Publications
Clarivate highly cited researcher (cross-fields) 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024
Highlighted publications
Sarah Collinson, Jill E Cairns, Lucia Ndhlala, Benjamin Deonovic, Dickson Ligeyo, Marc Albertsen, Walter Chivasa , Kingstone Mashingaidze, Michael S Olsen, Berhanu T Ertiro, BM Prasanna. 2024. Ms44-SPT: Unique genetic technology simplifies and improves hybrid maize seed production in sub-Saharan Africa. Scientific Reports 14, 32125. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83931-1
An average of 2.9 leaves are removed during the detasseling process in hybrid maize seed production
Using a series of experiments to quantify maize seed yield loss, detasseling reduces maize seed yields approximately 14%
Seed production technologies that do not require detasseling could both improve genetic quality and increase maize seed yields.
Christian Werner, Maina Zaman-Allah, Teshale A Mamo, Jill E Cairns, Gary N Atlin GN. 2024. Accelerating genetic gain through early-stage on-farm sparse testing. Trends in Plant Science https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2024.10.010
Within a market segment, farm conditions in Africa are highly heterogenous both in terms of the physical environment and diversity of smallholder farmers.
While smallholder farmers play an important role in the testing of candidate varieties at the end of the breeding pipeline, they are exposed to less than 1% of genetic variation due to high selection pressure at each stage of advancement.
We propose an early-stage on-farm sparse testing utilizes genomic relationships to shift selection from research stations to hundreds of farms in the target population of environments, facilitating increased genetic gain in farmers’ fields.
E Tatenda Hamadziripi, Sarah Collinson, Rachel C Voss, Fred Baudron, Maryke T Labuschagne, Angelinus C Franke, Maina Zaman-Allah, Mike S Olsen, Juan Burgueño , Jill E Cairns. 2024. Validating a novel genetic technology for hybrid maize seed production under management practices associated with resource-poor farmers in Zimbabwe. Plants, People, Planet https://doi.org/10.1002/PPP3.10590
Understanding the performance of new genetic technologies in farmers’ real-world realities, especially those relevant to resource-poor farmers, is often overlooked but is essential to ensure equitable benefits. A new genetic technology was developed to simplify hybrid maize seed production in sub-Saharan Africa, thereby improving farmers’ access to high quality hybrid seed. Hybrids produced with this technology segregate 50:50 for pollen-producing and non-pollen producing and are designated 50% non-pollen producing (FNP). FNP maize has higher yields in low-input environments. As recycling hybrid maize seed remains a common practice in Zimbabwe, including among resource-poor households, it is important to understand the impact of recycling FNP seed on the yield gains from the FNP technology.
While recycling hybrid maize seed reduces potential yields due to inbreeding depression, in the years when farmers cannot afford to plant hybrid maize only, recycling non-pollen producing hybrid maize seed conferred a yield benefit of 116 kg ha-1.
The findings from this study illustrate why and how new technologies should be evaluated under real-world conditions, particularly those used by resource-poor farmers.
Fred Baudron, Jill E Cairns, Stephan M Haefele, Kirsty L Hassall, Thokozile Ndhlela, Isaiah Nyagumbo, Grace Manzeke-Kangara, Edward JM Joy. 2024. Projecting the contribution of pro-vitamin A maize biofortification and other nutrition interventions to the nutritional adequacy and cost of diets in rural Zimbabwe. Journal of Nutrition https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.04.009
Vitamin A deficiency was prevalent in almost all households, regardless of their wealth, particularly in the wet seasons when the number of people within a household was higher. The daily costs of current diets were estimated at 1.43 USD in the wet season and 0.96 USD in the dry season.
Using a range of nutritional yield levels achieved by smallholder farmers in the district, modelling showed the consumption of provitamin A maize could ensure almost three-quarters of households reach 50% of their vitamin A requirement - the original target of provitamin A maize breeding.
Kirsty L Hassall, Fred Baudron, Chloe MacLaren, Jill E Cairns, Thokozile Ndhlela, Steve McGrath, Isaiah Nyagumbo, Stephan Haefele. 2023. Construction of a generalised farm typology to aid selection, targeting and scaling of onfarm research. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 212, 108074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2023.108074
Farm typologies are often used to handle the heterogeneity of smallholder farming systems by grouping farms of similar characteristics
In this study a unified framework for constructing typologies was developed that is more flexible in terms of the types of variables that can be included, in particular for binary variables.
An open-source software application that implements this framework available at: https://github.com/KirstyLHassall/TypologyGenerator
Kevin V. Pixley, Jill E. Cairns, Santiago Lopez-Ridaura, Chris O. Ojiewo, Maryam Abba Dawud, Inoussa Drabo, Taye Mindaye, Baloua Nebie, Godfrey Asea, Biswanath Das, Happy Daudi, Haile Desmae, Benoit Joseph Batieno, Ousmane Boukar, Clare T.M. Mukankusi, Stanley T. Nkalubo, Sarah J. Hearne, Kanwarpal S. Dhugga, Harish Gandhi, Sieglinde Snapp and Ernesto Adair Zepeda-Villarreal. 2023. Redesigning crop varieties to win the race between climate change and food security. Molecular Plant 16, 1590-1611,.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2023.09.003
A survey of almost 600 crop experts in Africa was used to identify current and novel traits in six major crops that will be required under future climates
While many priority breeding traits are likely to remain important, several future-essential innovative traits were identified across the
The greatest challenge to developing crop varieties that win the race between climate change and food security might be our innovativeness and boldness in defining the future traits we breed for today.
Jill E. Cairns, Frederic Baudron, Kirsty L. Hassall, Thokozile Ndhlela, Isaiah Nyagumbo, Steve P. McGrath, Stephan M. Haefele. 2022. Revisiting strategies to incorporate gender-responsiveness into maize breeding in southern Africa. Outlook on Agriculture https://doi.org/10.1177/00307270211045410
Maize variety and agronomic practices were found to be significant predictors of the gender of plot managers and household heads
Immediate entry points for gender intentionality in maize breeding include the incorporation of relevant management practices used by women at advanced stages of the breeding pipeline
Publications
Collinson S, Cairns JE, Ndhlala L, Deonovic B, Ligeyo D, Albertsen M, Chivasa W, Mashingaidze K, Olsen MS, Ertiro BT, Prasanna BM. 2024. Ms44-SPT: Unique genetic technology simplifies and improves hybrid maize seed production in sub-Saharan Africa. Scientific Reports 14, 32125. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83931-1
Werner C, Zaman-Allah M, Mamo TA, Cairns JE, Atlin GN. 2024. Accelerating genetic gain through early-stage on-farm sparse testing. Trends in Plant Science https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2024.10.010
Hamadziripi ET, Collinson S, Voss RC, Baudron F, Labuschagne MT, Franke AC, Zaman-Allah M, Olsen MS, Burgueño J, Cairns JE. 2024. Validating a novel genetic technology for hybrid maize seed production under management practices associated with resource-poor farmers in Zimbabwe. Plants, People, Planet https://doi.org/10.1002/PPP3.10590
Mukaro R, Chaingeni D, Mavankeni BO, Sneller C, Cairns JE, Musundire L, Prasanna BM, Das B, Mulanya M, Chivasa W, Mhike X, Ndhlela T, Matongera N, Matova PM, Muungani D, Mutimaamba C, Wegary D, Zaman-Allah M, Chingwara V, Magorokosho C, Kutywayo D. 2024. Genetic trends in the Zimbabwe’s national maize breeding program over two decades. Frontiers in Plant Science 15, 1391926. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1391926
Baudron F, Cairns JE, Haefele SM, Hassall KL, Ndhlela T, Nyagumbo I, Manzeke-Kangara G, Joy EJM. 2024. Projecting the contribution of pro-vitamin A maize biofortification and other nutrition interventions to the nutritional adequacy and cost of diets in rural Zimbabwe. Journal of Nutrition https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.04.009
Prasanna BM, Cairns JE, Palacios-Rojas N. 2024. Letter to the Editor of Global Food Security. Global Food Security https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2023.100729
de Sousa K, van Etten J, Manners R, Abidin E, Abdulmalik RO, Abolore B, Acheremu S, Angudubo K, Aguilar A, Arnaud E, Babu A, Barrios M, Benavente E, Boukar O, Cairns JE, Carey E, Daudi H, et al. 2024. The tricot approach: an agile framework for decentralized on‑farm testing supported by citizen science. A retrospective. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 44, 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-023-00937-1
Pixley KV, Cairns JE, Lopez-Ridaura S, Ojiewo CO, Dawud MA, Drabo I, Mindaye T, Nebie B, Asea G, Das B, Daudi H, Desmae H, Batieno BJ, Boukar O, Mukankusi CTM, Nkalubo ST, Hearne SJ, Dhugga KS, Gandhi H, Snapp S, Zepeda-Villarreal EA. 2023. Redesigning crop varieties to win the race between climate change and food security. Molecular Plant 16, 1590-1611,.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2023.09.003
Voss RC, Cairns JE, Olsen MS, Muteti FN, Magambo G, Hamadziripi E, Ligeyo D, Mashingaidze K, Collinson S, Woyengo V. 2023. Innovative approaches to integrating gender into conventional maize breeding: lessons from the Seed Production Technology for Africa project. Frontiers in Sociology 8, 1254595. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2023.1254595
Hassall KL, Baudron F, MacLaren C, Cairns JE, Ndhlela T, McGrath S, Nyagumbo I, Haefele S. 2023. Construction of a generalised farm typology to aid selection, targeting and scaling of onfarm research. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 212, 108074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2023.108074
van Etten J, de Sousa K, Cairns JE, Dell’Acqua M, Fadda C, Guereña D, van Heerwaarden J, Assefa T, Manners R, Müller A, Pèd ME, Polar V, Ramirez-Villega J, Solbergb SØ, Teeken B, Tufan HA. 2023. Data-driven approaches can harness crop diversity to address heterogeneous needs for breeding products. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120, 2205771120 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2205771120
Baggs EM, Cairns JE, Mhlanga B, Petroli CD, Chamberlin J, Karwat H, Kommerell V, Thierfelder C, Paterson E, Gowda M. 2023. Exploiting crop genotype specific root-soil interactions to enhance agronomic efficiency. Frontiers in Soil Science https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoil.2023.1125604
Smith LE, Chagwena D, Bourke CD, Robertson RC, Fernando S, Tavengwa NV, Cairns J, Ndhlela T, Matumbu E, Brown T, Datta K, Mutasa B, Tengende A, Chidhanguro D, Langhaug L, Makanza M, Chasekwa B, Mutasa K, Swann J, Kelly P, Ntozini R, Prendergast AJ. 2022. Child Health, Agriculture and Integrated Nutrition (CHAIN): protocol for a randomized controlled trial of improved infant and young child feeding in rural Zimbabwe. BMJ 12,: e056435. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056435
Ndlovu N, Spillane C, McKeown PC, Cairns JE, Das B, Gowda M. 2022. Unravelling the genetic architecture of grain quality traits under optimum and low-nitrogen stress conditions using tropical maize (Zea mays L.) germplasm. Theoretical and Applied Genetics https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-022-04224-7
Buchaillot ML, Cairns J, Hamadziripi E , Wilson K, Hughes D, Chelal J, McCloskey P, Kehs A, Clinton N, Araus JL, Kefauver SC. 2022. Regional monitoring of fall armyworm (FAW) using early warning systems. Remote Sensing 14, 5003. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14195003
Thierfelder C, Paterson E, Mwafulirwa L, Daniell TJ, Cairns JE, Mhlanga B, Baggs EM. 2021. Toward greater sustainability: how investing in soil health may enhance maize productivity in Southern Africa. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170521000442
Gowda M, Cairns JE, Mwafulirwa L, Paterson E, Thierfelder C, Daniell TJ, Baggs EM., 2021. Maize root traits to influence the rate of soil organic matter mineralization and gross nitrification can be incorporated in breeding. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 161, 108402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108402
Mwafulirwa L, Paterson E, Cairns JE, Daniell TJ, Thierfelder C, Baggs EM. 2021. Genotypic variation in maize (Zea mays) influences rates of soil organic matter mineralisation and gross nitrification. New Phytologist 231, 2015-2028. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17537
Adam R, David S, Cairns JE, Olsen M. 2021. A review of the literature on gender and chemical fertiliser use in maize production in sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics 122, 91-102.
