| Abstract |
World wheat production for the year ending mid-1977 was 413 million metric tons, an all-time record (U.S.D.A. World Grain Situation, Nov. 11, 1977). Collectively, the developing nations also produced a record crop, totaling 95 million metric tons. On the one hand, India, Pakistan, and Turkey harvested record crops of 29, 8.9, and 16 million metric tons, respectively. On the other hand, wheat production in the North African countries dropped appreciably because of droughts. The area sown to high yielding varieties continues to increase in the developing nations. But, much of the higher yield and production is the result of increased use of fertilizer combined with such improved cultural practices as better conservation and utilization of soil moisture and better control of weeds. Despite encouraging progress toward greater wheat production in the developing nations during the past decade, continuing imports indicate a deficit of about one quarter of their requirements. This deficit serves to remind both wheat scientists and policy makers that greater efforts must be made to encourage wider adoption by farmers of the technology available. Concurrently, research must be continued to improve the efficiency of the present technology, reduce risks while at the same time attempt to raise yield potentials to new heights. The wheat production technology currently available to most of the developing nations is capable of doubling yields and production, if widely adopted by all farmers. The rate with which this is accomplished will, in large part, be determined by the manipulation of two factors: (1) the use of more effective and widespread "on farm" demonstrations to show the value of high yield technology and (2), the employment and/or continuation by governments of economic policies that will encourage the adoption of high yield technology by their farmers, especially the small farmer. The genetic yield potential of the currently available high yield spring wheat varieties (HYSWV) when employed with a package of superior agronomic practices - is, as mentioned, adequate to double or even triple yield and production in those developing countries where they are adapted. One must assume that adequate continued breeding is maintained to ensure that the varieties remain resistant to disease epidemics and insect infestations. For those transitional geographic areas where a higher level of cold tolerance is required than is present in the currently available high yielding spring habit varieties, new varieties are being developed by intercrossing the HYSWV with those of winter habit. The probability also exists that the genetic yield potential of the spring habit types can be further raised in the process. It is, therefore, apparent that much of the research effort of CIMMYT in the next 10 years must be devoted to minimizing the risks of serious crop losses from diseases, insects and weeds, insofar as this is biologically and technologically possible. Much of the information in this report deals with different approaches to this complex problem. There are more than forty diseases and insects that can cause severe economic losses to the wheat crop under certain conditions. The greatest danger worldwide in terms of severe crop losses is the regional rust epidemic, that can arise as a result of the attack of any one of the three species of air-borne rust pathogens (Puccinia spp) . This is not to suggest that severe and widespread wheat crop losses, in the future, from Septoria spp and from the aphid transmitted Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus will not increase. Much of the information presented in this report describes the multiple approach research effort that is now under way to reduce the risk from disease losses. It involves: (1) broadening the genetic base of varietal disease resistance, (2) expanding and improving CIMMYT regional disease testing facilities in order to assist developing nations to identify breeding lines that possess unusually broad spectra of disease resistance genes, (3) strengthening cooperative disease resistance testing among national programs, (4) continuing to promote the growing of a number of varieties, with different combinations of genes for disease resistance, in each geographic region, (5) assisting national programs to develop and promote the use of multi-line varieties, which have the genetic potential of slowing the development and spread of rust, thus allowing the crop to mature with little damage when a new race(s) of the rust pathogen appear, (6) improving the disease surveillance capabilities of national and regional programs, thus providing an early warning of the appearance of new rust races, and an opportunity for national programs to identify, multiply and distribute new varieties with a suitable combination of genes to provide protection against the change in virulence in the pathogen population, (7) encouraging the establishment and development of strong seed multiplication and distribution organizations which will assure the timely rapid distribution to farmers of new lines released by the breeding programs - inefficiency and bureaucratic procedures in seed organizations now contribute greatly and unnecessarily to the vulnerability of the wheat crop to losses from diseases, (8) modestly expanding the research on the use of chemicals for rust control when emergencies arise and (9), the continuation .of and strengthening of in-service interdisciplinary training, at the CIMMYT base and later at the regional programs, of large numbers of young scientists from the developing nations, to better assist these nations to cope with many of the complex problems that affect wheat and other crop productions. CIMMYT has been involved for the past 12 years in an interdisciplinary triticale research program designed to explore the feasibility of developing these "man-made" species into a commercial crop. The progress that has been made is impressive and is summarized in this report. Currently under certain soil and climatic conditions some of the newer triticale varieties are superior in grain yield to the best wheat varieties. Although there are still many unsolved problems, triticale appears on the verge of becoming another useful arm in the world food production arsenal. CIMMYT would like to make this annual report an up to date compendium of the current status of research and production in wheat so that in one place, all the wheat workers will have an opportunity to exchange varietal material and knowledge through this medium. A number of cooperating National Programs it will be noted, have submitted short reports. We wish to urge other countries to provide similar reviews for future annual reports. |
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