reserves.
  • Minimizing the size of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pools that are most vulnerable to loss.
  • Maximize agroecosystem capacity to use soluble, inorganic N and P.
  • Use functional biodiversity to maximize presence of growing plants, biologically fix nitrogen and access sparingly soluble phosphorus.
  • Construct agroecosystem and field scale mass balances to track net nutrient flows over multiple growing seasons.
At the ICRISAT headquarters in Patencheru, India, M.L. Jat and Sieg Snapp stand in front on pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) varieties, a semi-perennial legume that fixes nitrogen and solubilizes phosphorus for greater nutrient efficiency while building soil health. (Photo: Alison Laing/CSIRO)

Using functionally designed polycultures, diversified rotations, reduced fallow periods, increased reliance on legumes, integrated crop-livestock production, and use of a variety of soil amendments exemplify how ENM works in practice. A key principle is to underpin agroecosystem resilience through the promotion of soil organic matter accrual and restoration of soil function.

Strategic increases of spatial and temporal plant species diversity are used, that meet farmer requirements. This often involves perennial or semi-perennial bushes and vines that provide food, fuel and fodder while restoring soil fertility. ENM long-term management systems can increase yields, yield stability, profitability, and food security, thus addressing a range of smallholder needs.

Read the study: Advancing the science and practice of ecological nutrient management for smallholder farmers

Cover photo: A maize-bean intercrop that exemplifies the ENM approach, taken at CIMMYT’s Chiapas Hub, a long-term field experiment. (Photo: Sieg Snapp/CIMMYT)

CIMMYT leads innovation sprint to deliver results to farmers rapidly

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Features.

Smallholder farmers, the backbone of food systems around the world, are already facing negative impacts because of climate change. Time to adapt climate mitigation strategies is not a luxury they have. With that in mind, the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C) facilitates innovation sprints designed to leverage existing development activities to create a series of innovations in an expedited timeframe.

At the UN COP27 in Egypt, AIM4C announced its newest round of innovation sprints, including one led by the International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT) to enable smallholder farmers to achieve efficient and effective nitrogen fertilizer management. From 2022 to 2025, this sprint will steer US $90 million towards empowering small-scale producers in Africa (Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe), Asia (China, India, Laos and Pakistan), and Latin America (Guatemala and Mexico).

“When we talk to farmers, they tell us they want validated farming practices tailored to their specific conditions to achieve greater productivity and increase their climate resilience,” said Sieg Snapp, CIMMYT Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) program director who is coordinating the sprint. “This sprint will help deliver those things rapidly by focusing on bolstering organic carbon in soil and lowering nitrous oxide emissions.”

Nitrogen in China

Working with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the sprint will facilitate the development of improved versions of green manure crops, which are grown specifically for building and maintaining soil fertility and structures which are incorporated back into the soil, either directly, or after removal and composting. Green manure can significantly reduce the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers, which prime climate culprits.

“There are already green manure systems in place in China,” said Weidong Cao from CAAS, “but our efforts will integrate all the work being done to establish a framework for developing new green manure crops aid in their deployment across China.”

Triple wins in Kenya

The Kenya Climate Smart Climate Project, active since 2017, is increasing agricultural productivity and building resilience to climate change risks in the targeted smallholder farming and pastoral communities. The innovation sprint will help rapidly achieve three wins in technology development and dissemination, cutting-edge innovations, and developing sets of management practices all designed to increase productive, adaption of climate smart tech and methods, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Agricultural innovations in Pakistan

The Agricultural Innovation Program (AIP), a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral project funded by USAID, led by CIMMYT, and active in Pakistan since 2015, fosters the emergence of a dynamic, responsive, and competitive system of science and innovation that is ‘owned’ by Pakistan and catalyzes equitable growth in agricultural production, productivity, and value.

