China is the largest wheat producer and consumer in the world. Chinese wheat differs with wheat from other countries in several aspects such as the way of wheat consumption, wheat based cropping system, and wheat germplasm with fast grain-filling rate and resistance to several diseases including Fusarium head scab and karnal bunt. Wheat genetic improvement in China started in 1930s and great progress has been achieved after the funding of People's Republic of China. Five to six variety replacements have been recorded in the major wheat area, and each with around 10% yield increase. Introduction, reselection, hybridization, anther culture, wide cross, and use of Tai-gu male sterile system have been used to develop new varieties and the overwhelming majority of varieties at present are derived from varietal hybridization. International collaboration has provided a channel for germplasm introduction, training, and information exchange. The international wheat improvement program operated by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), has contributed greatly to wheat breeding in the world, particularly in the less developed countries. China started to introduce CIMMYT germplasm in 1970s and more than 10000 advanced lines have been introduced to China. They played a vital role in wheat production and variety development, especially in the spring-sown spring wheat region and Yunnan Province. The short stature, rust resistance, good industrial quality, and broad adaptation of CIMMYT germplasm have contributed to Chinese wheat improvement. In the spring-sown spring wheat region, one third of the acreage is sown to CIMMYT derived wheat and 5-10 varieties conferring CIMMYT parentage are released annually, and leading varieties Ningchun 4 and Xinchun 6 are good examples. A formal China-CIMMYT shuttle breeding program was initiated in earlyl980s, primarily focused on the integration of scab resistance from Chinese wheat into high yielding potential CIMMYT wheat and this has much expanded to all wheat region in 1990s. Varieties such as Ningmai 7, Ningmai 9, Chuanmaai 25, Chuanmai 30, and Dongfeng I were directly released from this project. Good quality wheat such as Zhongyou 9507, Jinan 17, Shandong 935031, and Ganchun 20, and Liao Chun 10, derived from CIMMYT wheat, are sown to more than 1 million ha each year. More importantly, around 200 Chinese scientists have visited CIMMYT and most senior wheat breeders at provincial level participated CIMMYT training course or worked at CIMMYT as visiting scientists. CIMMYT also freely provides updated wheat publications. To ensure the sustainable development of wheat production in the future, CIMMYT and China needs to work closely to increase productivity and profitability through improvement of disease resistance, industrial quality, yield potential, use of biotechnology in breeding, and bed planting system.

Global Wheat Program

English

0111|AL-ABC Program|AL-Wheat Program|R01BOOK|3

Maria del Carmen Nava

INT2411

CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection