Theme: Nutrition, health and food security

As staple foods, maize and wheat provide vital nutrients and health benefits, making up close to two-thirds of the world’s food energy intake, and contributing 55 to 70 percent of the total calories in the diets of people living in developing countries, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. CIMMYT scientists tackle food insecurity through improved nutrient-rich, high-yielding varieties and sustainable agronomic practices, ensuring that those who most depend on agriculture have enough to make a living and feed their families. The U.N. projects that the global population will increase to more than 9 billion people by 2050, which means that the successes and failures of wheat and maize farmers will continue to have a crucial impact on food security. Findings by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which show heat waves could occur more often and mean global surface temperatures could rise by up to 5 degrees Celsius throughout the century, indicate that increasing yield alone will be insufficient to meet future demand for food.

Achieving widespread food and nutritional security for the world’s poorest people is more complex than simply boosting production. Biofortification of maize and wheat helps increase the vitamins and minerals in these key crops. CIMMYT helps families grow and eat provitamin A enriched maize, zinc-enhanced maize and wheat varieties, and quality protein maize. CIMMYT also works on improving food health and safety, by reducing mycotoxin levels in the global food chain. Mycotoxins are produced by fungi that colonize in food crops, and cause health problems or even death in humans or animals. Worldwide, CIMMYT helps train food processors to reduce fungal contamination in maize, and promotes affordable technologies and training to detect mycotoxins and reduce exposure.

Dr. Norman E. Borlaug statue unveiled in India

Written by on September 20, 2013. Posted in Features.

Left to right: Katharine McDevitt, Professor of Sculpture at Chapingo Autonomous University and sculptor of the statue of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug; Dr. Etienne Duveiller, BISA Director of Research for South Asia; Dr. Thomas A. Lumpkin, Director General of CIMMYT and BISA; and the Honorable Sri Sharad Pawar, Indian Minister of Agriculture. Photo credit: M. Shindler/CIMMYT

By Miriam Shindler, CIMMYT

The Honorable Shri Sharad Pawar, India’s Minister of Agriculture, and Jeanie Borlaug Laube, daughter of the late Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, unveiled a statue of Borlaug at the National Agricultural Science Complex in Delhi on 19 August. Working for its precursor and later CIMMYT, Borlaug developed semi-dwarf, disease-resistant wheat varieties and led the introduction of these high-yielding varieties combined with modern agricultural production techniques in Mexico, India and Pakistan. As a result, Mexico became a net exporter of wheat by 1963. Between 1965 and 1970, wheat yields nearly doubled in India and Pakistan, greatly improving food security in those nations. These collective increases in yield have been labeled the Green Revolution, and Borlaug is often called the “Father of the Green Revolution” and credited with saving more than 1 billion people worldwide from starvation. Borlaug was awarded the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his work and contributions to world peace through an increased food supply.

Flowers are placed at the statue of Dr. Norman Borlaug at the National Agricultural Science Complex in Delhi. Photo credit: M.Shindler/CIMMYT

The CIMMYT-commissioned statue was donated to the people and scientists of India as a gift to mark 50 years of partnership (Dr. Borlaug introduced his new wheat varieties in India in 1963). The statue leaves a permanent reminder of Dr. Borlaug’s achievements and a legacy for the future. The statue was handmade by the artist Katharine McDevitt, professor of sculpture at Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (Chapingo Autonomous University) in the Mexican State of Texcoco. It is the oldest agricultural university in the Americas and is also where Dr. Borlaug started his research in Mexico in 1944, sleeping on the floor of a university barn. The Borlaug statue holds a book inscribed with the names of some of the leading visionaries who worked with him during the “Green Revolution” – M.S. Swaminathan, C. Subramaniam, B. Sivaraman, A.B. Joshi, S.P. Kohli, Glenn Anderson, M.V. Rao andV.S. Mathur. It also contains a list in Latin and Hindi script of the original Mexican wheat varieties that were so productive in India. Speaking at the event, Dr. Thomas Lumpkin, Director General of both CIMMYT and the Borlaug Institute of South Asia, said, “In his vigorous support for an agricultural revolution in South Asia and his passion for understanding their circumstances, Norm won the hearts of Indian farmers and helped deliver 50 years of food security to the region. The National Agricultural Science Complex, where Norm spent a lot of his time in India, is a fitting place for this statue, and hopefully will inspire a new generation of scientists to conquer the great new challenges facing the country and the region.”

MasAgro trainees evaluate maize quality and improve tortilla production

Written by on September 19, 2013. Posted in News.

By Natalia Palacios, CIMMYT

Tortilla5 Mexico is the fifth highest maize-consuming country in the world. It is also the number one consumer of maize for food, given that its population eats 70 percent of available maize grain every year. The national food maize groups included in this percentage can be divided into three main types: home consumption, the nixtamalized flour industry and the maize dough and tortilla industry. Businesses in the latter sector must supply maize grain of uniform quality so that maize processing will be more efficient, stable and profitable. With this in mind, 30 Mexican dough and tortilla manufacturers, grain marketers and seed producers attended a practical training course entitled “Maize Grain Quality and Technology” given by researchers from the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture (MasAgro) initiative from 2 to 3 September in the Cereals Laboratory of the School of Agroindustrial Engineering of the Autonomous University of Chapingo (UACh).

Representatives from UACh, the National Forestry, Agricultural, and Livestock Research Institute (INIFAP) and CIMMYT studied the effects that physical, structural and chemical grain characteristics have on tortilla appearance and the tortilla-making process. Course participants tried several simple methods for evaluating grain quality and the efficiency of tortilla making. They also did some very basic testing to determine the quality of the tortillas they made. “By using these lab techniques and processing maize grain with different textures and colors, and seeing the difference it makes in the appearance, texture and color of the tortillas, I acquired the tools I need to evaluate the grain I buy for my business,” said one of the participants. “Up to now, I’ve constantly been adjusting the process and mixing different types of grain and I always get the same quality, but sometimes I don’t get it right and I lose a lot of money.”

Tortilla1 After exchanging their experiences, businessmen, grain merchants and seed producers showed interest in revising Mexican Regulation (Norma Mexicana) 034-1 on grain quality to make the range of values match the current dough- and tortilla-making process. In their opinion, the different links of the maize production chain are increasingly demanding when it comes to the raw materials, processes and products they use. For this reason, Gricelda Vázquez of INIFAP’s Valley of Mexico Experiment Station (CEVAMEX) thinks continued collaboration among research and industrial institutions is needed to ensure that research results extend beyond the production process. As David Tecotl pointed out, “Only by attending these courses at the university do we acquire firsthand knowledge of these important alternatives.” He and his fellow trainees tested the best techniques for mixing nixtamalized flour (of bean, barley, oat, amaranth, and maize) to make more nutritionally rich tortillas, as did the UACh students who are doing their Ph.D. research under the supervision of Ofelia Buendía, one of the course organizers.

Maize stover: an underutilized resource for rainfed India

Written by on September 12, 2013. Posted in News.

Rastrojo-de-maíz Introducing maize stover into India’s commercial dairy systems could mitigate fodder shortages and halt increasing fodder costs, according to new research by CIMMYT and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). The two organizations collaborated on the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia project (CSISA), which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), as well as the CGIAR Research Program on MAIZE. Their study shows that while significant variations exist among maize cultivars in terms of their stover quantity and fodder quality, stover from some high yielding popular hybrids is at par or even better value with the best sorghum stover traded. Sorghum stover, the above-ground biomass left after grain harvest, supports much of the urban and near-urban dairy production in peninsular India.

Between 130 and 200 tons of sorghum stover are sold daily in the fodder markets of Hyderabad alone. Some of the stover is transported several hundred kilometers and costs, on a dryweight basis, about 50% of the price of sorghum grain, which is up from 20 to 30% just 15 years ago. Sorghum stover’s high monetary value can be explained by India’s demand for sorghum fodder, and possibly to a decline in the area of sorghum planted. The crop has been replaced with maize in some regions. Dairy farmers and fodder traders in India generally think maize stover is less suitable than sorghum stover as livestock feed. To challenge the negative perceptions about maize stover, maize stover of a popular high-yielding hybrid with high-quality stover fodder was provided to a commercial dairy producer in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Rastrojo-de-maíz2 This dairy producer had maintained his eight improved Murrah buffaloes on a diet typical of that of urban and near-urban dairy systems in peninsular India. It consisted of 60% sorghum stover and 40% a homemade concentrate mix of 15% wheat bran, 54% cotton seed cake, and 31% husks and hulls from threshed pigeon-pea. Each of the dairy producer’s buffaloes consumed about 9.5 kg of sorghum stover and 6.5 kg of the concentrate mix per day and produced an average of 8.9 kg of milk per day. This dairy producer purchased sorghum stover at 6.3 Indian rupees (Rs) per kilogram. Together with the cost for concentrates, his feed cost totalled 18.2 Rs per kg of milk while his sale price was 28 Rs per kg of milk. In this trial, the dairy farmer purchased maize stover at 3.8 Rs per kg. When he substituted sorghum stover with maize stover, his average yield increased from 8.9 to 9.4 kg of milk per buffalo per day while his overall feed costs decreased from 18.2 to 14.5 Rs per kg of milk per day. The substitution of sorghum stover with maize increased his profits from 3.7 Rs per kg of milk, apart from an additional 0.5kg milk per buffalo.

This study demonstrated the big potential benefits for India’s smallholder rainfed maize and dairy farmers of adopting dual-purpose, food-and-feed maize cultivars, which combine high grain yield with high fodder quality. In this way, farmers can help solve the problem of fodder scarcity while increasing the benefits of their maize cropping. “Poultry and animal feed has been the major driver for unprecedented increase in demand of maize in South & Southeast Asia. The dual-purpose maize, with high stover quality along with high grain yield, is emerging as another big driver that can further add in the increasing demand for maize in this region” says CIMMYT Maize Breeder P.H. Zaidi, who is actively collaborating with ILRI-Hyderabad, India.

Pollen traps monitor for transgenes in CIMMYT germplasm

Written by on September 11, 2013. Posted in News.

By Brenna Goth/CIMMYT

Two sets of filters made of polypropylene fibers in the upper part of the trap passively collect airborne pollen.

The ten tall pollen traps that recently sprouted in the fields at El Batán could replace growing and harvesting maize as a cheaper, easier, and more comprehensive method of monitoring germplasm for transgenes. The traps are part of a pilot project that leaders from CIMMYT’s Maize Germplasm Bank and Seed Health Laboratory are testing at the three experiment stations in Mexico.

The unintentional presence of transgenes can be a concern for those requesting germplasm from CIMMYT’s bank. CIMMYT does not grow transgenic maize on-site, but transgenic pollen could come in from surrounding areas, said Denise Costich, head of the Maize Germplasm Bank. CIMMYT does not expect to detect GMO pollen in its nurseries, but there are other maize growers near the El Batán station. “The bottom line is that we need to be able to guarantee to our clients that, to the best of our knowledge, the seed we are sending them is GMO free,” Costich said. The current testing process, which has been used since 2008, involves growing border rows of maize and sending the resulting grain to an independent laboratory in Iowa. It requires harvesting and sending 10 or 15 kilograms of maize per station, and each load requires about 10 samples at more than $200 each. Testing occurs every cycle, which is once per year in El Batán and twice per year in Agua Fría and Tlaltizapán.

The new traps—called Pollen Mass Filter samplers (PMF)—collect airborne pollen for four weeks. The pollen is then extracted, filtered, and shipped to the lab in a small tube. It’s a lighter and more compact load than the grain, and, as opposed to harvesting, the pollen traps only require a filter change and one sample per cycle. The PMF system will also be more comprehensive. The CIMMYT gene bank grows maize varieties from all over the world with a wide range of flowering times but the border row method only monitors the flowering period of the specific maize variety used in the border.

Frieder Hofmann demonstrates how to rinse the pollen from a trap, with Seed Health Laboratory research assistant, Benjamin Asael Martínez, holding the collection bottle.

A continuous, non-biological pollen monitoring system, on the other hand, can cover diversity in flowering times, Costich said. Thirteen pollen samples have already been sent to Iowa, with all testing negative for the presence of transgenes, said Monica Mezzalama, head of the Seed Health Laboratory and member of the Biosafety Committee. Both methods of monitoring are being used this year. Costich said she researched the traps, which are popular in Europe, after thinking there had to be a more efficient monitoring method than testing kilograms of maize seed. The traps arrived from Germany at the end of May, followed by Frieder Hofmann, the inventor of the pollen sampler and an expert on environmental monitoring, who helped to assemble the traps and trained the team how to use them. During this summer cropping cycle, ten traps have been installed at El Batán, while the Agua Fría and Tlaltizapán stations each have one.

The goal of this pilot year is to determine how well the traps work, how much pollen is collected, and how many traps are needed for a comprehensive monitoring system. Costich said the next step for testing the detection ability of the PMF system is to install the traps in an area where transgenic maize is currently being grown.

CIMMYT releases 22 new maize inbred lines for the tropics and subtropics

Written by on September 5, 2013. Posted in News.

