Genetic gains in wheat in Turkey: Winter wheat for dryland conditions

Wheat breeders in Turkey have been developing new varieties since the 1920 s, but few studies have evaluated the rates of genetic improvement. This study determined wheat genetic gains by evaluating 22 winter/facultative varieties released for rainfed conditions between 1931 and2006. The study was conducted at three locations in Turkey during 2008-2012, with a total of 21 test sites. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replicates in2008 and 2009 and three replicates in 2010-2012. Regression analysis was conducted to determine genetic progress over time. Mean yield across all 21 locations was 3.34 t ha^(-1) but varied from 1.11 ha^(-1) to 6.02 t ha^(-1) and was highly affected by moisture stress. Annual genetic gain was 0.50% compared to Ak-702, or 0.30% compared to the first modern landmark varieties. The genetic gains in drought-affected sites were 0.75% compared to Ak-702 and0.66% compared to the landmark varieties. Modem varieties had both improved yield potential and tolerance to moisture stress. Rht genes and rye translocations were largely absent in the varieties studied. The number of spikes per unit area decreased by 10% over the study period,but grains spike^(-1) and 1000-kemel weight increased by 10%. There were no significant increases in harvest index, grain size, or spike fertility, and no significant decrease in quality over time. Future use of Rht genes and rye translocations in breeding programs may increase yield under rainfed conditions.

A Participatory GIS Approach to Identify Critical Land Degradation Areas and Prioritize Soil Conservation for Mountainous Olive Groves(Case Study)

Climate change scenarios predict an increase in the frequency of heavy rainfall events in some areas. This will increase runoff and soil erosion,and reduce agricultural productivity, particularly on vulnerable mountainous agricultural lands that is already exhibiting high rates of soil erosion.Haphazard implementation of soil and water conservation(SWC) interventions on scattered fields is inefficient in reducing soil erosion. The objective of this study was to identify areas at high risk of erosion to aid the design and implementation of sustainable SWC using GIS analysis and farmers' participation approach. A 25 m digital elevation model(DEM) was used to derive layers of flow accumulation, slope steepness and land curvature, which were used to derive an erosion-risk(priority) map for the whole watershed. Boundaries of farmers' fields were mapped and verified by the community and each field was classified into high, moderate or low erosion risk.Fields with low flow accumulation(top of hill) and/or steep slope and/or convex slope were assigned high erosion risk and therefore high implementation priority. The study showed that more than 64% of the fields were classified into high erosion risk areas.Accordingly, a community-watershed plan was established, revised and approved by the community.Incentive loans to implement SWC measures were distributed to 100 farmers based on the priorities of their fields. Judged by local farmers and using 16 randomly selected fields, 90% of the targeted areas were correctly identified using the erosion risk map. After two years, the conservation measures had led to marked improvement of soil conservation. The approach is simple and easy to comprehend by the community and provides scientific basis to prioritize the implementation of SWC and to target the most degraded areas, which amplify the impact of these in reducing the vulnerability to land degradation.

Effect of No Tillage and Conventional Tillage on Wheat Grain Yield Variability: A Review

Conservation Agriculture(CA)covers more than 205 million hectares in the world.This made it possible to face and mitigate the challenges of climate change,reducing soil erosion and providing multiple ecosystem services.The first elementary factor influenced is the yield evaluation.It has a direct effect on farmers’choices for sustainable production.The present article records a review focused on wheat yield average positive change compared between conventional tillage(CT)and no tillage(NT)systems.The international database collected showed that NT is adaptable everywhere.The results of wheat yield differentiation showed the influence of crop rotation depending on stations located in different climatic zones.In more than 40 years of research,specialists have succeeded in demonstrating the importance of crop productivity like wheat.The whole integrates also experimentations where the initiation starts more than ten years.

Evaluation of rainwater harvesting and shrub establishment methods for sustainable watershed management in northern Afghanistan

Watershed rangelands in Northern Afghanistan provide various ecosystem services that support the local people's livelihoods,but they are now highly degraded essentially due to the continuous high grazing pressure and recurrent droughts.Effects of shrub establishment method enhanced by water harvesting techniques to rehabilitate degraded rangelands have not been well addressed.The main goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of direct seeding and transplanting of seedlings in combination with semi-circular bunds on growth,yield,and survival rate of four shrub species(Atriplex halimus,Atriplex nummularia,Atriplex lentiformis,andMaireana brevifolia)under semi-arid conditions of Sayyad village,Khulm watershed.Survival rate(%),plant height,width,and plant length(cm)and plant cover(%)were measured for each plant over five occasions.A non-destructive reference unit was used to estimate biomass production.The results showed that growth attributes and biomass production of shrubs were consistently greater in the transplanting compared to direct seeding.On average,the plant length,width,height,volume,cover,and biomass production of transplanted shrubs were greater than direct-seeded shrubs by 24.3%,8.6%,8.7%,121.5%,13.8% and 34.1%,respectively.Biomass production of transplanted seedlings was the highest for A.nummularia(1313.5 g DM/plant)and A.halimus(800 g DM/plant).There was a strong correlation between plant biomass production and plant volume(R^(2)_(Plant volume)=0.88)for the shrub A.nummularia,indicating that plant volume is a key variable for assessing biomass production for this species.Additionally,the survival rate of M.brevifolia was 100% in both planting methods,suggesting that based on better survival this halophytic plant has great potential when restoring degraded rangelands.Collectively,on the basis of better growth rates,yield,and survival,transplanting A.nummularia andA.halimus may enhance shrub establishment and contribute to the rehabilitation of sloping semi-arid degraded areas of Northern Afghanistan.

