Türkiye develops three drought-tolerant wheat varieties

KIRŞEHİR

Signs identify newly developed wheat varieties in experimental plots in Kırşehir.

Researchers in Türkiye’s central province of Kırşehir have developed three drought-tolerant wheat varieties to raise yields and reduce disease losses for farmers working in dry conditions.

Kırşehir Ahi Evran University Rector Professor Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil told Anadolu Agency the Faculty of Agriculture’s Cereal Breeding Program had produced candidates yielding over 850-900 kilograms per decare.

The university specializes in agriculture and geothermal energy. Following more than a decade of research, it expects the varieties, bred for local soil and climate conditions, to be widely grown in Central Anatolia and other dry areas.

Faculty Dean Professor Selahattin Çınar said 20 candidates were compared with standard varieties in 2026 regional yield trials at the university’s research fields. Three stood out for their yields.

Applications will be submitted in stages over the coming years to the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry’s Seed Registration and Certification Center. Once registered, the varieties will be multiplied and supplied to farmers.

Field Crops Department Associate Professor Ramazan Ayrancı said the bread wheat crossing program began in 2013. Researchers selected 20 lines from 1,600 for their performance under local conditions and tolerance of winter cold, summer heat and uneven seasonal rainfall.

Ayrancı said the candidates resulted from 12 years of continuous work and were suited to rain-fed farming, including areas where fields are left fallow. Breeding for dry conditions is harder than for irrigated, more productive land, he said.

Research will continue to address low yields. Wheat has been grown in Anatolia for 10,000 years, Çınar said.