ICS-CAAS and CIMMYT Jointly Host Wheat Field Days in Mexico

From March 24 to 30, the 2026 CIMMYT Wheat Field Days and China–CIMMYT High-Level Wheat Symposium, jointly organized by the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ICS-CAAS), and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), took place in Ciudad Obregón, Mexico, the birthplace of the Green Revolution. The event was organized under the leadership of Academician He Zhonghu, a wheat breeder and head of CIMMYT’s China Office. It provided an opportunity to observe new wheat varieties developed over more than 70 years by CIMMYT breeders, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Norman Borlaug and World Food Prize laureate Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram. Participants exchanged recent advances in the use of speed breeding, genomics, and phenotyping and physiological evaluation platforms to improve nutritional and health-related quality and address climate change, further strengthening cooperation between the two sides. The event brought together 62 experts from 10 Chinese and international institutions, including ICS-CAAS, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Agricultural University, Northwest A&F University, Nanjing Agricultural University, Huazhong Agricultural University, Shandong Agricultural University, Hebei Agricultural University, and CIMMYT.

During the event, Dr. Sarah Hearne, CIMMYT’s Chief Science and Innovation Officer, presented a comprehensive account of CIMMYT’s development and its new strategies for addressing climate change and other challenges. She also recognized China’s rapid progress in agricultural science and technology, particularly in the development of new technologies. Against a backdrop of continuing geopolitical conflicts and deepening global connectivity, she expressed her hope for stronger cooperation with China in crop science to bring more cutting-edge technologies to developing countries.

Speaking on behalf of the Chinese delegation, Prof. Zhou Wenbin, Director General of ICS-CAAS, noted that the institute, as the coordinating institution on the Chinese side, has cooperated with CIMMYT for nearly 50 years. Drawing on China’s strengths in advanced wheat breeding technologies, biotechnology, and smart agriculture, together with CIMMYT’s global network for dissemination and collaboration, ICS-CAAS has actively participated in global agricultural science and technology governance and promoted a new model of international cooperation driven by both technology and networks. He expressed the hope that the two sides would continue to explore new fields and models of cooperation, use the China–CIMMYT platform to advance practical South–South cooperation, and further strengthen their strategic partnership.

Chinese and international scientists presented their research on the exploration of wheat germplasm, new breeding technologies, and smart agriculture, and discussed recent advances at the frontiers of wheat science. Participants observed CIMMYT’s research achievements in wheat germplasm, durum and bread wheat improvement, wheat wide hybridization, wheat physiology, and conservation agriculture. The two sides agreed to deepen and broaden cooperation on the basis of their existing partnership, seeking new breakthroughs in germplasm sharing and utilization, new technologies for wheat quality improvement, and climate-resilient crop production systems. They also agreed to pursue further substantive progress in planning new projects, promoting personnel exchanges, and establishing long-term cooperation mechanisms.

Before the symposium, the Chinese delegation also visited CIMMYT headquarters, where they toured the CIMMYT museum, genebank, biotechnology laboratory, grain quality laboratory, and conservation agriculture experimental fields.