Impacts of Improved Supplemental Irrigation on Farm Income, Productive Efficiency and Risk Management in Dry Areas

This paper provides empirical evidence that improved supplemental irrigation (ISI) can be justified on both environmental and economic grounds. Results of a stochastic frontier model which explicitly and simultaneously accounts for technical inefficiency and production risk applied to data collected from 513 wheat farms in the rainfed areas of Syria show that the typical adopter farmer obtained yield and productive efficiency gains of 6% and 7% respectively. A stochastic dominance criterion also showed that the adopter farmers got 10% and 13% reductions in risk of obtaining yield levels below 4 tons/ha and 3 tons/ha respectively. Given its adoption level of 22.3% in 2010, ISI led to the production of 52 thousand metric tons (6%), more wheat and conservation of 120 million cubic meters of water (10%). ISI has the potential to reduce total irrigation water use by upto 45% and for further increases in yield if accompanied with sprinklers and other improved agronomic practices, thereby enhancing food security and environmental sustainability in the country. An important policy implication of these findings is that wider dissemination of ISI along with other complementary agronomic practices in postwar Syria could be a viable option to be considered by national and international efforts for the restoration and rehabilitation of agriculture in the country.

Hydrochemistry as Indicator to Select the Suitable Locations for Water Storage in Tharthar Valley, Al-Jazira Area, Iraq

Four locations were chosen according to geomorphologic and engineering criterion to store the water on the midstream of Tharthar valley, water samples were collected from the four locations to evaluate the hydrochemical properties as indicator to select the more suitable location, these locations are Hatra, Abu-Hamam, Tlol Al-Baj and Al-Sukkariah from the north to the south respectively. Also, the groundwater samples were collected from two shallow wells on the banks. The samples were analyzed to determine the concentrations of most common anions and cations in the water Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, CO32-, HCO3-, Cl–, SO42+. Also, pH, EC and TDS were measured. The results reflect high variations in concentrations of the soluble materials, the concentrations of these components are highly increased in locations of Tlol Al-Baj and Al-Sukkariah in comparison with the locations of Hatra and Abu-Hamam. The variation in geology of the area along the valley was represented a main role on the quality of water. These results can help to select the suitable locations of small dam (dams) to store the water in the valley and prevent the problem of salinity. According to the results, the northern part of midstream (north of Abu-Hamam) is suitable for water storage and the dam construction. While the locations of the downstream enriched by local sources of salts.

Development of Magnesium-Dominant Soils Under Irrigated Agriculture in Southern Kazakhstan

Irrational irrigation practices in the Arys Turkestan Canal command area in the southern part of Kazakhstan have led to the formation of soils with poor physical and chemical properties. To study whether irrigation and leaching practices and/or groundwater rise have contributed to the accumulation of Mg2+ on the cation exchange complex of these soils, historical changes in soil and groundwater quality were used as source data and the Visual MINTEQ model was applied to analyze the chemical composition of water and soils in the study area. The imposed irrigation regime and the leaching of light sierosem soils led to the dissolution and subsequent leaching of inherent gypsum and organic matter from the soil profile. Further, the domination of bicarbonate in the irrigation water promoted weathering of the carbonate minerals present as calcite. The higher concentrations of Mg2+ in comparison to Ca2+ in the irrigation water resulted in the replacement of Na+ by Mg2+ on the cation exchange complex. In the lower part of the command area, shallow groundwater has contributed to the accumulation of Na+ and to a large extent of Mg2+ on the cation exchange sites.

