Latest Updates

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  Evidence to Impact: MLN-Resistant Maize, Farmer-Proven

  From Naivasha, With Resilience: GIZ and Partners at the MLN Frontline Dr. Suresh, L.M.  As part of the ABF Matching Grant Fund partners’ workshop in Nairobi, CIMMYT—together with KALRO—welcomed 40+ representatives from GIZ and allied organizations to the MLN Screening Facility in Naivasha. The brief was simple and serious: show how science, discipline, and partnership are translating into resilient maize for African farmers. We walked the group through the full arc—from rigorous phenotyping and IMIC-Africa collaborative trials to gene-editing pipelines targeting durable resistance. In the field lab, teams handled MCMV immunostrips and saw how simple diagnostics power real-time surveillance. On the operations side, we unpacked MLN-free seed production protocols, capacity-building modules, and live inoculation procedures that make “clean at the source” more than a slogan. Visitors came to see the engine, not the brochure: facility workflows, experimental nurseries, IMIC trials, gene-editing plots. Their questions cut to the chase—West Africa’s risk profile, timelines for ...

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  IMIC-Africa Field Days 2025: Partners Share Insights on Innovation and Collaboration

  IMIC-Africa Field Days 2025 united partners to explore elite maize hybrids and advance resilient, high-yield innovations for African farmers By Maria Monayo and Dr. Suresh, L.M. November 6, 2025 (Photo: CIMMYT/Maria Monayo) The Annual International Maize Improvement Consortium for Africa (IMIC-Africa) Field Day brought together seed companies, breeders, and researchers from across the continent to explore maize innovations and strengthen collaboration. Over the two days at KALRO-CIMMYT’s Kiboko and Naivasha research stations, participants observed over 800 lines of elite hybrids, selected promising lines, and shared perspectives on the future of maize breeding in the region. Field selections at Kiboko: Seeing and choosing firsthand At Kiboko, rows of trial plots showcased CIMMYT maize hybrids bred for resilience and productivity. Participants evaluated materials spanning the breeding pipeline — from early-stage experimental lines to advanced hybrids close to commercialization — ensuring that companies could select options that fit their local conditions and farmer needs. Selections focused on traits most critical ...

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  Cross-Continental Learning: Indian Maize Scientists Visit CIMMYT-Kenya Under ICAR-CIMMYT Collaboration

  By L.M. Suresh, CIMMYT, Nairobi, Kenya, and P.H. Zaidi, CIMMYT, Hyderabad, India In September 2025, a team of four scientists from the Indian Maize Program embarked on a transformative journey to the Global Maize Program (GMP) at CIMMYT in Kenya, organized under the ICAR-CIMMYT collaborative program on maize. The delegation included Sunil Neelam and Bhupender Kumar from ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research (ICAR-IIMR), Ludhiana, Jayasudha S. from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, and Sunil R. Karad from Mahatma Phule Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (MPKV), Maize Station at Kolhapur. The week-long visit, held from 22-28 September, formed part of an advanced training-cum-exposure program aimed at strengthening collaborative research betweenICAR and CIMMYT. The visit took place across several key GMP research stations in Kenya, each showcasing cutting-edge technologies and practices in maize breeding, precision phenotyping, and pest and disease management. From the bustling laboratories in Nairobi to the remote fields of Naivasha and Kiboko, ...

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  Partners in Resilience: Co-developing Stress-Ready Maize for Africa

  IMIC-Africa Field Day | Turning MLN from crisis to comeback Dr. Suresh,L.M. (10th Sep 2025) : Maize still carries dinner on its back for 200M+ households across sub-Saharan Africa, yet yields keep taking punches from drought, foliar complexes, and—let’s be honest—the heavyweight champ of disruption this past decade: Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN). It hasn’t just slashed harvests; it has jammed seed movement and rattled confidence across markets. That’s why, back in 2018, CIMMYT doubled down with IMIC-Africa—a public–private engine designed the old-fashioned way (clear roles, shared protocols, field rigor) but tuned for modern speed (data pipes, fast go/no-go, and clean-seed discipline). The result? A living proof-point that when NARES, NPPOs, and seed companies pull in one direction, resilience stops being a slogan and starts being a supply. At the heart of this partnership sits the Naivasha MLN platform, co-run with KALRO—a world benchmark where rigor isn’t a buzzword, it’s the air everyone ...

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  Screening cycle for deadly MLN virus set to begin in Kenya during October 2025

  The maize lethal necrosis (MLN) artificial inoculation screening site in Naivasha, Kenya will begin its next phenotyping (screening/ indexing) cycle 2025 at the beginning of October 2025, interested organizations from both the private and public sectors are invited to send maize germplasm for screening. In 2013, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) jointly established the MLN screening facility at the KALRO Naivasha research station in Kenya’s Rift Valley with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. MLN was first discovered in Kenya in 2011 and quickly spread to other parts of eastern Africa; the disease causes premature plant death and unfilled, poorly formed maize cobs, and can lead to up to 100 percent yield loss in farmers’ fields. CIMMYT and its partners are dedicated to stopping the spread of this deadly maize ...

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  Maize Seed Tracker: A Digital Decision Tool for Maize Lethal Necrosis-Free Seed Production

  CIMMYT’s Maize Seed Tracker is helping farmers and partners in Kenya prevent MLN, protect seed quality, and build resilient food systems through real-time, data-driven action By L.M. Suresh, Marion Aluoch and Maria Monayo July 10, 2025 MST - Live seed tracker from Kenya during July 2025 Since its first detection in Kenya in 2011, Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) has spread to neighboring countries, severely affecting yields and compromising seed quality. The disease poses a serious risk, particularly in Sub-Saharan African regions where maize is a dietary staple and a cornerstone of rural economies. In response, CIMMYT in association with IITA , in collaboration with the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), developed the Maize Seed Tracker (MST)—a digital decision support tool designed to promote clean, MLN-free seed production and strengthen decision-making across the maize value chain. A Tool Designed for Precision and Prevention MST is a mobile– and web-based application built on the Open Data Kit (ODK) platform. Designed for flexibility, it functions both online and offline, ...