Demand For Wheat Research Articles

Assessment of genetic divergence in wheat lines (Triticum aestivum L.) involving biochemical and protein markers in rainfed conditions

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the important and strategic cereal crop for the majority of world’s populations. It is significant staple food of about two billion people. In next few years, world demand for wheat is expected to be 40 percent higher than that of its level today. Keeping in view the importance of the crop research work was conducted in the laboratory of Plant Breeding and Molecular Genetics, University of Poonch Rawalakot, AJK, Pakistan. The aim of the research was to find out the genetic diversity of different wheat lines. In the experiment, 50 different lines of wheat species (Triticum aestivum L.) was used to detect genetic diversity by utilizing Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis and biochemical analysis. On the basis of biochemical analysis lines 3111 and 3123 was diverse among 50 lines for antioxidant activity by using DPPH radical and 3135 and 3139 for phenolic contents and for flavonoid 3148 and 3107 was found more promising. Molecular characterization by SDS PAGE showed diversity in three wheat lines 3136, 3138 and 3110. These wheat lines could be our potential lines for future wheat improvement program as they were also promising regarding to the high yields.

Market Arrivals and Price Behavior of Wheat in Major Markets of India

Behaviour of prices of agricultural commodities results from the basic characteristics of agricultural sector and farm products. This study is based on the secondary data of 15 years from 2007-08 to 2021-22 which was collected from www.agmarknet.gov.in. For the analytical framework, the linear trend equation was used to study the trend in arrivals and prices. During the study period, the pattern of trend in arrivals and prices was differed across the selected markets. All the selected market for wheat showed increasing trend in arrivals and prices over the years. The per annum increase in the arrivals of wheat in Lakhimpur market was the highest at 1884.86 quintals followed by Vidisha, Baran, Dewas, Kota and Agra markets at 1394.74, 942.65, 782.61, 389.19 and 56.53 quintals respectively. The quantum of increase in the arrivals of wheat might be due to the increased production in these regions. Increased productivity and arrivals was attributable to introduction of high yielding varieties, technological advancement, increased demand for wheat in the international market, prices lead to better productivity realization by farmers in the surrounding hinterlands of Lakhimpur, Vidisha, Baran and Dewas area and supplied to these markets. Market arrivals registered lowest quantum of increase in Agra and Kota markets. The lowest quantum of increase in arrivals of wheat might be due to increasing heat stress, other problems experienced by producers in production level and shift in cropping pattern of the farmers towards other commercial crops in those regions. Seasonal indices of arrivals and prices of wheat in selected markets revealed that when the arrivals of wheat to the market were high, the prices were found to be low i.e., March to June. Seasonal price indices of wheat indicate that the price realized by farmers was low during the post- harvest month. Hence, infrastructural facilities like warehouses and market extension services have to be strengthened for encouraging and bringing awareness among the farming community about the availability of warehouses and marketing credit to reap the better benefits.

Genetic Approaches to Increase Arabinoxylan and β-Glucan Content in Wheat.

Wheat is one of the three staple crops feeding the world. The demand for wheat is ever increasing as a relatively good source of protein, energy, nutrients, and dietary fiber (DF) when consumed as wholemeal. Arabinoxylan and β-glucan are the major hemicelluloses in the cell walls and dietary fiber in wheat grains. The amount and structure of DF varies between grain tissues. Reducing post-prandial glycemic response as well as intestinal transit time and contribution to increased fecal bulk are only a few benefits of DF consumption. Dietary fiber is fermented in the colon and stimulates growth of beneficial bacteria producing SCFA, considered responsible for a wide range of health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease and colon cancer. The recommended daily intake of 25-30 g is met by only few individuals. Cereals cover nearly 40% of fiber in the Western diet. Therefore, wheat is a good target for improving dietary fiber content, as it would increase the fiber intake and simultaneously impact the health of many people. This review reflects the current status of the research on genetics of the two major dietary fiber components, as well as breeding approaches used to improve their quantity and quality in wheat grain.

