Wheat grain yield is influenced by genotype as well as by environmental factors that affect wheat during the whole period of ontogenesis. Therefore, evaluation of germplasm imported from the international research centers CIMMYT and ICARDA under various soil and climatic conditions ofthe republic is of definite theoretical and practical importance. Testing of diverse germplasm under different environments provides data that can be used for selecting genotypes adapted to specific regions and utilized in breeding programs. During 1998-2003, more than 1000 entries were tested under dryland conditions at Gobustan Regional Base Station of RI of Agriculture These entries were introduced through the international nurseries provided by CIMMYT and ICARDA, such as Heat Tolerance Wheat Yield Trial (HTWYT), Winter Wheat Observation Nursery for Semiarid Areas (WWON-SA), Winter Wheat East European Replicated Yield Trail (WWEERYT), Regional Bread Wheat Heat and Drought Tolerance Observation Nursery (RBWHADTON), etc. Phenology notes were taken, fungi disease reaction scores were obtained, and yield and yield components were measured. The results suggested that most of the studied entries demonstrated sufficient cold tolerance, despite the cold winter in the Gobustan zone (located 750 m above sea level), which is characterized with occasional drops in temperature down to -15-20 °C. Some entries appeared to mature earlier than the check variety Bezostaya- 1. Long-term studies showed that number of days from January 1 to heading for the introduced genotypes varies within 131-138, while it ranges between 144 and 150 for the standard variety Bezostaya-1. Earliness of some introduced entries allows them to escape the spring- summer drought and to generate high yield. It is necessary to note that the selected genotypes differed by the level of their resistance to diseases. Thus, disease severity and reaction in the introduced lines varied within R-20 and MR, while 30-40 MS was recorded for Bezostaya-1. Plant height of the selected genotypes varied from 88 to 105 cm, whereas 115-120 cm was recorded for that in Bezostaya-1. Shorter stature makes the introduced lines suitable for high-input management systems. Yield of the selected genotypes varied within 463-684 g/m2, exceeding the check variety Bezostaya-1 by 78-299 g/m2. Thus, the study of performance of the introduced wheat genotypes under dryland conditions enabled to select some entries for further multiplication and utilization for breeding purposes.

English

0408|AGRIS 0401|AL-Wheat Program

Juan Carlos Mendieta

CIMMYT Publications Collection