CIMMYT is pleased to announce the release of 22 new CIMMYT maize lines (CMLs). The CMLs were developed at various breeding locations of CIMMYT Global Maize Program by multi-disciplinary teams of scientists. These lines are adapted to the tropical/subtropical maize production environments targeted by CIMMYT and the partner institutions. CMLs are freely available to both public and private sector breeders worldwide under CIMMYT’s standard material transfer agreement (SMTA).

Prior to their release, the CMLs are intensively evaluated for per se performance (especially under abiotic and biotic stresses) and performance in hybrid combinations (combining ability). Release of a CML does not guarantee high combining ability or per se performance in all environments; rather, it indicates that the line is promising or useful as a hybrid component or as a parent for pedigree breeding for one or more target mega-environments. The descriptions of the lines include heterotic group classification, along with information on their specific combining ability with widely-used CIMMYT lines. Instances where CMLs within a given heterotic group have good combining ability with other lines from the same heterotic group are also cited; the resulting hybrids may be useful either as single-cross products or as female parents of three-way or double-cross hybrids. Some of the new releases and previously-released CMLs have already been used as parents of successful hybrids or improved open pollinated varieties (OPVs) by public and private sector institutions. A brief description of each of the 22 new CMLs is presented below (the information in parentheses for each CML is the line code).
Further details about the lines are provided in CML540-561 Details. A limited quantity of seed of the CMLs can be obtained by sending a request to the CIMMYT Germplasm Bank.

Download table in XSLX format

CML540 (CZL00009)
An early-maturing, drought tolerant late-maturing resistance to maize streak virus (MSV), turcicum leaf blight (TLB), common rust (PS), and gray leaf spot (GLS). This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group A line and combines well with CML395 and CML444. The line is producible as a male or female parent.

CML541 (CZL0717)
An early-maturing, white-grained, flint inbred late-maturing resistance to MSV and good drought tolerance. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group B line and combines well with CML312 and lines derived from the Zimbabwe Early White A (ZEWA) synthetic. The line is a component of the commercial OPV ZM309, which has been released for commercial cultivation in several African countries.

CML542 (CZL0723)
An early-maturing, drought tolerant late-maturing resistance to MSV. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group A line and combines well with CML395, CML444, and lines derived from Zimbabwe Early White B (ZEWB) synthetic. The line is a component of the commercial OPV ZM309, which has been released in several African countries. The line is usable either as a male or female parent.

CML543 (CKL05003)
A late-maturing inbred line with white, semi-dent grain. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group B line and combines well with CML442, CKL5005 and CKL5017. The line also combines well with group B tester CML444. The line was developed from sources combining MSV resistance and drought tolerance. It has excellent combining ability for grain yield, and is resistant to TLB, and tolerant to MSV, GLS and Diplodia ear rot. CML543 has moderate resistance to maize lethal necrosis (MLN). The line can be used as either a male or female for seed production.

CML544 (CZL0610)
An intermediate-maturity, white-grained, semi-dent inbred line that has moderate-to-high levels of resistance to common midaltitude foliar diseases – MSV, TLB, GLS, Phaeosphaeria leaf spot (PLS) and PS. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group B line and combines well with CML488, CML443, and CML312. The line also combines well with group B tester CML202. It has moderate-to-excellent combining ability, especially under drought and low soil N. The line can be used as male or female for seed production, and has been used in several commercial hybrids in eastern and southern Africa.

CML545 (CZL0619) An early-maturing, white-grained, dent-type inbred line that has high levels of resistance to common mid-altitude foliar diseases (MSV, TLB, GLS, PLS, PS) and tolerance to low soil N and flowering stage drought. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group A line and combines well with CML488, CML395, CML443, and CML441. The line also combines with the group A line CML548. The line exhibits excellent combining ability, especially under low soil N stress. The line is best used as a male in three-way hybrid formation, although it can also be used as a component of early-maturing single-cross females. It has been used in one commercial hybrid in southern Africa.

CML546 (CZL0713)
An intermediate-maturity, white-grained, large semi-flint type inbred line with adequate levels of resistance to common mid-altitude foliar and ear diseases, especially MSV and GLS, and tolerance to low soil N stress. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group B line and combines well with CML197, CML312, and CML488. The line also combines well with group B tester CML202. The line exhibits excellent per se productivity, has good standability, and is a good combiner under both optimum and abiotic stress conditions. It can be used as a male or female parent, and is a component of one commercial hybrid in southern Africa.

CML547 (CZL00003)
An intermediate-to-late-maturing, large white-grained, semi-flint inbred line with adequate levels of resistance to TLB, GLS, and PLS. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group B line and combines well with CML197, CML312, and CML488. The line also combines well with group B testers CML202 and CML444. The line is drought tolerant and a good general combiner across optimum and abiotic stress conditions. It exhibits average per se productivity but has excellent plant type and standability. The line is best used as a component of intermediate-to-late-maturing single-cross females and has been used in several commercial hybrids in eastern and southern Africa.

CML548 (CZL054)
A white-grained, semi-flint, intermediate-maturity inbred line with good levels of resistance to MSV, TLB, GLS, PLS and PS, and moderate resistance to MLN. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group A line and combines well with CML489 and CML444. The line also combines well with group A testers CML197, CML312, and CML545. The line is drought tolerant, has good per se productivity, and is an excellent combiner under optimum conditions and drought stress. It is best used as a male parent in three-way hybrid formation, although it can also be used as a parent of single-cross females. The line has been used as a parent in one commercial hybrid in southern Africa.

CML549 (CLWRCW105)
A late-maturing, white semi-dent tropical late-maturing excellent overall combining ability in optimal, low N, and drought conditions. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group A line and combines well with CML494 and CML550. The line also combines with group A tester CML498. The line has good resistance to foliar diseases and ear rots, and can be used as a seed parent for single-cross hybrids due to its high per se yield.

CML550 (CLWN201)
An intermediate-maturity, white flint tropical line with excellent combining ability under low N and drought conditions, but average performance under optimal conditions. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group B line, and combines well with CML495, CML549, and CML552. The line can be used as a donor for low N stress tolerance. The line has good per se yield and could be used as female parent. It has moderate susceptibility to maydis leaf blight and TLB.

CML551 (CL02720)
A late-maturing, yellow flint tropical line with excellent combining ability across optimal and drought stress conditions. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group B line, and combines well with CML286, CLRCY017, and CLRCY041. The line has good per se yield and resistance to ear rots, but is susceptible to TLB and stem lodging. It is more suited for use as a female seed parent than as a male parent.

