Dostlik expected to increase incomes of resource-poor farmers and contribute to country's food self-sufficiency

A program of crop selection is beginning to pay off in Uzbekistan, where Dostlik, a hardy high-yielding winter wheat variety has been officially released to farmers.

Uzbek scientists began testing promising wheat lines in 1995 in partnership with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), based in Syria, and a sister center, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), based in Mexico. Much of the breeding material came from the Turkey/CIMMYT/ICARDA International Program of Winter Wheat Improvement.

Many promising lines were identified, with yield potential 11-14% greater that the local checks. One such line was a cross, now Dostlik, which yielded 8-9 tonnes per hactare, or as much as 14% more than the check variety Intensivnaya in multilocation trials. Dostlik is early-maturing, drought and salt tolerant, and has good resistance to pests and diseases, especially yellow rust. It also requires less water and fertilizer.

The State Variety Testing Commission, Uzbekistan, released Dostlik on 20 December 2002, principally for cultivation in Jizzakh, Karakalpakstan, Khoresm, Samarkand, and Syrdaria provinces, where it is expected to help improve the incomes of farmers, who previously had to rely on poorly adapted varieties.

Yield increase and sustainable grain production are priority tasks for Uzbekistan, whose economy in the Soviet era was oriented mainly toward mono-crop cotton production, a strategy that has taken a toll on the country's agricultural resource base. Previously, cereals were grown only under rainfed conditions on just 500,000 hectares. Since independence, cereal production area has more than doubled, in line with Uzbekistan's goal of self-sufficiency in food production.

For more information contact Dr Raj Paroda, Regional Coordinator of ICARDA's Program for Central Asia and the Caucasus, Tashkent. R.Paroda@cgiar.org

ICARDA is one of 16 international agricultural research and development centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, a consortium of donor agencies and countries dedicated to improving incomes and nutrition through enhanced food production and sustainable use of natural resources.
The Wheat Improvement Program at ICARDA is conducted jointly with CIMMYT.
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