Digested slurry analysis for utilization based on irrigated crop water demand

To rationally utilize digested slurry, and thereby promote the integrated development of planting and breeding in breeding industry, the water-fertilizer requirement analysis of typical winter wheat-summer corn rotation tillage model in Zhengzhou was completed based on the water/nutrient requirement of crops. The results showed that the water demand and effective rainfall of winter wheat during the whole growth period were 492 and 190 mm, and the application amount of digested slurry was 3090 m³. The N, P, and K provided were 3600, 197, and 1310 kg, respectively, which exceeded the normal nutrient requirement of wheat. During the whole growth period of summer corn, the water demand was 354 mm, the effective rainfall was 290 mm, and the application amount of digested slurry was 763 m³. The amount of N, P, and K provided was 890, 48.6, and 324 kg, respectively. The amount of N and K exceeded the normal nutrient demand of corn, while the P was insufficient. Therefore, digested slurry can provide full nutrient requirements in winter wheat planting season in Zhengzhou, and P fertilizer should be added when applying digested slurry in corn planting season. If long-term application, excessive nutrient loss may cause non-point source pollution.

Fog water harvesting potential and its use in supplementary irrigation of rainfed crops (winter wheat) in Abi-beyglu, Ardabil (Iran)

Abstract In arid and semi-arid areas where available water resources are very limited, the application of unconventional sources of water like the fog is of paramount importance. In this paper, the feasibility of using a standard fog collector (SFC) to collect fog water for complementary irrigation of rainfed wheat in the Abi-beyglu area was investigated. For this purpose, collected water volume was measured on a daily basis during fog time in 2021. The water demand of the winter wheat was estimated by the FAO Penman–Monteith equation under dry and normal conditions. Then the contribution of the collected water to supply the water demand of the wheat and the resultant increase in the yield under two different scenarios, namely complementary irrigation with 30 and 60 mm of collected water, was estimated using the AquaCrop model. Results showed that it is feasible to obtain an average water production of 3.6 L/m2/day over the studied period. Upon irrigation with 30 and 60 mm of collected water under dry and normal conditions, 26 and 34% of the water deficiency for wheat farming was supplied, leading to increased crop yields by 0.6 and 1.7 ton/ha, respectively.

Yield components and yield quality of old and modern wheat cultivars as affected by cultivar release date, N fertilization and environment in Germany

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the main staple crop worldwide. Understanding the genotype × management × environment (G × M × E) interaction is critical for breeding, yield, grain quality estimation and to develop sustainable production systems that meet food and feed demand. Many studies have explored grain yield changes and yield stability over time, as well as G × M × E (i.e., the effect of breeding progress), but limited studies have looked at these effects on yield components and grain quality parameters. A field experiment was conducted to understand the G × M × E interactions for yield components of winter wheat cultivars. The study was carried out for three seasons (2015–2018) using a split plot design with four replications, with nitrogen (N) fertilizer levels (0, 120 and 240 kg N ha-1), in the main plot and cultivars in the subplot. Three old cultivars (released before 1960), Heines II, Heines Rot, Heines VII and three modern cultivars (released after 1960), Jubilar, Sperber and Tommi, were selected. Total aboveground biomass (TAGB), grain yield, harvest index (HI), thousand kernel weight (TKW), grains m-2, grain protein and hectoliter weight (HLW) were collected at harvest. The three-way interaction was significant for most variables except for grain protein, but after applying the AIC method, the three-way interaction was just relevant for HI. The 0 N level always resulted in lowest TAGB, grain yield, grains m-2, grain protein and HLW for all cultivars. All cultivars showed a positive response in grain yield when applying 120 kg ha-1 of N but no significant further yield increase was observed with higher N levels. With regards to HI, cultivar differences were more apparent during the wettest year 2016. The HI tends to decrease with increasing N levels and was the highest in modern cultivars with Tommi and Sperber, though in 2017, also Heines VII showed one of the highest HI across treatments. Grain protein content progressively increased with N level, but newer cultivars like Tommi and Sperber, showed some of the lowest protein contents. Yield component contribution to grain yield has changed over time with grain number, grain size and HI, becoming more important for yield realization. Modern cultivars, especially Tommi, performed better than the rest of the cultivars under sufficient N supply. Optimal N-rates among cultivars differ for grain yield and grain protein, posing a challenge to maintain wheat supply to the increasing wheat demand in the future but also to meeting sustainability targets to reduce and optimize resource use.