Interpreting genotype × environment interactions for grain yield of rainfed durum wheat in Iran

Clustering genotype × environment(GE) interactions and understanding the causes of GE interactions are among the most important tasks in crop breeding programs. Pattern analysis(cluster and ordination techniques) was applied to analyze GE interactions for grain yield of 24 durum wheat(Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) genotypes(breeding lines and old and new cultivars) along with a popular bread wheat(Triticum aestivum) cultivar grown in 21 different rainfed environments during the 2010–2013 cropping seasons. To investigate the causes of GE interaction, several genotypic and environmental covariables were used. In a combined ANOVA, environment was the predominant source of variation,accounting for 81.2% of the total sum of squares(TSS), and the remaining TSS due to the GE interaction effect was almost seven times that of the genetic effect. Cluster analysis separated the environments into four groups with similar discriminating ability among genotypes, and genotypes into five groups with similar patterns in yield performance.Pattern analysis confirmed two major environmental clusters(cold and warm), and allowed the discrimination and characterization of genotype adaptation. Within the cold-environment cluster, several subclusters were identified. The breeding lines were most adapted to moderate and warm environments, whereas the old varieties were adapted to cold environments. The results indicated that winter rainfall and plant height were among the environmental and genotypic covariables, respectively, that contributed most to GE interaction for grain yield in rainfed durum wheat.

Molecular Genetic Diversity in Iranian Populations of <i>Puccinia triticina</i>, the Causal Agent of Wheat Leaf Rust

Wheat leaf rust caused by Puccinia triticina, is the most common and widely distributed wheat rust in the world. In order to study the genetic structure of leaf rust population 14 pairs of AFLP and 6 pairs of FAFLP primers evaluated on 86 isolates samples collected in Iran during spring of 2009. Results showed that almost all investigated isolates were genetically different and special pattern of AFLP allele’s that confirm high genetic diversity within leaf rust population was observed. Analyses showed, all provinces were classified into three major groups particularly similar clusters were found between then neighboring provinces. Rust spore can follow the migration pattern in short and long distances to neighbor in provinces. Results indicated that the greatest variability was revealed by 97% of genetic differentiation within leaf rust populations and the lesser variation of 3% was observed between the rust populations. These results suggested that each population was not completely identical and high gene flow has occurred among the leaf rust population of different provinces. The highest differentiation and genetic distance among the Iranian leaf rust populations was detected between leaf rust population in Sistan and Baluchistan and highest similarity was observed between in Ardabil provinces. The high pathogenic variability of leaf rust races in Ardabil and Northern Khorasan may be an indication that these two regions are the center of origin of pathogenic arability. Present study shows that leaf rust population in Iran is highly dynamic and variable.

Genetic gains in wheat in Turkey:Winter wheat for irrigated conditions

The study estimated genetic gain for yield and other traits in winter wheat released for irrigated environments in Turkey from 1963 to 2004. Yield trials including 14 varieties were grown in 16 environments from 2008 to 2012 in provinces of Konya, Eski?ehir, Ankara, and Edirne. The highest yields were achieved by recent varieties Kinaci-97(5.48 t ha^(-1)),Cetinel-2000(5.39 t ha^(-1)), Alpu-2001(5.44 t ha^(-1)), Ahmetaga(5.35 t ha^(-1)), and Ekiz-2004(5.42 t ha^(-1)) compared to older varieties Yektay-406(4.17 t ha^(-1)) and Bezostaya-1(4.27 t ha^(-1))released in the 1960 s. The progress reached in grain yield in 20 years was 1.16 t ha^(-1)or58 kg ha^(-1)(1.37%) per year. This gain was mainly achieved through shorter plant height and increased harvest index. There was no clear tendency of changes in specific yield components demonstrating that new high-yielding varieties may have different ways to reach their yield potentials. The yield gains were accompanied by improved stripe rust and leaf rust resistances primarily based on adult plant resistance genes. The grain quality of the new varieties did not deteriorate over time although most of them were inferior to the bread-making quality check Bezostaya-1, a feature that may require attention in future breeding.

Field evaluation of durum wheat landraces for prevailing abiotic and biotic stresses in highland rainfed regions of Iran

Biotic and abiotic stresses are major limiting factors for high crop productivity worldwide. A landrace collection consisting of 380 durum wheat(Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) entries originating in several countries along with four check varieties were evaluated for biotic stresses:yellow rust(Puccinia striiformis Westendorf f. sp. tritici) and wheat stem sawfly(WSS) Cephus cinctus Norton(Hymenoptera: Cephidae), and abiotic stresses: cold and drought. The main objectives were to(i) quantify phenotypic diversity and identify variation in the durum wheat landraces for the different stresses and(ii) characterize the agronomic profiles of landraces in reaction to the stresses. Significant changes in reactions of landraces to stresses were observed.Landraces resistant to each stress were identified and agronomically characterized.Percentage reduction due to the stresses varied from 11.4%(yellow rust) to 21.6%(cold stress) for 1000-kernel weight(TKW) and from 19.9(yellow rust) to 91.9%(cold stress) for grain yield. Landraces from Asia and Europe showed enhanced genetic potential for both grain yield and cold tolerance under highland rainfed conditions of Iran. The findings showed that TKW and yield productivity could be used to assess the response of durum wheat landraces to different stresses. In conclusion, landraces showed high levels of resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses, and selected landraces can serve in durum wheat breeding for adaptation to cold and drought-prone environments.

