Durum wheat and barley: 6 new varieties developed in Morocco to resist drought

Registered in the national seed catalogue, the new varieties will soon be available for cultivation in Morocco. Scientists have worked together to develop six new varieties of durum wheat and barley that are more resistant to drought. These varieties were created in response to the increased frequency of drought episodes. Indeed, the International Center for Agricultural Research in Arid Zones (ICARDA) collaborated with the National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA) and the seed company Benchaib seeds to produce these varieties. The six new varieties of durum wheat and barley are the result of more than 10 years of research. Thus, scientists used genetic resources of ancestral grains, collected and preserved in the ICARDA gene bank in Rabat, which survived for millennia in very difficult climatic conditions. These grains have been evaluated in Morocco for several years, including during severe drought seasons, to ensure their viability. The new varieties have key genetic ...