This germplasm is distributed to around 200 cooperators in wheat producing countries worldwide, and is responsible for the derived varieties being grown on more than 50 percent of the spring wheat area in developing countries. Over the coming decade, CIMMYT’s wheat program will make zinc a core trait and all lines will have at least 25% more zinc in the grain than currently grown varieties. “One of the main objectives of farming systems is to meet nutrition of the farming family. “In his 35 years with CIMMYT, Hans has become familiar with all major wheat-based cropping systems in the developing and developed world,” said Coffman, who called Hans Braun an important collaborator and close personal friend. Alison Bentley, who will be joining the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) next month as director of the Global Wheat Program and the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat, joined wheat research colleagues at the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative Technical Workshop last week to introduce herself and offer her perspective on current prospects for wheat research. Flickr photos, groups, and tags related to the "globalwheatprogram" Flickr tag. should be targeted to resource-poor farmers. Global Wheat Program director Hans Braun retires, leaving behind a legacy of strong leadership and wheat for millions. A: I would have will help breeders combine positive haplotypes in the future, including for We caught up with him to capture some of his career milestones, best travel stories, and vision for the future of CIMMYT and global wheat production. Trainings, such as an international course led by the Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI) in collaboration with CIMMYT, WHEAT and others, invite international participants to gain new technical skills in blast diagnostics and treatment and understand different strategies being developed to mitigate the wheat blast threat. The team tried applying micro-nutrients to wheat plots, and it became crystal clear that zinc deficiency was the underlying cause. 45, El Batan, Texcoco, Edo de México, Mexico, Dalia Building 2nd Floor, Bashir El Kassar Street, Verdun, Beirut, Lebanon, Sub-Saharan Africa: Getting Wheat Back on the Map, WHEAT Management Committee Meeting Minutes, Independent Steering Committee Meeting Minutes, Norman Borlaug Lifetime Achievement award, Alison Bentley to be new CIMMYT Global Wheat Program and WHEAT director, South Australia Research and Development Institute, Western Australia Department of Agriculture, the nature of sexual reproduction by the crown rot fungus, Hans Braun receives prestigious Norman Borlaug Award for Lifetime Achievement in Wheat Research, Researchers in Zambia confirm: Wheat blast has made the intercontinental jump to Africa, Detection and characterization of fungus (, Q&A with Fatima Camarillo Castillo, CIMMYT Global Wheat Program Training Coordinator, Q&A: Wheat breeding experts help CIMMYT reach ambitious improvement goals, Modern wheat breeding benefits high- and low-input farmers, study shows, Mexican Secretary of Agriculture joins new partners and longtime collaborators at Global Wheat Program Obregon Visitors’ Week, Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) Early Career Award, Bearish headlines overstate the extent of available global wheat stocks, analysts say, Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Global wheat: The risks behind the records, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas. Worldwide, 2.5 billion consumers depend on wheat as a staple food, and in recent years, several African countries have been actively working towards reducing dependence on wheat imports. What a privilege it was to travel around Turkey with Dr. Berna Tunali from the University of Ondokus Mayýs, sampling wheat fields by day and eating grilled fish by the Coast of Marmara by night. It’s all there — but it’s a complex problem. challenged by this study have a range of influences, from concern about rural “This relationship and support from the Obregón farmers is really tremendous,” Braun says. The world needs a strong CIMMYT.”. There is also an increasing The exchange, the process of disclosing a She will be succeeding Hans Braun, who has steered the program for the last 16 years. A set of practical and hands-on exercises follow where trainees collaborate directly with scientists and technicians on breeding activities of the program.”, JL: “What is your main role as the Training Coordinator?”, FCC: “I organize the content of the programs and communicate with the scientists to conduct the course. “Otherwise, wheat blast has the potential to marginalize the growth of rain-fed wheat production in Zambia and may threaten wheat production in neighboring countries as well.”. “How many programs worldwide have this expertise and meet the target criteria? Do you think we can do it? It values its members’ engagement and it promotes the sharing of knowledge, information and resources to increase synergy through collaboration. Wheat will be just as When evaluating elite lines from outside the country — in particular lines from a similar environment in the Great Plains — his team noticed they were failing but nobody knew why. In support of the contributions to global and local agricultural programs, Villalobos spoke at the week’s field day, or “Dia de Campo,” in front of more than 200 CIMMYT staff and visitors hailing from more than 40 countries on March 20, 2019. The Global Wheat Program is unique — no other wheat breeding program has a comparable impact. asking a whole range of experts to provide feedback on their wheat program and “This resonates with the cautionary message of the landmark 2015 study by Lloyd’s of London, which showed that the global food system is actually under significant pressure from potential, coinciding shocks, such as bad weather combined with crop disease outbreaks,” Braun said. One of Braun’s standout memories was a major discovery when he first came to Turkey. WHEAT targets a sustained increase in yield of 1.4% p.a. All experiments confirmed the presence of Magnaporthe oryzae pathotype Triticum (MoT). understand why they came and how they saw their role in this renewed push for Wheat, one of the world’s most cultivated crops, requires its production to be increased by more than 50 per cent by 2050 in order to meet the estimated global demand. of wheat breeding progress under cropping systems with low, medium and high “Bear in mind that the world’s number-one wheat producer, China, is not exporting surplus wheat at the moment, so China’s wheat won’t really be available for the markets.”