Durum Wheat Production Research Articles

QTL mapping of seedling and field resistance to stem rust in DAKIYE/Reichenbachii durum wheat population.

Stem rust caused by the fungus Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici Eriks. & E. Henn. (Pgt) threatens the global production of both durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum (Desf.) Husnot) and common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The objective of this study was to evaluate a durum wheat recombinant inbred line (RIL) population from a cross between a susceptible parent 'DAKIYE' and a resistant parent 'Reichenbachii' developed by the International Center for the Improvement of Maize and Wheat (CIMMYT) 1) for seedling response to races JRCQC and TTRTF and 2) for field response to a bulk of the current Pgt races prevalent in Ethiopia and Kenya and 3) to map loci associated with seedling and field resistances in this population. A total of 224 RILs along with their parents were evaluated at the seedling stage in the Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research greenhouse at Debre Zeit, Ethiopia and in the EIAR and KALRO fields in Ethiopia and Kenya, for two seasons from 2019 to 2020. The lines were genotyped using the genotyping-by-sequencing approach. A total of 843 single nucleotide polymorphism markers for 175 lines were used for quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses. Composite interval mapping (CIM) identified three QTL on chromosomes 3B, 4B and 7B contributed by the resistant parent. The QTL on chromosome 3B was identified at all growth stages and it explained 11.8%, 6.5%, 6.4% and 15.3% of the phenotypic variation for responses to races JRCQC, TTRTF and in the field trials ETMS19 and KNMS19, respectively. The power to identify additional QTL in this population was limited by the number of high-quality markers, since several markers with segregation distortion were eliminated. A cytological study is needed to understand the presence of chromosomal rearrangements. Future evaluations of additional durum lines and RIL families identification of durable adult plant resistance sources is crucial for breeding stem rust resistance in durum wheat in the future.

Effect of Tillage Systems on Durum Wheat Production with Different Rotations in Semi Arid Area of Algeria

Background: Durum wheat is the most important cereal in Algeria. The yield of durum wheat is low and depends on climatic conditions and technical operations. Methods: The objective of this study is to compare the effect of the no-till system (NT) and conventional tillage system (CT) with three crop rotation sequences on wheat yield, yield components and some physiological traits under rain-fed conditions. The study was conducted at the technical institute of field crops-Sétif-in east of Algeria, over three crop seasons: 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19. Result: The number of plants/m2, tillers/m2, spikes/m2​ and grain yield were affected by the tillage system and the environmental conditions. Seed weight, straw yield, biological yield, leaf relative water content and leaf chlorophyll content were significantly affected by the environment but not by the tillage system. While the spike density, the harvest index and the grain yield were significantly higher under NT system than in the CT system. Furthermore, wheat grain yield was also higher following legumes than in wheat monoculture. These results indicate that no-tillage and crop diversification by adding leguminous in rotation improves grain legumes yield of durum wheat under semi-arid conditions of Algeria.

Economic and Environmental Assessment of Conventional versus Organic Durum Wheat Production in Southern Italy

Conventional and intensive agriculture systems represent an environmental challenge. This research aims at evaluating the economic and environmental implications of conventional and organic durum wheat production in Southern Italy by applying material flow analysis and the crop accounting method. The purpose is to evaluate and compare the natural resource consumption, waste generation and economic profitability of conventional and organic durum wheat farming, respectively. The functional unit is one hectare of cultivated land. System boundaries encompass all agronomic operations, from cradle to gate. The research applies a bottom-up approach and relies on either primary or secondary data. It emerges that organic durum wheat production reduces the use of synthetic chemical and phytosanitary products, as well as plastic waste, by up to 100%. Moreover, it decreases diesel use by 15%, with a consequent reduction in CO2 emissions, and also avoids soil and groundwater pollution. From an economic perspective, gross income for conventionally farmed durum wheat is still 55% higher compared to organic production. Public authorities should boost environmental sustainability by supporting organic production from either an economic or a social perspective, by enhancing the sharing of best practices, by certification for farmers’ groups, by research and innovation, and by incentives in taxation. Overall, this research represents a further step towards the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.

