|
Highlights
of the Collaboration
|
|
Improving
Wheat Production and Productivity
|
The International Winter Wheat Improvement Program
Turkey is the third largest producer of wheat in the developing
world, producing on average 20 million metric tons annually on more
than 9 million hectares of cultivable land. And, like in most parts
of the CWANA region, a large amount of wheat grown in Turkey comes
from the highlands (at elevations above 900 meters), known for their
harsh environments and poor accessibility, which account for their
relative neglect when it comes to research. These areas face many
problems, including low and uncertain rainfall, severe winters,
isolation, low-yielding varieties of wheat, and a host of pests
and diseases. Grain yields are usually less than 1.3 tons per hectare,
winters are often long and cold, and seasons are short. Livelihoods
of farmers in such areas are thus negatively impacted. This is why
Turkey's Ministry of Agriculture, CIMMYT, and ICARDA joined forces
in 1990 to conduct research on winter wheats through the International
Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP).
 |
From
left, H.E. Prof. Dr Sami Guclu, Minister of Agriculture and
Rural Affairs, Turkey; Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA Director
General; and Dr Masa Iwanaga, CIMMYT Director General, in
Ankara, Turkey, February 2003. |
In support of IWWIP, Turkey generously provides access to its research
institutes and other infrastructure, enabling Turkish, CIMMYT, and
ICARDA scientists to share new winter wheat varieties with more
than 120 breeding programs in 50 countries. This is the largest
international network for breeding winter wheat. Though much of
the research is done in Turkey and at ICARDA, complementary research—for
example, molecular fingerprinting and breeding for insect resistance—is
done by CIMMYT and ICARDA.
Using both conventional and modern research techniques, this program
has achieved great success in breeding high-yielding wheat varieties
that are specifically adapted to cold areas. These improved wheat
genotypes are also resistant to insect and nematode pests, and various
fungal diseases. To date, 27 varieties developed by IWWIP have
been
released and 35 others are scheduled for release.
In addition to forging partnerships
with scientists in the region's NARS and conducting capacity building
and collaborative breeding activities, IWWIP also monitors the changing
face of pests and diseases across the region. It conducts regular
surveys to find out which pests and diseases are prevalent and where,
and has set up screening nurseries across the region, using a standardized
set of methods. In this way, the program plays a pivotal role in
coordinating the deployment of appropriate wheat varieties—either
directly to farmers in need (such as those in Afghanistan) or to
national breeding programs to use as sources of resistance to pests
and diseases threatening the crop in their countries.
The West Asia and North Africa Dryland Durum Improvement Network
(WANADDIN)
WANADDIN, funded by IFAD, was implemented in the period 1996-1998
with the objective of achieving sustainable improvement in the productivity
and production of durum wheat in the dryland environments of the
WANA region through the establishment of a formal network involving
the joint ICARDA/CIMMYT durum wheat research program and the NARS
of Algeria, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. It aimed to continue
the development of improved germplasm by incorporating new sources
of tolerance and/or resistance against the major abiotic and biotic
stresses; increase NARS self-reliance in germplasm and associated
technology development; and strengthen the basis for improving transfer
of technology activities of the NARS to dryland durum wheat farmers.
Some of the achievements of the WANADDIN project, in which Turkey
played a major role, are:
|
•
|
Identification of durum
germplasm tolerant to drought, drought and heat, and drought
and cold. Some of these cultivars have already been released. |
|
•
|
Pioneering research conducted
in Morocco on Hessian fly resistance resulted in the development
of durum germplasm combining drought tolerance and Hessian
fly resistance and has now entered a phase of intensive on-farm
testing. |
|
•
|
Sawfly resistance has
been successfully incorporated into drought-tolerant durum
wheat germplasm. |
|
•
|
Encouraging preliminary
results on Russian wheat aphid resistance have been obtained. |
|
•
|
For the first time in
the Mediterranean region, effective leaf rust resistance was
introgressed into dryland durum germplasm, e.g., genotypes
'Bicrecham' and 'Moulchahba,' which were tried in Turkey. |
|
•
|
The genetic base of durum
germplasm for yellow rust and common bunt resistance was substantially
broadened. |
In Turkey, varieties released under the WANADDIN project include
'Altin 98' (combining drought/cold tolerance with high yellow pigment)
and 'Ankara 98' (combining drought/cold tolerance with high gluten
strength). The project also helped to train NARS scientists, strengthen
institutional linkages, and improve research infrastructure and
inter-institutional, and inter-disciplinary networking.
