Proceedings of the 10th International Barley Genetics Symposium


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Salvatore Ceccarelli, Stefania Grando. (30/4/2008). Proceedings of the 10th International Barley Genetics Symposium. Beirut, Lebanon.
Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is the main crop and is widely grown in the rainfed areas of the north coastal region and in the newly reclaimed lands with saline soils in Egypt. The total harvested area averaged 57 000 ha during the 1980s, increasing to 135 000 ha in 2005/06. Barley yield has gradually increased over the past few decades, from 2.92 t/ha in the 1980s to about 3.63 t/ha in 2005/06. Under rainfed conditions, barley productivity increased from 0.44 to 1.90 t/ ha in the same period, which is considered high compared with other rainfed areas in the world that exceed 200 mm/yr; Egypt receives about 130 mm/yr. The main objectives of the barley program in Egypt are to develop new cultivars with high yielding capacity and tolerance to various stresses (drought, salinity, poor soil fertility, diseases, insects, etc.), along with suitable cultural packages, and also to improve and maintain high-quality seed as well as a technology transfer program through extension agencies. To achieve these objectives, the barley program developed several breeding strategies to address different constraints to barley production. Breeding activities included screening of local and exotic materials, crossing blocks, and yield test trials. Exotic germplasm and nurseries are annually provided by several international and regional organizations, such as ICARDA, CIMMYT, and ACSAD, to support breeding objectives. The present paper also includes other barley activities and topics, such as Farmer Field Schools, Farmers’ Participatory Breeding, and malting quality. The paper briefly includes the last five years’ results under rainfed conditions.