Effect of Elevated CO2 and Temperature on Phosphorus Harvest Index of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) at Various Levels of Phosphorus Fertilization

The possible alteration in plant growth, productivity and phosphorus (P) demand of wheat under rising atmospheric CO2 and temperature is expected to influence the partitioning of P to different plant parts of wheat. A phytotron experiment was conducted to study the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 (650 µmol mol-1) and elevated temperature (ambient + 3 °C) on phosphorus harvest index of wheat at various levels (control, 100% and 200% of recommended P) of P fertilization. While there was a slight increase (5.6%) in P harvest index of wheat under elevated CO2, the reverse trend (12.7% decline) was observed under elevated temperature with no consistent effect at various levels of P fertilization. Interestingly, there was a moderate decline (7.7%) in P harvest index of wheat under combined elevation of CO2 and temperature as compared to their ambient combination. The results suggest that temperature could be the dominant factor as compared to the atmospheric CO2 in deciding the overall impact of projected increase in atmospheric CO2 and temperature on P harvest index of wheat. As there is logically possible relationship between P harvest index of wheat and various physical and nutritional qualities of wheat grains such as grain Zn and Fe content and their bio-availability, grain protein content, seedling vigour, etc., the decline in wheat’s P harvest index under projected levels of CO2 and temperature in our study underscores the need of undertaking elaborate experimentations to investigate the probable effects of climate change on quality parameters associated with P harvest index of wheat.

Wheat Farmers’ Perception of Constraints and Their Adaptive Capacity to Changing Demands in Egypt

Most of the approximately 105 million Egyptians depend on wheat in the form of baladi bread for their daily diet. Millions of smallholders along the River Nile have produced wheat for millennia; however, in more recent history, the wheat demand and supply ratio has dramatically changed. The first wheat imports in Egyptian history were in 1966. Today, domestic production meets only half of the wheat consumption, and Egypt has become the largest wheat importer in the world. Before the Russia–Ukraine war, 85% of the wheat imports to Egypt came from Russia and Ukraine. The war and the associated disruption of the wheat supply chains has put Egypt on the top list of so-called “developing countries highly threatened by food crises”. Against this backdrop, we analyzed decision-making factors and perceptions of wheat-producing smallholders in the Nile River Delta, the wheat basket of Egypt. The study draws on nine months of empirical fieldwork in the Nile River Delta. We employed a mixed approach to data collection, combining interviews and focus group discussions with smallholders, experts, and agriculture extension agents with transect walks and field observations. In total, 246 randomly selected wheat-growing smallholders were interviewed in four divisions in the Nile River Delta. Our findings show that the production of wheat by smallholders is highly influenced by system-immanent factors, such as subsistence need for home consumption and the presence and intensity of animal husbandry, as well as by external factors, such as the domestic prices for wheat determined by the government in each season and the time of the declaration of these prices. These factors affect smallholders’ decisions to increase or decrease their wheat cultivation area. However, the study also showed that the factors influencing farmers’ decisions to grow wheat or implement innovative practices vary across different areas within the same region. Smallholders struggle with poor access to fundamental production factors and are discontented with the low provision of extension and support services as well as poor market structures. These constraints act as disincentives for smallholders to produce (more) wheat. They need to be addressed and eliminated to increase domestic production and to reduce Egypt’s dependency on expensive and unreliable wheat imports.

GROWTH RATE, TRENDS AND FORECAST ANALYSIS OF WHEAT DEMAND-SUPPLY GAP IN NIGERIA

The study analyzed the growth rate, trends and forecast of wheat demand-supply gap in Nigeria. The study made use of time series data spanning from 1990 to 2020. Data on the variables for the study were collected from the archives of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and analyzed using both descriptive such as mean, maximum and minimum with trend graphs and inferential statistics such as Growth model and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model. Findings of the study revealed that supply of wheat in Nigeria within the study period ranges from 32,600 tons to 169,961 tons with mean of 79609.97 tons. Wheat demand ranges between 427575 tons and 8142811 tons with a mean of 4153978 tons during the period of study. However, the demand has not been met as there is a widening demand-supply gap of 99%, indicating that demand of wheat has a higher growth rate than supply. The result further revealed a stagnating instantaneous growth rate (IGR) of 9.2% for demand and a decelerating IGR of 1.4% for supply but an accelerating IGR of 9.4% for the wheat demand-supply gap. The study also forecasted an increase in demand from 8078642.57 tons in 2021 to 10002488.59 tons in 2030 and wheat supply increase from 40306.22 tons in 2021 to 94707.54 tons in 2030. The demand-supply gap will consequently increase from 7860173.39 tons in 2021 to 9628172.33 tons in 2030. Consequently, the study recommended that Government and other players in the sub-sector should encourage the high production of wheat in the country to boast domestic supply so as to reduce the wheat demand-supply gap.

Optimizing sowing patterns in winter wheat can reduce N2O emissions and improve grain yield and NUE by enhancing N uptake.

Increasing nitrogen (N) input is essential to satisfy the rising global wheat demand, but this increases nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, thereby exacerbating global climate change. Higher yields accompanied by reduced N2O emissions are essential to synergistically reduce greenhouse warming and ensure global food security. In this study, we conducted a trial using two sowing patterns (conventional drilling sowing [CD] and wide belt sowing [WB], with seedling belt widths of 2-3 and 8-10 cm, respectively) with four N rates (0, 168, 240, and 312kg ha-1, hereafter N0, N168, N240, and N312, respectively) during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 growing seasons. We investigated the impacts of growing season, sowing pattern, and N rate on N2O emissions, N2O emissions factors (EFs), global warming potential (GWP), yield-scaled N2O emissions, grain yield, N use efficiency (NUE), plant N uptake and soil inorganic N concentrations at jointing, anthesis, and maturity. The results showed that sowing pattern and N rate interactions influenced the N2O emissions markedly. Compared to CD, WB significantly reduced cumulative N2O emissions, N2O EFs, GWP, and yield-scaled N2O emissions for N168, N240, and N312, with the largest reduction seen at N312. Furthermore, WB markedly improved plant N uptake and reduced soil inorganic N compared to CD at each N rate. Correlation analyses indicated that WB mitigated the N2O emissions at various N rates mainly through efficient N uptake and reduced soil inorganic N. The highest grain yield occurred under a combination of WB and N312, under which the yield-scaled N2O emissions were equal to the local management (sowing with CD at N240). In conclusion, WB sowing could synergistically decrease N2O emissions and obtain high grain yields and NUEs, especially at higher N rates.

Evaluation of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes for drought tolerance using morpho-physiological traits under drought-stressed and well-watered conditions.

