A poster on a CIMMYT-led project to establish a system for assessing wheat grain quality in the main wheat-producing areas of Mexico received special mention at the 1st Latin American International Conference on Cereals and Cereal Products Quality and Safety in Rosario, Argentina, 23 September 2007. CIMMYT is partnering with several federal and Mexican state-level organizations (INIFAP, SIAP, SAGARPA and CONASIST-CONATRIGO) and the private sector (GRANOTEC) to determine the varieties cultivated and the quality of wheat grain lots from commercial fields in the North West and the Central Highlands of Mexico.
The two-year project, funded by COFUPROSAGARPA- CONACYT, aims to assess which varieties are being cultivated and what new and improved wheat varieties should be planted to better suit local markets. The poster describes how CIMMYT and partners conducted the analysis of grain from commercial fields in the country’s major wheat lands, to provide potential users with a clear idea of its quality. “The use of old varieties and inappropriate crop management are the main factors influencing crop quality variability,” says Javier Peña, who is head of CIMMYT’s cereal quality laboratory and leader in the project. “With a crop quality assessment system, we will know which varieties to improve for manufacturers of wheat-based products.”
Capacity development 