The Congress is the first meeting of its kind. It will include a balanced program encompassing six areas of wheat research. The program consists of joint plenary sessions and concurrent sessions, with over 100 invited speakers presenting (all plenary sessions will be streamed live on the web and social media platforms). Two poster sessions, field trips, cultural activities, and social events for networking are also included.

The six areas of wheat research featured in the program are: 

1. Wheat Diversity, Evolution, and Genetic Resources
2. Structural and Functional Genomics of Wheat and Wheat Relatives
3. Wheat Improvement: Breeding, Physiology, and Enabling Technologies
4. Wheat Production Systems: Environment, Sustainability, and Management
5. Protecting Yield: Resistance to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses
6. Wheat Uses: Functionality, Nutrition, Safety and Human Health

A top priority of the IWC is to promote participation from all wheat growing areas of the world. A portion of each registration fee will be used to sponsor scientists from developing nations by reimbursing them for registration and travel costs. Young scientists and students are encouraged to present their research as either an oral presentation or poster. Several student awards will be presented at the closing ceremony.

CIMMYT scientists speaking and presenting research at the congress:

Monday, July 22, 2019 from 8:50 to 10:50 a.m.
“Harnessing the power of partnerships for global wheat research and food security”
Martin Kropff, Director General of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)

Monday, July 22, 2019 from 2.10 to 2:30 p.m.
“The Heat and Drought Wheat Improvement Consortium (HeDWIC)”
Matthew Reynolds, Crop Physiologist, CIMMYT

Tuesday, July 23, 2019 from 9:40 to 10:00 a.m.
“Diversification of durum wheat industrial end-uses through the genetic modification of its glutenin composition and grain texture”
Karim Ammar, Principal Scientist, CIMMYT

Tuesday, July 23, 2019 from 12:10 to 12:30 p.m.
“Molecular marker development and application for improving qualities in bread wheat”
Zhonghu He, Distinguished Scientist and CIMMYT Country Liaison Officer for China.

Tuesday, July 23, 2019 from 4:00 to 4:30 p.m.
“Evidence for the value of synthetic, landrace and introgression to improve adaptation to heat stress”
Gemma Molero, Wheat Physiologist, CIMMYT

Wednesday, July 24, 2019 from 1:40 to 2:00 p.m.
“UAV-based high-throughput phenotyping for wheat breeding and physiological pre-breeding”
Francisco Pinto, Remote Sensing Specialist, CIMMYT

Friday, July 26, 2019 from 10:00 to 10:20 a.m.
“Dynamics of spring wheat yields in North America and Eurasia 1981-2015: Effect of environments, climate change and germplasm adaptation”
Alexey Morgounov, Leader of the International Winter Wheat Improvement Program and CIMMYT Country Representative for Turkey

Friday, July 26, 2019 from 9:10 a.m. to 1:50 p.m.
“Bridging the Yield Gap” (co-chair)
Hans Braun, Director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program and the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat

Friday, July 26, 2019 from 10:20 to 10:40 a.m.
“Global network of precision field-based wheat phenotyping platforms”
Carolina Saint Pierre, Genetic Resources Phenotyping Coordinator, CIMMYT