View allAll Photos Tagged droughttolerant
In spring, this rare Puya, a drought-tolerant terrestrial bromeliad from Chile, sends up tall rose-colored spikes above evergreen rosettes of silvery gray leaves. The flowers that emerge are an intense dark blue, ranging from turquose to blue-violet.
Farmers in the village of Songshuwa, Yunnan Province, China, receive samples of seed of new drought tolerant varieties from Fan Xingming (left), then Director General of the Institute of Food Crops, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (YAAS) and now YAAS Director, during a visit by participants in the Asian Maize Network (AMNET). Maize is the main crop in southwest China and the preferred staple food for many ethnic minority populations. Drought is the primary constraint on maize production: in 2008, when this photo was taken, drought had been a problem in 6 of the last 10 years in Songshuwa. Farmers also seek varieties with good yields, disease resistance, feed quality, and other desirable characteristics.
CIMMYT has a strong and healthy collaboration with YAAS, an important part of the center's growing relationship with China. Between March 2005 and October 2008 YAAS participated in AMNET, which was funded by the Asian Development Bank and led by CIMMYT, and brought together scientists from five Southeast Asian countries—China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam—to develop and deliver drought tolerant maize varieties for poor farmers in drought-prone regions.
A key benefit of AMNET was that it enabled the sharing of breeding material between countries; the YAAS team incorporated material from CIMMYT and Thailand into their breeding program to produce high-performing, stress tolerant hybrids, and shared elite materials with the other AMNET countries. For the Chinese, as for the other participants, the connections formed were also very important. “We have close relationships with Thailand and Vietnam, and have made many visits between us,” said Fan. "Friendships are blooming among the AMNET countries.”
Fan was keen to see these friendships, and YAAS’s relationship with CIMMYT, continue. "Many of the hybrids we’ve already released use CIMMYT germplasm—without it we couldn’t make such good hybrids for farmers and we couldn’t make such a big impact on incomes or development,” he said in 2008—and indeed, YAAS continues to be an important CIMMYT partner.
Photo credit: Eloise Phipps/CIMMYT.
For more about AMNET, see CIMMYT's May 2008 e-news story "Asian maize network tackles drought," available online at: www.cimmyt.org/newsletter/37-2008/152-asian-maize-network....
For more about CIMMYT and China, see CIMMYT's blog story at: blog.cimmyt.org/?p=6188.
Ruth Kamula, a community-based seed producer in Kiboko, Kenya, planted KDV-1, a drought tolerant (DT) seed maize variety developed with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) as part of CIMMYT's Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project. "I am trying my hand at DT maize seed production because it will lift me and my family out of poverty. It is our lifeline during this time of drought," she says. (June 2009)
For more about DTMA see: dtma.cimmyt.org/.
Photo credit: Anne Wangalachi/CIMMYT.
Chairs in shady garden with woodland groundcovers in environmentally-responsible, native plant sustainable garden, Mt Cuba Center Delaware.
One of this week's runners up in our photo competition for CIMMYT staff and friends, this image by Regina Tende was taken at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute's (KARI) Kiboko Research Station, where CIMMYT works in partnership with KARI to carry out large-scale drought screening of maize. It shows a demonstration plot of different maize germplasm.
Regina works for KARI, based at KARI-Katumani, and is currently studying for a PhD in Plant Breeding at University of KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa. She did her Master’s degree research with CIMMYT, supervised by Stephen Mugo, and in 2009 she was a visiting scientist at CIMMYT-Kenya for six months. We are very happy to hear that her relationship with CIMMYT is set to continue to grow and strengthen, as her request to do her PhD research with CIMMYT has just been accepted.
Photo credit: R. Tende/CIMMYT.
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Tephrocactus articulatus var. diadematus
Common Name(s): Pine Cone Cactus
Synonym(s): Cereus articulatus, Opuntia articulata, Opuntia andicola, Tephrocactus andicolus, Opuntia diademata, Tephrocactus diadematus, Opuntia turpinii, Tephrocactus turpinii, Opuntia papyracantha, Opuntia glomerata, Tephrocactus glomeratus, Opuntia strobiliformis, Tephrocactus strobiliformis
Native Habitat: Cordoba, Mendoza, Salta, San Luis, Santiago del Estero - Argentina
Flower Color(s): White
Cultivar Availability: Common
R. Porch's Private Collection
This South African native was planted this fall in our patio garden. A succulent that is purported to have medicinal value similar to that of Aloe Vera. Frost tender and only hardy up to zone 9a. Tall red orange flower spikes are attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Slow growing, thus far.
