“Wheat Science to Textbooks” Workshop CIMMYT El Batan December 5-10, 2010

1. “Wheat Science to Textbooks” WorkshopCIMMYTEl Batan December 5-10, 2010 Issues in Breeding Durum Wheat for the Mediterranean Region & Ethiopia Karim Ammar Global Wheat Program CIMMYT-Mexico

2. Outline • Durum in the world • History of durum wheat breeding at CIMMYT • Concept of Wide-Adaptation • Definition/Clarification • Requirements • Breeding for “drought tolerance” • Historical results • Components • Relationship yield potential/drought tolerance • Breeding for Industrial quality • What traits? • Progress made • Key factors for success

3. Durum Wheat WorldwideGlobally minor… % Area % Production Durum Wheat Bread Wheat

4. Durum Wheat Worldwide… locally major Bread Wheat Durum Wheat

5. Durum Wheat UtilizationPasta vs. other products Bread and other Products Pasta Products

6. 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2006-2010 2002-2005 2001 CIMMYT Durum Germplasm: Chronology of ImpactEarly successes, fall in relevance and recovery Introduction dwarfing genes 1st widely-adapted semi-dwarfs Continued yield progress But loss of international relevance due to diseases Era of “super cultivars” COCORIT 71 MEXICALI 75 ALTAR 84 ATIL C2000 JORI 69 YAVAROS 79 Recovery of relevance for LR Recovery of Yield potential Improvement of quality Addressing drought tolerance Addressing Septoria and Hessian fly Addressing Stem rust Re-building program around widely effective resistance to leaf rust Leaf rust virulence in Mexico BBG/BN

7. Concept of Wide-AdaptationDefinition & Clarification • Competitive performance under a wide range of environments & constraints: • It is not the creation, by design, of “mega-varieties” sown on millions of hectares • It is the struggle to develop germplasm which maintain stability in spite of environmental fluctuations and agronomic problems • Stability in yield & quality • In space • In time in the same region • While ensuring the maximum genetic variability • “Insurance policy” against emerging problems (disease, markets, crop management) • Key in a climate change scenario

8. Breeding for Wide-AdaptationDuring the crossing phase… Information = power • Widely adapted, successful cultivars • Performance under different water regimes • Regional or global performance in International Nurseries • Disease reaction globally or in “hot spots” • Cooperator’s information • Widening crossing base (WxS crosses)

9. Breeding for Wide-AdaptationDuring the segregating phase • Expose segregating populations to as many contrasting selection pressures or environments, acting on highly inheritable, visually selectable traits: • Diseases • Photoperiod • Initially, avoid conditions that drastically limit plant development and hamper ability to visually detect differences: • Development-limiting drought • Development-limiting fertility stresses

10. Breeding for Wide-Adaptation “Shuttle Breeding”: Key to CMMYT’s widely adapted germplasm Summer Cycle: Toluca/El Batan (18.5oN, 2600 masl) May - October. Rainfed, High Rainfal Diseases: Yellow Rust, Septoria, Fusarium Photoperiod: Decreasing Soils: +/- acid Obregon Longitude: 109° 54´ W Latitude: 27° 21´ N Altitude: 40 masl Winter Cycle: Obregón (28oN, 35 masl) November - May. Irrigated + simulated drought Diseases: Leaf Rust Photoperiod: Increasing Soils: +/- alkaline Toluca Longitude: 99° 33´W Latitude: 19° 13´N Altitude: 2640 masl

11. Breeding for Wide-AdaptationDuring the Yield/quality testing phase • Multi-environment performance testing under a wide range of conditions, but uniform within a single environment to maximize heritability: • At least 1 favorable environment needs to be included to evaluation maximum yield potential • Stress application needs to be uniform and reliable • Testing conditions need to be relevant to target area

12. Breeding for Wide-AdaptationObregon, ideal for yield potential testing • Detect progress in genetic yield potential without confounding effects of environmental fluctuations: • Uniformity and quality of the soils • Good crop management • Weather conditions relatively regular • Predicts well ranking performance in many other irrigated/rainfed stations worldwide

13. CIMMYT Durum Germplasm worldwideHistorical impact of for wide adaptation

14. Breeding for Wide-Adaptation + Drought ToleranceObregon, infrastructure for WUE testing Drip Irrigation-simulated drought, 17 ha

15. Breeding for Wide-Adaptation + Drought ToleranceEnsuring selection of WUE germplasm Drip Irrigation-simulated drought

