ICARDA News

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas

P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria
Phone: (963-21) 2213433, 2213477, 2225112, 2225012
Fax: (963-21) 2213490, 2225105;
E-mail: ICARDA@CGIAR.ORG
Website: www.icarda.org
8 June 2006
                             Media contact: Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
 
Participatory Plant Breeding in Algeria
Algerian farmers, accompanied by technicians, evaluating durum wheat lines in the new PPB trial in Khroub, Algeria
A new participatory plant breeding (PPB) program on barley and durum wheat has started in Algeria. The breeding trials, established in January 2006 during the visit of Mr Mohammed Maatougui, Consultant at ICARDA from Algeria, are being coordinated by ICARDA. The barley participatory trials were established in five locations (including one research station) in western Algeria, while the durum wheat trials were established in the El Khroub station and in one farmer’s field in eastern Algeria.

Breeding material for the barley PPB trials was obtained from crosses with 'Saida,' the dominant cultivar in Algeria. The durum wheat trials in eastern Algeria were planted with Algerian breeding material, representing a wide genetic diversity.

Participants included farmers, scientists, extension specialists, technicians, and university professors (59 in western and 26 in eastern Algeria). At the end of the field selection, farmers in western Algeria requested for trials to be established in 2007 on both durum wheat and bread wheat to complement the activities on barley. Farmers in eastern Algeria requested an expansion of the program to more locations and the addition of at least one barley trial.

Algerian scientists were instrumental in the implementation of the program. These include Dr M. Labdi, Head, Research Unit, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique d’ Algerie (INRAA), Sidi Bel Abbes, western Algeria; Mr H. Mimoun, Director, Experiment Station, INRAA, Lamtar; Dr A. Benbelkacem, Head, INRAA Research Unit, El Khroub, eastern Algeria; and their staff. Three major institutions in Algeria, namely, INRAA, Institut Technique de Grandes Cultures (ITGC), and the Institute National d’Agriculture (INA), have expressed interest in supporting this initiative.

For more information contact: Dr Salvatore Ceccarelli - Dr Stefania Grando
  

About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.org) serves the entire developing world for the improvement of barley, lentil, and faba bean; and dry-area developing countries for the on-farm management of water, improvement of nutrition and productivity of small ruminants (sheep and goats), and rehabilitation and management of rangelands. In the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, ICARDA is responsible for the improvement of durum and bread wheats, chickpea, pasture and forage legumes and farming systems; and for the protection and enhancement of the natural resource base of water, land, and biodiversity.

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (www.cgiar.org) is a strategic alliance of countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations supporting15 international research centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment.
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