“From its beginning, AIP has been dedicated to building partnerships with local organizations and, smallholder farmers throughout Pakistan, which is very much in line with the objectives and goal as envisioned by Pakistan Vision 2025 and the Vision for Agriculture 2030, as Pakistan is a priority country for CIMMYT. However, a concerted effort is required from various players representing public and private sectors,” said Thakur Prasad Tiwari, senior scientist at CIMMYT. “Using that existing framework to deliver rapid climate smart innovations, the innovation sprint is well-situated to react to the needs of Pakistani farmers. “

Policies and partnerships for innovations in soil fertility management in Nepal

The Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project, funded by USAID and implemented by CIMMYT, facilitates sustainable increases in Nepal’s national crop productivity, farmer income, and household-level food and nutrition security. NSAF promotes the use of improved seeds and integrated soil fertility management technologies along with effective extension, including the use of digital and information and communications technologies. The project facilitated the National Soil Science Research Centre (NSSRC) to develop new domain specific fertilizer recommendations for rice, maize, and wheat to replace the 40 years old blanket recommendations.

Under NSAFs leadership, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MOALD) launched Asia’s first digital soil map and has coordinated governmental efforts to collect and analyze soil data to update the soil map and provide soil health cards to Nepal’s farmers. The project provides training to over 2000 farmers per year to apply ISFM principles and provides evidence to the MOALD to initiate a balanced soil fertility management program in Nepal and to revise the national fertilizer subsidy policy to promote balanced fertilizers. The project will also build efficient soil fertility management systems that significantly increase crop productivity and the marketing and distribution of climate smart and alternative fertilizer products and application methods.

Public-private partnerships accelerate access to innovations in South Asia

The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), established in 2009, has reached more than 8 million farmers by conducting applied research and bridging public and private sector divides in the context of rural ‘innovation hubs’ in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. CSISA’s work has enabled farmers to adopt resource-conserving and climate-resilient technologies and improve their access to market information and enterprise development.

“Farmers in South Asia have become familiar with the value addition that participating in applied research can bring to innovations in their production systems,” said Timothy Krupnik, CIMMYT systems agronomist and senior scientist. “Moreover, CSISA’s work to address gaps between national and extension policies and practices as they pertain to integrated soil fertility management in the context of intensive cropping systems in South Asia has helped to accelerate farmers’ access to productivity-enhancing innovations.”

CSISA also emphasizes support for women farmers by improving their access and exposure to improved technological innovations, knowledge, and entrepreneurial skills.

Sustainable agriculture in Zambia

The Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Farming systems in Zambia (SIFAZ) is a research project jointly implemented by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Zambia’s Ministry of Agriculture and CIMMYT designed to facilitate scaling-up of sustainable and climate smart crop production and land management practices within the three agro-ecological zones of Zambia. “The Innovation Sprint can take advantage of existing SIFAZ partnerships, especially with Zambia’s Ministry of Agriculture,” said Christian Thierfelder, CIMMYT scientist. “Already having governmental buy-in will enable quick development and dissemination of new sustainable intensification practices to increase productivity and profitability, enhance human and social benefits while reducing negative impacts on the environment.”

Cover photo: Paul Musembi Katiku, a field worker based in Kiboko, Kenya, weighs maize cobs harvested from a low nitrogen trial. (Florence Sipalla/CIMMYT)

CIMMYT at COP27

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Features.

COP27, the UN Climate Change Conference for 2022, took place this year in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, between November 6-18. Scientists and researchers from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) represented the organization at a wide range of events, covering gender, genebanks, soil health, and digital innovations.

Gender and food security

In an ICC panel discussion on Addressing Food Security through a Gender-Sensitive Lens on November 7, Director General Bram Govaerts presented on CIMMYT’s systems approach to address gender gaps in agriculture. This event formed part of the ICC Make Climate Action Everyone’s Business Forum, which aimed to bring together experts to determine solutions to the planet’s biggest environmental challenges.

Govaerts highlighted the importance of extension and training services targeting female farmers, particularly those delivered by women communicators. This can be achieved through training female leaders in communities, which encourages other women to adopt agricultural innovations. He also emphasized the obstacles to global food security caused by conflict, climate change, COVID-19, and the cost-of-living crisis, which will in turn create more challenges for women in agriculture.

The role of CGIAR genebanks in a climate crisis

Govaerts and Sarah Hearne, principal scientist, introduced the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C) innovation sprint on Fast Tracking Climate Solution from Genebank Collections, at a virtual side event organized by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR).

Hearne explained that the development of current and future varieties is dependent upon breeders sourcing and repackaging native genetic variation in high value combinations. The CGIAR network of germplasm banks holds vast collections of crops that are important for global food and feed supplies. Among the diversity in these collections is currently unexplored and unused native variation for climate adaptation.

Through strong partnerships, multi-disciplinary activities, and the harnessing of diverse skillsets in different areas of applied research and development work, the sprint will help to identify genetic variations of potential value for climate change adaptation and move that variation into products that breeders globally can adopt in their variety development work. Through these efforts, the sprint improves access to specific genetic variation currently sat in the vaults of germplasm banks and facilitates crop improvement programs to develop the varieties that farmers demand.

The sprint is a clear example of the shift in paradigms we are looking for, so that people in the year 2100 know we took the right decisions in 2022 for them to live in a better world, said Govaerts. He continued by emphasizing the need for the initiative to be integrated within the systems it aims to transform, and the importance of accelerating farmers’ access to seeds.

The initiative is only possible because of the existence of the genebank collections that have been conserved for humanity, and due to cross-collaboration across disciplines and sharing of data and resources.

Addressing soil fertility management

Tek Sapkota, senior scientist, presented at Taking Agricultural Innovation to the Next Level to Tackle the Climate Crisis, the AIM4C partner reception on November 11, which gathered critical actors committed to making agriculture one of the most impactful climate solutions. Hosted on the one-year anniversary of the AIM4C launch at COP26 and on the eve of the COP27 day on adaptation and agriculture, the event was a celebration of progress made to date to address the climate crisis by 2025.

Along with 20 partners, CIMMYT submitted an AIM4C innovation sprint on climate-resilient soil fertility management by smallholders in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, which was announced at COP27 alongside other sprints.

Sapkota, who leads a project that is part of CIMMYT’s AIM4C innovation sprint submission, presented alongside the Minister of Climate Change and Environment from the United Arab Emirates, the Secretary of Agriculture for the United States, and the Regional Director for Central Asia, West Asia and North Africa at CGIAR.

Digital solutions for sustainable systems

Tharayil Shereef Amjath Babu, agricultural economist in modeling and targeting, hosted an event on Accelerating Digital Climate Services for resilient food systems in the Global South, exploring the work of two CGIAR Initiatives: Securing the Food Systems of Asian Mega-Deltas (AMD) for Climate and Livelihood Resilience and Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA) on November 17.

In the Global South, farmers are being affected by unreliable weather patterns caused by climate change, which means they can no longer rely on their traditional knowledge. However, demand climate services can fill this vacuum, enabling meteorological agencies to produce accurate climate information, co-create digital climate services for agricultural systems, and support sustainable and inclusive business models.

Cover photo: A CIMMYT staff member at work in the maize active collection in the Wellhausen-Anderson Plant Genetic Resources Center, as featured in a session on Fast Tracking Climate Solution from Genebank Collections at COP27. (Photo: Xochiquetzal Fonseca/CIMMYT)

Conservation agriculture practices revive saline and sodic soils

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Publications.

In arid and semi-arid regions, soil salinity and sodicity pose challenges to global food security and environmental sustainability. Globally, around 932 million hectares are affected by salinization and alkalinization. Due to growing populations, anthropogenic activities and climate change, the prominence of salt stress in soil is rising both in irrigated and dryland systems.

Scientists from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) employed long-term conservation agriculture practices in different agri-food systems to determine the reclamation potential of sodic soil after continuous cultivation for nine years, with the experiment’s results now published.

Using different conservation agriculture techniques on areas cultivating combinations of maize, wheat, rice and mungbean, the study used soil samples to identify declines in salinity and sodicity after four and nine years of harvesting.

Evidence demonstrates that this approach is a viable route for reducing soil sodicity and improving soil carbon pools. The research also shows that the conservation agriculture-based rice-wheat-mungbean system had more reclamation potential than other studied systems, and therefore could improve soil organic carbon and increase productive crop cultivation.