CML552 (CLRCW99)
A late-maturing, white semi-flint tropical line with excellent combining ability under both optimal and high density conditions. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group A line, and combines well with CML494, CML550, and CLWN247. The line can be used either as a male or female parent in seed production.

CML553 (CLWN206)
A late-maturing, white flint, tropical line with excellent combining ability across optimal and stressed environments. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group A line, and combines well with CML494, CML550, and CLWN247. The line has excellent resistance to ear rots, but is slightly susceptible to maydis leaf blight. Due to its lower-than-average per se yield, it is best used as a male parent for hybrid seed production.

CML554 (CLQRCWQ131)
A late-maturing, white flint, QPM tropical line with excellent combining ability under optimal conditions and abiotic stress. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group A line, and combines well with CML503, CLRCWQ130, and CLRCWQ122. The line has good per se grain yield, good endosperm modification, and resistance to TLB. The line is best suited for use as a female seed parent.

CML555 (CLQRCWQ26) An intermediate-maturity, white-grained, semi-flint, QPM tropical line with excellent combining ability under low N conditions. This line is classified a CIMMYT heterotic group A line, and combines well with CML503, CLRCWQ130, and CLRCWQ123. The line has excellent per se yield, good endosperm modification, and is usable either as a seed or pollen parent.

CML556 (CLQRCWQ123)
A late-maturing, white grained, semi-dent, QPM line with excellent combining ability under optimal, low N, and drought conditions. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group B line, and combines well with CML491, CML553, and CML554. The line has good per se yield and can be used either as a male or female parent.

CML557 (CLQRCWQ48)
A late-maturing, white-grained, semi-flint, QPM line with excellent combining ability under optimal conditions and very good performance under low N and high density stress. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group AB line and combines well with CML491, CML554, and CML555. The line has good root strength, excellent per se yield, and good endosperm modification. It can be used as either as a male or female parent.

CML558 (CETL08003) A late-maturing, white-grained, flint-type highland line with resistance to the most important highland diseases, especially TLB and PS. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group AB line. The line combines with materials from both the Kitale and Ecuador highland groups. The line has excellent combining ability and good per se yield, and can be used either as a female or male parent for hybrid seed production. It has been used as a parent in one three-way cross released in Ethiopia.

CML559 (CKIRL08062)
An intermediate-maturity, white grained line adapted to the mid-altitude ecologies of eastern and southern Africa. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group AB line as it combines well with CML442, CML204, and CML312. The line is resistant to spotted stem borer (Chilo partellus) and African stem borer (Busseola fusca), the major field insect pests of eastern and southern Africa, and also has appreciable levels of resistance to MSV and other common foliar diseases, including TLB and GLS.

CML560 (CKIRL08104)
An intermediate-maturity, white-grained inbred line adapted to the midaltitude ecologies of eastern and southern Africa. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group B line as it combines well with CML312, CML202, and CML442. The line is resistant to spotted stem borer (Chilo partellus) and African stem borer (Busseola fusca). The line also has appreciable levels of resistance to MSV and other common foliar diseases, including TLB and GLS.

CML561 (CETL08001)
An intermediate-maturity, white-grained, flint-type highland line well-adapted to the midaltitude ecologies of eastern Africa. This line is classified as a CIMMYT heterotic group B line with resistance to TLB and PS. The line has excellent combining ability, per se productivity, and can be used both as a female or male parent. The line is being used as a parent in one three-way cross hybrid released in Ethiopia.

‘The 50 PACT’ Conference: collaborate for better food security in South Asia

Written by on September 3, 2013. Posted in Features.

The-50-PACT Farmers need to be more involved in developing and refining technology. This was one of the key conclusions of a technology working group comprised of leading Asian scientists, representatives of farmer groups and entrepreneurs who met during “The 50 Pact,” an international conference jointly organized by the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to celebrate 50 years of Dr. Norman Borlaug’s first visit to India. Held in New Delhi during 16-17 August, the event brought together more than 200 participants from agriculture institutions, the government, think tanks, industry, and civil society of various countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the United States.

South Asia is the most populous region in the world and several models predict that this region is going to be dramatically impacted by climate change. “We must devise new ways to feed more people with less land, less water and under more difficult climate change conditions,” said Thomas Lumpkin, Director General of CIMMYT, highlighting a significant challenge that requires critical innovations, collaborations and commitments to solve food insecurity and strengthen agriculture in South Asia. This sentiment was echoed by others in the opening session of the conference, including S. Ayyappan, director general of ICAR, government of India, R.S. Paroda, president of Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS), R.B. Singh, president of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), Swapan Datta, ICAR and Marianne Bänzinger of CIMMYT. Remembering their personal interactions with Dr. Borlaug, “the Nobel laureate with a heart for the poor,” and his association with CIMMYT and India, they also felt the need to make a pact to bring about a second green revolution in the South Asia region. M.S. Swaminathan, a legendary figure in Indian agriculture, paid tribute to Dr. Borlaug for his immense contribution in agriculture during the opening ceremony. “From Bengal famine to Right to Food Act of India, it has been a historic transition and Dr. Borlaug played a very important role in this transition through his work in the last 50 years,” Swaminathan said. Jeanie Laube Borlaug, chairperson of BGRI and the daughter of Dr. Norman Borlaug, presented Swaminathan with the Dr. Norman Borlaug Award.

Technology and innovations will play a key role
Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka will have to work together to find regional solutions to food insecurity. Representatives from these countries talked about different agricultural developments during the post-green revolution period and emerging challenges and opportunities. They also highlighted how the BISA, with its mandate, furthers research on farming systems in addition to focusing on an eco-regional approach involving other CG centers. Utilizing all technologies, including molecular breeding, biotechnology, precision agronomy, and mobile-based decision making will be crucial. The session on technology highlighted this and also pushed for greater involvement of farmers at every step of new technology development. It is important to capture the process of adoption of innovation by farmers and use new technology to provide feedback to the researchers. The group advocated for increased political will and a better policy environment on the adoption of GM crops. Making agriculture profitable is important for producers and the entire agricultural value chain. Ramesh Chand of ICAR said that his recent analysis in India shows the real farm income is not declining, but the income gap between agricultural and non-agricultural income is widening. Agricultural infrastructure is not well developed, investments are low and land fragmentation is increasing. These are major concerns for this sector. The participants talked about a need for an enhanced cyber infrastructure for crop research, open access to agriculture database, and strengthening the value chain balancing the role of market, price, and technologies.