Analysis of cereal production in Algeria

Analysis of cereal production allows one to make decisions about the importance of certain products and the water resources. Improving cereal production is crucial in developing the standard of living in Algeria. Actually, it should be part of any future strategy for the country. Most of the arable land in Algeria is in a Mediterranean climate, where droughts are common and rainfall is distributed unevenly throughout the year. Research on the impact of climate variability and irrigation on cereal production is necessary due to the effects on the uneven performance of crops in Algeria. The study considered here is based on statistical methods to model the production of durum wheat, bread wheat, barley and oats. The first method used is principal component analysis. It was applied to classify the data in order to determine the relative importance of the various regions for the evaluation of cereal production. The results exhibit an increasing trend in the cereal production on the period from 2009 to 2012. The 2012 cereal harvest in Algeria proved to be the second highest ever recorded, after that of 2009, despite an unusual period of snow in February. It appears that durum wheat production was explained jointly by precipitation and irrigation. However, the variations in the production of the common wheat, oat and barley can only be explained by precipitation. Agriculture currently depends mainly on precipitation rather than irrigation. Modern irrigation systems could increase production. Therefore, if agricultural production is to be improved, important agricultural irrigation methods are needed to mitigate the impact of climate variability in each agricultural area, mainly in the southern regions of the country. Key words: cereal, irrigation, rainfall, regression, production, wheat, oat, barley

Durum Wheat Production Structure and Variety Preferences of Producers in Ankara Province

Bu çalışmanın amacı; uzun yıllardan beri Türkiye’nin önemli makarnalık buğday üretim alanlarına sahip olan Ankara ilinde, makarnalık buğday üretimi yapan tarım işletmelerinin üretim yapısının ve üreticilerin çeşit tercihlerinin incelenmesidir. Ankara ilinde makarnalık buğday üreten üreticilerin, yıllar itibari ile makarnalık buğday ekim alanlarını ve üretimini azalttığı görülürken, bilinirlilik ve ekim alanı olarak Kızıltan-91 makarnalık buğday çeşidinin önde olduğu belirlenmiştir. Üreticilerin uzun süredir kullanmış olduğu, bölgeye adaptasyonuna ve verim istikrarına güvendikleri makarnalık buğday çeşitlerinden vazgeçmedikleri, yeni geliştirilen çeşitlere yönelmeyerek riskten kaçındıkları ve sertifikalı tohumluk kullanımı konusunda yenilikçi olmadıkları görülmektedir. İklim koşullarına bağlı olarak, üretilen makarnalık buğdayın kalitesini arttırmaya yönelik yetiştirme metotları konusunda eğitim verilmesine, yeni geliştirilen çeşitlerin tanıtım ve yayımı konusunda yürütülecek faaliyetlerin çoklu disiplinli olarak kamu, özel sektör, kooperatifler ve üniversiteler ile işbirliği içinde planlanarak uygulanmasına ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır.

Brown rust (Puccinia triticina) and powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis) resistance of the winter durum wheat varieties at ARC “Donskoy”

In order to increase food grain production of winter durum wheat, which is of high quality for producing cereals and pasta, it is necessary to increase the sown areas, which require varieties that meet the requirements of modern production to develop highly productive varieties with specified grain quality parameters and resistance to diseases. Both for bread wheat and durum wheat the harmful diseases are leaf rust and powdery mildew. The generally accepted methods of fighting them is the development of pathogen resistant varieties. Breeding for the resistance of this crop has been carried out at the FSBSI Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy” since the middle of the last century, as a result of which there were developed the varieties with the constantly increasing level of resistance. Through different years, there were developed and sown the varieties ‘Novinka 5’, ‘Donchanka’, ‘Donskoy yantar’, ‘Terra’, ‘Agat Donskoy’, ‘Lazurit’ which were not infected by brown rust and powdery mildew. The purpose of the study was to identify new reliable sources of resistance to these diseases in order to use them in breeding programs for immunity. The study was carried out on infectious backgrounds in 2015–2021, using the North Caucasian populations of leaf rust and powdery mildew pathogens. In the trials there were identified 63 winter durum wheat varieties of different ecological and geographical origin from inter-station variety testing, 26 powdery mildew resistant varieties, 20 leaf rust resistant varieties and 17 varieties resistant to both pathogens. Among the identified varieties with group resistance there are both the Russian varieties ‘Krucha’, ‘Kermen’, ‘Krupinka’, ‘Dobryana’ and others, and foreign varieties ‘Akveduk’, ‘Andromeda’, ‘Kassiopeya’, ‘Afina’, Pributkova and others.

