|
Dear friends, colleagues, and supporters of maize and wheat science,
Welcome to the second issue of the quarterly newsletter for the Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize and Wheat for Improved Livelihoods (AGG) project.
This issue focuses on technical updates from our wheat research, a look at the legacy of our maize research, and an update on our partnership and management activities.
In this issue we give a fond farewell to our Global Wheat Program director, Hans-Joachim Braun, who retired this month after nearly 40 years with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).
And we enthusiastically welcome our new director, Alison Bentley. In a presentation to wheat research stakeholders organized by the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative, Alison said, “AGG is unique, and it’s something that’s really close to my heart in harnessing innovations and deploying them in breeding to deliver genetic gains.”
We look forward to continued and growing progress achieving our goals for the world’s farmers and consumers of maize and wheat.
We invite your feedback and suggestions, and thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Kevin Pixley, on behalf of the entire AGG team
|
|
Technical Update: Matching Seed to Farmer
New research establishes three new definitions for targeting wheat varieties in India and validates effectiveness of testing in Obregon, Mexico. Read more
|
|
|
Partnerships Update: AGG partners meet to launch regional networks and build capacity
AGG recently launched Regional Collaborative Breeding and Testing Networks for eastern and southern Africa, as well as a series of training webinars for national partners. Read more.
|
|
|
News: Scientific and Technical Steering Committee updates
First meetings of the AGG Science and Technical Steering Committees generate insights and recommendations for optimizing breeding schemes. Read more.
|
|
|
AGG Legacy: Faster results at lower cost
Innovative tools and technologies help CIMMYT maize breeders in Africa accelerate the delivery of high-quality seed. Read more.
|
|
|
News: Progress and opportunities for CIMMYT spring wheat breeding
Scientists in the Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize and Wheat for Improved Livelihoods (AGG) project share history and latest results at annual wheat research gathering. Read more.
|
|
|
|
Recommended reading
A CIMMYT-USDA- Zambian Agricultural Research Institute study identified wheat blast in Zambia: confirming the arrival of this devastating fungal disease to the African continent.
A DNA fingerprinting study in Ethiopia led by a CIMMYT team found that improved rust-resistant bread wheat varieties are widely adopted in Ethiopia, with varieties originating from CIMMYT making a significant contribution. A related paper found that only 28–34% of the farmers correctly identified the varieties they are growing, validating the use of DNA technology for accurate analysis.
Fall armyworm has suddenly become a major maize pest in Kenya, affecting 83% of the county’s maize farmers in 2018, and destroying a third of its annual maize production, according to CIMMYT scientists.
New CIMMYT Global Wheat Program Director Alison Bentley published an opinion piece in Plants People Planet on the demand and likely potential for greater flowering time range in winter wheat varieties, providing important insight connecting farmer priorities with genetic research and breeding.
Similarly, farmer feedback on new stress-tolerate maize hybrids in east Africa is helping CIMMYT and partner breeders understand and incorporate the traits farmers prefer -- some of which differ along gender lines.
To curb the spread of maize lethal necrosis (MLN) in sub-Saharan Africa, CIMMYT, along with national and international partners, is implementing an intensive multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional strategy – including the release of 19 tolerant/resistant hybrids. New Kenyatta University and CIMMYT research confirms the disease is a complex trait controlled by few major and many minor effect genes.
New CIMMYT-authored publications validate the use of genomic science for maize breeding, including uncovering new applications of genotyping-by-sequencing; the potential of molecular breeding for nutritionally enriched maize, and the gene areas influencing haploid induction rate.
A recent review, “Reinventing quantitative genetics for plant breeding” formed part of a Special Issue of Heredity co-edited by Alison Bentley: “Plant Quantitative Genetics: from Theory into Practice.”
|
|
|
|
|
