Ilgaz, Turkey
February 12, 2016
Source: CIMMYT Blog
by Aziz A. Karimov
IWWIP 2015 Annual Meeting Participants. Photo: Kumarse Nazari/ICARDA
The International Winter Wheat Improvement Program’s (IWWIP) 2015 achievements in developing improved winter wheat varieties for Central and West Asia were presented by IWWIP coordinators and Turkish collaborators during the program’s annual meeting in Ilgaz, Turkey.
Founded in the mid-1980s, IWWIP is a joint breeding program run by Turkey’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MFAL), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). IWWIP’s aim is to develop winter and facultative wheat germplasm for Central and West Asia and facilitate germplasm exchange for the global wheat breeding community. Around 50 participants attended the meeting, including researchers from Turkish national research institutes, scientists from CIMMYT and ICARDA as well as guest wheat scientists from Canada, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.
“IWWIP is a highly effective program and a true partnership between Turkey’s national program and two international centers working together for the benefit of the region and the global winter wheat breeding community through development of superior germplasm and facilitation of germplasm exchange,” said Isa Ozkan, Head of the Department of Field Crops, General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies, MFAL, at the opening of the meeting.
“IWWIP is the only global program supplying winter wheat germplasm to more than 100 breeding programs in over 50 countries,” said Alexey Morgounov, Head of IWWIP. Amer Dababat, CIMMYT-Turkey nematologist, underlined the importance of developing improved screening and control methods for soil borne pathogens, microscopic organisms that damage plants. National partners also presented IWWIP’s work throughout Turkey at the meeting.
Gavin Humphreys, research scientist at Ottawa Research and Development Center, stressed that breeding programs in Canada seek to improve grain yield, winter survival and disease resistance. In particular, he mentioned the significance of winter wheat in crop rotations and for protecting land against wind and water erosion.
“Of more than two million hectares of total irrigated wheat in Iran, about 850,000 are located in cold regions of the country with an average grain of nearly 3,000 kilograms per hectare,” said Amir Yazdansepas, associate professor at Iran’s Seed and Plant Improvement Institute. Yazdansepas mentioned that breeding programs in such environments should pay close attention to developing resistance and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses.
Atiq-ur-Rehman Rattu, national coordinator of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, presented winter wheat prospects in Pakistan and highlighted the introduction and expansion of winter wheat in single cropping zones, as well as adoption of resource conserving crop management practices in the country. Global perspectives for wheat production and the need to further improve yield potential in order to meet the rising demand for food and fuel were also discussed at the meeting.
Learn more about IWWIP at www.iwwip.org
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