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Tephrocactus articulatus var. diadematus
Common Name(s): Pine Cone Cactus
Synonym(s): Cereus articulatus, Opuntia articulata, Opuntia andicola, Tephrocactus andicolus, Opuntia diademata, Tephrocactus diadematus, Opuntia turpinii, Tephrocactus turpinii, Opuntia papyracantha, Opuntia glomerata, Tephrocactus glomeratus, Opuntia strobiliformis, Tephrocactus strobiliformis
Native Habitat: Cordoba, Mendoza, Salta, San Luis, Santiago del Estero - Argentina
Flower Color(s): White
Cultivar Availability: Common
R. Porch's Private Collection
Ruth Kamula, a community-based seed producer in Kiboko, Kenya, planted KDV-1, a drought tolerant (DT) seed maize variety developed with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) as part of CIMMYT's Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project. "I am trying my hand at DT maize seed production because it will lift me and my family out of poverty. It is our lifeline during this time of drought," she says. (June 2009)
Part of the image collection of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). Photo credit: Anne Wangalachi/CIMMYT.
Creative commons license: Some rights reserved:Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en
Link to original flickr set: www.flickr.com/photos/cimmyt/5100434243/in/set-7215763172...
A beautiful and majestic ornamental shrub that can reach up to 8' tall, and spread even wider in full sun. This hastily taken photo shows the density of purple blossoms that are borne on 2' long cone shaped stems. This fast growing tender perennial/biennial is hardy to zone 9a and originates from the island of Madeira deep in the Atlantic off the coast of Portugal. Very drought tolerant and attractive to bees, butterflies and birds.
A farmer leader in the Saraguro area of Loja Province, Ecuador surveys his wheat field. Prior to the 2010 release, of the wheat variety "INIAP Vivar 2010", farmers working with the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIAP) had been testing it for several years in their own plots. Named in honor of the late CIMMYT scientist Hugo Vivar, the variety is among the first products of a campaign launched in 2008 to renew Ecuador’s diminished wheat production.
Vivar gives high yields of good-quality grain, and is tolerant to drought, which has become increasingly common. It is far more resilient than earlier varieties under the rugged conditions of mountainous southern Ecuador, offering a consistent yield advantage of about 80%. Its performance bodes well for INIAP’s work to reduce Ecuador’s dependence on imported wheat, but could also generate extra income for farmers. It is based on a line developed by CIMMYT, and its good drought tolerance probably comes from a line in its pedigree that resulted from crosses made at CIMMYT between domesticated wheat and related wild species.
Until 2008, wheat research in Ecuador was in decline, as was wheat cultivation, thanks to cheap imports. While other staples were relatively unaffected, the global food price crisis of 2008 revealed this hole in the country's food security. When wheat prices spiked, Ecuador's government cushioned the blow by temporarily subsidizing imported wheat at great cost. Its long-term response was to institute a vigorous program to revitalize the nation's wheat production. Working with INIAP, the government set out realistic goals and provided about USD 4.3 million over 5 years for intensified wheat research and promotion.
The central aim of the new initiative is to expand Ecuador’s wheat area to about 50,000 hectares, enough to satisfy at least 30% of domestic demand, up from 3%. Less than two years after the 2008 decision, INIAP was already releasing improved varieties, the first in Ecuador since the early 1990s, including Vivar for southern Ecuador and San Jacinto for the country’s central and northern zones.
INIAP was able to release Vivar and San Jacinto so soon after the start of the initiative for two reasons. One was the government’s decision to thoroughly refurbish INIAP’s research infrastructure as well as to hire and train dozens more scientists and technicians. Equally crucial was CIMMYT’s unswerving support for local wheat research even during its time of relative dormancy in Ecuador. If that service had ceased, INIAP’s new wheat team would have been forced to start essentially from scratch, adding many years to the process of variety development.