Wheat breeding for Hessian fly resistance at ICARDA

Hessian fly(HF),Mayetiola destructor(Say)is an important pest of wheat in North Africa,North America,Southern Europe,Northern Kazakhstan,Northwestern China,and New Zealand.It can cause up to 30%yield losses and sometimes can result in complete crop failure if infestation coincides with young stage of the wheat crop.Studies to-date have shown the availability of genetic diversity in the wheat genetic resources(landraces,wild relatives,cultivars,etc.)for resistance to Hessian fly.About 37 resistance genes have been reported from these wheat genetic resources for resistance to Hessian fly,of which,some have been deployed singly or in combination in the breeding programs to develop high yielding varieties with resistance to HF.Deployment of resistant varieties in different agro-ecologies with other integrated management measures plays key role for the control of HF.This paper summarizes the importance,life cycle,mechanisms of resistance,gene mining,and wheat breeding efforts for HF resistance.

Bayesian Estimation of Shrubs Diversity in Rangelands under Two Management Systems in Northern Syria

The diversity of shrubs in rangelands of northern Syria is affected by the grazing management systems restricted by the increase in human and livestock populations. To describe and estimate diversity and compare the rangeland grazing management treatments, two popular indices for diversity, the Shannon index and the Simpson index, were studied for the four combinations of two sites, Hammam and Obeisan, and two grazing methods, Closed and Open, using frequentist and Bayesian approaches. We simulated the a priori and a-posteriori distributions of the Shannon and Simpson diversity indices, where from a range of values for a constant in the a priori distribution the best value normalizing the distribution of the diversity indices was chosen. The Bayesian diversity estimates were higher than their frequentist counterparts and had lower standard errors. The grazing methods at each site and sites under each grazing method delivered significant diversity of shrub species. The Bayesian estimates resulted in lower p-values than the frequentist approach for two cases reflecting in Bayesian method’s higher power. Bayesian approach is recommended as it has a wider framework for inference on diversity studies.

Effects of Zero Tillage and Residue Retention on Soil Quality in the Mediterranean Region of Northern Syria

Zero-tillage (ZT) and crop residue retention on the soil surface—two components of Conservation Agriculture (CA)—have been identified as promising management practices for sustainable agri- cultural intensification for some time. However, CA technology uptake by farmers in the dry areas of West Asia and North Africa (WANA) has yet to happen large-scale, even though the positive im- pact on yield has been demonstrated repeatedly. To explain the observed consistent increases in crop yield under ZT, a range of soil quality indicators were regularly monitored during 2008 to 2012 in the long-term ZT/CA trials at the headquarters of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in northern Syria. Results showed that CA had a positive im- pact on soil fertility. This was measurable by higher soil organic matter (SOM) and microbial bio- mass contents, increased levels of extractable phosphate, sometimes (but not always) higher amounts of larger water-stable soil aggregates, increased soil infiltration capacity and soil water retention. The buildup of SOM and associated carbon (C) sequestration was in the range of 0.29 Mg C/ha/yr, i.e. rather modest. High amounts of surface residues delayed the desiccation of the topsoil during the fallow period, but could not diminish the overall longer-term drying of the topsoil. The observed positive changes in soil quality were little, but nevertheless, in combination with the economic savings that ZT offers, this type of agricultural intensification provides an attractive op- tion for farmers in WANA, from the standpoints of economy and ecological efficiency.

BioAnalyzer: Bioinformatic Software of Routinely Used Tools for Analysis of Genomic Data

The massive extension in biological data induced a need for user-friendly bioinformatics tools could be used for routine biological data manipulation. Bioanalyzer is a simple analytical software implements a variety of tools to perform common data analysis on different biological data types and databases. Bioanalyzer provides general aspects of data analysis such as handling nucleotide data, fetching different data formats information, NGS quality control, data visualization, performing multiple sequence alignment and sequence BLAST. These tools accept common biological data formats and produce human-readable output files could be stored on local computer machines. Bioanalyzer has a user-friendly graphical user interface to simplify massive biological data analysis and consume less memory and processing power. Bioanalyzer source code was written through Python programming language which provides less memory usage and initial startup time. Bioanalyzer is a free and open source software, where its code could be modified, extended or integrated in different bioinformatics pipelines. Bioinformatics Produce huge data in FASTA and Genbank format which can be used to produce a lot of annotation information which can be done with Python programming language that open the door form bioinformatics tool due to their elasticity in data analysis and simplicity which inspire us to develop new multiple tool software able to manipulate FASTA and Genbank files. The goal Develop new software uses Genomic data files to produce annotated data. Software was written using python programming language and biopython packages.