Annual report, 1976

CONDUCTED BY THE CENTRO INTERNACIONAL DE AGRICULTURE TROPICAL (CIAT). DEVELOPMENTS: CIAT CARRIES ON COLLABORATIVE WORK WITH THE INSTITUTO COLOMBIANO AGROPECUARIO (ICA) AT SEVERAL OF ITS EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS AND SIMILAR WORK IS DONE WITH NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL AGENCIES IN OTHER LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES. THE SEVEN STUDY AREAS INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT ARE: BEAN PRODUCTION SYSTEMS PROGRAM; CASSAVA PRODUCTION SYSTEMS PROGRAM; BEEF PRODUCTION PROGRAM; SWINE NUTRITION UNIT; REGIONAL ANDEAN MAIZE UNIT; RICE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM; AND RESEARCH SUPPORT GROUPS. THE RESULTS ACHIEVED IN 1976 ARE DESCRIBED IN DETAIL FOR EACH PROGRAM AND THE HIGHLIGHTS SUMMARIZED AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH PROGRAM SECTION. SOME OF THE KEY FEATURES COMMON TO ALL OR SEVERAL PROGRAMS ARE: MAXIMUM USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES, MINIMUM INPUT PHILOSOPHY, OUTREACH EXPANSION, INTEGRATION OF TRAINING AND RESEARCH, AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION. THE CIAT BEAN PROGRAM"S CHIEF PRODUCT IS GERMPLASM. THIS MAY BE SUPPLIED TO NATIONAL PROGRAMS AS A PROMISING SOURCE OF DISEASE OR INSECT RESISTANCE. THE MAJOR EMPHASIS OF THE CASSAVA PROGRAM IS DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF HYBRIDS FOR HIGH YIELD, DISEASE AND PEST RESISTANCE, EASE OF HARVEST, HIGH STARCH CONTENT AND LONG POST-HARVEST SHELF LIFE. MINERALS GIVEN CONSISTENTLY TO THE CATTLE IN THE HERD SYSTEMS PROJECT IMPROVED THE CALF CROP BY INCREASING CONCEPTION RATES AND REDUCING THE NUMBER OF ABORTIONS. IN BOLIVIA, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA AND PERU, RESEARCH AND PRODUCER TRAINING PROGRAMS IN SWINE PRODUCTION WERE BEGUN ON A REGIONAL LEVEL. THE EVALUATION OF SIX PROMISING RICE LINES WAS COMPLETED AND THE TRAINING AND CONFERENCE PROGRAM ACTIVITIES WERE DECENTRALIZED TO PUT THEM MORE INTO THE REALM OF EACH ONE OF THE COMMODITY PROGRAMS.