The goals for breeding new crops have been changed by the rising demands for climate-ready crops, originating from the urgent need to adapt to climate change.
This open-access textbook provides a comprehensive, up-to-date guide for students and practitioners wishing to access the key disciplines and principles of wheat breeding. Edited by Matthew Paul Reynolds, Senior Scientist and head of Wheat Physiology at CIMMYT, and Hans-Joachim Braun, former Directo
Researchers build on existing source-and-sink model to map complex interaction of traits that determine wheat yield throughout its growth cycle, as a guide for breeding and future research.
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Hotter and drier weather in the key wheat growing regions of the world threatens the global wheat supply.
A $5m (€4.1m) grant has been awarded to the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) to help develop more climate-resilient wheat varieties.
The grant has been awarded by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) and will fund research into pioneering wheat breeding technologies to produce heat-tolerant, drought-resistant and climate-resilient wheat.
According to the United Nations, wheat makes up 20% of all calories and protein consumed in the world.
The demand for wheat is expected to rise in the coming years - as much as 60% by 2050.
Durum wheat drought tolerance trials in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico, 2017. (Photo: Alfonso Cortés/CIMMYT)
Wheat constitutes 20% of all calories and protein consumed, making it a cornerstone of the human diet, according to the United Nations. However, hotter and drier weather, driven by a changing climate, threatens the global wheat supply. To address this threat, the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) awarded a $5 million grant to the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) to develop climate-resilient wheat. CIMMYT leads global research programs on maize and wheat, sustainable cropping systems and policies to improve farmers’ livelihoods. These activities have driven major gains in wheat variety improvement across the globe for decades; in the US alone, for example, over 50% of the wheat acreage is sown with CIMMYT-related varieties.