News
Changing the pace of maize breeding in Africa through doubled-haploid technology
Capacity development
Two words – accelerated breeding – are synonymous to doubled-haploid (DH) based maize breeding. This was the core message shared with 56 maize breeders from 10 African countries who recently participated in a two-day training workshop organized by CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program (GMP) in Nairobi, Kenya, from September 23–24, 2015. The breeders benefited from the knowledge and experience of resource persons from public and private institutions in France, Germany and USA who have dedicated years of research on the DH technology that is changing the pace of maize breeding.
The world’s largest maize ear contest 2015
Nutrition, health and food security
Scientist Denise Costich describes her experience as a judge in the contest to find “The World’s Largest Maize Ear” held in Jala, Nayarit, Mexico.
Azerbaijan and Georgia showcase progress in wheat breeding during IWWIP Traveling Seminar
Capacity development
The International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP) held its 2015 International Winter Wheat Traveling Seminar in Azerbaijan and Georgia on 24 May. More than 40 participants from 18 countries attended the seminar, which covered more than 1,000 kilometers in four days.
UAVs provide researchers in NW China with a new view of agriculture
Capacity development
We have come a long way when it comes to obtaining aerial images of our research sites. My colleagues and I once used helium-filled balloons and twin cameras to obtain infrared and color images in an all-day operation; now we use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) fitted with high-resolution lenses and multispectral cameras to take dozens of images over large areas in a matter of minutes.
CIMMYT receives “Excellence Through Stewardship” certification
Nutrition, health and food security
CIMMYT has been awarded an Excellence Through Stewardship (ETS) certificate of achievement for successfully completing the ETS audit requirements for its operations in Mexico and Kenya. ETS is a global, not-for-profit industry-coordinated organization dedicated to “promote the responsible management of agricultural technology, through encouraging product stewardship and quality management systems practices and by educating the public.” The ETS audit was an independent third-party review of CIMMYT’s quality management system and standard operating procedures (SOP) for transgenic research. “The successful ETS certification is an important milestone in implementing and modeling – teaching and demonstrating – responsible stewardship of transgenic research,” according to Kevin Pixley, Director of CIMMYT’s Genetic Resources Program. CIMMYT is the first CGIAR center to achieve ETS certification.
Super woman: Rosalind Morris an “outstanding wheat cytogeneticist”
Gender equality, youth and social inclusion
She conducted genetic studies with worldwide importance in explaining wheat genetics.
Harnessing Mexico’s Sun: CIMMYT Installs 920 Solar Panels in Green Initiative
Innovations
CIMMYT is actively taking advantage of solar energy’s potential in Mexico.
Global partnership propels wheat productivity in China
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Benefits of three decades of international collaboration in wheat research have added as much as 10.7 million tons of grain – worth US $3.4 billion – to China’s national wheat output.
Maize and wheat Super Women campaign highlights diversity
Gender equality, youth and social inclusion
A social media campaign initiated to celebrate the achievements of women has led to more than a dozen published blog story contributions about women in the maize and wheat sectors.
Tottori University students visit CIMMYT
Capacity development
A group of 16 undergraduate students and three professors from the University of Tottori, Japan, visited CIMMYT on 26 November.
