Official Newsletter of the WANA Seed Network
No. 31,
July 2006
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(448 KB)
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In this section we invite national seed programs, projects, universities, regional or international organizations to provide news about their seed related activities.
Ethiopian Seed Enterprise Releases Maize Variety and Conducts a Training Course
Release of New Maize Variety
The Ethiopian Seed Enterprise has released the first early-maturing maize hybrid known as Toga (ESE-203). The variety is adapted to the mid altitude agro-ecological zones of Ethiopia. It matures in 137 days, earlier than the existing medium cycle varieties, which mature in 140-145 days. The variety is capable of producing yields up to 7.5 t/ha on farmers' fields in years of low rainfall. The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research is responsible for overall mandate of agricultural research and variety development, while the research section of ESE is helping in national efforts to solve the problem of non-availability of adaptable maize varieties.
Training Course on Seeds
ESE organized an in-country training course on seeds in the Somali Regional State, one of the nine autonomous regions of Ethiopia. The region is characterized by arid and semi-arid climate. The majority of farmers in the area are pastoralists. Limited crop husbandry is practiced in some areas with reasonable amounts of rainfall and under irrigated conditions around perennial rivers. Agricultural productivity is hampered by poor farming practices, including the use of low quality seeds. The seed system in the region is informal and farmers do not have sufficient access to improved varieties and seeds.
In collaboration with the Somali Region Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Research Institute (SoRPARI), ESE conducted a four-day training workshop (29 May to 1 June 2006) to initiate quality seed production with farmers. Twenty-five participants from the research institutes attended the workshop.
ESE, a public organization under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, is conducting capacity building programs to foster seed security and sustainable agricultural development in the country. It is in the process of conducting a wide ranging tailor-made training program on the improvement of farmer-based seed production scheme and revitalizing informal seed supply of local crops and varieties in Ethiopia. The program will involve a variety of national, sub-regional, and international stakeholders in seed and plant genetic resources conservation. ICARDA is a partner to Wageningen International in this program. The program will start in October 2006 with financial support from the Government of Netherlands. Abdurahman Beshir, Ethiopian Seed Enterprise; P. O. Box 5466, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Fax: +251-11-6613388; E-mail: abdubeza@yahoo.com
SPCRI Hosts First Meeting of TCP Project for ECO Countries
The Seed and Plant Certification and Research Institute hosted the first meeting of focal points of the FAO-ECO TCP project in Karaj, Iran, on 22-24 May 2006. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) organized the meeting. ECO was originally a tripartite organization established by Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey, but has now expanded to include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The meeting was to formally launch the project and discuss project objectives, expected outputs, and work plan with the national focal points.
The Deputy Minister and Head of the Agricultural Research and Extension Organization and the ECO Secretary General inaugurated the meeting. They emphasized the need to develop and promote the private sector and strengthen infrastructure to improve productivity. They also recommended a diversification of the production base for countries in the region to enhance competitiveness in the agricultural sector.
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| Participants of the meeting during their visit to the SPII Research Station in Karaj, Iran |
Thirty-two participants from the region (14) and Iran (18) attended the meeting. These included senior delegates from the governments of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan (except Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan), as well as representatives of international and regional organizations such as ECO, FAO, and ICARDA.
There was discussion on the questionnaire developed by ICARDA and FAO to standardize the collection and analysis of data by national focal points on the national seed industry of the respective countries.
The meeting endorsed the structure and composition of the project management team, which includes a Project Coordinator from ECO, a Project Co-coordinator from ICARDA and the FAO Technical Project Director. Samad Mobasser, SPCRI, P.O. Box 31535-1516 Karaj, Iran: Fax: +98-261-2716794; E-mail: sa_mobasser@yahoo.com
Pakistan Tries Bt Cotton Varieties
It was rice in Iran (2004/05), and now cotton in Pakistan (2005/06), biotech crops are slowly spreading in the Central and West Asia and North Africa region. Initial planting of Bt cotton in cotton growing regions of Punjab-Bahawalpur, Multan, Muzaffer Garh, and Karor Pakka in Pakistan has resulted in increased benefits to first time growers of the GM crops. Farmers noted a reduction in the use of insecticides; 4-5 applications, compared to 6-9 in the conventional cotton varieties. Crop yields were significantly higher, with Bt cotton yielding an average of 23-28 mounds (1 mound = 40 kg) per acre versus 17-20 mounds in conventional cotton varieties.
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission distributed seed of Bt cotton varieties for planting in over 8,000 acres of farmland in the 2005/2006 cropping season. The Commission received special permission from the Ministry of Environment, under the 'Voluntary Code of Conduct for Release of GMO into the Environment' prepared by the National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering to do this.
Pakistan enacted its biosafety laws in April 2005. For more information, visit http://www. pakissan.com/english/advisory/biotechnology/first.bt.cotton.grown.in.pakistan.shtml. Source: CropBiotech Update, 17 March 2006
Website for Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSCRD)
The first seed project in Pakistan was launched in 1973, with the assistance of FAO and the World Bank. The Seed Act of 1976 provides the regulatory framework for variety registration and release, seed quality control and certification, seed import and export, and the essential infrastructure for national and provincial seed councils and the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSCRD). The FSCRD is in the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, and it is responsible for variety registration, seed quality assurance, and seed law enforcement.
Pakistan adopted a liberal policy and declared seed business as an industry in 1994. Consequently, the private sector was inducted and has started functioning to replace the public seed sector. The FSCRD website provides statistical information on the performance of the seed industry and a list of companies to facilitate contact. For more information, contact Akhlaq Hussain, FSCRD, Mauve Area, G-9/4, Islamabad, Tel: +92-51-9260126; Fax: +92-51-9260234; E-mail: akhlaq7@hotmail.com; dg@pakistanseeds.gov.pk; Website: http:// www.pakistanseeds.gov.pk
Turkey Releases New Red Lentil Varieties
Lentil is an important food and feed crop in Turkey, and an important component of the farming systems. Turkey is one of the major lentil producers globally, with its South-East Anatolia Region being the most intensive lentil-growing area in the world. The region has witnessed a substantial amount of fallow replacement with lentil in the past.
Among a number of other national institutions, the South-East Anatolia Regional Agricultural Research Institute (SEARARI) in Diyarbakir, Turkey, has had strong collaboration with ICARDA in the development of red lentil varieties. Consequently, SEARARI recently released two red lentil varieties, 'Altintoprak' (ILL 7010) and 'Cagil' (ILL 7686), which were developed through cross-breeding at ICARDA and were shared with NARS through the International Nursery Network.
The Central Variety Release Committee of Turkey made the release in early 2006. There was initial selection from the International Nurseries and subsequent evaluation in a series of on-station and on-farm trials at different locations over the years, before the varieties were released for general cultivation in the vast area of South-East Anatolia.
The two improved lentil varieties are resistant to vascular wilt, a major threat to the cultivation of lentil in the region. They are medium tall (32 cm) with good standing ability, and are suitable for mechanical harvesting. They have large seeds (35-40 g/1000 seeds), and are high-yielding.
Altintoprak produced an average yield of 1.7 t/ha, while Cagil produced 1.65 t/ha during on-farm evaluation, compared to an average of 1.26 t/ha produced by local varieties. Seed multiplication and dissemination to farmers is underway. The two new lentil varieties are expected to replace the low-yielding, lodging type local varieties soon, and provide additional economic benefits to farmers. Source: The Week at ICARDA, Issue No 926, 22 June 2006