Global
Breaking Ground: Xuecai Zhang prepares future generation of crop breeders
Innovations
Xuecai Zhang wants to merge traditional maize breeding methods with new software and other tools to help improve farmers’ yields faster than ever.
Breaking Ground: Cesar Petroli on data-driven use of maize genetic diversity
Innovations
Access to genetic data can revolutionize research partnerships and lead to major benefits for crop breeders aiming to help smallholder farmers boost yields, says geneticist Cesar Petroli.
CIMMYT scientist takes lead role in American Agronomy Society’s sustainable intensification community
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Timothy Krupnik, systems agronomist at CIMMYT, leads the Sustainable Intensification community of the American Society for Agronomy’s Environmental Quality section.
Entrenched gender roles threaten women’s longevity in research careers
Gender equality, youth and social inclusion
Despite over a decade of implementing policies and programs to promote gender equity in research, some countries have seen women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers stagnate and even decrease in some fields.
CIMMYT scientist cautions against new threats from wheat rust diseases
Innovations
Scientists are concerned over the proliferation of highly virulent fungal wheat diseases, including two new races of yellow rust and a new race of stem rust.
Breaking Ground: Caixia Lan on identifying building blocks for rust resistant wheat
Innovations
Support for research into breeding crops resistant to wheat rust is essential to manage the spread of the deadly disease, caused vast yield losses globally in recent years, says scientist Caixia Lan.
Study reveals diversity “blueprint” to help maize crops adapt to changing climates
Climate adaptation and mitigation
Scientists unlock evolutionary secrets of landraces through a study of allelic diversity, revealing more about the genetic basis of flowering time and how maize adapts to variable environments.
Breaking Ground: Bhoja Basnet sets sights on increasing wheat yield potential through hybrid seeds
Innovations
Scientist Bhoja Raj Basnet shares his journey from Nepal to Mexico where he joined CIMMYT as a postdoctoral fellow working in the bread wheat improvement program.
New study reveals how controlling wheat hormones can cool hot crops
Innovations
A plant-aging hormone could increase wheat yields by 10 to 15 percent in warm locations, according to a recent study published in New Phytologist journal.
New Publications: How to maintain food security under climate change
Climate adaptation and mitigation
An internationally coordinated approach is key to breed and deploy crops resilient to climate change effects.
Agricultural researchers forge new ties to develop nutritious crops and environmental farming
Nutrition, health and food security
Scientists from two of the world’s leading agricultural research institutes will embark on joint research to boost global food security.
Breaking Ground: Carolina Sansaloni explores and unlocks genetic potential from wheat genebanks
Innovations
Carolina Sansaloni’s passion for genetics began when she was at university in Argentina, an interest that grew as she moved on to receive her master’s and doctoral degrees in molecular biology.
Breaking Ground: Scientist Deepmala Sehgal on the trail of novel wheat diversity
Innovations
Molecular analysis research by Deepmala Sehgal has led to the discovery of novel genes for yield, disease resistance and climate resilience in previously little-used wheat genetic resources.
Harnessing medical technology and global partnerships to drive gains in food crop productivity
Innovations
Global research networks must overcome nationalist and protectionist tendencies to provide technology advances the world urgently needs.
Engaging youth: beyond the buzzword
Capacity development
Researchers are seeking to re-engage rural youth who are increasingly abandoning agriculture to work in cities, raising the question who will grow our food in the future?