Greater regional synergy needed
More emphasis on synergy, partnerships, farmer’s welfare, productivity, profitability, and nutrition will be critical to address the problem of hidden hunger and food security in this region. Other areas to focus on include providing access to and the use of cutting edge research and new technologies that are not yet available in the region, ensuring commitments from governments and other donors for investments in agricultural research, advocating for a policy environment that embraces new technologies and invests in agricultural research, building a regional platform of collaboration with partners from all sectors, research centers, governments, the scientific world, and the farming community who share our mandate to transform farmers’ lives in the region.

Farming systems design: to feed a changing world

Written by on September 2, 2013. Posted in News.

Farming-systems2 Farming systems all over the world face complex problems in terms of production, such as natural resource depletion, climate change, increasing food demand, and volatile prices. Farmers have to adapt to continuously changing conditions to produce food. ‘Farming systems design’ is an approach that aims at modifying designs of farming systems to sustainably increase the overall productivity and profitability of the systems—and, hopefully, the welfare of individual farming families—while considering interactions in the system. Interactions are important features of farm system structure and operation. They may occur between the various components, including crop-crop, crop-livestock, and farm-household as well as on-farm-off-farm activities as they compete for the same resources.

More than 70 papers on systems research were recently presented at the 4th International Farming Systems Design Symposium in Lanzhou, China. CIMMYT researchers were represented by Bruno Gérard, director of the Conservation Agriculture Program, and CIMMYT agronomists Santiago López Ridaura, Tek Sakpota, Isaiah Nyagumbo, and Jack McHugh. The conference took place from 19- 22 August and was organized by WHEAT CRP Chinese partner Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences and others. Research with a farming systems perspective can have various objectives ranging from increasing the amount of knowledge about farming systems to solving specific problems in the farming system. If it is commonly agreed that cross-links between disciplines and participatory approaches are needed to provide solutions, “there is no silver bullet approach to be expected,” said keynote speaker David Norman, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at Kansas State University and pioneer in the field of Farming Systems Research (FSR). “The most important is to take into account the whole farming system and bring together all stakeholders,” Norman explained. “If a project works on one crop, like CIMMYT on maize for instance, FSR would look at how maize impacted if they have livestock, the influence on livestock components, etc. The reductionist approach would look at how improving productivity of one item without considering the whole farming system.”

Farming-systems3 For Peter Carberry, chair of the Program Committee and deputy director at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), “this conference is about bringing those who are interested in a more integrative science together, and have all the different disciplines articulating possibilities for the future in terms of agriculture and farming.” One of the benefits of the conference for him is that among the 300 participants, there were 200 Chinese researchers and students, some who may not have been exposed to this thinking before. “We have a mix of people who are familiar with Farming Systems Design and others who are just starting learning about it; it is a great opportunity,” Carberry said. LingLing Li, professor at Gansu Agricultural University and keynote speaker, shared a similar point of view. “This platform is a really good start for all experts and students involved in Farming Systems Design, as we do not yet have many scientists doing this type of research in China,” Li said.

On day one and two, there were several presentations on Africa and on the Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) program led and mentored by CIMMYT. “SIMLESA has been innovating in so many different ways, firstly about systems and farming systems, participatory approaches and new experiments in research methodology by targeting not only productivity but also reduced risks, which we have heard a lot in this conference. Because for farmers risks are sometimes more important than total yields,” said John Dixon, senior advisor in the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and principal regional coordinator for Africa. Important questions raised throughout the conference included how to get better participation with farmers, how to get the private sector involved for marketing through innovation platforms, how to manage risks and how scientists can work much better at systems productivity to understand better nutrition, as one of the outcomes, “to better feed our future farmers,” Dixon insisted. On the last day, a special session brought together Australian and Chinese farmers to discuss farming operations. This opportunity to exchange information and share experiences related to climate risks, prices or yields created enthusiasm on both parts.

Announcing Borlaug100

Written by on August 28, 2013. Posted in News.

On 25 March 1914, a man who would change the face of agriculture around the world was born. Dr. Norman Borlaug, tireless hunger fighter and one of only six people to have won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Nobel Peace Prize, would celebrate his 100th birthday next year.

To celebrate his life and legacy and inspire a new generation to carry on his work, CIMMYT is holding Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security at the Universidad de La Salle, Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico, from 25-28 March 2014. Dr. Borlaug’s 100th birthday presents an opportunity to not only celebrate his legacy, but also discuss the present and launch a new agricultural renaissance.

Dr. Borlaug began working in Mexico in the 1940s. He lead CIMMYT’s Wheat Program from 1963 to 1979 and remained a resident part-time consultant until his death. He spent most of his working life in Mexico researching and developing new types of high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat varieties. It is here that he became known as the “Father of the Green Revolution.”

The summit will bring together thought leaders, policymakers, and representatives of leading agricultural research-for-development organizations, both public and private. This premier gathering brings together science, policy, and business from developed and emerging markets to illustrate wheat’s potential. Borlaug100 participants will visit the Campo Experimental de Norman E. Borlaug (CENEB) and celebrate Dr. Borlaug’s 100th birthday with a traditional carne asada—as Dr. Borlaug loved—on 25 March. The birthday celebrations will be followed by a conference at the Universidad de La Salle (26-28 March) during which participants will hear inspiring and insightful talks about the history and future of wheat as a crop.

Howard Buffett is the keynote speaker for the event. Other confirmed speakers include Louise Fresco, Catherine Bertini, Per Pinstrup-Andersen, Robert Paarlberg, Rachel Laudan, Steve Jennings, Peter Raven, David Nyameino, and Ronnie Coffman. These events will be preceded by the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative Technical Workshop during 23-24 March. Registration for the event will open in September.

For more information and updates, visit the newly launched Borlaug100 website and follow hashtag #Borlaug100 on Twitter and other social media. We would like to thank Jenny Nelson and Petr Kosina, the main organizers of the event, for their hard work! borlaug100_logo-new

CIMMYT welcomes new partner in MasAgro

Written by on August 26, 2013. Posted in News.

Left: Belisario Domínguez Méndez, Director General of Productivity and Technological Development for Mexico Subsecretary of Agriculture, SAGARPA; middle: Tom Short, Deputy Director General of CIMMYT Corporate Services; Javier Valdés, Director General of Syngenta México.

CIMMYT and leading agribusiness Syngenta México signed an agreement this month to work together in efforts aimed at sustainably increasing crop production in Mexico while protecting the environment and contributing to food security.

Syngenta will collaborate with CIMMYT to do research on conservation agriculture in four experimental platforms. The new project follows the same logic and goals of MasAgro, the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture, which CIMMYT implements in coordination with Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries, and Food (SAGARPA). MasAgro aims to build the capacities of small-scale farmers to encourage the adoption of sustainable farming practices and technologies that may help increase maize and wheat output, in line with Mexico’s recently announced “Crusade Against Hunger.”