Prasanna BM, Cairns JE, Zaidi PH, Beyene Y, Makumbi D, Gowda M, Magorokosho C, Zaman-Allah M, Olsen M, Das A, Worku M, Gethi J, Vivek BS, Nair SK, Rashid Z, Vinayan MT, Issa AB, San Vicente F, Dhliwayo T, Zhang X. 2021. Beat the stress: Breeding for climate resilience in maize for the tropical rainfed environments. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 134, 1729-1752. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-021-03773-7
Gracia-Romero A, Kefauver SC, Vergara-Díaz O, Hamadziripi E, Zaman-Allah MA, Thierfelder C, Prasanna BM, Cairns JE, Araus JL. 2020. Leaf vs. whole-canopy remote sensing methodologies for crop monitoring under conservation agriculture: A case of study with maize in Zimbabwe. Scientific Reports 10, 16008. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-73110-3
Pasley H, Camberato JJ, Cairns JE, Zaman-Allah M, Das B, Vyn TJ. 2020. Nitrogen rate impacts on tropical maize nitrogen use efficiency and soil nitrogen depletion in eastern and southern Africa. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 116, 397-408. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-020-10049-x
Mutimaamba C, MacRobert J, Cairns J, Magorokosho C, Ndhlela T, Drame KN, Diop N, Minnaar-Ontong A, Labuschagne MT. 2020. Genetic relationships among CIMMYT-Zimbabwe drought and acid-soil tolerant maize inbred lines. Crop Science 60, 991-1003 https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20009
Pasley H, Cairns JE, Camberato JJ, Vyn TJ. 2019. Nitrogen fertilizer rate impacts on plant uptake and soil availability of other nutrients in continuous maize production in Africa. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 115, 373-389. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-019-10016-1
Buchaillot MB, Gracia-Romero A, Vergara-Diaz O, Zaman-Allah M, Tarekegne A, Cairns JE, Prasanna BM, Araus JL, Kefavuer SC. 2019. Evaluating maize genotype performance under low nitrogen conditions using RGB UAV phenotyping techniques. Sensors 19, 1815. https://doi.org/10.3390/s19081815
Musundire L, Dari S, Tongoona P, Cairns JE. 2019. Molecular characterisation of maize introgressed inbred lines bred in different environments. Euphytica 215, 46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-019-2367-8
Yuan Y, Cairns JE, Babu R, Gowda M, Makumbi D, Magorokosho C, San Vicente F, Olsen M, Prasanna BM, Lu Y, Zhang Y. 2019. Genome-wide association mapping and genomic prediction analyses reveal the genetic architecture of grain yield and flowering time under drought and heat stress conditions in maize. Frontiers in Plant Science 9:1919. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.01919
Das B, Atlin GN, Olsen M, Burgueño J, Tarekegne A, Babu R, Ndou E, Mashingaidze K, Moremoholo L, Ligeyo D, Matemba-Mutasa R, Zaman-Allah M, San Vicente, Prasanna BM, Cairns JE. 2018. Identification of donors for low-nitrogen stress with maize lethal necrosis (MLN) tolerance for maize breeding in sub-Saharan Africa. Euphytica 215, 80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-019-2406-5
Hansen J, Hellin J, Rosenstock T, Fisher E, Cairns J, Stirling C, Lamanna C, van Etten J, Rose A, Campbell B. 2019. Climate risk management and rural poverty reduction. Agricultural Systems 172, 28-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2018.01.019
Thornton PK, Friedmann M, Keating B, Kumar S, Herrero M, Baedeker T, Nagia V, Claessens L, Bunn C, Giller K, Ramirez J, Whitbread A, Cairns JE, West P, Kilcline K, Howden M. 2018. Ex-ante priority setting for climate-smart agriculture research. Agricultural Systems 167, 161-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2018.09.009
Setimela P, Zaman-Allah MA, Gasura E, Cairns JE, Thierfelder C, Prasanna BM. 2018. When the going gets tough: performance of stress tolerant maize under conservation agriculture during the 2015/16 El Nino season in southern Africa. Agricultural Water Management 268, 79-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2018.09.006
Buchaillot MB, Gracia-Romero A, Zaman-Allah MA, Tarekegne A, Prasanna BM, Cairns JE, Araus JL, Kefauver SC. 2018. Evaluating the performance of different commercial and pre-commercial maize varieties under low nitrogen conditions using affordable phenotyping tools. MDPI Proceedings 2, 366. https://doi.org/10.3390/ecrs-2-05180
Makanza R, Zaman-Allah M, Cairns JE, Eyre J, Burgueño J, Pacheco A, Diepenbrock C, Magorokosho C, Tarekegne A, Olsen M, Prasanna BM. 2018. High-throughput method for ear phenotyping and kernel weight estimation in maize using ear digital imaging. Plant Methods 14, 49. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13007-018-0317-4
