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New wheat for Afghanistan - CIMMYT’s work in Afghanistan started strong this year with the landmark release of four new wheat varieties, with many more important advances to come


July 23, 2021

By Madeline Dahm
 

CIMMYT and ARIA researchers at a test plot in Kabul, Afghanistan, in spring 2021. Photo: Zalmai Azimi
 

Over the last few decades, farmers in Afghanistan have persevered though challenging climatic and societal conditions to produce the country’s most important cereal crop: wheat.

While the country strives to meet the domestic demand of crucial cereal crops, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is working with the Agricultural Research Institute of Afghanistan (ARIA) by providing wheat germplasm, support for data collection and analysis, and variety release into the national seed system and farmers’ fields. The research was generously funded by the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

Four new varieties of rust disease-resistant, higher yielding wheat were released in 2020, and are now included in the country’s seed production system.      

“The varieties, titled Jowzjan 20, Kunar 20, Nasrat 20 and Paktia 20, were developed by the CIMMYT Global Wheat Program in Mexico, and introduced and tested in Afghanistan for several years at different research stations of the ARIA,” said Rajiv Sharma,  CIMMYT’s country representative in Afghanistan. “These new, high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties collectively cover the major wheat production domains of the country.”

The Director General of ARIA, Najibeh Ataei explained that “these varieties have happily entered into the seed chain and are in the breeder seed production stage. Successful testing in the North, East and Center of the country shows their high-level adaptability to different agroecological zones, which indicates higher farmer choice to cultivate them. We would expect multiplication to occur next season, and [the improved seed] will soon reach the farmers,” said Ataei.
 

Seed production in Afghanistan. Photo: Amir Jan
 

A timely and much needed development

Even though wheat is one of the most important staple crops in Afghanistan, domestic production is unstable and dependence on imports from neighboring countries, such as Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Iran, remains high. A 2013 study highlighted that in order for Afghanistan to achieve self-sufficiency in wheat production, the country will need serious improvements and expansion of irrigation systems, a stronger seed system that encourages a higher rate of varietal turnover, better crop management, and a systematic strengthening of the national research and extension services.

“Each of these [new varieties] will open a new gate towards improving the wheat sector in the country and help reduce our import needs,” continued Ataei.

One of the most important factors in this variety release is yield advantage: these varieties are about 9-23% higher-yielding than existing ones in the region, with a potential yield of 7991-8866 kg/ha.

Although the production target is big—7 million tons for self-sufficiency—the release of these four varieties, along with continuous progress in research and collaboration with ARIA, shows progress towards the country’s goals and needs.

“According to my recent regional survey, the farmers will be happy to cultivate these four varieties, as they always are with CIMMYT’s wheat,” said Ataei. “I do appreciate CIMMYT Afghanistan for supporting ARIA in this initiative.”

Keep an eye out for more developments and publications from CIMMYT’s work in Afghanistan this year.

 



More news from:
    . CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research)
    . CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center)


Website: http://www.cgiar.org

Published: July 23, 2021

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