c.saintpierre@cgiar.org

The development of wheat cultivars adapted to various wheat-growing regions worldwide has been largely facilitated by the exchange of germplasm and data. The CIMMYT International Wheat Improvement Network (IWIN) has played a pivotal role in fostering a global network for wheat innovation, focusing on germplasm development and sustainable agricultural productivity, particularly in the Global South.

Collaborating with local breeding programs and other CGIAR networks, IWIN annually supply CIMMYT improved wheat lines as well as genebank accessions to about 90 countries.

As a consequence, improved wheat varieties developed using CGIAR breeding lines cover more than 100 million hectares globally. In regions like South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, CIMMYT-derived varieties dominate, illustrating the significance of germplasm sharing. Genetic gains have been documented, as evidenced by analyses of the Semi-Arid Wheat Yield Trials (SAWYT) conducted across 740 locations in 66 countries from 2002 to 2014, revealing an average yield increase of 1.8% in low-yielding environments and 1.41% in medium-yielding environments.

CIMMYT's partnerships extend beyond breeding networks, collaborating with academia through initiatives like HeDWIC and IWYP to deterministically improve quantitative traits like radiation use efficiency and climate resilience making use of genetic resources to accumulate complementary alleles and thereby broaden wheat breeding genepools. These efforts are complemented by international programs like the Wheat Initiative and the CIMMYT Australia ICARDA Germplasm Evaluation program, which further strengthen global food security and crop productivity. The seamless exchange of information and data between CIMMYT and national breeding programs reinforces the effectiveness of these networks.

Integration of historical breeding trial data with advancements in machine learning and deep learning techniques offers promising strategies to address challenges posed by climate change in agriculture. However, the sustainability of these efforts depends on continued collaboration and information sharing.