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GIZ Armenia
Identification of wheat and barley genetic resources adaptive traits to sustain the forecasted climate change.
PROBLEM ANALYSIS
Global climate change and high economic pressure from the human population intensify desertification processes, and are destroying and degrading the natural ecosystems in Armenia, which are very fragile and vulnerable given the country’s semi-desert climate. In case of the forecasted climate change, the efficiency of plant-cultivation in Armenia can be reduced by 8-14%. The productivity of cereals might be reduced on average by 9-13%, vegetable cultures - by 7-14%, potato - by 8-10%, fruits - by 5-8%. This will have devastating affects on both cultivated and wild plants recourses. In order to maintain agrobiodiversity, and to ensure agricultureral production sustainability, an appropriate management strategy is requried, one which inlcudes cultivation of locally adapted crops that can withstand heat, drought and diseases by changing fertilizing strategies, etc.
Cereals (particularly wheat), are among the world’s most important staple for food security, as they satisfy essential human needs. In the Armenian food supply chain, wheat has highest percentage, acounting for around 40% of food calories consumed. The conservation and sustainable use of cereals through agrobiodiversity to create new cultivars or improve existing ones is strategically crucial, as cereals, particularly wheat and barley, are central to Armenian agriculture and culture and are of national and international significance. Improving crop tolerance to abiotic stresses like drought and salinity is critical to maintaining productivity and food security in rain fed systems. Local crops have been important sources of genes for breeders, and have resulted in crop improvement over the course of many years. The diversity in wheat and barley gene pools can help breeders to improve tolerance of modern and elite varieties to stresses including drought and salinity. In the face of increasing environmental degradation, more frequent drought and rising salinity, it is imperative to characterize and conserve genetic resources with useful traits, and to provide access of this germplasm to researchers and breeders for improving stress-resistance in the staple crops that sustain millions of human lives.
THE AIM
The general goal of the project is the conservation, sustainable use and production of cereals genetic resources in Armenia through characterization and evaluation, and by providing access and availability of local varieties of wheat and barley to plant breeders and researchers. The project will contribute to the sustainable development and adaption of grains, breeding and production despite the challenges and present and future climate changes.
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