Increasing frequency of drought spells occasioned by changing climatic conditions, coupled with rise in demand for bread wheat, calls for the development of high yielding drought resilient genotypes to enhance bread wheat production in areas with moisture deficit. This study was designed to identify and select drought-tolerant bread wheat genotypes using morpho-physiological traits. One hundred and ninety-six bread wheat genotypes were evaluated in greenhouse and field experiments, under well-watered (80% of field capacity) and drought-stressed (35% of field capacity) conditions, for two years. Data were collected on five morphological traits (flag leaf size, flag leaf angle, flag leaf rolling, leaf waxiness and resistance to diseases) and 14 physiological traits. Relative water content (RWC), Excised leaf water retention (ELWR), Relative water loss (RWL), Leaf membrane stability index (LMSI), as well as Canopy temperature depression (CTD) at heading (CTDH), anthesis (CTDA), milking (CTDM), dough stage (CTDD) and ripening (CTDR) were estimated. Similarly, leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD reading) was recorded at heading (SPADH), anthesis (SPADA), milking (SPADM), dough stage (SPADD), and ripening (SPADR). Significant (p<0.01) genotypic differences were found for the traits under both well-watered and drought-stressed conditions. Associations of RWL with SPADH, SPADA, SPADM, SPADD and SPADR were significant (p<0.01) and negative under both watering regimes. The first three principal components accounted for 92.0% and 88.4% of the total variation under well-watered and drought-stressed conditions, respectively and comprised all the traits. The traits CTDD, CTDM, CTDR, SPADH, SPADA, SPADM, SPADD and SPADR with genotypes Alidoro, ET-13A2, Kingbird, Tsehay, ETBW 8816, ETBW 9027, ETBW9402, ETBW 8394 and ETBW 8725 were associated under both conditions. Genotypes with narrow flag leaves, erect flag leaf angles, fully rolled flag leaves, heavily waxed leaves, and resistant to disease manifested tolerance to drought stress. The identified traits and genotypes could be exploited in future breeding programmes for the development of bread wheat genotypes with tolerance to drought.

Impact of Wheat Cluster Farming Practice on Smallholder’s Asset Building in Arsi Zone of Ethiopia

Agriculture is the main focus of Ethiopia's economic development. It accounts for about 32.7% of the country’s GDP (NBE, 2020). Wheat is one of the major cereal crops produced by smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. Wheat demand is rising quickly in Ethiopia despite efforts to improve wheat production. Recently, to curb this problem, the government of Ethiopia has set up a cluster farming system for high-potential crops like wheat as a means of improving productivity and maximizing the income of smallholder farmers. In light of the problems and the research gaps identified, this study seeks to address the impact of wheat cluster farming practices on stallholder’s asset building in the Arsi Zone of Ethiopia. Data was collected from 383 sample wheat-producing households. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and propensity score matching model. The propensity score matching model of the average treatment effect on the treated result revealed that wheat cluster farming participation had a significant impact on the smallholders’ asset building. It has been found that, on average, participation in wheat cluster farming has increased smallholders' asset building by ETB 8014.13 (148.69$) for wheat cluster participants as compared to non-participants. Hence it was concluded that cluster farming has improve wheat production which is the major source of income to build asset of the study areas smallholders. Therefore, stakeholders should develop strategies to promote and scale up cluster farming practices. As a result, smallholder farmers will use the extra wheat produced by cluster farming to accumulate more assets and thus raise their standard of living.

The Efficacy of Micronutrient Fertilizers on the Yield Formulation and Quality of Wheat Grains

Under the changing climatic conditions, one of the most pressing issues in wheat production is the improvement of the yield quality, the lack of which has a negative impact on animal and human health. More than 25% of the world’s population are affected by micronutrient deficiencies in food products, a problem which is known as hidden hunger. Thus, effective micronutrient management is crucial for improving both the quantity and quality of wheat production by increasing the plant’s ability to tolerate various environmental stresses and diseases. In this review, previous works were assessed to investigate the significance of micronutrient fertilizers and their interaction effects on the wheat grain yield and quality, including high-quality and nutritionally rich products. The application of micronutrients mixed with macronutrients significantly increases plant growth, physiological traits, yield components, the grain yield, and the quality traits. Among the types of applications, the foliar application of nutrients is very profitable due to its efficiency in terms of economics, ecology, and the qualitative and quantitative yield. In short, in-depth studies are needed to determine the best concentrations, forms, and times of application of micro-fertilizers to the wheat field and to mitigate the challenges of the increasing wheat demand due to steadily rising world population growth and reducing the rates of nutritional deficiency.

