Drought Tolerance in Winter Cereals

Abstract

This volume is based on the presentations made by a multidisciplinary group of scientists at an international symposium on Improving Winter Cereals in Moisture-limiting Areas, held in Capri, Italy. Though belonging to different disciplines, the participating scientists had a common focus: how the disciplines in which they worked could contribute to improving food production in those crop-growing environments where the availability of water rather than the shortage of it is the major constraint. The text is organized into four sections. Section I, 'The Winter Cereals Research in the Low-rainfall Areas of Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean', deals with the role of agro climatology and of agroecological models in developing a meaningful approach for crop improvement. Section II, 'Breeding for Winter Cereals in the Low-rainfall Areas', reviews and compares the efficiency of current breeding methods and presents some new approaches. Section III deals with 'Physiological Research for Drought Avoidance and Tolerance and its Implication in Breeding Programmes', and section IV with 'Plant Characteristics Required for Improved Performance in Moisture-limiting Environments-an ad interim Assessment'. A set of recommendations for the symposium is also included.