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
30 October 2008
Media contact: icarda-media@cgiar.org
 
Research Progress Continues in Mexico
Production of high-quality certified seed of faba bean variety San Isidro. ICAMEX legume breeders Salvador Mucino and Mario Lopez, who coordinated testing and release of the variety, visited ICARDA headquarters last year, for a skill-development program.
ICARDA has worked in Latin America for many years, in partnership with national research centers, NGOs and development agencies in the dry areas of the region. One key partner has been the Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Research and Training Institute of the State of Mexico (ICAMEX). Collaboration with ICAMEX includes two research projects to develop new varieties of barley, faba bean and chickpea. Barley varieties are developed by ICARDA's Latin America Regional Program, while legume varieties are developed at ICARDA headquarters. ICAMEX is responsible for testing and selection.

ICARDA's barley breeder Flavio Capettini travelled to Mexico last month, to visit project sites and review results from last season's work. For each crop, on-farm trials were conducted at three or four locations across the state. Last season, 45 elite barley lines were tested in yield trials. Nine high-yielding, disease-resistant lines have been identified, and are potential candidates for release, subject to further testing and quality evaluation. A new barley variety, Doña Josefa, was released recently, developed from improved germplasm supplied by ICARDA. It is now being tested by the brewing industry, in view of its excellent malting quality traits.

Broad partnerships for better impact: barley researchers from ICAMEX, ICARDA and the private sector. Flavio Capettini, ICARDA barley breeder, is second from left.
Progress in legumes research has been equally encouraging. Elite legume lines were identified, and used extensively in crosses; some elite lines are potential candidates for release. The faba bean variety San Isidro, resistant to chocolate spot disease, was released in 2004, and there is strong demand for seed. It is now being multiplied and distributed to farmers, and cultivation is expected to increase significantly next season. Other new faba bean lines are in advanced stages of testing. In chickpea, a number of advanced lines are being tested. These will be used to increase the genetic diversity in the national breeding program. They will also target specific traits (seed size, color) that are important in the export market. Mexico exports large quantities of kabuli chickpea to Spain, and the ICAMEX-ICARDA projects are contributing to national efforts to stabilize and expand this trade.

ICARDA is also exploring opportunities for collaboration with the private sector - notably the Mexican brewing industry, which uses over a million tons of barley each year. Dr Capettini met with R&D teams from two private firms, which together account for almost the entire large-scale commercial production in the country. The discussions helped identify research priorities and discuss a framework for collaboration.
 

About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.org) is one of the 15 international research centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ICARDA 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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