Abstract only

Wheat is the staple food crop in Pakistan and was harvested from over 8.5 million ha in 2012 with a production target of 25 million tonnes. The National Coordinated Wheat Program (NCWP) of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council was established in 1978 following a leaf rust epidemic when a need was realized by policy makers for coordinated efforts to mitigate future yield losses in wheat production caused by abiotic and biotic stresses. When the NCWP was established the objective of all stakeholders from the four provinces and AJ&K (Azad Jammu and Kashmir) was to make the country self-sustaining in wheat production. Through the Wheat Productivity Enhancement Program (W-PEP) financial arrangements are managed through CIMMYT, and as an amplification of the NCWP, a platform is provided to collaborators to attend the planning meetings, participate in travelling wheat seminars, request international germplasm and test advanced breeding materials in National Trials, a pre-requisite for a variety release. Services are also provided to breeders for access to an off-season summer wheat nursery at Kaghan and for screening materials against stem rust and stripe rust at Njoro, Kenya, on a regular basis.

Global Wheat Program

English

Lucia Segura

INT2733

CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection