JULY 2017 GERMINATION.CA 59 the case in interdisciplinary work, it is easier said than done. Actual execution depends on close collaboration between breeders and social scientists from the outset. It also requires a deeper, collective understand- ing of each of these disciplines — a condition that often faces institutional and even epistemo- logical barriers. Visit cgiar.org for updates on the work being conducted by its Gender and Agriculture Research Network. —CGIAR INDIA THE CGIAR PLATFORM for Big Data in Agriculture was launched during the ninth annual ICT4D Conference in Hyderabad, India, on May 15. This new multi-centre initia- tive aims to transform food and nutritional security across the developing world through the use of big data, making it more productive, efficient, and resilient to challenges such as population increases and climate change. The six-year platform will provide global leadership in organizing open data, con- vening partners to develop innovative ideas, and demon- strating the power of big data analytics through inspiring projects. The platform is led by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture and the International Food Policy Research Institute. The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), as one of the partnering centers, will contribute to implementation of modules developed within the context of the platform and assist in the organization and convening of initiatives to support big data and its use. —icarda.org traditional wheat and their wild relatives from CIMMYT’s wheat germplasm bank. The search was successful, finding diverse genetic resources with traits that became the building blocks for zinc-enriched wheat. CIMMYT initiated bioforti- fication breeding in 2006 and four biofortified wheat varieties have been released in South Asia. Promotion of zinc-bioforti- fied wheat varieties in India and Pakistan is in the early stages and further testing and scal- ing out to other countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan and Ethiopia is underway, the scientists confirmed. Studies in India have shown that regular consumption of zinc-enriched wheat improves the overall health of women and children. The large world coverage of CIMMYT-derived varieties means that, once the program adds enhanced grain zinc levels as a core trait, many wheat farmers and consumers through- out the developing world will automatically reap the benefits of better nutrition. —Matthew O’Leary, CIMMYT. For further info visit cimmyt.org. PAKISTAN THE SINDH PROVINCIAL SEED Council has approved two GM sugarcane varieties for general cultivation. These varieties will enhance the yield and help farmers to elevate their sus- tenance and have a positive impact on the country’s eco- nomic development, the govern- ment said. The varieties are early matur- ing with a high cane and sugar recovery potential, good germi- nation, fast growth in all growth stages, and resistant to smut, rust and other diseases. MEXICO IN AN EFFORT to stamp out hidden hunger, scien- tists are calling for support to make zinc-biofor- tification a core trait in the world’s largest wheat breeding program. At least two billion people around the world suffer from micronutrient deficiency, or hidden hunger, which is characterized by iron-deficiency anemia, vitamin A and zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency remains a crucial health issue in sub- Saharan Africa and South Asia. As a key nutrient in red meat, zinc deficiency is prevalent in areas of high cereal and low animal food consumption. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) scientists are calling for funds to make increased zinc grain content a core trait in its global wheat breeding program. CIMMYT- derived wheat cultivars have contributed to more than half of the wheat varieties grown in devel- oping countries. “In wheat breeding, including zinc as a core trait — as done with high and stable yield, drought and heat tolerance and disease resist- ance — would have huge health benefits in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa,” said Ravi Singh, who leads CIMMYT’s wheat improvement program. “Around 70 per cent of the wheat varie- ties grown in these regions derive from CIMMYT breeding research.” In the early 2000s, scientists conducted large-scale screening for high zinc content in “INWHEATBREEDING,INCLUDINGZINC ASACORETRAIT—ASDONEWITHHIGH ANDSTABLEYIELD,DROUGHTANDHEAT TOLERANCEANDDISEASERESISTANCE— WOULDHAVEHUGEHEALTHBENEFITSIN SOUTHASIAANDSUB-SAHARANAFRICA.” –RaviSingh