Addressing the global challenges for barley improvement through CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Cereals
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Ramesh Pal Singh Verma, Ahmed Amri, Sajid Rehman, Ayed Al-Abdallat, Andrea Visioni, Michael Baum, Zewdie Bishaw, Abdoul Aziz Niane. (8/2/2017). Addressing the global challenges for barley improvement through CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Cereals.
Abstract
The International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) has a global mandate for
barley improvement, specifically for dry areas across the globe. ICARDA has reorganized the spring and
winter barley research under the CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Cereals to address the requirements
of North and East Africa, Central, West and South Asia regions. The program targets germplasm
improvement for optimal and stressed environments to address the feed, forage, food and malt uses in
spring barley from its new base at Rabat, Morocco and winter barley program from Ankara, Turkey. The
partnership with focal country in each region is the new strategy, which utilizes the complementing
capabilities with national programs. Each year, >15,000 advanced lines are evaluated for various
agronomic, biotic and abiotic stress tolerances, and quality parameters at ICARDA. The focal countries
help in evaluation of the elite germplasm for target region(s). In 2014-2015 cropping season, 339 sets of
international trials & nurseries were distributed to more than 60 collaborators in 35 countries. The process
has helped the partner countries to release more than 250 barley varieties across globe during 1977-2014, as
direct introduction. More than 14 varieties have been released in last three years only. Improvement for
malting barley and nutritional qualities (Zn, Fe, and β-Glucan) are new initiatives. Since the demand for
industrial uses of barley is on sharp rise in East Africa and South Asia, contract farming and seed
production through private-public partnership have big potentials to raise the benefits to the small holder
farmers. Another aspects for such partnership includes application of advanced molecular research and
technologies including the doubled haploid. Genomics are also supported under CRP Dryland Cereals.
Post-harvest and value addition aspects still need the collaboration with advanced research institutes and
industry to make research development real.
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Author(s) ORCID(s)
Verma, Ramesh Pal Singh https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2621-2015
Amri, Ahmed https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0997-0276
Visioni, Andrea https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0586-4532
Baum, Michael https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8248-6088
Bishaw, Zewdie https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1763-3712
Niane, Abdoul Aziz https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0873-4394
Amri, Ahmed https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0997-0276
Visioni, Andrea https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0586-4532
Baum, Michael https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8248-6088
Bishaw, Zewdie https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1763-3712
Niane, Abdoul Aziz https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0873-4394