The three-year agreement will focus on improving maize productivity, generating more income for farmers, protecting natural resources, and combining Syngenta’s expertise with local knowledge to work directly with farmers. Syngenta and CIMMYT will also develop joint research protocols and offer courses in crop protection and adequate use of agrochemicals.

Soil conservation and protecting the biodiversity of undergrowth, small animals and beneficial insects will be another focus of the agreement. Both organizations have also expressed their interest in improving communication and information technologies (ITCs) in the agricultural sector.

Representatives from Syngenta and SAGARPA visited CIMMYT’s El Batán campus to see its conservation agriculture trial plots and germplasm bank before signing the agreement on 14 August 2013. Javier Valdés, Director General of Syngenta México, said during the ceremony that the agreement shows the company’s commitment to food security and sustainability. “We will continue to promote the formation of important publicprivate partnerships like the one we’re celebrating today to increase the productivity of crops like maize and wheat, which will help with economic, social and environmental development in rural communities in the country,” he said.

CIMMYT has worked on projects with Syngenta in the past. This new collaboration has been developing for years and is an example of cooperation between an international research organization and a private business. Scientific collaboration is essential for making maize production in Mexico sustainable and profitable for resource-constrained farmers, said Bram Govaerts, Deputy Director of CIMMYT’s Global Conservation Agriculture Program.

Govaerts said he thought the new partnership would have the same success as other CIMMYT programs worldwide. Belisario Domínguez, the director general of productivity and technological development for SAGARPA, said the vision of MasAgro is essential to the government’s national fight against hunger. Domínguez congratulated the two groups for forming the alliance and said that similar projects will promote the growth of the agricultural sector.

The struggle of maize against climate change in Zimbabwe

Written by on August 21, 2013. Posted in News.

usar-esta-foto-Foto-2 “Maize production is likely to suffer the most due to climate change compared to other crops in Southern Africa,” said CIMMYT physiologist Jill Cairns, who presented on CIMMYT work under the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) at the FAO Agriculture Coordination & Information Forum in Harare, Zimbabwe, on 25 July 2013. During her presentation on future climate scenarios in Zimbabwe, Cairns focused on adaptation strategies to climate change, temperature and rainfall projections for 2050, and climate change implications for maize production.

CIMMYT’s ongoing research in Zimbabwe shows an increase in extreme temperature events and the intensity of droughts, which are conditions likely to reduce harvests and affect the suitability of current crops. Discussing the key adaptation strategies for Zimbabwe, including improved varieties, redefined agro-ecological zones, new policies, and better management, Cairns stressed that the initial climate change projections are not downscaled enough to make decisions at the country level. This is important as agricultural responses to climate change cannot be determined and priorities for adaptation strategies cannot be set without the ability to accurately predict future climate scenarios.

The major climate-related threats to maize in Zimbabwe right now are low rainfall and drought stress under high temperatures. “CIMMYT research in Southern Africa has shown that maize production linearly decreases with every accumulated degree above 30 degrees,” said Cairns. “While the amount of rainfall during the maize growing season in the drought-prone areas may increase slightly, it is unlikely to translate into higher yields as evapotranspiration will increase under higher temperatures.”

The challenges are not easy to tackle, but there are opportunities to offset losses. To mitigate the effect of increased temperature, maize lines with tolerance to combined drought and heat stress need to be developed. Such lines have been already identified and can be used to adapt maize production to climate change in Southern Africa.

The presentation, prepared by Cairns with significant input from CIMMYT specialist in geographic information systems, Kai Sonder, was well received by the FAO representatives.

Strengthening CIMMYT cooperation with Russia

Written by on August 20, 2013. Posted in News.

Left to right: Vladimir Shamanin, Alex Morgounov, Sergey Petukhovskiy, Hans Braun, and Nina Kazydub.

CIMMYT Global Wheat Program director Hans-Joachim Braun and winter wheat breeder Alex Morgounov attended the G-20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists in Moscow, Russia, on 24-25 July 2013 where they presented on CRP WHEAT and the cooperation between CIMMYT and Russia. The G-20 meeting adopted a declaration stating the importance of cooperation in agricultural research and defining future priority areas and directions for this cooperation. The meeting also emphasized the involvement of the Russian Federation in international agricultural research and development. In 2013, Russia supported CRP WHEAT with US$1.1 million, part of which was allocated to the Kazakhstan-Siberian Network on Wheat Improvement (KASIB) for spring wheat improvement and part to Strategic Initiatives related to biotic and abiotic stresses. The funds utilization and strengthening of cooperation with Russian scientists were discussed with Sergey Kiselev, director of Eurasian Center of Food Security at Lomonosov Moscow State University, and Ivan Savchenko, vice president of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Following the meeting, Braun and Morgounov visited Omsk in Western Siberia on 26 July to sign a sub-grant agreement between CIMMYT and Omsk State Agrarian University on technical coordination of KASIB activities; development of shuttle breeding germplasm for Russian cooperating institutions; and expansion of training and visits between the university and CIMMYT, and attendance of regional and international conferences for Russian scientists.

The subsequent field visits to the university and Siberian Agricultural Research Institute demonstrated the value of regional germplasm exchange and improved adaptation of the shuttle germplasm developed for the region in Mexico and Turkey. “The shuttle breeding program, initiated in early 2000s to incorporate rusts resistance into local material, finally bears fruit as several advanced lines competitive with local checks have been identified and will be considered as variety candidates in the near future,” said Morgounov. As Northern Kazakhstan and Western Siberia jointly cultivate almost 20 million hectares of high latitude spring-planted wheat, this area plays a significant role in global wheat supply.

Impressive adoption of metal silos in western Kenya

Written by on August 13, 2013. Posted in Features.

metal-silos1 “When Richard Pamo, the then Caritas Development Coordinator [Homa Bay] introduced the metal silo technology to me in 2008, I felt I had received the solution to my perennial problems of storing my grains, particularly maize that was prone to weevil attack,” said Bishop Philip Anyolo of the Catholic Diocese of Homa Bay, Kenya, to a visiting team from the Effective Grain Storage for Sustainable Livelihoods of African Farmers Project (EGSP-II). “I instantly ordered two silos, of 1- and 1.8-ton capacity. And I have never been disappointed. I was so satisfied with the ability of the metal silos to protect my maize against weevils that I acquired another 720-kg capacity metal silo for my mother in 2009.”