No-tillage with straw mulching promotes wheat production via regulating soil drying-wetting status and reducing soil-air temperature variation at arid regions

Straw returning is a technical measure of crop production widely adopted in arid and water-deficient areas. However, the mechanism by which straw returning drives spatio-temporal changes in soil moisture and temperature to improve crop productivity remains unclear. So, a three-year field experiment was conducted with four various straw returning treatments for wheat production: 1) no-tillage with straw mulching (NTSM), 2) no-tillage with straw standing (NTSS), 3) conventional tillage with straw incorporation (CTS), and 4) conventional tillage without straw returning (CT, control). The spatio-temporal variations of soil moisture content and soil temperature were assessed. It will provide the basis for selecting the appropriate way of straw returning to increase wheat yield and clarifying its hydrothermal regulation mechanism. NTSM and NTSS were effective in maintaining soil moisture and regulating soil temperature, and had a greater effect on grain increase, than CTS and CT. Meanwhile, NTSM had a relatively higher yield than NTSS through better regulation of soil hydrothermal characteristics. NTSM had higher soil moisture content in the 0–120 cm depth by 9.8–10.2%, 6.7–8.2%, 6.5–10.2%, and 6.9–7.4% at sowing to jointing, jointing to booting, booting to early-filling, and early-filling to maturing stages of wheat, respectively. NTSM decreased evapotranspiration modulus coefficient (ETMC) and evapotranspiration intensity (ETI) at jointing to early-filling stage of wheat, but increased both indexes from early-filing to maturing stage of wheat, which is helpful to adjust the contradiction of soil moisture demand for wheat in different growth stages. Additionally, NTSM had 9.8–10.2%, 6.7–8.2%, 6.5–10.2%, and 6.9–7.4% lower soil temperature in the 5–25 cm depth than CT, at the four aforementioned wheat growth stages, respectively. The difference of soil temperature was mainly reflected at the 5–15 cm depth by analyzing the difference on soil temperature in various soil depths. The treatment on NTSM had little variation and stabilized soil temperature, according to the difference between air and average soil temperature of 5–15 cm depth. NTSM allowed wheat to grow a suitable thermal environment across their growth period, which is a significant regulatory mechanism for wheat to maintain better growth and development. Thereby, NTSM boosted wheat grain yield by 18.6–27.3% as compared to CT. Collectively, the NTSM treatment had better effect on regulating soil drying-wetting status and reducing soil-air temperature variation, which could be used as a recommended measure to improve wheat productivity at arid conditions.

Projecting wheat demand in China and India for 2030 and 2050: Implications for food security.