Split Application of Nitrogen Fertilizer for Optimum Yield of Durum Wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. Durum) at Central Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Nitrogen (N) plays an essential role in durum wheat production since it affects yield and quality. However, applied nitrogen is liable to losses through denitrification, volatilization, leaching and runoff. Thus, it is important to apply the recommended amount in splits based on crop requirement and critical growth stages. A field experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of time of N fertilizer application on yield of Durum wheat at Adaa and Minjar during 2016 and 2017 cropping season. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The treatments consisted of a factorial combination of two Durum wheat varieties (Mangudo and Ude) and eight times of split N application (0-0-0-0 N (control), full dose at tillering, 1/3 at planting + 2/3 at tillering), ½ at planting + ¼ at tillering +1/4 at flag leaf, 1/2 at tillering +1/4 at flag leaf + 1/4 at heading, ½ at tillering +1/3 at flag leaf + 1/6 at heading, 1/2 at planting + 1/4 at tillering + 1/8 at flag leaf + 1/8 at heading, and 1/2 at planting+ 1/6 at tillering +1/6 at flag leaf + 1/6 at heading). The fixed rate of N (92 kg/ha) was used. The results showed that variety and time of N applications had a significant effect on growth parameters and grain yield at both locations. The highest grain yield (5579 kg/ha) was obtained when N was applied 1/3 at planting + 2/3 at tillering at Adaa, while the maximum yield (3154 kg/ha) was recorded for ½ at planting+ ¼ at tillering + 1/8 at flag leaf + 1/8 at heading stage at Minjar. The partial budget analysis also confirmed that the highest net benefit (115190 and 78147 Ethiopian birr) and Marginal rate of return (MRR) (7267and 3615) were obtained in 1/3 at planting + 2/3 at tillering at Adaa and ½ at planting+ ¼ at tillering + 1/8 at flag leaf + 1/8 at heading at Minjar, respectively. Therefore, two times (1/3 at planting + 2/3 at tillering) and four times (½ at planting+ ¼ at tillering + 1/8 at flag leaf + 1/8 at heading) split application of the recommended N rate would be advisable to attain higher yields of durum wheat at Adaa and Minjar, respectively.

Modeling the Impact of Future Climate Change Impacts on Rainfed Durum Wheat Production in Algeria

The predicted climate change threatens food security in the coming years in Algeria. So, this study aims to assess the impact of future climate change on a key crop in Algeria which is rainfed durum wheat. We investigate the impact of climate change on rainfed durum wheat cultivar called Mexicali using AquaCrop crop model and the EURO-CORDEX climate projections downscaled with the ICHEC_KNMI model under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. A delta method was applied to correct the incertitudes present in the raw climate projections of two experimental sites located in Sétif and Bordj Bou Arreridj (BBA)’s Eastern High plains of Algeria (EHPs). AquaCrop was validated with a good precision (RMSE = 0.41 tha−1) to simulate Mexicali cultivar yields. In 2035–2064, it is expected at both sites: an average wheat grain yield enhances of +49% and +105% under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, respectively, compared to the average yield of the baseline period (1981–2010), estimated at 29 qha−1. In both sites, in 2035–2064, under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, the CO2 concentrations elevation has a fertilizing effect on rainfed wheat yield. This effect compensates for the negative impacts induced by the temperatures increase and decline in precipitation and net solar radiation. An increase in wheat water productivity is predicted under both RCPs scenarios. That is due to the water loss drop induced by the shortening of the wheat-growing cycle length by the effect of temperatures increase. In 2035–2064, early sowing in mid-September and October will lead to wheat yields improvement, as it will allow the wheat plant to benefit from the precipitations increase through the fall season. Thus, this early sowing will ensure a well vegetative development and will allow the wheat’s flowering and grain filling before the spring warming period.