The Bishop, who was among the first people to use metal silos after the project introduction in Kenya, noted how widely appreciated the technology has become: “Since I acquired the metal silos, word about its effectiveness has spread within and beyond my home county of Bungoma, which was not even in the project target area. Like in Homa Bay, farmers there are making all efforts to acquire the metal silos.” And it is not just the farmers who use the technology these days; Rose Owanda in the poultry business has acquired six 2.7-ton capacity metal silos. “I intend to be buying grains from the market during times of glut. This will not only ensure that I buy the grains at the lowest prices, I am assured of enough grain for making the feeds for the birds throughout the year.” The success of the silo has also created brisk business for trained metal silo artisans who are receiving orders from beyond the Homa Bay County.

metal-silos2 Impressed with the technology, the Bishop has advised all schools and institutions sponsored by the Catholic Church in Homa Bay to acquire metal silos for grain storage. His advice has since caught the attention of other institutions, including St. Vincent De Paul Boys Boarding School in Kisii County who acquired seven 2.7-ton metal silos in December 2011 after the Nyambururu Teachers College, Kisii County, bought ten 1.8-ton silos earlier in the year; the College had learned of the technology from the Kokwaro Secondary School in Homa Bay Diocese who had acquired eight 2.7-ton silos in 2010. Since the launch of EGSP-II in October 2012 in Kenya, Homa Bay farmers have acquired 230 metal silos, and institutions in the area, particularly boarding schools and colleges, have bought 47 more, according to Beautrice Otieno, Livelihoods Program Manager at Caritas Homa Bay and the site coordinator for western Kenya.

metal-silos3 “Production is all in vain if farmers cannot store the harvested produce. Effective storage is even more critical at these times of climate change, where the associated weather vagaries adversely affect production. Whatever little that we produce should be well managed, and that includes being well stored for use at the desired time,” stressed Jennifer Ndege, Chief Officer, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries at Homa Bay County. Tadele Tefera, CIMMYT entomologist and EGSP-II coordinator, agrees: “A lot of agencies focus on increasing productivity but very few on the management of what has been harvested. Yet this is a very important aspect in any food security chain.” The information was collected during an assessment tour of Homa Bay and surrounding counties conducted by the EGSP-II Kenyan team during 15-19 July 2013; the team consisted of Tefera, Isaac Mutabai (CIMMYT), Wandera Ojanji (CIMMYT science writer/editor), Zachary Gitonga (CIMMYT Socioeconomics Program research associate), Addis Teshome (CIMMYT entomologist), Jackson K. Njana (Caritas-Embu), Everastus Okumu (Caritas-Homa Bay director), Otieno, Paddy Likhayo (Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, KARI), and Kimondo Mutambuki (KARI and EGSP-II Kenya national coordinator).

Wheat-for-Africa gains momentum

Written by on August 2, 2013. Posted in News.

Wheat-for-Africa Wheat was not a traditional staple in much of Africa, but urbanization, a growing middle class, and changing lifestyles are driving a rapid increase in demand for it. The urban and rural poor in Africa eat wheat, as do more prosperous consumers, and demand is burgeoning with rising populations. But leading wheat producing countries in Africa grow enough to meet at most 40% of their demand, so the continent imports more than US$ 15 billion-worth of grain each year.

Efforts to put wheat on the food and trade agenda in Africa recently came together at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) meeting in Accra during 15–20 July 2013, when senior research, development, and policy experts met with representatives of CGIAR’s WHEAT research program to develop a strategy for promoting African wheat production. “The idea is to put together all the actors—the production side, the legislation, the demand and markets,” said Victor Kommerell, manager of the CIMMYT-led WHEAT Program. “Initially the strategy should focus on gathering more evidence of production and market potential, particularly regarding smallholder farmers’ chances to grow wheat as a cash crop, and then looking at future consumption and regional trade.”

The connections made at FARA in July followed the release of a key study in late 2012 at the ground-breaking conference Wheat for Food Security in Africa in Addis Ababa. Shortly after that conference, African Union agriculture ministers endorsed wheat as a strategic crop for Africa. Their heads of government, at African Union level, endorsed this a few months later.

“As a rough-and-ready estimate, most countries are fulfilling less than a quarter of their wheat production potential,” said CIMMYT socioeconomist Bekele Shiferaw, a key author of the wheat study. “There are many opportunities both to expand the area devoted to wheat and to increase yields from existing acreage.”

According to Shiferaw, this will require a fundamental change in the way participants look at the entire wheat value chain—from farm to market and from government office to donor boardroom. More research is needed on potential constraints on improved wheat production, including issues related to markets, land, labor, and how food aid is distributed.

Challenges affecting farming at different scales in different country contexts must be carefully considered—from small farms’ lack of mechanization, labor, and access to markets, to problems that have undermined large-scale wheat farming projects in Africa in the past. The aim is to ensure the best mix of small, medium, and large farms, as well as fitting options to the differing conditions of high- versus low-population density nations and current highland wheat-growing areas. The 2012 study focused on rainfed wheat, according to Kommerell. Irrigated wheat also has great potential—and unique challenges—in Africa. Release of a report by WHEAT on irrigated wheat for Africa is planned for September 2013.

Metal silos: a timely intervention in curbing postharvest losses

Written by on August 2, 2013. Posted in News.

Metal-silos The metal silo technology promoted by CIMMYT for maize storage has been hailed in Kenya as the ultimate solution to high maize postharvest losses caused by the maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) and large grain borer (Prostephanus truncatus), two major destructive insects of stored maize causing 30% losses and more than 80% damage to stored maize in Kenya and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The real losses are even bigger: when considering their environmental impact, the subsequent losses in nutritional value, industrial input, market opportunities, and the possible adverse effects on health of populations consuming poor-quality products, the need for interventions becomes even more apparent and pressing. “Addressing waste across the entire food chain must therefore be a critical pillar of future national food strategies,” said Ngari Nyaga, Crop Post Harvest Division head at the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture, during the official opening of a national Stakeholders Workshop on Effective Grain Storage for Sustainable Livelihoods of African Farmers Project (EGSP-II) held in Nakuru, Kenya, on 28 June 2013.

Tadele Tefera, CIMMYT entomologist and EGSP-II coordinator, outlined the workshop objectives: provide a forum to exchange ideas, information, and research outputs on EGSP-II among stakeholders in Kenya; raise awareness on postharvest losses and dissemination of effective grain storage technologies among stakeholders; consult stakeholders on policy environment and market issues for the purpose of refining, updating, and implementing EGSP-II; engage in policy dialogue on matters related to storage; find means of enhancing the technology adoption; and acquaint key stakeholders in the country with the technology and how they could enhance its adoption among the farmers they are supporting through their activities.

