Cereal Improvement Program 1986

Abstract

Projects carried out by Cereal Improvement Program (CP) staff during the 1985/86 season were diverse in nature and oriented towards assisting national programs to increase the productivity and yield stability of barley, durum wheat, and bread wheat, particularly in the rainfed areas. The structure of the projects within the Program had a commodity focus. Multi-disciplinary research and training in agronomy, crop physiology, pathology, entomology, grain quality, germplasm development, all integrated in a strong team approach, was maintained. The Cereal Program received useful cooperation from the following programs in many of its activities: Genetic Resources, Farming Systems, Pasture, Forage, and Livestock, and Computer services in many of its activities. Research results are reported under seven project headings. Details of each subproject were reported in Research and Training Plans for 1985/86. In this year's Program Report greater coverage is given to research results on cereals agronomy/physiology, to barley improvement for dry areas, and to collaborative research with national programs in the region and specialized institutions in the developed countries for the primary reasons that: (1) this is the first major report on the reorganized agronomy/physiology work, (2) activities on barley improvement for dry areas were strengthened, and (3) new initiatives on collaborative research were started in 1986. This document reports detailed research results from each project for the 1985/86 season AND should be viewed as an inventory of the Cereal Program's varied activities during 1985/86. Much of the report's content will be further refined and edited for publication as journal articles or special reports. A summary of significant achievements is presented below.