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Chinese
Agricultural Science Academies take regional award for work with
global research center from Mexico to breed high-yield, quality
wheats BEIJING, China, Embargoed to 0300 GMT, Tuesday, 04 Dec. 2007—In a ceremony in the Great Hall of the People, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science (CAAS) and the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Science received today the 2007 Award for Outstanding Agricultural Technology in the Asia-Pacific Region, for their work with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) to develop high-yielding wheat varieties with high-quality grain for Chinese food products. Three wheat cultivars from this work were sown on more than 8 million hectares in China during 2002-2006, adding 2.4 million tons of grain to Chinese wheat production, equivalent to US$ 411 million. Farmers who grew the varieties also received an estimated US$ 101 million in quality-based premiums for their grain, and an additional US$ 8 million was generated through marketing seed of the varieties. The award was given by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)—a partnership of countries, international and regional organizations and private foundations supporting the work of 15 international research centers—as part of its annual general meeting, held in Beijing this year. It recognizes a scientist or research team in the Asia-Pacific who has developed an outstanding technology or research product that contributes to increased productivity or quality in agriculture, improved food quality, and / or improved management of natural resources in the region. “China is the world’s largest wheat producer, harvesting more than 100 million tons annually, and the crop accounts for 22% of the country’s food production,” says Masa Iwanaga, director general of CIMMYT, a global research and training organization based in Mexico. “Our joint efforts in yield and grain quality have helped both farmers and consumers, and that’s why the two academies received this award.” China and CIMMYT partnerships goes back three decades. More than 200 Chinese scientists have taken part in training and joint research with CIMMYT. Around 4 million hectares in China are sown to varieties that carry CIMMYT wheat in their pedigrees, and Chinese breeding stocks and partnerships have improved the disease resistance of CIMMYT-derived varieties grown round the world. “These and other joint efforts have helped improve the lives of millions of people in China and across the globe, reducing poverty, increasing food security, and protecting the environment,” says Zhonghu He, CAAS wheat scientist who serves as CIMMYT liaison officer in China. New
CAAS-CIMMYT effort to confront climate change and killer strain
of wheat disease “Of particular
concern is the new, virulent strain of stem rust, Ug99, which appeared
in eastern Africa eight years ago but has since moved on prevailing
winds to the Middle East and could soon threaten the vast wheat
lands of Asia,” says Iwanaga. “Both parties see an urgent
need to screen thousands of wheat lines to identify ones that resist
the new rust race.”
-Ends- CIMMYT is an internationally funded, not-for-profit organization that conducts research and training related to maize and wheat throughout the developing world. CIMMYT works to create, share, and use knowledge and technologies to increase food security, improve the productivity and profitability of farming systems, and sustain natural resources. Seeding innovation…nourishing hope Back to Home
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