Photo credit: Nathan Russell/CIMMYT.
For more information, see CIMMYT's 2010 e-news story "Ecuador's wheat awakening," available online at: www.cimmyt.org/en/about-us/media-resources/newsletter/872....
Admiring the way a resident of Mira Mesa has established a California native plant garden in the front yard. Several plants are in bloom: sunflower, mallow, fuchsia, and sage. Gravel and raised beds make for an attractive, neat low maintenance design while the native species help provide habitat for wildlife and are appropriately adapted for Southern California's climate and water conservation goals.
California native gardening can use less water than turf or exotic plants. Elimination of polluted run-off is possible when less pesticide and fertilizer is required. Stormwater filtering is enhanced with permeable pavement and rainwater harvesting techniques. Groundwater may be cleanly replenished without needing treatment or just flowing into the ocean after collecting debris and pollution along the asphalt and roadways. Erosion is reduced with layers of mulch and soil on contoured ground that allows rainwater to be channelled and captured on site.
Native plant nurseries are in operation for landscaping and habitat restoration. My favorites native plant nurseries for my locale are:
~ Tree of Life Nursery - San Juan Capistrano, California
~ Las Pilitas Nursery - Escondido, California
Also see: ~ Stormwater Planters Manage Runoff in Small Gardens
These succulent flowers are in a container in our garden up against a large granite rock, and the 4 flowers all opened up today.
Lighting stuff: Lit with a YN560-III in an 8.6 inch lastolite soft box. hand held at camera left and pointing down toward the center of the pot. Because I was trying to overpower the sun while using f22, 1/250 and iso 100, i used full power. Triggered by a Yongnuo RF-603N.
Other pictures that I've taken of succulents are in my Cactus and Succulents set. www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157633383093236/
Other plants, flowers, fruit or thingys that I've photographed using strobes can be seen in my Strobe Lit Plant set. In the description for that set, I list resources that I've used to learn how to light with off camera flash. www.flickr.com/photos/9422
A Tanzanian farmer on her maize plot, where she grows improved, drought tolerant maize variety TAN 250. It also acts as a demonstration plot in partnership with Tanzanian seed company Tanseed International Limited. These farmer-owned, farmer-managed plots are one of many strategies for promoting and encouraging adoption of improved varieties.
TAN 250 was developed in collaboration with CIMMYT's Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project, based on material from CIMMYT-Zimbabwe, CIMMYT-Mexico and Tanzania. For more about the collaboration between Tanseed and CIMMYT, see CIMMYT's June 2009 e-news story "No maize, no life!" available online at: www.cimmyt.org/en/about-us/media-resources/newsletter/pre....
For more about DTMA see: dtma.cimmyt.org.
Photo credit: Anne Wangalachi/CIMMYT.
Fabaceae (pea, or legume family) » Prosopis juliflora
PROS-oh-pis -- ancient Greek name for burdock
joo-lih-FLOR-uh -- having flowers like Albizia julibrissin (Mimosa)
commonly known as: algaroba, mesquite • Hindi: जंगली कीकर jungli kikar, काबुली कीकर kabuli-kikar, विलायती बबुल vilayati babul • Kannada: ಬೆಳ್ಳರಿ ಜಲಿ bellari jali • Marathi: विलायती शमी vilayati shami • Tamil: வன்னி vanni • Telugu: ముల్ల తుమ్మ mulla thumma
Native to: West Indies, central America, and northern South America
References: Flowers of India • Purdue University • World Agroforestry Centre
Fabaceae (pea, or legume family) » Prosopis juliflora
PROS-oh-pis -- ancient Greek name for burdock
joo-lih-FLOR-uh -- having flowers like Albizia julibrissin (Mimosa)
commonly known as: algaroba, mesquite • Hindi: जंगली कीकर jungli kikar, काबुली कीकर kabuli-kikar, विलायती बबुल vilayati babul • Kannada: ಬೆಳ್ಳರಿ ಜಲಿ bellari jali • Marathi: विलायती शमी vilayati shami • Tamil: வன்னி vanni • Telugu: ముల్ల తుమ్మ mulla thumma
Native to: West Indies, Central America, and northern South America
References: Flowers of India • Purdue University • World Agroforestry Centre
An Ecuadorian farmer holds a basket of seed of the wheat variety "INIAP Vivar 2010" at its official launch, held on 15 July 2010 in the Saraguro area of Loja Province. As part of the ceremony, farmer leaders received seed on behalf of their communities, representing a symbolic delivery from Ecuador’s National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIAP) to the farmers. Named in honor of the late CIMMYT scientist Hugo Vivar, the variety is among the first products of a campaign launched in 2008 to renew Ecuador’s diminished wheat production.
