August 2011
Source: SEED INFO 41, Official newsletter of the WANA Seed Network, July 2011 (page 17 & 18)
Rust resistant wheat
Ethiopia is among those countries where the devastating stem rust strain Ug99 was reported. In addition, yellow rust epidemics are very common. In 2010, the yellow rust epidemics led to significant yield losses – up to 80% in some major wheat production zones in the country. Most of the commercially available varieties succumbed to yellow rust. The national wheat breeding program is working closely with international agricultural research centers like ICARDA and CIMMYT to counter the threat by focusing on:
- Screening segregating populations received from ICARDA to identify rust resistant lines
- Introducing and directly testing advanced lines for adaptation, agronomic performance, and disease resistance
- Popularizing and demonstrating resistant wheat varieties
- Accelerating seed multiplication of resistant wheat varieties
ICARDA constituted a special rust-resistance nursery for East Africa to work closely with the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) to fast track, in the key wheat producing regions of the country, the variety release and accelerate seed multiplication of promising bread wheat lines. These lines would have combined resistance to the stem rust strain Ug99 and other major diseases, such as yellow rust and septoria.
EIAR and ICARDA identified several promising lines. Based on their performances in on-farm verification trials across the country during the 2009 and 2010 crop seasons, three were officially released by the National Variety Release Committee on 23 February 2011. These new varieties include Flag 5 (PYN/BAU//MILAN), ETBW5483 (UTQE96 /3/PYN/BAU//Milan), and ETBW5496 (UTQE96/3/PYN/BAU//Milan). Flag 5 (released as ‘Galana’) has a combined resistance to yellow rust, stem rust (Ug99), and septoria and gave a yield of 5.14 t/ha – about 21% more than the most popular standard variety (Kubsa). Similarly, ETBW5483 (released as ‘Shorima’) and ETBW5496 (provisionally released) gave average yields of 5.41 t/ha and 5.44 t/ha. Both varieties have an average yield advantage of about 21% over the standard check and have a combined resistance to yellow rust, stem rust, and septoria. This is a significant contribution to ensuring food security at a time when national wheat production is threatened by yellow rust in Ethiopia and elsewhere in East Africa and Middle East region.
ICARDA, together with the USAID Famine Fund Project, is supporting accelerated seed multiplication (off-season and main season) and popularization of these newly released varieties by working with partners, including EIAR, Ethiopian Seed Enterprise, NGOs and others to ensure timely availability and access to quality seed by farming communities across the country.
Quality protein maize
In another development, quality protein maize (QPM) variety, AMH760Q, was released through a joint effort of EIAR and CIMMYT. The new variety is a three-way cross hybrid adapted to the mid-altitude to highland agro- ecologies of Ethiopia. It is a nutritionally enhanced version of Ethiopia‘s most popular maize hybrid, BH660, which was developed at the EIAR’s Bako Agricultural Research Center and released in 1994. It is considered important for food security in Ethiopia, as it will address the needs of a large population within a short time period. Oromia Seed Enterprise and Ethiopian Seed Enterprise are among the public sector seed suppliers planning to produce AMH760Q and market it within the region.
Firdissa Eticha, Kulumsa ARC, EIAR, Arsi, Ethiopia. E-mail: firdissa@yahoo.com.
Osman Abdalla and Zewdie Bishaw, BIGM, ICARDA, Aleppo, Syria. E-mail: z.bishaw@cgiar.org
(Note: News on QPM is from Plant Breeding News Edition 224 May 2011)
Full article, on pages 17 & 18
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