Effect of type of mature embryo explants and acetosyringone on agrobacterium-mediated transformation of moroccan durum wheat

Drought is one of the major constraints in durum wheat production in the Mediterranean Basin. In order to overcome this problem, the genetic transformation of durum wheat is one of the choices for improvement. However, the recalcitrance to Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) is one of the factors limiting a successful genetic transformation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of explant type and acetosyringone concentration for the efficient Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of three Moroccan durum wheat varieties (Amria, Chaoui, and Marouane). The mature embryos (intact, halved and pieces) were inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA101 harboring the binary vector pTF101.1 containing drought tolerance gene HVA1 from barley, and a selectable marker phosphinothricin (PPT) resistance (bar) gene. The explants were inoculated with A. tumefaciens (cell density OD650 at 0.7) at four different concentrations of acetosyringone (0, 100, 200, and 400 µM). The results showed that embryogenic calli from mature embryos showed higher regeneration and transformation than mature embryo halves and pieces. The integration of the transgene was confirmed by PCR amplification using primers specific to the bar gene, 2x35S promoter, and HVA1 gene. The transformation efficiency ranging from 0.33% to 2.33% was obtained in Amira variety using embryogenic calli and acetosyringone concentrations of 200 and 400 µM. The integration, as well as inheritance of the transgene, was confirmed by PCR amplification in T0 and T1 generations. This is the first report describing a genetic transformation of Moroccan durum wheat varieties via Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

The influence of polycomponent growth-regulating drugs on forming the productivity of winter durum wheat

The influence of polycomponent growth-regulating drugs on forming the productivity of winter durum wheat

New Promising Varieties of Spring Hard Wheat as the Best Raw Material for Pasta Production

Pasta is the most demanded product on the market, although Russia is not the world’s leader in per capita consumption. This is due to the fact that the main raw material for pasta products (up to 80 %) is bakery flour. For production of pasta all over the world, durum wheat grains are used, which have distinctive characteristics from soft wheat. These include: grain nature not less than 800 g/l, glassiness of 80 %, protein content of 15 %, IDK 4.5 units by device (Glutograph-E Brabender), color index by Minolta device is 22 cu. For more than a century, Saratov breeders have been creating durum wheat varieties with high technological potential. This article discusses new varieties of the laboratory for selection and seed production of spring durum wheat of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution Federal Agrarian Scientific Center of South-East: Luch 25, Pamyati Vasilchuka and Tamara - varieties that are promising for use in pasta production as raw materials that meet high international quality standards.

СЕЛЕКЦИЯ ТВЕРДОЙ ПШЕНИЦЫ В КАНАДЕ (обзор)

The review presents the results of the development of durum wheat production and breeding in Canada. In the historical context, the most popular varieties are shown, their characteristics according to the main economic characteristics are given. The approaches used during the period of scientific breeding, since 1928 – the year of the beginning of the breeding improvement of durum wheat in Canada, are given. The main objectives of breeding after the registration of the first Stewart 63 variety in 1963 were: improvement of yield characteristics, resistance to diseases and germination at the root, concentration and quality of protein, grinding indicators (yield of semolina), color of grain, semolina and pasta. Gradually, starting from the end of the 60s, the priority direction are the traits of quality. In the 70s, the Wascana and Wakooma varieties became widespread, which, along with the yield advantages, surpassed the existing varieties in terms of gluten quality - they carried the 45 component of Y-gliadin. For the next 15 years (1985-2000), the Kyle variety dominated, similar in gluten strength to Wakooma, but with a higher content of yellow pigment and better agronomic properties. Then, from 1997 to 2004, varieties were registered that were improved in the content of yellow pigments (AC Avonlea), the quality of gluten (AC Navigator), the quality of gluten and the ability to accumulate a small amount of cadmium (Strongfield), the content of yellow pigments and very significantly in the quality of gluten (Commander). Currently, the quality traits, the accumulation of cadmium in grain are strictly controlled when registering new varieties. From 2010 to 2018, 22 new varieties were registered. Research is underway aimed at introducing modern methods of marker and genomic selection. High-performance methods of phenotyping physiological traits are being developed for their genotyping and application in the study of source and breeding material.

