Durum wheats: challenges and opportunities

Abstract

The importance of durum wheat as a major basic food is well established for most of countries of North and East Africa and the Near and Middle East. It is also important in the Asian Subcontinent and the Andean Region of South America as well as a major crop in Canada, the United States, Argentina, Chile, and several countries of southern and eastern Europe. Twenty-six years ago when CIMMYT's durum wheat improvement program was established, major goals were to incorporate dwarfing genes, photoperiod insensitivity, enhanced spike fertility, and better disease resistance. These goals have all been accompl ished. With the transfer of a major dwarfing gene from bread wheat to durum wheat, the resulting semidwarf durum wheats heralded significant yield advances over the tall durums and laid the foundation for a systematic breeding approach that diversified adaptation and other traits. The yield potential of the semidwarf durum wheats has risen gradually over the last 20 years and during the same period there have been significant increases in biomass, harvest index, and 1000 grain weight. Durum wheat breeding efforts have been expanded through CIMMYT's collaboration with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in Aleppo, Syria. In the midst of this spectacular yield advance and improved quality traits, we felt that to further expand the adaptability of durum wheat, there was a need to integrate the knowledge currently available in the areas of pathology, physiology, and biometry. To achieve this, we invited durum wheat workers from around the world to come to Ciudad Obregon, Mexico, for a three-day international workshop, March 23-25, 1992. Participants came from Latin America, the USA, Canada, Italy, Ethiopia, India, and Australia. Selected papers presented during the workshop and included in this Special Report provide updated information on the crop, which we believe will be useful to durum wheat workers worldwide. Applicable discussion notes were taken by G.P. Hettel and are included after the various presentations. For convenience, paper abstracts are included in a separate section beginning on page 180.