. challenges facing wheat farmers in coming decades will require the best that So OneCGIAR will have a wheat research program as the core Given the diversity of attendees and CIMMYT’s partnerships, it is no surprise that there were several high-level visits to the field day. In addition, it was my first visit to the Central West Asia & North Africa (CWANA) region and an opportunity to interact with CWANA wheat scientists. At NIAB, I joined the team embarking on a pioneering program of wheat pre-breeding to deliver systematically developed and validated resources for wheat improvement. important. In “Global wheat: The risks behind the records,” a report published by AHDB in February 2018, Kaur Purewal and colleagues suggest that, despite an unprecedented run of surplus global wheat production in the last four years, there is a relatively small cushion for large-scale importers to fall back upon, if imports become harder to obtain. This year we will also have the recipients of the Women in Triticum Early Career Award. The class of 2019 was a wonderful group of bright researchers that challenged me to keep working to become a better teacher and scientist. Q: What is your reaction to CIMMYT’s wheat breeding plan? Global Wheat Production. CIMMYT’s specialty is to provide global expertise in two of the world’s He received the award on October 9, 2020, during the virtual Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) Technical Workshop. A:  I work closely with the CIMMYT wheat breeders Researchers were initially confused when symptoms of the disease in the Mpika fields were first reported. I recall many days in northwest New South Wales driving long stretches on the trail of crown rot infections in farm crops and conversations with agronomists asking for tip-offs on recent sightings of disease. “CIMMYT and its partners cannot let up in our mission to develop and share high-yielding and nutritious maize and wheat varieties, supported by climate-smart farming practices. There are many other smart people here. “I was just getting out of the shower in my room in Obregón when I got a call from Jorge Artee Elias Calles, the president of the Patronato,” Braun recalls. A: It’s clear that In the past, trainees were assigned to specific research groups in the middle of the course, but this year trainees will be integrated into the breeding activities starting the first day of their arrival in Obregon! Headquartered near Mexico City, CIMMYT works with hundreds of partners throughout the developing world to sustainably increase the productivity of maize and wheat cropping systems, thus improving global food security and reducing poverty. Singh worked with Tembo to provide guidance and the molecular markers needed for the sample analysis in Zambia, and coordinated the analysis of the wheat disease samples at the USDA-ARS facility in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Despite his relaxing retirement plans, Braun hopes to continue to support wheat research, whether it is through CIMMYT or through long friendships with national partners, raising awareness of population growth, the “problem of all problems” in his view. A select group of plant breeders, quantitative geneticists, In a landmark discovery for global wheat production, a team has sequenced the genomes for 15 wheat varieties representing breeding programs around … As the director of the Global Wheat Program and the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat, Braun’s legacy will resonate throughout halls, greenhouses and fields of wheat research worldwide. too.”, Written by mmacneil on June 27, 2019. Written by mmacneil on February 26, 2020. Seeing the impact of CIMMYT’s work on farmers was always a highlight for Braun. Braun considers wheat research to be still in a “blessed environment” because a culture of openly-shared germplasm, knowledge and information among the global wheat community is still the norm. feedback and answer questions – or if the program wants to send someone to us One CGIAR will hopefully do away with dysfunctional the headquarters of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) “One other thing I will try — though most people will not believe me because I’m famous for not cooking — but I am really looking into experimenting with flour and baking,” he says. of its wheat offering. Indeed, your morning toast or cereal may rely upon this common grain. They’re doing an excellent job. Written by cbrantley on April 8, 2019. “Today, IWWIP varieties are grown on nearly 3 million hectares.”, Although Braun was determined to become a wheat breeder, he never actually intended to spend his entire career with one institution. As staple foods, maize and […] When it started, this translational program aimed to bridge the gap between fundamental discoveries in model plant species and commercial breeding. My supervisor Lester Burgess often cited “serendipity,” and it always struck me that what he was actually describing was not really pure good fortune, but the result of “making your own luck.”. made good progress. I will be available to offer additional The spread of blast within Zambia is indicated by both mechanisms of expansion. Beyond the scientific learning, I remember the lunchtime football matches, social events and sense of excitement in our discussions about new ideas and future impacts. First meetings of the AGG Science and Technical Steering Committees generate insights and recommendations for optimizing breeding schemes. The Global Wheat Program is unique — no other wheat breeding program has a comparable impact. Not bad for an annual investment in breeding of around $25 million dollars. This happened at the spike stage, and caused significant losses,” said Tembo. He highlighted CIMMYT’s exceptional capacity as one of the world’s largest and most impactful wheat breeding programs, and encouraged national partners to continue their close collaboration. Wheat Associates Market Analyst As the 2020 wheat harvest nears its end in the Northern Hemisphere, U.S. for overall yield potential, which — given that wheat is grown over a wider Conduct research to help farmers exploit the full potential of improved seed while conserving soil and water resources. We also review core concepts on support disciplines for breeding such as genetics, statistics, plant pathology, and physiology. “Price spikes in basic food staples sorely affect the poor, who spend much of their income simply to eat each day,” Braun added. regretted it if I hadn’t come. program, having an in-depth discussion and coming up with a proposal  — that is something that rarely happens. 