Economic Analysis of Durum Wheat Production Under Nitrogen and Sulfur Fertilization in Southeast Ethiopia

Durum wheat is a preferred raw product for pasta making due to its gluten strength. Nitrogen and Sulphur are nutrients required both for yield and quality. A replicated field trial was conducted at two locations in 2011 in southeast Ethiopia to evaluate profitability of nitrogen and Sulphur fertilization in durum wheat. Net benefit, marginal rate of return, residual and value-cost ratio were the economic parameters used for evaluation.

Effect of forecrop on yield of spring durum wheat and soil potassium in chernozems of southern steppe zone in Southern Urals during long-term research

The goal of the study was to determine the infl nce of forecrops on spring durum wheat productivity and content of soil potassium in monoculture, double-cropping and six-year crop rotation at two types of nutrient statuses. The information obtained as a result of long-term experiments is of great interest, since systematic determination of nutrient elements in soil gives a correct assessment of the effect of the longterm use of fertilizers on soil fertility. Content of available forms of potassium in soil under spring durum wheat depending on different forecrops and nutrient statuses was studied. The best forecrops for durum wheat in 31-year experiments were black, soil-protecting and green fallows. The yield of durum wheat after black fallow was 1.20 t/ha under fertilization and 1.27 t/ha without using fertilizers. Vegetative mass of cropped fallow ploughed into soil and use of mineral fertilizers led to an increase in content of soil potassium. The use of mineral fertilizers has a positive effect on yield of durum wheat; the yield increase was 0.10 t/ha after soil protecting fallow, 0.11 t/ha after common wheat and 0.13 t/ha after winter rye. Content of soil potassium was higher in six-year crop rotation and it increased durum wheat productivity compared to double-cropping and monoculture.

Evaluation of sowing methods and nitrogen levels for grain yield and components of durum wheat under arid region of Egypt

The present experiment was conducted at private farm during 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons. The investigated area lies within the extremely arid belt, having long hot summer and short warm winter. The main goal of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of different sowing methods on yield components of wheat, using split plot design with three replications. Sowing methods in main plot were broadcasting method, row spacing 10, 15 and 20 cm apart). Nitrogen fertilizer levels in sub plot were 60, 75 and 90 kg N fed-1 (fed = 4200 m-2). The increase percentage due to row spacing at 20 cm apart (M4) compared to broadcasting method (M1) were (23.30 & 26.74%) for spike length; (5.11 & 6.94 %) for 1000 grain weight and (8.02 & 7.74%) for grain yield and according ally (3.07 & 3.08%) for harvest index in both seasons, respectively. Overall, from the present study the sowing method in rows with 20 cm apart and the optimum N fertilizer rate (90 kg fed-1) for durum wheat production in the soils of Qasir, Dakhala oasis on silt loam soil was the best treatment.

Formation of individual productivity of winter durum wheat by its structural components depending on the fertilizer system