Cairns JE, Prasanna BM. 2018. Developing and deploying climate-resilient maize varieties in the developing world. Current Opinions in Plant Biology 45, 226-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2018.05.004
Araus JL, Kefauver SC, Zaman-Allah M, Olsen MS, Cairns JE. 2018. Translating high throughput phenotyping into genetic gain. Trends in Plant Science 23, 451-466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2018.02.001
Gracia-Romero A, Vergara-Diaz O, Thierfelder C, Cairns JE, Kefauver SC, Araus JL. 2018. Phenotyping conservation agriculture management effects on ground and aerial remote-sensing assessments of maize hybrids performance in Zimbabwe. Remote Sensing 10, 349. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10020349
Makanza R, Zaman-Allah M, Cairns JE, Magorokosho C, Tarekegne A, Olsen M, Prasanna BM. 2018. High-throughput phenotyping of canopy cover and senescence in maize field trials using aerial digital canopy imaging. Remote Sensing 10, 330. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10020330
Tesfaye K, Kruseman G, Cairns JE, Zaman-Allah M, Wegary D, Zaidi PH, Boote KJ, Rahut D, Erenstein E. 2018. Potential benefits of drought and heat tolerance for adapting maize to climate change in tropical environments. Climate Risk Management 19, 106-119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2017.10.001
Reynolds M, Cairns J, Stirling C, Low J, Campos H, Wassmann R. Stress tolerant varieties to counter climate change. In: Dinesh D, Campbell B, Bonilla-Findji O, Richards M (eds). 2017. 10 best bet innovations for adaptation in agriculture: A supplement to the UNFCCC NAP Technical Guidelines. CCAFS Working Paper no. 215. Wageningen, The Netherlands: CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).
Gracia-Romero A, Kefauver SC, Vergara-Díaz O, Zaman-Allah MA, Prasanna BM, Cairns JE, Araus JL. 2017. Comparative performance of ground versus aerially assessed RGB and multispectral indices for early-growth evaluation of maize performance under phosphorus fertilization. Frontiers in Plant Science 8, 2004. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.02004
Masuka B, van Biljon A, Cairns J, Labuschagne M, Das B, MacRobert J, Makumbi D, Magorokosho C, Ogugo V, Olsen M, Prasanna B, Tarekegne A, Semagn K. 2017. Genetic diversity among selected elite CIMMYT maize hybrids in east and southern Africa. Crop Science 57, 2395-2404. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2016.09.0754
Mutimaamba C, MacRobert J, Cairns JE, Magorokosho CE, Ndhlela T, Mukungurutse C, Minnaar-Ontong A, Labuschagne MT. 2017. Diallel analysis of acid soil tolerant and susceptible maize inbred lines for grain yield under acid and non-acid soil conditions. Euphytica 213, 88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-017-1877-5
Setimela PS, Lunduka R, Zaman-Allah M, Ndoro O, Cairns JE. 2017. Performance of elite drought tolerant maize varieties eastern and southern Africa, season 2015-16. CIMMYT, Zimbabwe.
Atlin GN, Cairns JE, Das B. 2017. Rapid breeding and varietal replacement are critical to adaption of developing-world cropping systems to climate change. Global Food Security 12, 31-37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2017.01.008
Setimela PS, Magorokosho C, Lunduka R, Gasura E, Makumbi D, Tarekegne A, Cairns JE, Ndhele T, Erenstein O, Mwangi W. 2017. On-farm yield gains with stress tolerant maize in Eastern and Southern Africa. Agronomy Journal 109, 406-417. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2015.0540
Masuka B, Atlin GN, Olsen M, Magorokosho C, Labuschagne M, Crossa J, Bänziger M, Pixley K, Vivek B, van Biljon A, Macrobert J, Alvarado G, Prasanna BM, Makumbi D, Tarekegne A, Das B, Zaman-Allah M, Cairns JE. 2017. Gains in maize genetic improvement in Eastern and Southern Africa i) CIMMYT hybrid breeding pipeline. Crop Science 57, 168-179. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2016.05.0343
Masuka B, Magorokosho C, Olsen M, Atlin GN, Bänziger M, Pixley K, Vivek B, Labuschagne M, Matemba-Mutasa R, Burguenõ J, Macrobert J, Prasanna BM, Makumbi D, Tarekegne A, Crossa J, Zaman-Allah M, van Biljon A, Cairns JE. 2017. Gains in maize genetic improvement in Eastern and Southern Africa ii) CIMMYT open pollinated varieties (OPVs) breeding pipeline. Crop Science 57, 180-191. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2016.05.0408
Tesfaye K, Sonder K, Cairns J, Magorokosho C, Tarekegne A, Kassie GT, Getaneh F, Abdoulaye T, Abate T, Erenstein O. 2016. Targeting drought tolerant maize varieties in southern Africa: a geospatial crop modelling approach using big data. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review IFAMA 19, 75-92.
