Characteristics of Three Promising Durum Wheat Lines Adapted to Rainfed and Supplemental Irrigation in Moderately Cold Winter Areas of Western Iran

The development of cultivars that combine drought resistance, high yielding ability, and yield stability is an important objective targeted by breeding programs in the rainfed areas. Three promising durum wheat lines, namely Syrian-4, Mrb3/Mna-1 and Mna-1/Rfm-7, selected from ICARDA germplasm, were tested in the national uniform yield trials and farmers fields under rain-fed and supplemental irrigation conditions during five cropping seasons (2000-2005) to evaluate their adaptation to areas with mild cold winters. Under rainfed conditions, Syrian-4 and Mrb3/Mna 1 outyielded both the local durum check Zardak and the bread wheat landrace Sardari. Mna-1/Rfm-7 outyielded Zardak by 14%. Mrb3/Mna-1 and Syrian-4 showed also better grain yield stability and adaptability and good yield performance under supplemental irrigation. These promising durum lines showed better grain quality and protein content and better drought tolerance than Zardak. Syrian-4 and Mrb3/Mna-1 are recommended for the rainfed conditions and under supplemental irrigation in the moderate cold winter areas of Iran. These lines can be used as parental germplasm for generating more adapted germplasm for similar areas in the Central, West Asia and North Africa region