Vivar gives high yields of good-quality grain, and is tolerant to drought, which has become increasingly common. It is far more resilient than earlier varieties under the rugged conditions of mountainous southern Ecuador, offering a consistent yield advantage of about 80%. It is based on a line developed by CIMMYT, and its good drought tolerance probably comes from a line in its pedigree that resulted from crosses made at CIMMYT between domesticated wheat and related wild species. Prior to its 2010 release, farmer leaders working with INIAP had been testing Vivar for several years in their own plots. Its performance bodes well for INIAP’s work to reduce Ecuador’s dependence on imported wheat, but could also generate extra income for farmers.
Until 2008, wheat research in Ecuador was in decline, as was wheat cultivation, thanks to cheap imports. While other staples were relatively unaffected, the global food price crisis of 2008 revealed this hole in the country's food security. When wheat prices spiked, Ecuador's government cushioned the blow by temporarily subsidizing imported wheat at great cost. Its long-term response was to institute a vigorous program to revitalize the nation's wheat production. Working with INIAP, the government set out realistic goals and provided about USD 4.3 million over 5 years for intensified wheat research and promotion.
The central aim of the new initiative is to expand Ecuador’s wheat area to about 50,000 hectares, enough to satisfy at least 30% of domestic demand, up from 3%. Less than two years after the 2008 decision, INIAP was already releasing improved varieties, the first in Ecuador since the early 1990s, including Vivar for southern Ecuador and San Jacinto for the country’s central and northern zones.
INIAP was able to release Vivar and San Jacinto so soon after the start of the initiative for two reasons. One was the government’s decision to thoroughly refurbish INIAP’s research infrastructure as well as to hire and train dozens more scientists and technicians. Equally crucial was CIMMYT’s unswerving support for local wheat research even during its time of relative dormancy in Ecuador. If that service had ceased, INIAP’s new wheat team would have been forced to start essentially from scratch, adding many years to the process of variety development.
Photo credit: Nathan Russell/CIMMYT.
For more information, see CIMMYT's 2010 e-news story "Ecuador's wheat awakening," available online at: www.cimmyt.org/en/about-us/media-resources/newsletter/872....
The governor of Loja Province, Ecuador (left) and a local farmer inaugurate a new center for storing and processing grain, in the Saraguro area of Loja, while Julio César Delgado (behind), the director general of the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIAP), looks on. The center will give farmers an advantage in the face of volatile prices. The inauguration, on 15 July 2010, was held alongside the launch of "INIAP Vivar 2010", a drought tolerant, high-yielding wheat variety based on a line developed by CIMMYT and named in honor of the late scientist Hugo Vivar. These are among the first benefits of a campaign launched in 2008 to renew Ecuador’s wheat production.
Until 2008, wheat research in Ecuador was in decline, as was wheat cultivation, thanks to cheap imports. While other staples were relatively unaffected, the global food price crisis of 2008 revealed this hole in the country's food security. When wheat prices spiked, Ecuador's government cushioned the blow by temporarily subsidizing imported wheat at great cost. Its long-term response was to institute a vigorous program to revitalize the nation's wheat production. Working with INIAP, the government set out realistic goals and provided about USD 4.3 million over 5 years for intensified wheat research and promotion.
The central aim of the new initiative is to expand Ecuador’s wheat area to about 50,000 hectares, enough to satisfy at least 30% of domestic demand, up from 3%. Less than two years after the 2008 decision, INIAP was already releasing improved varieties, the first in Ecuador since the early 1990s, including Vivar for southern Ecuador and San Jacinto for the country’s central and northern zones.