Vergara-Diaz O, Zaman-Allah MA, Masuka B, Hornero A, Zarco-Tejada P, Prasanna BM, Cairns JE, Araus JL. 2016. A novel remote sensing approach for prediction of maize yield under different conditions of nitrogen fertilization. Frontiers in Plant Science 7, 666. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.00666
Obata T, Witt S, Lisec J, Palacios-Rojas N, Florez-Sarasa I, Yousfi S, Araus JL, Cairns JE, Fernie AR. 2015. Metabolite profile of maize leaves in drought, heat and combined stress field trials reveals the relationship between metabolism and grain yield. Plant Physiology 169, 2665-2683. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.15.01164
Sanchez-Bragado R, Araus JL, Scheerer U, Cairns JE, Rennenberg H, Ferrio JP. 2015. Factors preventing the performance of oxygen isotope ratios as indicators of grain yield in maize. Planta 243, 355-368. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-015-2411-4
Zaman-Allah M, Vergara O, Araus JL, Tarekegne A, Magorokosho C, Zarco-Tejeda PJ, Hornero A, Hernandez Alba A, Das B, Craufurd P, Olsen M, Prasanna BM, Cairns JE. 2015. Unmanned aerial platform-based multi-spectral imaging for field crop phenotyping in maize. Plant Methods 11, 35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13007-015-0078-2
Tesfaye K, Gbegbelegbe S, Cairns JE, Shiferaw B, Prasanna BM, Boote KJ, Sonder K, Makumbi D, Robertson R. 2015. Maize systems under climate change in sub-Saharan Africa: Potential impacts on production and food security. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management 7, 247-271. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-01-2014-0005
Almeida GD, Nair S, Borém A, Cairns JE, Trachsel S, Ribaut JM, Bänziger M, Prasanna BM, Crossa J, Babu R. 2014. Molecular mapping across three populations reveals a QTL hotspot region on chromosome 3 for secondary traits associated with drought tolerance in tropical maize. Molecular Breeding 34, 701-715. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-014-0068-5
Thierfelder C, Runinamhodzi L, Ngwira A, Mupangwa W, Nyagumbo I, Kassie GT, Cairns JE. 2014. Conservation agriculture in southern Africa: advances in knowledge about a contested cropping system. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 30, 328-348. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170513000550
Araus JL, Cairns JE. 2014. Field high-throughput phenotyping, the new crop breeding frontier. Trends in Plant Science 19, 52-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2013.09.008
Kebede AZ, Mahuku G, Burgueno J, San Vicente F, Cairns JE, Das B, Makumbi D, Magorokosho C, Windhausen VS, Melchinger AE, Atlin GN. 2013. Effectiveness of selection at CIMMYT’s main maize breeding sites in Mexico for performance at sites in Africa and vice versa. Plant Breeding 132, 299-304. https://doi.org/10.1111/pbr.12063
Cairns JE, Hellin J, Sonder K, Araus JL, MacRobert JF, Thierfelder C, Prasanna BM. 2013. Adapting maize production to climate change in sub-Saharan Africa. Food Security 5, 345-360. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-013-0256-x
Kebede AZ, Melchinger AE, Cairns JE, Araus JL, Makumbi D, Atlin GN. 2013. Relationship of line per se and testcross performance for grain yield of tropical maize in drought and well-watered trials. Crop Science 53, 1228-1236. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2012.08.0495
Cairns JE, Crossa J, Zaidi PH, Grudloyma P, Sanchez C, Araus JL, Makumbi D, Magorokosho C, Bänziger M, Menkir A, Hearne S, Atlin GN. 2013. Identification of drought, heat and combined drought and heat tolerance donors in maize (Zea mays L.). Crop Science 53, 1335-1346. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2012.09.0545
Zia S, Romano G, Spreer W, Sanchez C, Cairns J, Araus JL, Muller J. 2013. Infrared thermal imagery as a rapid tool for identifying water-stress tolerant maize genotypes of different phenology. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 199, 75-84. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-037X.2012.00537.x
Windhausen VS, Atlin GN, Crossa J, Hickey JM, Jannick J-L, Sorrels M, Ramen B, Cairns JE, Tarekegne A, Semagn K, Beyene Y, Grudloyma P, Technow F, Riedelsheimer C, Melchinger AE. 2012. Effectiveness of genomic prediction of maize hybrid performance in different breeding populations and environments. Gene Genetic Genomic 2, 1427-1436. https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.112.003699
Hellin J, Shiferaw B, Cairns JE, Reynolds M, Ortiz-Monasterio I, Bänziger M, Sonder K, La Rovere R. 2012. Climate change and food security in the developing world: potential of maize and wheat research to expand options for adaptation and mitigation. Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics 4, 311-321.
