Reaching out to farmers with high zinc wheat varieties through public-private partnerships: an experience from eastern-gangetic plains of India

Abstract

The main objective of the HarvestPlus led wheat biofortification breeding program at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and its national program partners in South Asia is to develop and disseminate competitive wheat varieties with high grain zinc (Zn) and other essential agronomic features. The emphasis of this program is to introduce novel sources of genetic diversity from wild species and landraces, into the adapted wheat background. This variation is being exploited through limited backcross approach with shuttle breeding at two contrasting locations in Mexico, which resulted in widely adapted, durable rust and foliar disease resistant, high Zn wheat varieties. The new wheat varieties developed by CIMMYT in HarvestPlus project are 20-40% superior in grain Zn concentration and are agronomically at par or superior to the popular wheat cultivars of South Asia. The biofortification breeding program of CIMMYT utilizes new wheat varieties from the core-breeding program as background parents that are higher yielding, resistant to rusts, heat tolerant, wateruse efficient and 5-10% higher yielding than main varieties grown at present. The biofortified high Zn wheat varieties with 20 to 40% (8-12 mg/kg) Zn superiority and grain yield potential at par or superior to the popular wheat varieties are being adopted by small-holder farmers in South Asia. Through Public-private partnerships (PPP) more than 50,000 farmers and 250,000 household members expected to benefit from the Zn-biofortified wheat varieties in South Asia by the 2015-2016 wheat seasons.