Trial Sites

Cultivar testing is a key element in the process of delivering varieties to farmers

Multi Environment Trials (MET) and GxE analysis have a rich history going back 100+ years

Trial networks for the cereal crops have been especially effective in the past

Trends in MET’s

RENACO [West and Central African Cowpea Research Network], disappeared about 10 years ago when USAID money stopped flowing

IBYAN (International Bean Yield Assessment Network) ended in 1996 for lack of funds

In the 70’s germplasm was novel, more material out there today

Greater quarantine restriction today

Growth of profit-oriented research groups, especially in Asia and LAC

weakening of NARS and IARCs?

“The poor performance of public institutions in disseminating improved varieties to small-scale farmers is broadly accepted, and there is an urgent need to design and test new institutional arrangements …..”

World Bank Development Report 2007

Changes since heyday of MET’s

Changes in computing mean better data management today

Computational Biology: Advances in bioinformatics can link site phenotyping to molecular breeding platforms

Computational Geography:

Geographic information

science and technology

The Internet

Web 2.0

A catalogue of trial sites, managed and maintained by network community: Melkassa, Ethiopia site

Proposed Pilot Project:Africa Trial Sites Catalogue - Reaching out to farmers, agronomists and plant breeders with spatially efficient, participatory testing networks

^ CIMMYT maize

^ CIMMYT maize

# CIAT bean

^ CIMMYT maize

# CIAT bean

! IITA cowpea

^ CIMMYT maize

# CIAT bean

! IITA cowpea

" Tropical Legumes I

^ CIMMYT maize

# CIAT bean

! IITA cowpea

" Tropical Legumes I

$+ GCP Pheno Network

IITA

Links to searching for cultivars, ordering seeds or nursery collections

Methods for designing field trials

Links to tools for trial management: developed in conjunction with Generation Challenge Program

Tools to report trial results online

Information on the performance of varieties is rarely online

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Trial #: 18 41 38 48 31 27 21 22 20 7

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Yield of the trial (t/ha)

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Experimental Checks

Web 2.0 tools to increase velocity of communications

. A combination of geospatial, social-networking and e-commerce ICT tools can

quickly and cheaply address the need to accelerate technology transfer and

remove bottlenecks

User Rankings for Varieties

maize

maize

Adoption of high-yielding and problem-resistant varieties is low in Africa compared to other regions

Courtesy of Stanley Wood, IFPRI

Partners in pilot initiative

Generation Challenge Program

IITA

CIAT

ICRISAT

CIMMYT

AG COMMONS

IFPRI

HarvestChoice

CGIAR ICT-KM