Cairns JE, Sanchez C, Vargas M, Ordoñez RA, Araus JL. 2012. Dissecting maize productivity: Ideotypes associated with grain yield under drought stress and well-watered conditions. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology 54, 107-120. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7909.2012.01156.x
Gonzalez J, de los Campos G, Perez P, Gianola D, Cairns JE, Mahuku G, Raman B, Crossa J. 2012. Genome prediction of genetic values using radial basis function neural networks. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 125, 759-771. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-012-1868-9
Masuka B, Araus JL, Das B, Sonder K, Cairns JE. 2012. Phenotyping for abiotic stress tolerance in maize. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology 54, 238-249. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7909.2012.01118
Witt S, Galicia L, Lisec J, Cairns J, Tiessen A, Araus JL, Palacios-Rojas N, Fernie AR. 2012. Metabolic and phenotypic responses of greenhouse-grown maize hybrids to experimentally controlled drought stress. Molecular Plant 5, 401-417. https://doi.org/10.1093/mp/ssr102
Cairns JE, Sonder K, Zaidi PH, Verhulst N, Mahuku G, Babu R, Nair SK, Das N, Govaerts B, Vinayan MT, Rashid Z, Noor JJ, Devi P, San Vicente F, Prasanna BM. 2012. Maize production in a changing climate. Advances in Agronomy 114, 1-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-394275-3.00006-7
Weber VS, Araus JL, Cairns JE, Sanchez C, Melchinger AE, Orsini E. 2012. Prediction of grain yield using reflectance spectra of canopy and leaves in maize plants grown under different water regimes. Field Crops Research 128, 82-90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2011.12.016
Romano G, Zia S, Spreer W, Sanchez C, Cairns J, Araus JL, Muller J. 2011. Use of thermography for high throughput phenotyping of tropical maize adaptation in water stress. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 79, 67-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2011.08.011
Wen W, Araus JL, Shah T, Cairns JE, Mahuku G, Bänziger M, Torres JL, Sanchez C, Yan J. 2011. Molecular characterisation of a diverse maize inbred line collection and its potential utilisation for stress tolerance improvement. Crop Science 51, 2569-2581. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2010.08.0465
Cairns JE, Impa SM, O’Toole JC, Jagadish SVK, Price AH. 2011. Influence of the soil physical environment on drought stress and its implications for drought research. Field Crops Research 121, 303-310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2011.01.012
Jagadish SVK, Cairns JE, Kumar A, Somayanda IM, Craufurd PQ. 2011. Does susceptibility to heat stress confound screening for drought tolerance in rice? Functional Plant Biology 38, 261-269. https://doi.org/10.1071/FP10224
Jagadish SVK, Cairns J, Laffite R, Wheeler TR, Price AH, Craufurd PQ. 2010. Genetic analysis of heat tolerance at anthesis in rice. Crop Science 50, 1633-1641. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2009.09.0516
Cairns JE, Audebert A, Mullins CE, Price AH. 2009. Mapping quantitative trait loci associated with root growth in upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) exposed to soil water-deficit in the field. Field Crops Research 114, 108-118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2009.07.009
Cairns JE, Botwright-Acuna TL, Simborio FA, Dimayuga G, Lakshmi Praba M, Leung H, Torres R, Lafitte HR. 2009 Identification of deletion mutants with improved performance under water-limited environments in rice (Oryza sativa L.) Field Crops Research 114, 159-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2009.05.007