Read the full publication: Long-term conservation agriculture helps in the reclamation of sodic soils in major agri-food systems

Cover photo: Comparison of crop performance under conservation agriculture and conventional tillage in a sodic soil at Karnal, Haryana, India. (Credit: HS Jat/ICAR-CSSRI)

Understanding the role of organic material application in soil microbial community structures

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Publications.

While previous studies have demonstrated the importance of organic material in soil for sustainable agricultural practices, there has been limited research into how organic material application affects the soil microbial community structures.

Researchers from El Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV) studied soil from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center’s (CIMMYT) long-term experiment in northwestern Mexico to determine the effect on the soil metagenome after adding easily decomposable organic residues. The soil was collected from plots where maize and wheat were cultivated without tillage on permanent beds with crop residue left on the soil surface since 1992.

Dried young maize plants were added to the soil in the laboratory. After three days of incubation, soil samples were analyzed using shotgun metagenomic sequencing to discover how the application of young maize plants affects the structure of microbial communities in arable soil, how the potential functioning of microbial communities is altered, and how the application affects the soil taxonomic and functional diversity.

Bacterial and viral groups were strongly affected by organic material application, whereas archaeal, protist and fungal groups were less affected. Soil viral structure and richness were impacted, as well as metabolic functionality. Further differences were recorded in cellulose degraders with copiotrophic lifestyle, which were enriched by the application of young maize plants, while groups with slow growing oligotrophic and chemolithoautotrophic metabolism performed better in unamended soil.

Given the importance of embedding and adopting sustainable agricultural practices as part of climate change adaptation and mitigation, the study improves our insight in a key aspect of sustainable agriculture, the management of crop residues.

Read the full study: Application of young maize plant residues alters the microbiome composition and its functioning in a soil under conservation agriculture: a metagenomics study

Cover photo: Wheat crops growing at CIMMYT’s long-term experiment site in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico. (Credit: Nele Verhulst/CIMMYT)

New CSISA Infographic highlights the impact of the CIMMYT’s Soil Intelligence System (SIS)

Written by Nima Chodon on . Posted in News.

In agriculture, good soil management is a pillar of productive systems that can sustainably produce sufficient and healthy food for the world’s growing population.

Soil properties, however, vary widely across geography. To understand the productive capacity of our soils, we need high-quality data. Soil Intelligence System (SIS) is an initiative to develop comprehensive soil information at scale under the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) project in India. SIS is led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) in collaboration with ISRIC – World Soil Information, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and numerous local partners on the ground.

Funded by the Gates Foundation, the initiative launched in 2019 helps rationalize the costs of generating high-quality soils data while building accessible geo-spatial information systems based on advanced geo-statistics. SIS is currently operational in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha where the project partners collaborate with state government and state agricultural universities help produce robust soil health information.

Farmers are the primary beneficiaries of this initiative, as they get reliable soil health management recommendations to increase yields and profits sustainably while state partners, extension and agricultural development institutions and private sector benefit primarily by expanding their understanding for agricultural interventions.

Modern Soil Intelligence System Impact

CIMMYT’s SIS Project lead Balwinder Singh said, “The Soil Intelligence Systems initiative under CSISA is an important step towards the sustainable intensification of agriculture in South Asia. SIS has helped create comprehensive soil information – digital soil maps – for the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha. The data generated through SIS is helping stakeholders to make precise agronomy decisions at scale that are sustainable.”

Since its launch in December 2019, a wider network and multi-institutional alliances have been built for soil health management and the application of big data in addressing agricultural challenges. In the three states the infrastructure and capacity of partners have been strengthened to leverage soil information for decision-making in agriculture by devising new soil health management recommendations. For example, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, based on SIS data and outreach, State Fertilizer and Micronutrient Policy (SFMP) recommendations were created. Similarly, soil health management zones have been established to strengthen the fertilizer distribution markets enabling farmers with access and informed choices.

“Soil Intelligence System delivers interoperable information services that are readily usable by emerging digital agricultural decision support systems in India”, noted Kempen Senior Soil Scientist at ISRIC.

The three-part infographic highlights the impact of SIS initiative in the select three States and emphasizes the importance of SIS in other parts of the country as well.