The Integrated Research and Durum Economics Network (IRDEN)
IRDEN is a four-year project (2002-2006) funded by IFAD to foster
wider adoption of low-cost durum technologies for increased income
and improved household food security of smallholders in less-favored
areas of WANA. Implemented by ICARDA in partnership with NARS in
Algeria, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey, IRDEN builds on achievements
of its predecessor - the WANADDIN project.
The major aim of the project is to provide durum producers, especially
resource-poor smallholders, with opportunities to improve their
agricultural income and welfare by adopting productive, low-cost,
sustainable technology options compatible with their production
and consumption needs. It also provides feasible and low-cost alternatives
for broadening the income base of smallholders through the development
of income-generating activities, especially for women.
 |
Traveling
workshop in Turkey on winter wheat improvement. |
IRDEN activities in Turkey are carried out in Diyarbakir and Gaziantep
regions and cover baseline studies, site characterization, on-farm
demonstration trials of durum varieties, farmers' field days, backup
research on drought tolerance and grain quality of new durum germplasm,
and on-job-training for scientists and farmers.
Controlling Sunn pest in West Asia
Sunn pest causes severe damage to wheat and barley crops in Central
and West Asia, with infestations spreading over 15 million hectares.
It causes the damage by feeding on leaves, stems and grains. Yield
loss is commonly estimated at 20-30% in barley and 50-90% in wheat.
Apart from the direct reduction in yield, the pest also injects
chemicals that greatly reduce the baking quality of the dough. Control
of Sunn pest by chemical insecticides is expensive, costing over
US$ 100 million annually in the countries of Central and West Asia,
and poses a risk to human health, water quality and the environment.
In Turkey, about 1.5 to 2 million hectares were sprayed against
this pest in the past. Efforts to replace the insecticide-based
strategies for Sunn pest control with integrated pest management
(IPM) options have led to a reduction in the sprayed area to less
than 1million hectares.
Sunn pest infected wheat plants. |
|
Sunn pest damaged grain (left and middle) and undamaged grain
(right).. |
| |
Turkey has been involved in various ICARDA projects aimed at controlling
Sunn pest. One of the projects, funded by DFID, aims at reducing
constraints to wheat production caused by Sunn pest through the
development and application of appropriate, low-cost and environmentally
acceptable IPM approaches. Since 2001, the project has been implemented
in collaboration with NARS of Iran, Syria and Turkey and the University
of Vermont (USA), CABI Bioscience and the University of Greenwich,
UK. In Turkey, the collaborating institutions are the Plant Protection
Research Institute, Adana; Adana Mustapha Kamal University; and
the University of Cukurova.
The basic components of the project include research on economic
threshold, sex pheromone, host plant resistance, parasitoids and
entomopathogenic fungi. The work on insect-killing fungi has also
been supported by USAID since 1998, and implemented by ICARDA in
collaboration with the University of Vermont and NARS of Iran, Syria
and Turkey. To identify fungi that infect Sunn pest, researchers
concentrated their search on infected Sunn pest specimens under
fallen leaves in foothills where the Sunn pest spends the winter.
They collected several hundred strains of fungi in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Syria, Iran Turkey and Uzbekistan. Several isolates have been collected
from new generation adults in the field. This effort yielded the
world's largest collection of fungi isolated specifically from infected
Sunn pest.
 |
| Sampling
of entomopathogenic fungi in Gaziantep, Turkey, for their
persistence against Sunn pest. |
Researchers have identified potentially
useful pathogens. Some of the fungal isolates identified were so
pathogenic that they killed all of the treated insects in less than
ten days. The most prevalent species isolated was Beauveria bassiana.
This can be produced on creal grain and applied cheaply in cooperation
with farmers. Based on laboratory and greenhouse bioassays and fieldwork,
several isolates have shown great potential for use as biocontrol
agents in overwintering sites. Promising fungal isolates with appropriate
formulations will be tested, along with other IPM options, at the
IPM pilot sites established in Iran, Syria and Turkey.
In Turkey, IPM options have been extended to farmers using farmer
field schools formed around each of two IPM pilot sites. The main
challenge to implementing IPM options for Sunn pest was reliance
on chemical control. However, efforts by scientists from Turkey
and ICARDA have led to some progress in the use of IPM. Starting
from the 2004/2005 season, the Government of Turkey decided to replace
the centralized aerial spray with ground application by farmers.
This decision will encourage IPM implementation in the country.