The combined populations of China and India were 2.78 billion in 2020, representing 36% of the world population (7.75 billion). Wheat is the second most important staple grain in both China and India. In 2019, the aggregate wheat consumption in China was 96.4 million ton and in India it was 82.5 million ton, together it was more than 35% of the world's wheat that year. In China, in 2050, the projected population will be 1294-1515 million, and in India, it is projected to be 14.89-1793 million, under the low and high-fertility rate assumptions. A question arises as to, what will be aggregate demand for wheat in China and India in 2030 and 2050? Applying the Vector Error Correction model estimation process in the time series econometric estimation setting, this study projected the per capita and annual aggregate wheat consumptions of China and India during 2019-2050. In the process, this study relies on agricultural data sourced from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States (FAO) database (FAOSTAT), as well as the World Bank's World Development Indicators (WDI) data catalog. The presence of unit root in the data series are tested by applying the augmented Dickey-Fuller test; Philips-Perron unit root test; Kwiatkowski-Phillips-Schmidt-Shin test, and Zivot-Andrews Unit Root test allowing for a single break in intercept and/or trend. The test statistics suggest that a natural log transformation and with the first difference of the variables provides stationarity of the data series for both China and India. The Zivot-Andrews Unit Root test, however, suggested that there is a structural break in urban population share and GDP per capita. To tackle the issue, we have included a year dummy and two multiplicative dummies in our model. Furthermore, the Johansen cointegration test suggests that at least one variable in both data series were cointegrated. These tests enable us to apply Vector Error Correction (VEC) model estimation procedure. In estimation the model, the appropriate number of lags of the variables is confirmed by applying the "varsoc" command in Stata 17 software interface. The estimated yearly per capita wheat consumption in 2030 and 2050 from the VEC model, are multiplied by the projected population in 2030 and 2050 to calculate the projected aggregate wheat demand in China and India in 2030 and 2050. After projecting the yearly per capita wheat consumption (KG), we multiply with the projected population to get the expected consumption demand. This study found that the yearly per capita wheat consumption of China will increase from 65.8 kg in 2019 to 76 kg in 2030, and 95 kg in 2050. In India, the yearly per capita wheat consumption will increase to 74 kg in 2030 and 94 kg in 2050 from 60.4 kg in 2019. Considering the projected population growth rates under low-fertility assumptions, aggregate wheat consumption of China will increase by more than 13% in 2030 and by 28% in 2050. Under the high-fertility rate assumption, however the aggregate wheat consumption of China will increase by 18% in 2030 and nearly 50% in 2050. In the case of India, under both low and high-fertility rate assumptions, aggregate wheat demand in India will increase by 32-38% in 2030 and by 70-104% in 2050 compared to 2019 level of consumption. Our results underline the importance of wheat in both countries, which are the world's top wheat producers and consumers, and suggest the importance of research and development investments to maintain sufficient national wheat grain production levels to meet China and India's domestic demand. This is critical both to ensure the food security of this large segment of the world populace, which also includes 23% of the total population of the world who live on less than US $1.90/day, as well as to avoid potential grain market destabilization and price hikes that arise in the event of large import demands.

Marker-trait association analyses revealed major novel QTLs for grain yield and related traits in durum wheat.

The growing global demand for wheat for food is rising due to the influence of population growth and climate change. The dissection of complex traits by employing a genome-wide association study (GWAS) allows the identification of DNA markers associated with complex traits to improve the productivity of crops. We used GWAS with 10,045 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to search for genomic regions associated with grain yield and related traits based on diverse panels of Ethiopian durum wheat. In Ethiopia, multi-environment trials of the genotypes were carried out at five locations. The genotyping was conducted using the 25k Illumina Wheat SNP array to explore population structure, linkage disequilibrium (LD), and marker-trait associations (MTAs). For GWAS, the multi-locus Fixed and Random Model Circulating Probability Unification (FarmCPU) model was applied. Broad-sense heritability estimates were high, ranging from 0.63 (for grain yield) to 0.97 (for thousand-kernel weight). The population structure based on principal component analysis, and model-based cluster analysis revealed two genetically distinct clusters with limited admixtures. The LD among SNPs declined within the range of 2.02-10.04 Mbp with an average of 4.28 Mbp. The GWAS scan based on the mean performance of the genotypes across the environments identified 44 significant MTAs across the chromosomes. Twenty-six of these MTAs are novel, whereas the remaining 18 were previously reported and confirmed in this study. We also identified candidate genes for the novel loci potentially regulating the traits. Hence, this study highlights the significance of the Ethiopian durum wheat gene pool for improving durum wheat globally. Furthermore, a breeding strategy focusing on accumulating favorable alleles at these loci could improve durum wheat production in the East African highlands and elsewhere.

