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Outline

Wheat is a crop and food source pivotal to alleviation of hunger. Eaten by 2.5 billion people worldwide it is a source of energy, protein and many other bioactive compounds including micronutrients and dietary fiber.

The Global Wheat Program at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) aims to provide improved spring, durum and winter wheat germplasm, early warning systems for pests & diseases and enhanced crop management to smallholder farmers in over 100 countries. Globally, 60m hectares are sown annually with CIMMYT derived varieties. To continue to deliver, and to accelerate the rates of breeding gain, new tools and technologies including speed breeding, genomic selection and extensive target environment assessment are being deployed.

This talk will highlight the latest results from the program on adoption and implementation of new tools & technologies to benefit global food and nutrition security.

Presenter

Alison Bentley, Director, CIMMYT Global Wheat Program

Useful Links

• CIMMYT Global Wheat Program
• CGIAR Research Program on WHEAT
• Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize & Wheat

References

• Crespo-Herrera LA et al. (2021) Target population of environments for wheat breeding in India: definition, prediction and genetic gains. Frontiers in Plant Science doi:10.3389/fpls.2021.638520 .
• Gerard GS et al. (2020) Grain yield genetic gains and changes in physiological related traits for CIMMYT’s high rainfall wheat screening nursery tested across international environments. Field Crops Research doi:10.1016/j.fcr.2020.107742 .
• Lantican MA et al. (2016) Impacts of International Wheat Improvement Research: 1994-2014. Mexico: CIMMYT. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766/6023
• Mondal et al. (2020) Fifty years of semi-dwarf spring wheat breeding at CIMMYT: grain yield progress in optimum, drought and heat stress environments. Field Crops Research doi: 10.1016/j.fcr.2020.107757 .

Recording