A national IPM program supported by the Government of Turkey was
launched recently, through which farmer field schools will be established
throughout the Sunn pest affected areas in the country.
|
Collaborative
Research on Food Legumes
|
Collaboration between Turkey and ICARDA on food legume improvement
has been ongoing since the establishment of the Center in 1977.
As a result, 24 improved varieties of chickpea, lentil, and faba
bean have been released in Turkey from ICARDA-supplied materials
(Table 2).
Chickpea
Major activities have included evaluation of germplasm for cold
tolerance at Hymana and Eskisehir research stations. A large number
of cold-tolerant lines have been identified and used in the breeding
program. In addition, a large number of chickpea lines resistant
to Ascochyta blight have been identified from ICARDA-supplied materials
for release in Turkey. One of these lines, 'Gokce' (FLIP 87-8C),
which is large seeded, occupies more than 40,000 hectares.
 |
Researchers,
farmers, extensionists, and processing industry representatives
evaluate chickpea for producing leblebi (a popular snack)
in Turkey. |
Within the framework of the project on "International Selection,
Introduction and Fast Tracking of Kabuli Chickpea with Large Seed
Size, High Biomass, Yield and Ascochyta Resistance" (1997-2001),
funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)
of Australia, a large number of elite chickpea breeding materials
developed at ICARDA were evaluated at Menemen and Izmir research
stations in Turkey for Ascochyta blight and seed size. Fifty lines
with large seed size and Ascochyta blight resistance were identified
and shared for future use by the collaborating institutions. In
2004, Australian scientists identified three lines from these for
possible release. Some of these lines are also undergoing on-farm
trials in Syria and Turkey.
Lentil
Turkey is the third largest producer of lentil in the world. About
500,000 hectares of arable land is devoted to lentil cultivation,
producing more than half-a-million tons every year. The key areas
of Turkey/ICARDA collaborative activities on lentil are genetic
enhancement, human resource development and germplasm exchange.
ICARDA's key collaborators on lentil improvement in Turkey are the
Southeast Anatolian Regional Research Institute (SARRI), Diyarbakir;
the Central Research Institute for Field Crops (CRIFC), Ankara;
and GAP, Urfa. Ten improved varieties of lentil (see Table 2) have
been released in Turkey and are widely cultivated by farmers as
a result of this collaboration.
 |
Performance
of spring- and winter-sown lentil in Eskishehr, Turkey. The
winter-sown crop (right) reached maturity, while the spring-sown
crop was vulnerable to terminal drought and heat stress. |
Southeastern Anatolia, where lentil is grown on about 350,000 hectares,
mostly the red type, is the most intensive lentil-growing area in
the world. However, the region faces a major problem of wilt, which
limits production. SARRI is working with ICARDA to develop wilt-resistant,
high-yielding red lentil varieties for winter planting. Among the
varieties released, 'Firat 87' and 'Syran 96,' which combine wilt-resistance
with good standing ability for machine harvest, have been adopted
by the farmers in Southeast Anatolia. 'Firat 87,' locally known
as "Commando," is popular with consumers for its roundish
seed shape. Recently, ICARDA supplied 19 tons of a popular variety
‘Idlib-3,’ released in Syria, to Turkey to increase adoption
and impact. SARRI has also selected a large number of ICARDA germplasm
from international nurseries for use in hybridization and further
evaluation in various parts of the region.
 |
‘Firat
87,’ a red lentil variety having wilt resistance and
good standing ability for machine harvest is cultivated by
the farmers of Southeastern Anatolia. |
In the cold-prone highlands of Central Anatolia—Ankara, Tokat,
Konya, Yozgat, Corum, Sivas, Karaman, and Nevsehir—lentil is
grown on about 150,000 hectares. The areas range in altitude from
608 to 1400 m above sea level, and in peak winter the temperature
varies from -12°C to -30°C. In order to improve yields in
these areas, there is a need to shift from traditional spring to
winter planting. To achieve this, scientists of CRIFC—using
material supplied by ICARDA—have made commendable progress
in selecting winter-hardy cultivars for the region. Recently, three
high-yielding, winter-hardy varieties with a high level of resistance
to Ascochyta blight, and two high-yielding, early-spring varieties
were released for Central Anatolia. The varieties are being disseminated
among farmers mostly by the Mediterranean Seed Export Company. In
addition, CRIFC researchers have identified some winter-hardy lines,
which are now at various stages of evaluation.
 |
ICARDA
and Turkish scientists evaluate the performance of ‘Kafkas,’
a high-yielding and winter-hardy lentil variety in Turkey. |