The individual productivity of winter durum wheat varies signifcantly depending on the fertilizer system in crop rotation, the effectiveness of which is determined by the weather conditions of the growing season. Stem density, tillering coefcients increase signifcantly due to the application of complete fertilizer. Variants of the experiment with incomplete return of phosphorus and potassium removed with crops do not signifcantly affect the structure of the crop. The amount of productive stems increased from 291 pcs/m2 in the version without fertilizers to 338 pcs/m2 or by 16 % for prolonged use of N75 in feld crop rotation and to 397 pcs/ m2, or by 36 % for N150. In the version with prolonged use of N75P30K40, this fgure was 19 %, and with the application of N150P60K80 – 43 % higher compared to unfertilized sites. Prolonged use of nitrogen-potassium and nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer system in terms of the impact on the structure of the crop was at the level of the N150 application option. The number of productive stems in versions with incomplete return to the soil of phosphorus and potassium removed with crops was at the level of the variant with complete fertilizer (N150P30K40). The highest tillering coefcient was in the phase of plants entering the tube – 2.00–2.07, and by the end of the growing season it was decreasing. The lowest coefcient of productive tillering was at fully ripe stage of grain – 1.09–0.54 depending on the fertilizer system. The tendency to influence this indicator was similar to the density of stems. Application of 75 kg a.i./ha of nitrogen fertilizers increases the weight of grains and their number per ear. Increasing their dose up to 150 kg a.i./ha reduces the productivity of the ear. The weight of 1000 grains decreases for all fertilizer systems in crop rotation, but remains very high (≥ 35 g). On average over two years of research it was found that the weight of grain from one ear increased from 1.51 g in the version without fertilizers to 1.63 g or by 8 % with prolonged use of N75, and decreased to 1.45 g, or by 4 % in the version of application of 150 kg a.i./ha of nitrogen fertilizers. Prolonged use of N75P30K40 did not affect this fgure compared to the option of applying only 75 kg a.i./ ha of nitrogen fertilizers. In the N150P60K80 version, the grain weight from one ear was at the control level. The weight of 1000 grains of winter durum wheat in unfertilized sites was 43.0 g, and with the application of nitrogen fertilizers was 41.0–41.7 g. In 2020, the weight of 1000 grains was larger and made 41.5–43.3 g, while in 2021 – 40.3–42.6 g, depending on the version of the experiment. Grain yield was most affected by the nitrogen component in the fertilizer system. Key words: winter durum wheat, fertilizer systems, components of crop structure, stability index.

Agro-meteorological indices, phenological stages and productivity of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) influenced by seed soaking and foliar spray of stress mitigating bio-regulators under conserved moisture condition

An experiment was conducted atAgricultural Research Station, Anand Agricultural University, Dhandhuka during the rabi seasons of the years 2017-18 and 2018-19 to determine the response of meteorological indices on seed soaking and foliar sprays of stress mitigating bio-regulators under conserved soil moisture conditions in durum wheat. The experiment comprised of four treatments of seed soaking viz; No seed soaking (S0), Seed soaking with water (S1), Seed soaking with 100 ppm Salicylic acid (S2) and Seed soaking with 500 ppm Thiourea (S3) and four treatments of foliar spray viz; No spray(C0), Water spray (C1), 100 ppm Salicylic acid spray (C2) and1000 ppm Thiourea spray (C3) of stress mitigating bio–regulators on durum wheat var. GADW 3 was conducted in Randomized Block Design (Factorial). The results showed significant response for growing degree days (GDD), Helio thermal units (HTU), Helio thermal use efficiency (HTUE) to attain different phenological stages (emergence, CRI, tillering, flag leaf, heading, milking, dough and maturity). On the pooled basis, significantly higher heat use efficiency of grain yield recorded under seed soaking with salicylic acid (100 ppm) (S2) and foliar spray of salicylic acid (100 ppm) (C2) was 1.31 & 1.28 (kg/ha/0C day) respectively, over no seed soaking (S0) and no foliar spray (C0). However, it was found at par with seed soaking with 500 ppm thiourea (S3) as well as 1000 ppm foliar spray of thiourea spray (C3).

Comparative Performances of Beneficial Microorganisms on the Induction of Durum Wheat Tolerance to Fusarium Head Blight.