With the annual average production of about 33 million 90-kilogram bags, postharvest losses of about 20% translate into 540 million kilograms. “The metal silo technology being promoted by CIMMYT is a timely and critical element in the quest to promote food security,” stated Nyaga, pointing out that about two million Kenyans are considered food insecure. The technology will “lower postharvest losses, assist farmers to save on dusting labor, have healthy and tradable grains, and allow the farmers to wait for better prices instead of selling immediately after harvest for fear of losing their grains to weevils, larger grain borer, and poor storage.” The technology will also help to address an issue recently reported in a Ministry of Agriculture survey: the incorrect use of pesticides. According to Nyaga, metal silos will “lead to zero usage of storage pesticides, hence result in better health and stoppage of illegal use of restricted pesticides by farmers.”

As other forms of storage – traditional granaries and sisal and gunny bags – have proven ineffective, and chemical control unsuccessful (only half of Kenyan maize farmers use storage pesticides), Nyaga welcomed the decision of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi to work together to develop technologies and policies to reduce crop postharvest losses in the region.

The workshop gave stakeholders a chance to update themselves on the project, appreciate the magnitude of the postharvest losses and the effectiveness of alternative postharvest technologies being used, and better understand the economics of postharvest management. It also provided the latest news from onstation trials on metal silo technology and super grain bags.

Tefera thanked the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation for funding EGSP II, a project aiming to reduce postharvest losses, enhance food security, and improve incomes of resource-poor farmers in Kenya.

Stepping up the fight against maize lethal necrosis in Eastern Africa

Written by on August 1, 2013. Posted in News.

MLN-Eastern-Africa1 “I can now identify with accuracy plants affected with maize lethal necrotic disease,” stated Regina Tende, PhD student attached to CIMMYT, after attending the CIMMYT-Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) “Identification and Management of Maize Lethal Necrosis” workshop in Narok, Kenya, during 30 June-3 July 2013. This was not the case a few weeks ago when Tende, who is also a senior research officer at KARI-Katumani, received leaf samples from a farmer for maize lethal necrosis (MLN) verification.

Tende is one of many scientists and technicians who experienced difficulty in differentiating MLN from other diseases or abiotic stresses with similar symptoms. According to Stephen Mugo, CIMMYT Global Maize Program (GMP) principal scientist and organizer of the workshop, this difficulty encouraged CIMMYT and KARI to organize this event to raise awareness about MLN among scientists, technicians, and skilled field staff; provide training on MLN diagnosis especially at field nurseries, trials, and seed production fields; train on MLN severity scoring to improve the quality of data generation in screening trials; and introduce MLN management in field screening sites to scientists, technicians, and skilled staff. The workshop brought together over 80 scientists and technicians from CIMMYT, KARI, and other national agricultural research systems (NARS) partners from Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe.

“It is important that all the people on the ground, particularly the technicians who interact daily with the plants and supervise research activities at the stations, understand the disease, are able to systematically scout for it, and have the ability to spot it out from similar symptomatic diseases and conditions like nutrient deficiency,” stated GMP director B.M. Prasanna.

Proper and timely identification of the MLN disease, which is a pre-requisite for effective control, is not easy. CIMMYT maize breeder Biswanath Das explains: “First of all, the disease is caused by a combination of two viruses, Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) and Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). Secondly, its symptoms –severe mottling of leaves, dead heart, stunted growth (shortened internode distance), leaf necrosis, sterility, poor seed set, shriveled seeds– are not always unique to MLN but could be due to other fungal diseases and abiotic conditions.” The training workshop was one of CIMMYT/KARI initiatives to combat the disease threatening all the gains made so far in maize breeding. “With nearly 99% of the commercial maize varieties so far released in Kenya being susceptible to MLN, it is important that institutions like CIMMYT and KARI, in strong collaboration with the seed sector, develop and deploy MLN disease resistant varieties in an accelerated manner,” stated Prasanna. One of the key initiatives in this fight is the establishment of a centralized MLN screening facility under artificial inoculation for Eastern Africa at the KARI Livestock Research Farm in Naivasha. Plans are also underway to establish a network of MLN testing sites (under natural disease pressure) in the region to evaluate promising materials from artificial inoculation trials in Naivasha. The state of the art maize doubled haploid (DH) facility currently under construction in Kiboko will also play a crucial role in accelerating MLN resistant germplasm development. “The DH technology, in combination with molecular markers, can help reduce by half the time taken for developing MLN resistant versions of existing elite susceptible lines,” stated Prasanna.

MLN-Eastern-Africa2 During his opening speech, Joseph Ng’etich, deputy director of Crop Protection, Ministry of Agriculture, noted that about 26,000 hectares of maize in Kenya were affected in 2012, resulting in an estimated loss of 56,730 tons, valued at approximately US$ 23.5 million. Seed producers also lost significant acreages of pre-basic seed in 2012: Agriseed lost 10 acres in Narok; Kenya Seed lost 75; and Monsanto 20 at Migtyo farm in Baringo, according to Dickson Ligeyo, KARI senior research officer and head of Maize Working Group in Kenya.

While this loss represents only 1.7%, Ligeyo assured everyone that Kenya is not taking any chances and has come up with a raft of measures and recommendations: farmers in areas where rainfall is all year round or maize is produced under irrigation are advised to plant maize only once a year; local quarantine has been enforced and farmers are to remove all infected materials from the fields and stop all movement of green maize from affected to non-affected areas; seed companies must ensure that seeds are treated with appropriate seed dressers at recommended rates, they must also promote good agricultural practices, crop diversification, and rotation with non-cereal crops.

Throughout the workshop, participants learned about theoretical aspects of MLN, such as the disease dynamics, management of MLN trials and nurseries, and identification of germplasm for resistance to MLN. They also participated in practical sessions on artificial inoculation, and identification and scoring. Several CIMMYT scientists played an active role in organizing the workshop, including breeders Stephen Mugo, Biswanath Das, Yoseph Beyene, and Lewis Machida; entomologist Tadele Tefera; and seed systems specialist Mosisa Regasa. They were accompanied by KARI scientist Bramwel Wanjala, KEPHIS regulatory officer Florence Munguti, and NARS maize research leaders Claver Ngaboyisonga (Rwanda), Dickson Ligeyo (Kenya), Julius Serumaga (Uganda), and Kheri Kitenge (Tanzania). During his closing remarks, KARI Food Crops program officer Raphael Ngigi, on behalf of KARI director, urged participants to rigorously implement what they had learnt during the workshop in their respective countries or Kenya regions to help combat MLN at both research farms and farmers’ fields.

Commenting on the usefulness of the workshop, technical officer at KARI-Embu Fred Manyara stated: “I will no longer say I do not know or I am not sure, when confronted by a farmer’s question on MLN.”