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ICARDA
and CIMMYT Harnessing the Power of Partnership in Wheat Improvement |
Tackling Pests and Diseases For winter as well as spring wheat producers, the unpredictable and variable climatic conditions and the different farming practices used can considerably aggravate the risk of disease and pest epidemics across CWANA. Pests, including Sunn pest, Hessian fly, and cyst and root lesion nematodes significantly damage production. For this reason, the development of disease- and pest-resistant wheat varieties is a key strategic component of breeding programs to improve food security across CWANA. Developing resistant varieties involves an active breeding program that constantly searches for sources of resistance within the rich gene pool of cultivated wheats and their wild relatives. The best sources of disease resistance for a particular area cannot be identified without a good understanding of the epidemiology of the diseases across CWANA's wide range of agroecologies. Pathologists from CIMMYT and ICARDA and collaborating institutions throughout the region regularly survey farmers' crops to identify the diseases affecting them. They pay close attention to the evolution of disease-causing pathogens. As new races of pathogens evolve, resistant cultivars may succumb. A major research achievement has been the identification of "hot spots" --not only in CWANA, but worldwide--where the pathogens that cause different diseases evolve most rapidly and provide the key to developing new, resistant wheat varieties. The valuable epidemiological and genetic information gained through these studies is shared through workshops and international conferences, scientific journals, and reports from international centers and their partners. The sections that follow highlight the many ways that ICARDA, CIMMYT and their partners are helping to check the progress of diseases and pests in CWANA. |