As of 2016 a unique breeding partnership to improve wheat harvests in Central and West Asia has contributed to the development and release of 72 wheat varieties sown on more than 2.5 million hectares.

Wheat is a major crop in the region but food insecurity remains widespread, despite major social and economic advances since the early 1990s. To address this, in 1990 Turkey’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, along with CIMMYT and ICARDA, formed the International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP) to develop high-yielding lines and varieties of winter and facultative wheat, which requires a shorter exposure to winter temperatures to develop.

“Among the world’s largest winter wheat programs, IWWIP distributes breeding lines to around 100 partners in more than 50 countries,” said Alex Morgounov, wheat breeder at CIMMYT and IWWIP co-coordinator. “This program also facilitates the exchange of elite germplasm among winter wheat breeding programs worldwide and provides programs in emerging and developing nations with access to materials from breeding programs in Europe and the USA.”

Based on a 2014 survey, around 40 percent of all breeding crosses made in Central and West Asia have involved IWWIP parents and the program is a source of improved traits for winter wheat breeding.

“IWWIP uses the diverse agro-climatic conditions of Turkey to develop varieties suitable for the entire region, including both irrigated and rainfed farm settings,” Morgounov explained.

Varieties that carry IWWIP breeding contributions have been released in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.