НЕЦЕНОВЫЕ ФАКТОРЫ СПРОСА НА ИМПОРТ ПШЕНИЦЫ В СТРАНАХ СЕВЕРНОЙ АФРИКИ

North Africa has firmly established itself as a leading world region in terms of wheat imports. While domestic production remains limited due to natural and climate factors, domestic demand for wheat keeps growing due to fast population growth. That makes the region an attractive grain market, and forces largest exporters to use the whole range of price and nonprice instruments in the competition for the desired market niche. Russian wheat is the most competitive in terms of price. However, as this study shows, in the target region, it is nonprice factors that have a key influence on the decision to conclude a foreign trade contract. In this regard, the purpose of this paper is to reveal, using a panel data model, significant nonprice factors that affect the distribution of market shares of the main suppliers of wheat to the North African market. Taking these factors into consideration will allow underrepresented exporters to increase supplies and secure a niche that fully meets their export potential.

Որքանո՞վ է երաշխավորված ցորենի անհրաժեշտ քանակությամբ ներմուծումը Հայաստան / How Guaranteed is Wheat Import in the Required Quantity to Armenia?

The main problem of food security in Armenia is to provide the population with bread and bakery products in sufficient quantity and quality. This problem has always remained pertinent due to Armenia’s limited self-sufficiency in grain production. At present, the Russian Federation is the only exporter of grain to Armenia. Of course, such a monopoly position presents inherent risks, but the geopolitical position of Armenia and the development trends of interstate economic and political ties show that the main source of filling the deficit in demand for wheat today and in the near future is imports from the Russian Federation. Therefore, it is necessary to treat trade and economic relations with the Russian Federation and the EAEU with respect and wisdom, while drawing lessons from historical experiences. This paper highlights the state of production and export of wheat in the Russian Federation, as well as trends in the development of trade relations with Armenia.

Trends and Prospects of Change in Wheat Self-Sufficiency in Egypt

Egypt is the largest wheat importer in the world; however, it produces only half of the 20 million tons of wheat that it consumes annually. The population of Egypt is currently growing by 1.94% per year, and projections predict that the demand for wheat will be nearly doubled by 2050. Russia and Ukraine are major wheat exporters to Egypt and globally, shipping grains from ports in the Black Sea. The ongoing conflict aggravates the already precarious food security situation in Egypt and many other import-dependent countries in Africa and Asia by disrupting supplies and accelerating food price hikes. Wheat is a strategic commodity in Egypt. Its production is a question of political stability. Against this backdrop, the Egyptian government declared gaining wheat self-sufficiency as a strategic aim. This study provides an overview of the degree and trends of cultivated wheat area, yield, production, and wheat self-sufficiency in Egypt between 2000 and 2020, followed by a qualitative analysis determining external pressures and system-immanent drivers that had an impact on wheat self-sufficiency in the past two decades in view of predicting future pathways to achieve wheat self-sufficiency in a sustainable way. The study underlines some critical external pressures such as agricultural policies, (subsidized) production inputs, climate conditions, global wheat supply chains, and system-immanent drivers such as domestic wheat supply prices and yields influencing the area of wheat cultivation and its productivity. There is a significant need to implement more effective and long-term sustainable agricultural policies in order to make wheat production in Egypt (more) attractive and feasible for smallholders again.

Performance of wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars in the savannah of Roraima, Brazil

Brazilian wheat production is concentrated in the South region and does not fully meet the domestic demand for wheat. The Brazilian Cerrado has become an area of great potential for wheat cultivation due to investments in genetic improvement research. Thus, this study aimed to assess the growth and grain production of wheat cultivars in savannah soil in Roraima, Brazil. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks with four treatments and five replications. The treatments consisted of the following wheat cultivars: TBIO Aton, TBIO Convicto, TBIO Duque, and TBIO Trunfo. The experimental unit was represented by an area of 18 m2 composed of 14 rows of 6 m, spaced at 20 cm, with approximately 100 plants per meter. The following variables were assessed: plant height, number of spikelets per spike, number of grains per spike, number of grains per spikelet, and grain yield. In general, the four cultivars showed good adaptation to the edaphoclimatic conditions of the Roraima savannah. The cultivars TBIO Convicto and TBIO Aton are superior to the others in terms of grain production. The industrial quality of the cultivars was favorable to the use of grains for the flour industry