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 globally. Senior Scientist, Wheat Breeder and Pathologist for sub-Saharan Africa & Country Representative for Ethiopia, Principal Scientist, Durum Wheat Breeding, Senior Scientist, Soil Borne Diseases, and Country Representative for Turkey, Distinguished Scientist and Country Representative for China, Head of the Wheat Quality Laboratory and Cereal Chemist, Regional Representative for Asia and Country Representative for India, Distinguished Scientist and Head of Wheat Physiology, Senior Scientist - Wheat Improvement and Country Representative for Afghanistan, Distinguished Scientist and Head of Global Wheat Improvement. WELCOME The CGIAR Research Program on Wheat (WHEAT) is an unprecedented global alliance for productive, climate-resilient and profitable wheat agri-food systems in lower and middle-income countries. I support them by providing feedback on these activities. Given the limited amount of time, we really and management conditions. science can offer.”, Wrapping up the technical expert meeting, Gary Atlin put CIMMYT breeding lines can be found in varieties sown on more than 60 million hectares worldwide. Meanwhile, the crop is at risk from new and more aggressive pests and diseases, diminishing water resources, limited available land and unstable weather conditions — heat in particular. Results show that projected global wheat production will change by −2.3% to 7.0% under the 1.5°C scenario and −2.4% to 10.5% under the 2.0°C scenario, compared to a baseline of 1980–2010, when considering changes in local temperature, rainfall, and global atmospheric CO 2 concentration, but no changes in management or wheat cultivars. intensive systems is detrimental to performance under more marginal growing “Given that wheat is the most widely grown crop in the embrace a data driven selection system. “The crop had silvery white spikes and a green canopy, resulting in shriveled grains or no grains at all…Within the span of 7 days, a whole field can be attacked,” said Tembo. “Hans was integral to the BGRI’s efforts in preventing Ug99 and related races of rust from taking out much of the 80% of the world’s wheat that was susceptible when Ug99 was first identified in 1999,” said Coffman. livelihoods, to the role of corporate agribusiness and the capacity of Earth’s CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program is one of the most important public sources of high yielding, nutritious, disease- and climate-resilient wheat varieties for Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It’s a give and take. “This and the recent, huge global harvests for maize have saturated grain markets and pressured prices, driving the price of wheat futures to historic lows.”. “This presents yet another challenging biotic constraint to rain-fed wheat production in Zambia,” said Batiseba Tembo, wheat breeder at ZARI and lead scientist on the study. When Borlaug visited Obregón for the last time in 2009, the Patronato farmers had a big surprise. reaching out and really doing an excellent job presenting their program and effective. because I thought I could also learn. The disease has now become endemic to Bangladesh, and has potential to expand to similar warm, humid and wet environments in nearby India and Pakistan, as well as other regions of favorable disease conditions. Some of them already excel in specific disciplines, so they provide me invaluable support to cover the academic content of the program.”, JL: “The 2020 class started on February 4th. ambitious but I was positively surprised by the output. certainly be open to new ways of doing business in crop improvement, while decisions are made and think about how CIMMYT wheat programs  apply new technologies to improve the rate of Written by mdahm on September 24, 2020. After 21 years in Turkey, Braun accepted the position as director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program and moved back to Mexico. Posted in News, Training. Provide diverse, high-yielding wheat varieties that withstand infertile soils, drought, pests and diseases. A: Absolutely. Breeding programs in Europe, South and North America, Africa, Asia, and Australia have accessed material, indicative of global impact and success. Posted in Article, News. breeding investments and realizing that although programs like CIMMYT are In a commentary published in the same Nature Plants issue, two CIMMYT scientists — Hans Braun, director of CIMMYT’s global wheat program and the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat and Matthew Reynolds, CIMMYT wheat physiologist – note the significance of the study. It’s an ambitious Global Programs and Studies (GPS) is actively monitoring COVID-19 developments via multiple outlets, including the U.S. State Department, the CDC, the World Health Organization, our international assistance provider, and our partners. It also contradicts a commonly held belief that breeding for In the marketing year of 2019/2020, the global production volume of wheat amounted to over 765 million metric tons. “This is a disaster which needs immediate attention,” said Tembo. Panwar, who is working with CIMMYT and partners to develop typologies of Indian farming systems to more effectively promote climate smart practices, was particularly interested in the latest progress in biofortification. Exploit genetic variation in wheat wild relatives. The figure of the Yaqui Indian is a Sonoran symbol of beauty and the gifts of the natural world, and the highest recognition given by the Global Wheat Program.