| Overall goal |
Indicators |
Assumptions and risks |
| Generate benefits for
resource-poor farmers in marginal areas subject to abiotic stress by improving wheat
yield, stability, profitability, and sustainability. |
• Rural livelihoods
in marginal environments improved. |
• Wheat genetic
resources for marginal environments are available. |
| Intermediate goal |
Indicators |
Assumptions and risks |
| Develop and disseminate
superior wheat and triticale germplasm, in conjunction with crop management technologies,
appropriate for abiotic stress environments of developing countries. |
• Adoption of
improved wheat and triticale germplasm in developing country areas subject to abiotic
stress.
• Adoption of improved crop management technologies. |
• Resources continue
to be available for the development of improved germplasm. |
| Purpose |
Indicators |
Assumptions and risks |
| CIMMYT and NARS partners
collaborate to obtain, maintain, and share germplasm and information needed to develop and
disseminate superior wheat and triticale germplasm suitable for abiotic stress
environments. |
• Improved wheat and
triticale germplasm available for researchers and farmers in developing countries.
Indicators |
• See all
assumptions/risks above. |
| Outputs |
Indicators |
Assumptions and risks |
1. New sources of drought
adaptive traits identified and incorporated into currently adapted germplasm.
2. Germplasm that performs better under different management technologies, such as reduced
tillage, and suitable residue retention.
3. New sources of adaptation for heat and cold tolerance identified, incorporated into
adapted germplasm, and disseminated to NARS collaborators.
4. Environments suffering nutrient stress mapped and technologies to reduce nutrient
constraints made available.
5. New genetic sources of tolerance to nutrient stress identified and incorporated into
germplasm.
6. New, more efficient methodologies for selecting wheat and triticale cultivars under
abiotic stress conditions.
7. Improved crop management technologies—including reduced tillage systems and
implements, residue management, and nutrient management—developed for rainfed wheat
and triticale cropping systems.
8. A crop information system that provides decision support for improving characterization
of wheat germplasm with respect to abiotic stresses and increases the efficiency of
experimental trials. |
1. Better drought
tolerant, input responsive varieties available to farmers growing wheat and triticale in
variable, risky rainfall environments.
2. Wheat and triticale varieties suitable for reduced tillage and other management
strategies available to farmers in variable, risky rainfall environments.
3. Germplasm with heat and cold tolerance characterized and made available for farmers in
areas suffering heat and cold extremes.
4. Geographical information on nutrient stress available for technology
development/dissemination.
5. Germplasm with adaptation to nutrient stress made available to NARSs.
6. Adoption of more efficient selection methodologies by CIMMYT and NARS breeding
programs.
7. Information available on residue management, and adoption of reduced tillage by
smallholder farmers.
8. Adoption of crop information system that increases research efficiency in developing
wheat and triticale cultivars for abiotic stress environments. |
• Genetic resources
and screening methodologies available; active collaboration with research partners;
germplasm exchange unrestricted.
• Data available for mapping.
• Adoption encouraged by availability of locally available, inexpensive implements;
no competing uses of crop residues; and other important conditions for success (e.g.,
policies, credits).
• Suitable data and resources available to develop
informationsystem. |
| Activities |
Milestones 2001-2003 |
Assumptions and risks |
| 1. Develop new parental materials using genetic diversity
from a range of sources containing relevant traits for grain yield, abiotic stress
tolerance, and end-use quality (contributes to output 1). |
• By 2001, 30-150 drought-tolerant sources identified. |
|
| 2. Incorporate drought adaptive traits using trait-oriented
analytical and molecular approaches together with empirical breeding methods (contributes
to output 1). |
• By 2001, adoption of improved screening methodologies
by CIMMYT and national breeding programs. |
|
| 3. Distribute germplasm through the International Nursery
System; incorporate information about performance in targeted environments into a crop
information system (contributes to output 1, 8). |
• Provision of improved, drought tolerant germplasm to
NARSs. |
|
| 4. Identify, evaluate, and incorporate parental materials
tolerant of heat and cold (contributes to output 3). |
• Identification of 100-200 heat- and cold-tolerant
sources. |
|
| 5. Crop improvement using empirical, analytical, and
molecular approaches and shuttle breeding, genotype x management interactions, and
multilocation testing (contributes to output 3). |
• Adapted germplasm with heat and cold tolerance
available. |
|
| 6. Disseminate heat-and cold-tolerant germplasm and related
information (contributes to output 3). |
• Increased understanding of environments with heat and
cold stress. |
|
| 7. Characterize potential progenitors and develop new
parental materials adapted to nutrient stresses, including N, P, Zn, B, Mn, Cu stresses
(contributes to output 5). |
• Genetic sources of tolerance to nutrient stresses
available. |
|
| 8. Crop improvement using empirical, analytical, and
molecular approaches to develop tolerant germplasm and appropriate management
practices (contributes to output 5). |
• Nutrient status of collaborating research sites
determined. |
|
| 9. Develop specialized International Nursery to facilitate
the exchange of germplasm between CIMMYT and NARSs (contributes to output 5). |
• Nursery established. |
• Support from collaborating institutions available. |
| 10. Identify potential stress adaptive traits, evaluate field
screening methodologies, and determine genetic basis of these traits (contributes to
output 6). |
• By 2001, identification and confirmation of relevant
stress adaptive traits. |
|
| 11. Develop molecular, physiological, and conventional
selection tools (contributes to output 6). |
• By 2003, adoption of more efficient selection
methodologies by CIMMYT and national breeding programs. |
|
| 12. Develop and adapt improved crop management strategies,
including reduced tillage, residue management, machinery, rotations, nutrient management,
and bed systems (contributes to output 7). |
• Zero-till animal traction seeder developed in Bolivia.
• Other prototype implements developed. |
• Support from collaborating institutions available. |
| 13. Disseminate crop management strategies to NARSs, NGOs,
and farmers (contributes to output 7). |
• Information on appropriate strategies available.
• Reduced tillage systems adopted by smallholder
farmers. |
• Limitations to dissemination not present (e.g.,
inadequate extension infrastructure, inappropriate policies). |
| 14. Advise CIMMYT and NARS breeding programs on appropriate
management practices for germplasm screening (contributes to output 7). |
• Germplasm screened at CIMMYT under different
management strategies.
|
|
| 15. Study the biological basis of genotype x abiotic stress
interactions, and improve the characterization of germplasm, production environments, and
selection environments for abiotic stresses (contributes to output 8). |
• Improved characterization of wheat germplasm and
greater research trial efficiency. |
|
| 16. Develop a crop information system as a decision support
system (contributes to output 8). |
• Better utilization of data and information by breeding
programs in research on abiotic stresses. |
• Resources available for system development. |