Durum wheat production is seriously threatened by Fusarium head blight (FHB) attacks in Tunisia, and the seed coating by bio-agents is a great alternative for chemical disease control. This study focuses on evaluating, under field conditions, the effect of seed coating with Trichoderma harzianum, Meyerozyma guilliermondii and their combination on (i) FHB severity, durum wheat grain yield and TKW in three crop seasons, and (ii) on physiological parameters and the carbon and nitrogen content and isotope composition in leaves and grains of durum wheat. The results indicated that the treatments were effective in reducing FHB severity by 30 to 70% and increasing grain yield with an increased rate ranging from 25 to 68%, compared to the inoculated control. The impact of treatments on grain yield improvement was associated with higher NDVI and chlorophyll content and lower canopy temperature. Furthermore, the treatments mitigated the FHB adverse effects on N and C metabolism by resulting in a higher δ13Cgrain (13C/12Cgrain) and δ15Ngrain (15N/14Ngrain). Overall, the combination outperformed the other seed treatments by producing the highest grain yield and TKW. The high potency of seed coating with the combination suggests that the two microorganisms have synergetic or complementary impacts on wheat.

Impact of UREAStable on Soil Property, Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Yield of Durum Wheat under Balanced Fertilizer Application

Wheat requirement of nitrogen for plant growth, and crop yields and quality depends upon substantial N inputs. Therefore, a field experiment was carried out at Gimbichu district in 2017 and 2018 main cropping season with the objective of evaluating the overall performance of applying slow-release/UREAstable fertilizer over the conventional urea fertilizer for durum wheat production, and to determine optimum rates of slow-release urea fertilizer for wheat productivity. The treatments consisted of Control, 90 kg N ha-1 from conventional urea applied in split, 90 kg N ha-1 from UREAstable applied once at planting, 90 kg N ha-1 from UREAstable applied in split, 45 kg N ha-1 from UREAstable applied once at planting, 45 kg N ha-1 from UREA stable applied in split form, 135 kg N ha-1 from UREA stable applied in split form, 135 kg N ha-1 from conventional UREA applied in split form and 135 kg N ha-1 from UREAstable applied once at planting. The results revealed that plant height, spike length, Tiller number, grain yield, biomass yield, harvest index and grain and straw uptake were significantly (P<0.05) affected by the application of slow release and conventional urea fertilizer. The highest spike length (3.8cm), Tiller number (2.1), grain yield (2205 kg ha-1), biomass yield (6968 kg ha-1) and nitrogen grain straw uptake (35.6 kg N ha-1) were recorded from 135kg N ha-1 urea stable fertilizer applied in split form followed by application of 135 kg N ha-1 conventional urea fertilizer applied in split form. While, maximum straw nitrogen uptake was obtained from application of 135 kg N ha-1 conventional urea fertilizer applied in split form. Therefore, taking the findings of the present study consideration it may be concluding that farmers can use 135 kg N ha-1 UREAstable fertilizer to improve nitrogen use efficiency and productivity of wheat in the study area in addition to conventional urea fertilizer. However, further research may be required at various locations to come up with an inclusive recommendation.

Global loss of climatically suitable areas for durum wheat growth in the future

Durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) is a minor cereal crop of key importance for making pasta, couscous, burghul, puddings, bread and many other traditional foods, due to its physical and chemical characteristics. The global demand for high-quality food made of durum wheat has been increasing, which poses a challenge in the face of climate change. Major share of durum wheat production is currently located in semi-arid climates, where the risk of climate extremes such as drought and heat stress will likely substantially increase in the future. To provide a first estimate of future global arable land climatically suitable for growing durum wheat, we develop a suitability model based on support vector machines. The current total share of global arable land climatically suitable to grow rainfed durum wheat is around 13%. Climate change may decrease the suitable area by 19% at mid-century and by 48% at the end of the century. Widespread loss of suitable areas is foreseen in the Mediterranean regions and northern America. On the other hand, climate may become suitable to grow durum wheat in many regions of central and western Europe, while the largest gain in suitability is estimated in some parts of Russia. The overall net loss of suitable areas requires the development and the future adoption of effective and sustainable strategies to stabilize production and adapt the entire food supply chain. Our study also clearly demonstrates the importance of limiting global warming to levels well below 2 °C at the end of the century, which would substantially limit the loss of climatically suitable areas.