This issue of Caravan describes some of ICARDA's work on climate change. It contains overviews of the key issues, and articles describing research in specific areas. We examine, for example, how genetic resources – landrace varieties, wild...
Ties that Bind: Jordan and ICARDA. 30 years of partnership for sustainable agriculture
Collaboration between ICARDA and Jordan began when ICARDA was established in 1977. A bilateral agreement was signed on 27 October that year. The first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with the Ministry of Agriculture, identifying...
SuperSAGE: the drought stress-responsive transcriptome of chickpea roots
Background Drought is the major constraint to increase yield in chickpea (Cicer arietinum). Improving drought tolerance is therefore of outmost importance for breeding. However, the complexity of the trait allowed only marginal progress. A...
Nitrate‐n test as a guide to N fertilization of Weat in the mediterranean region
Forty factorial experiments with 4 levels of N (0, 40, 80, and 120 kg N/ha and 4 levels of P (0, 8.8, 17.5, and 35 kg P/ha) with two replicates were conducted in farmers’ fields during two consecutive seasons in 1987 and 1988. The sites chosen...
In 2007, ICARDA celebrated its thirtieth anniversary. The Center and its partners have worked together for three decades to improve the food security and livelihoods of the poor in dry and marginal areas. During this time, we have seen...
Survey of chocolate spot (Botrytis fabae) disease of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and assessment of factors influencing disease epidemics in northern Ethiopia
Field surveys were conducted in northern Ethiopia during the 2004 and 2005 cropping seasons to determine the distribution of chocolate spot (Botrytis fabae) and the association of disease parameters (incidence and severity) with crop management...
Genetic structure, diversity, and allelic richness in composite collection and reference set in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
Background: Plant genetic resources (PGR) are the basic raw materials for future genetic progress and an insurance against unforeseen threats to agricultural production. An extensive characterization of PGR provides an opportunity to dissect...
Barley and Vetch yields from dryland rotations with varying tillage and residue management under Mediterranean conditions
With increasing land-use pressure in semi-arid, dryland Middle Eastern agriculture, fallow-based cereal production has given way to cropping intensification, including legume-based rotations along with conservation tillage and on-farm straw...
Linking participatory plant breeding to the seed supply system
There is a strong link between formal plant breeding and seed supply. In developed countries, it was the emergence of systematic plant breeding that generated new named varieties and stimulated organized seed multiplication and marketing by...
Productivity enhancement of salt-affected environments through crop diversification
Recent trends and future demographic projections suggest that the need to produce more food and fibre will necessitate effective utilization of salt-affected land and saline water resources. Currently at least 20 per cent of the world's...