Adios, and fare thee well, Gillian!

Gillian doing one of the things she does best, in this snapshot from the poster session at the 2013 GRM. More details on this sparkling snapshot! On to higher heights, professionally, off to greener pastures, literally, and yielding to the call of home Earlier this month, staff at GCP Headquarters...

September 22, 2014 9:51am

Cereal gang attacks drought, disease and poor soils, new blogposts testify

Crime wave: witnesses say molecular breeding and comparative genomics are the 'weapons' used in the ongoing attacks, clear masterminds behind this A motley crew of cereal suspects have been rounded up at research stations around the world. The cereal gang is not working alone: maize, rice and sorghum, are...

September 19, 2014 2:12pm

Publications, posters and parleys: General Research Meeting 2014

  In time-honoured tradition, GCP has produced two key publications, in tune and in tandem with the upcoming General Research Meeting (GRM) to take place in Thailand from the 7th to the 10th of October: Written by and for scientists, we are pleased to present the pair below:  Project...

September 18, 2014 11:00am

Applications invited: training on Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies for Crop Improvement

How to know your GAB from your HTPG using GBS? Ask ICRISAT–CEG! CEG is the Center of Excellence in Genomics, based at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Hyderabad, India. This is where the 11th training course on Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies for Crop Improvement will...

September 11, 2014 1:14pm

Cassava: vibrant videos take us back to the roots of one humble down-to-earth crop

Now it’s time for a tale…with a tail! Meet cassava, the original camel crop, a truly well-travelled trekker, who first arrived on African shores back in the 16th Century. Since then cassava has shown its mettle as the dromedary of crops, consistently fending off drought to become the key staple...

September 8, 2014 11:42am

Talking Science and Living Data: CGIAR engaging cyberspace in Development Dialogues 2014

CGIAR is shining the global spotlight on agricultural research with its pioneer event Development Dialogues 2014, where conversations will converge on the vital role of agriculture, livestock, forestry, fisheries, landscapes, and food systems in achieving sustainable development. The event  is scheduled for 25th September 2014, at Columbia University, New York,...

September 3, 2014 3:44pm

Venue: 2014 General Research Meeting

This year’s General Research Meeting (GRM) will be held in Rayong, Thailand (about a 2-hour drive from Bangkok).  Initially, the GRM was to be in Senegal, West Africa. Unfortunately, due to growing concern on the Ebola epidemic in the region, we have regretfully had to change the venue. We apologise for...

August 19, 2014 2:21pm

Call for research ideas on wheat, heat and drought

The CGIAR Research Programme on wheat is calling for proposals. The work will be implemented through the Heat and Drought Wheat Improvement Consortium – HeDWIC, a Consortium to be facilitated by our host, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). CIMMYT also leads the International Wheat Improvement Network (IWIN)....

August 6, 2014 1:14pm

GCP Director’s opinion piece published in SciDev.Net

Partnerships in research for development Jean-Marcel Ribaut Read all about the nexus in agricultural research for development (R4D) where ‘upstream’ innovation meets ‘downstream’ applications – the place where GCP operates, as Jean-Marcel Ribaut, GCP’s Director, explains in his opinion piece. Published on SciDev.Net on 9th July 2014, the piece is...

July 23, 2014 9:37am

Change in dates for final General Research Meeting

Due to multiple calendar conflicts with other events that involve key participants at the GCP General Research Meeting (GRM) 2014, we have most regrettably had to reschedule the GRM, which will now be held on 6th to 10th October 2014, and not on 1st to 6th September, as we had...

June 21, 2014 6:45am

CGIAR Fund Council visit, and lessons for CRPs

In the sidelines of their meeting in Mexico earlier this month, the CGIAR Fund Council members visited our Host Centre, CIMMYT, on 9th May. The programme for the day included a GCP session at which the GCP Director, Jean-Marcel Ribaut, presented findings of the recent GCP Final External Review, and how...

May 29, 2014 12:56pm

Retooling developing-country crop breeders: IB–MYC 2014 on course

The Integrated Breeding Mutiyear Course (IB–MYC) has entered its third and final year. Implemented through our Integrated Breeding Platform (IBP), IB–MYC aims to promote and enable the adoption of modern molecular-breeding (MB) strategies and facilitative informatics technologies by developing-country breeding programmes. See summarised course outline in the diagram below. The IB–MYC training...

May 29, 2014 11:23am

IBP releases Breeding Management System version 2.1

Yesterday, 13th May 2014, saw a fresh and more robust ‘blend’ of breeding tools – the release of the enhanced Breeding Management System (BMS) version 2.1, courtesy of our Integrated Breeding Platform (IBP). BMS v2.1 is enriched by improved usability, refined functionality, plus further enhancements and new features. These improvements...

May 14, 2014 1:20pm

Groundnut research team in Tanzania soaring to success, carrying their own crosses

With the virtual ink still wet on the very latest blogpost hot off our presses, catch some up-to-the-minute happenings on groundnut research in Tanzania today, going one-on-one in-depth Q&A with Omari Mponda. Omari is a Principal Agricultural Officer and plant breeder at Tanzania’s Agricultural Research Institute (ARI), Naliendele, and country...

May 12, 2014 4:58pm

Mother’s Day Greetings

Mother’s Day is traditionally celebrated on different dates across the world. Here in Mexico (home to GCP HQ), the date for celebrating mothers is 10th May every year, and it’s a momentous event! In this spirit, and especially remembering mothers in agriculture in this International Year of Family Farming, we’d...

May 9, 2014 2:57pm