International Training Strengthens Global Response to Maize and Wheat Diseases to Protect Food Security

Texcoco, Mexico. Wheat and maize diseases can threaten food security by reducing yields, affecting grain quality and, in some cases, contaminating grain with harmful mycotoxins. Strengthening the ability of scientists and plant health specialists to identify, monitor and manage these threats is increasingly important as crop pathogens evolve and move across regions. Mexico, CIMMYT and its partners are helping consolidate and strengthen these capabilities through research, surveillance and specialized training to detect threats, anticipate risks and respond in a timely manner to diseases that can affect maize and wheat production. From August 3 to 14, 2026, CIMMYT brought together 22 specialists from Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan and Uruguay at its headquarters in El Batán, Mexico, for the Workshop on Surveillance, Identification, and Management of Maize and Wheat Diseases. The training was organized by the Global Surveillance and Advisory System (GSAS) and the Global Wheat Health Alliance (GWHA). The training addressed disease identification and field monitoring, integrated disease management, seed health and resistance breeding, with a focus on diseases including Fusarium head blight, wheat blast and wheat rusts, as well as tar spot and maize lethal necrosis. The program combined theoretical sessions with hands-on work in laboratories, greenhouses and the field. Participants gained experience in DNA isolation, molecular marker diagnostics and mycotoxin quantification, as well as pathogen manipulation, disease screening and phenotypic assessment. They also visited CIMMYT facilities connected to this work, including the Genebank, BioScience and Biosafety facilities, and the Seed Health Laboratory. The learning continued at CIMMYT’s experimental stations. At Agua Fría, participants examined pre-breeding and breeding plots focused on lowland maize diseases, while in Toluca they learned from active disease field trials. A visit to SENASICA’s National Phytosanitary Reference Centre introduced participants to multispectral drone surveillance for crop anomaly detection and risk prioritization, surveillance of quarantine-important pathogens, and biological pest control technologies in Mexican maize production. The program also dedicated two days to disease surveillance, forecasting and advisory activities supported by GSAS. GSAS builds on more than two decades of wheat and maize disease surveillance led by CIMMYT, Cornell University and partners. It strengthens and expands these capabilities through a system that brings together near-real-time field monitoring, advanced diagnostics, predictive modelling, data integration and advisory systems. The approach also connects field intelligence with breeding and seed systems, while incorporating capacity development and knowledge networks to strengthen preparedness for crop disease threats. Among the recent initiatives that have contributed to this experience is the Disease Early Warning and Advisory System (DEWAS), which strengthened networks for disease surveillance, diagnostics, forecasting and capacity development. Through DEWAS, more than 500 national partners from 25 countries were trained in areas including wheat rusts, wheat blast, Fusarium head blight, diagnostics and the interpretation of disease forecasting models. Cornell University led the project’s capacity development component, working with CIMMYT and other participating institutions. During the opening session, Flavio Breseghello, Director of CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program, emphasized CIMMYT’s commitment to addressing food security and food safety challenges through scientific innovation, collaborative and inclusive partnerships, and global capacity building. At the closing session, Laurajean Lewis, Director of CIMMYT’s Genetic Resources Program, and course coordinator Pawan Singh highlighted the importance of developing a skilled global network of crop health specialists capable of strengthening surveillance and breeding strategies. This collaboration connects national research and plant health institutions with scientific partners including USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Lab, Cornell University, the University of Minnesota, NASA Harvest, Aarhus University, the Global Rust Reference Centre, the University of Cambridge, the UK Met Office, the John Innes Centre and The Sainsbury Laboratory, alongside institutions across the Americas, Africa and South Asia. In Latin America, the GSAS network includes INIFAP in Mexico, INIA in Uruguay, INIAF in Bolivia, ICTA in Guatemala, DICTA in Honduras, AGROSAVIA in Colombia and CENTA in El Salvador. The training acknowledges support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, One CGIAR Initiatives B4T, the Gates Foundation, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and the Government of the United States of America. By connecting hands-on training with a broader international scientific and surveillance network, the workshop strengthens the capacity to identify emerging disease threats, share information across regions and translate that knowledge into earlier, better-informed responses. Strengthening these capabilities is particularly important when diseases affecting staple crops can disrupt production and food supply, creating risks that extend beyond agriculture to food security and, in some circumstances, national security.