Cairns JE, Namuco OS, Torres R, Simborio FA, Courtois B, Aquino GA, Johnson DE. 2009. Investigating early vigour in upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) Part II. Identification of QTLs controlling early vigour under greenhouse and field conditions. Field Crops Research 113, 207-217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2009.05.007
Namuco OS, Cairns JE, Johnson DE. 2009. Investigating early vigour in upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) Part I. Seedling growth and grain yield in competition with weeds. Field Crops Research 113, 197-206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2009.05.008
Serraj R, Kumar A, McNally KL, Slamet-Loedin I, Bruskiewich R, Mauleon R, Cairns J, Hijmans RJ. 2009. Improvement of drought resistance in rice. Advances in Agronomy 103, 41-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2113(09)03002-8
Lakshmi Praba M, Cairns JE, Chandrababu R, Lafitte HR. 2008. Identification of physiological traits underlying cultivar differences in drought tolerance in rice and wheat. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 195, 30-46. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-037X.2008.00341
Cairns JE, Audebert A, Price AH, Mullins CE. 2004. Effect of soil mechanical impedance on root growth of two rice varieties under drought. Plant and Soil 267, 309-318. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-005-0134-1
Price AH, Cairns JE, Horton P, Jones HG, Griffiths H. 2002. Linking drought-resistance mechanisms to drought avoidance in upland rice using a QTL approach: progress and new opportunities to integrate stomatal and mesophyll responses. Journal of Experimental Botany 53, 989-1004. https://doi.org/10.1093/jexbot/53.371.989
Book chapters
Araus JL, Kefauver SC, Zaman-Allah M, Olsen, Cairns JE. 2018. Phenotyping: New Crop Breeding Frontier. In: R. A. Meyers (ed.), Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2493-6_1036-1
K Tesfaye, M Kassie, JE Cairns, M Misko, C Stirling, T Abate, BM Prasanna, M Mekuria, H Hailu, DB Rahut, O Erenstien, B Gerard. 2017. Potential for Scaling up Climate Smart Agricultural Practices: Examples from Sub-Saharan Africa. In: WL Filho, S Belay, J Kalangu, W Menas, P Munishi, K Musiyiwa (Eds.). Climate Change Adaption in Africa. Springer International, Switzerland. pp 185-203.
JL Araus, A Elazab, O Vergara, L Cabrera-Bosquet, MD Serret, M Zaman-Allah, JE Cairns. 2015. New Technologies for Phenotyping. In: R Fritsche-Neto and A Borém (Eds). Phenomics. Springer International, Switzerland https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13677-6_1
C Stirling J Hellin, J Cairns, E Silverblatt-Buser, T Tefera, H Ngugi, S Gbegbelegbe, K Tesfaye, U Chung, K Sonder, RA Cox, N Verhulst, B Govaerts, P Alderman, M Reynolds. 2013. Shaping Sustainable Intensive Production Systems: Improved Crops and Cropping Systems in the Developing World. In: J Fuhrer and P Gregory (Eds). Effects of Climate Change on Crop and Livestock Systems. CABI International. pp. 186-203.
BM Prasanna, JE Cairns, Y Xu. 2013. Genomic Strategies and Tools for Breeding Climate Change Resilient Cereals. In: C Kole (Ed). Genomics and breeding for climate-resilient crops. Vol 1. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 213-239.
BM Prasanna, JL Araus, J Crossa, JE Cairns, N Palacios, B Das, C Magorokosho. 2013. High-throughput and precision phenotyping in cereal breeding programs. In: P.K. Gupta and R.K. Varshney (Eds), Cereal Genomics II pp. 342-374.
KL McNally, ME Naredo and JE Cairns. 2009. SNP discovery at candidate genes for drought tolerance. In: Serraj R, Bennett J and Hardy B, editors. Drought frontiers in rice - Crop improvement for increased rainfed production World: Scientific Publishing.
Popular science
JE Cairns and KL McNally. 2008. Deciphering the code. Rice Today 7(3), 36-37
JE Cairns. 2008. I’m helping to solve rice crisis. Marie Claire, Philippines.
R Serraj and JE Cairns. 2006. Diagnosing drought. Rice Today 5(3), 32-33