Three decades of international collaboration in wheat breeding research have added as much as 10.7 million tons of grain — worth US $3.4 billion — to China’s national wheat output, according to a study by the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy (CCAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Published today, the study examines China’s free use of improved wheat lines and other genetic resources from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) during 1982-2011, based on a comprehensive dataset covering planted area, pedigree, and agronomic traits by variety for 17 major wheat-growing provinces in China. “CIMMYT contributions are present in more than 26% of all major wheat varieties in China after 2000,” said agricultural economist Dr. HUANG Jikun, first author of the study.

The study shows that this genetic crossing has significantly enhanced China varieties’ performance for critical traits like yield potential, grain processing quality, disease resistance, and early maturity.

The results have been published by Mexico, DF (The Impact of CIMMYT Wheat Germplasm on Wheat Productivity in China. 2015. Jikun Huang; Cheng Xiang; Yanqing Wang. Mexico, DF (Mexico). CGIAR Research Program on Wheat. Series: CRP Wheat)..

Read more about the study and for contacts, please click the link: http://wheat.org/global-partnership-propels-wheat-productivity-in-china/