16. Breeding for Wide-Adaptation + Drought ToleranceEnsuring selection of WUE germplasm

17. Breeding for WUERelationship between yield potential and performance under stress 336 advanced lines tested in replicated yield trials - 2007

18. Breeding for WUERelationship between yield potential and performance under stress • The genes controlling yield under full-irrigation are different from those determining yield under water-stress

19. Breeding for WUERelationship between yield potential and performance under stress • The genes controlling yield under full-irrigation are different from those determining yield under water-stress… • Is the solution having 2 different program??? • No, as it will result in loss of wide adaptation: • Production of lines with high yield potential but that will collapse under drought, • Production of lines that tolerate drought but do not respond adequately when conditions improve

20. Breeding for WUERelationship between yield potential and performance under stress Water Efficient but Low YP Water Inefficient & High YP Water Inefficient & Low YP

21. Breeding for WUERelationship between yield potential and performance under stress • The genes controlling yield under full-irrigation are different from those determining yield under water-stress… • Combine both groups of genes in a single line! • Selection of lines with acceptable-to-good yield under both conditions: • Not easy nor cheap, but feasible • Duplicate evaluation resources • Require drought testing conditions at the same location than full irrigation conditions

22. Breeding for Wide Adaptation + DroughtCombining high yield potential and WUE High YP & Water Efficient Low frequency

23. Breeding for Wide Adaptation + Drought ToleranceFrequency of lines combining yield potential and WUE • Be prepared to throw away a lot of good material • Possible only in large program with high genetic diversity for other traits

24. Breeding for Wide Adaptation + Drought ToleranceTesting protocol currently adopted at CIMMYT • Preliminary Yield Trials (PYT): Full Irrigation • 3000-3500 Lines F6 • Augmented design with replicated checks • Advanced Yield Trials-A (AYT-A): Full irrigation + Drip-simulated drought • 1000-1500 Lines F7/F8 • 2 reps (FI), 3 reps (DR) in 8x8 lattice designs • Advanced Yield Trials-B (AYT-B): Full irrigation + Drip-simulated drought • 300-500 Lines F9 • 3 reps (FI), 3 reps (DR) in 8x8 lattice designs Selections of candidates for International Nurseries

25. Breeding for Improved Industrial QualityMajor Objective in a rapidly changing world market • Less and less room for high yielding, low quality durum grain • No negative correlation with functional attributes of industrial quality • All CIMMYT germplasm will have acceptable to excellent quality

26. Breeding for which Quality? Industrial vs. household production INDUSTRIAL HOUSEHOLD Pasta Products Worldwide Cous-cous North Africa, Middle East, Europe Bulgur CWANA Bread Products CWANA, Southern Europe, India? Other Products CWANA, India

27. Industrial Pasta Quality Segment directly, proactively addressed INDUSTRIAL HOUSEHOLD • Biggest volume globally • Definitive global trend towards industrialization • Well known quality traits defined by industry • Driven by export market Pasta Products (extruded, sheeted)

28. Breeding for Industrial Quality: Ensuring minimum acceptable levels of universally-required attributes • Grain Characteristics • Yellow Color Visually Colorimeter: b-value • Protein Content (secondary, best managed agronomically) • Gluten Strength Sedimentation test

29. Breeding for Industrial QualityCrossing strategy Australian Varieties Some Italian Varieties Best CIMMYT Elite lines French Varieties “Desert Durum” Arizona/California

30. Breeding for Industrial QualityEvaluation program • Detailed evaluation of parental lines:Guide for crossing • Functional evaluation and protein type • At least 1 parent need to have good quality, 2 in the case of 3-way crosses • No early generation selection • Some 10,000+ samples analyzed starting at PYT:Any unacceptable line is eliminated • Rapid and reliable tests • Decentralized lab in Obregon

31. Breeding for Industrial QualityGluten Strength – Progress 2005-2007 Excelent Aceptable

32. Breeding for Industrial QualityYellow Color – Progress 2005-2007 Excelent Aceptable

33. Breeding for Industrial QualityGluten Strength – Latest progress

34. Breeding for Industrial QualityConclusions • Most important traits are highly inheritable • Starts in the choice of parents of crosses • Early generation selection is not absolutely needed for progress • Fast, inexpensive and reliable test for gluten strength and color can result in substantial progress, fast. • Expensive and slow analysis equipment is not needed for practical and effective selection for improved quality in durum wheat