INIAP was able to release Vivar and San Jacinto so soon after the start of the initiative for two reasons. One was the government’s decision to thoroughly refurbish INIAP’s research infrastructure as well as to hire and train dozens more scientists and technicians. Equally crucial was CIMMYT’s unswerving support for local wheat research even during its time of relative dormancy in Ecuador. If that service had ceased, INIAP’s new wheat team would have been forced to start essentially from scratch, adding many years to the process of variety development.
Photo credit: Nathan Russell/CIMMYT.
For more information, see CIMMYT's 2010 e-news story "Ecuador's wheat awakening," available online at: www.cimmyt.org/en/about-us/media-resources/newsletter/872....
Tanzanian farmers show off one of their healthy maize ears, of the improved, drought tolerant variety TAN 250. Through their maize plot they demonstrate the variety to their neighbors, in partnership with Tanzanian seed company Tanseed International Limited. These farmer-owned, farmer-managed demonstration plots are one of many strategies for promoting and encouraging adoption of improved varieties.
TAN 250 was developed in collaboration with CIMMYT's Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project, based on material from CIMMYT-Zimbabwe, CIMMYT-Mexico and Tanzania. For more about the collaboration between Tanseed and CIMMYT, see CIMMYT's June 2009 e-news story "No maize, no life!" available online at: www.cimmyt.org/en/newsletter/38-2009/119-genetic-resource....
For more about DTMA see: dtma.cimmyt.org.
Photo credit: Anne Wangalachi/CIMMYT.
Family: Aizoaceae
Genus: Pleiospilos nelii
Common Name(s): Split Rock
Synonym(s): Pleiospilos pedunculata, Pleiospilos tricolor
Native Habitat: Cape Province - South Africa
Flower: Orange, Yellow, White
Cultivar Availability: Common
R. Porch's Private Collection
Maize variety TAN 250 under conditions of severe drought, showing some limited grain production. The plant is extremely stunted and the ear is close to the ground. Most maize varieties would not produce ears in such conditions, but as long as TAN 250 gets water at critical stages (germination and flowering) it will divert resources to ear formation rather than leaves or stalk and will yield something.
TAN 250 is one of two improved drought tolerant varieties recently developed and registered for sale in Tanzania, through CIMMYT's Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) Project. They represent years of fruitful collaboration between CIMMYT and Tanseed International Limited, a Tanzanian seed company. TAN 250 and TAN 254 are based on ZM 401 and ZM 721, varieties selected for tolerance to drought and low soil fertility conditions by CIMMYT at Chiredzi, Zimbabwe.
For more about the collaboration between Tanseed and CIMMYT, see CIMMYT's June 2009 e-news story "No maize, no life!" available online at: www.cimmyt.org/en/about-us/media-resources/newsletter/pre....
For more about DTMA see: dtma.cimmyt.org/.
Photo credit: Anne Wangalachi/CIMMYT.
Spring is finally here and there is so much in bloom across Southern California. My studio property is 22 feet above sea level, a bona fide tsunami zone. Until a tsunami hits, I will start taking photos of my neighborhood again and other parts of Los Angeles. I've been busy at school studying Ecological Design. I've missed all of my Flickr buds and look forward to catching up with all the wonderful things you are doing.
The above image shows the main entrance to my studio garden - sun on the right side, shade on the left. All the plants are low maintenance with low water demands with the exception of the Duranta erecta in the distance which always needs water. I've noticed that many of the shade loving plants that typically require additional water, fair with less when grown at the beach.
Each of those little round things is a baby plant, ready to drop off and root. Its flowers look like this.
Bryophyllum, from the Greek for "bryo-" (sprout or swelling) plus "phyllon" (leaf), is the newer name for Kalanchoes with pendant flowers and which propagate by little plantlets or bulbils along their leaves, like this one, or in some cases, their stems.
Irrigation at Ukulima Farm in South Africa. The farm produces foundation seed of improved, drought tolerant (DT) maize varieties on a large scale and at high precision, as part of CIMMYT's Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project, funded by the Howard G Buffett Foundation. The seed is for further multiplication by small seed companies and community-based seed production groups in sub-Saharan African countries, with the aim of increasing the availability of improved DT varieties to farmers. Foundation seed can otherwise be a key constraint for seed producers.
Photo credit: John MacRobert/CIMMYT.
Ecuadorian farmers discuss the wheat variety "INIAP Vivar 2010" at its official launch, held on 15 July 2010 in the Saraguro area of Loja Province. As part of the ceremony, farmer leaders received baskets of seed on behalf of their communities, representing a symbolic delivery from Ecuador’s National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIAP) to the farmers. Named in honor of the late CIMMYT scientist Hugo Vivar, the variety is among the first products of a campaign launched in 2008 to renew Ecuador’s diminished wheat production.
Vivar gives high yields of good-quality grain, and is tolerant to drought, which has become increasingly common. It is far more resilient than earlier varieties under the rugged conditions of mountainous southern Ecuador, offering a consistent yield advantage of about 80%. It is based on a line developed by CIMMYT, and its good drought tolerance probably comes from a line in its pedigree that resulted from crosses made at CIMMYT between domesticated wheat and related wild species. Prior to its 2010 release, farmer leaders working with INIAP had been testing Vivar for several years in their own plots. Its performance bodes well for INIAP’s work to reduce Ecuador’s dependence on imported wheat, but could also generate extra income for farmers.
Until 2008, wheat research in Ecuador was in decline, as was wheat cultivation, thanks to cheap imports. While other staples were relatively unaffected, the global food price crisis of 2008 revealed this hole in the country's food security. When wheat prices spiked, Ecuador's government cushioned the blow by temporarily subsidizing imported wheat at great cost. Its long-term response was to institute a vigorous program to revitalize the nation's wheat production. Working with INIAP, the government set out realistic goals and provided about USD 4.3 million over 5 years for intensified wheat research and promotion.
The central aim of the new initiative is to expand Ecuador’s wheat area to about 50,000 hectares, enough to satisfy at least 30% of domestic demand, up from 3%. Less than two years after the 2008 decision, INIAP was already releasing improved varieties, the first in Ecuador since the early 1990s, including Vivar for southern Ecuador and San Jacinto for the country’s central and northern zones.
INIAP was able to release Vivar and San Jacinto so soon after the start of the initiative for two reasons. One was the government’s decision to thoroughly refurbish INIAP’s research infrastructure as well as to hire and train dozens more scientists and technicians. Equally crucial was CIMMYT’s unswerving support for local wheat research even during its time of relative dormancy in Ecuador. If that service had ceased, INIAP’s new wheat team would have been forced to start essentially from scratch, adding many years to the process of variety development.
Photo credit: Nathan Russell/CIMMYT.
For more information, see CIMMYT's 2010 e-news story "Ecuador's wheat awakening," available online at: www.cimmyt.org/en/about-us/media-resources/newsletter/872....
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Astrophytum ornatum
Common Name(s): Monk's Hood
Synonym(s): Echinocactus ornatus
Native Habitat: Queretaro de Arteaga, Hidalgo - Mexico
Flower Color(s): Yellow
Cultivar Availability: Common
R. Porch's Private Collection
Newly planted this fall, this hybrid is the result of crossing Echeveria pulvinata with Echeveria harmsii. Drought tolerant, prefers sun and tolerates shade. Beautiful orange flowers now budding in my winter garden. Seen here growing with scented geranium and thyme. Winter hardiness of 15-20° F.
More info provided by the grower.
Fabaceae (pea, or legume family) » Prosopis juliflora
PROS-oh-pis -- ancient Greek name for burdock
joo-lih-FLOR-uh -- having flowers like Albizia julibrissin (Mimosa)
commonly known as: algaroba, mesquite • Hindi: जंगली कीकर jungli kikar, काबुली कीकर kabuli-kikar, विलायती बबुल vilayati babul • Kannada: ಬೆಳ್ಳರಿ ಜಲಿ bellari jali • Marathi: विलायती शमी vilayati shami • Tamil: வன்னி vanni • Telugu: ముల్ల తుమ్మ mulla thumma
Native to: West Indies, central America, and northern South America
References: Flowers of India • Purdue University • World Agroforestry Centre
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Myrtillocactus geometrizans
Common Name(s): Garambullo, Bilberry Cactus, Blue Flame, Whortleberry Cactus
Synonym(s): Cereus geometrizans, Cereus pugioniferus, Myrtillocactus pugionifer, Myrtillocactus grandiareolatus
Native Habitat: Oaxaca, Puebla, Tamaulipas - Mexico
Flower: Green, White
Cultivar Availability: Common
R. Porch's Private Collection
Family: Aloaceae
Genus: Gasteria pillansii
Common Name(s):
Synonym(s): Gasteria neliana
Native Habitat: South Africa
Flower: Orange
Cultivar Availability: Uncommon
R. Porch's Private Collection
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Echeveria "Afterglow"
Common Name(s):
Synonym(s):
Native Habitat: Hybrid
Flower: Orange, Pink
Cultivar Availability: Common Locally in Some Areas
R. Porch's Private Collection
Contrast between maize ears of different varieties in Morogoro, Tanzania. From left to right they are: traditional variety Asili, improved variety TMV 1 (both currently grown by farmers), and improved, drought tolerant variety, TAN 250. The ears were all grown under the same, normal conditions on farmer field school demonstration plots, run by Tanzanian seed company Tanseed International Limited to teach farmers about drought tolerant varieties, with support from CIMMYT.
TAN 250 is one of two improved, drought tolerant varieties recently developed and registered for sale in Tanzania through CIMMYT's Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project, representing years of fruitful collaboration between CIMMYT and Tanseed. TAN 250 and TAN 254 are based on ZM 401 and ZM 721, varieties selected for tolerance to drought and low soil fertility conditions by CIMMYT at Chiredzi, Zimbabwe, and also contain material from CIMMYT-Mexico and from Tanzania.
For more about the collaboration between Tanseed and CIMMYT, see CIMMYT's June 2009 e-news story "No maize, no life!" available online at: www.cimmyt.org/en/about-us/media-resources/newsletter/pre....
For more about DTMA see: dtma.cimmyt.org.
Photo credit: Anne Wangalachi/CIMMYT.
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Pachyphytum oviferum
Common Name(s): Moonstones, Pearly Moonstones, Sugar Almond Plant
Synonym(s): Pachyphytum ovatum
Distribution: Mexico
Flower: Red, Yellow
R. Porch's Private Collection
Isaka Mashauri, managing director of Tanzanian seed company and long-term CIMMYT partner Tanseed International, shows off a marketing display of seed of several improved maize varieties. They include TAN 250 and 254, drought tolerant varieties recently developed and registered for sale in Tanzania through CIMMYT's Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project, representing years of successful collaboration between CIMMYT and Tanseed.
For more about the collaboration between Tanseed and CIMMYT, see CIMMYT's June 2009 e-news story "No maize, no life!" available online at: www.cimmyt.org/en/about-us/media-resources/newsletter/pre....
For more about DTMA see: dtma.cimmyt.org.
Photo credit: Anne Wangalachi/CIMMYT.
A seed of white, improved maize seen in close-up. The seed is of the single cross hybrid “CML 269 x CML 444”, formed by crossing two inbred lines, known in CIMMYT as CIMMYT Maize Lines or CMLs. This is a hybrid suited to tropical lowland regions, with resistance to various diseases and tolerance to drought and low levels of nitrogen. It has been used both as a cultivar grown by farmers and as a parent for three-way hybrids.
Germplasm improvement is at the core of CIMMYT’s work. The seed that is delivered to farmers is the end point of this work, and embodies the results of years of research, possessing traits such as high yield, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and improved nutritional quality.
Photo credit: Xochiquetzal Fonseca/CIMMYT.
A seed store at Ukulima Farm in South Africa. The farm produces foundation seed of improved, drought tolerant (DT) maize varieties on a large scale and at high precision, as part of CIMMYT's Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project, funded by the Howard G Buffett Foundation. The seed is for further multiplication by small seed companies and community-based seed production groups in sub-Saharan African countries, with the aim of increasing the availability of improved DT varieties to farmers. Foundation seed can otherwise be a key constraint for seed producers.
Photo credit: John MacRobert/CIMMYT.