Updated Collaboration Agreement for Strengthening Agricultural Research

New improved varieties and diverse crops are needed, Technical capacity skills of the NARS on genetics and breeding of main crops should be improved. NARS need advanced knowledge and technology on genetics and breeding of small ruminants (sheep) to develop local communities. Enhancement of pre-breeding and gene bank capacity will facilitate the germplam exchange among public and private breeders. Farmers in dry land areas need new cultivation technologies and drought tolerant varieties to increase water productivity with resilience (rainfed wheat-based system and rainfed barley-livestock based System) and finally have positive impacts on their livelihood. Under saline conditions, farmers have to practice specific farming system, use salinity tolerant and higher water productivity varieties to obtain suitable yield.

In the context of the Biodiversity and Integrated gene Management thematic area the main focuses are on improving varieties’ tolerance to abiotic stresses like salinity, cold, and drought and biotic stresses like fungi, viruses, bacteria for crops like bread wheat, drum wheat, barley, quinoa and legumes. The project includes backstopping programs such as training courses and scientific visits. In the context of the Diversification and Sustainable Intensification of Production Systems thematic area, a relatively new area in Iran, the project will provide new information and advanced technology on genetic maps and breeding improvement of sheep as well as technical backstopping programs such as training courses and scientific visits. In the context of the Integrated Land and Water Management thematic area, research activities will be implemented to increase water productivity in integrated soil management. Study on tillage and raised bed cultivation on wheat based system will be expected to result in less water use and highe yield in comparison with farmer practices. Training courses are also foreseen on improved technologies and methodologies to conserve water in the soil to increase sustainable yield production.

1. New improved lines and varieties on wheat, barley, chickpea, lentil, quinoa, faba bean and feeding legumes will be developed from germplasm evaluation under Iranian environmental conditions in collaboration with DARI, SPII and NSRC. So far, 56 crop varieties released from IRAN-ICARDA collaboration projects. 2. Comprehensive association mapping of fatty tail in sheep will be completed in collaboration with ABRII and community-based breeding of the Sanjabi sheep will be implemented with ASRI scientists. In teh first project, common association mapping to identify SNPs (QTLs) with significant effect on the recorded traits of sheep will be obtained and in the second project Improved sanjabi sheep will be adopted and introduced to the local communities. 3. A workshop will be held at ABRII on "marker assisted selection of cereals" that will train wheat breeders to use this technique to identify specific genes linked to the interesting traits in the target lines. 4. On-farm approaches and recommendations are needed to improve water productivity of crop in dry land areas. Recommendations to improve soil fertility management will practice in the delineated homogeneous units in collaboration with SWRI. Capacity building activities to transfer the result of this project to the stockholders is taken into consideration. 5. The project with SCWMRI will develop a model, formulate the agricultural practices and evaluate the potential impacts and out-scaling approches. In this project, a workshop will be held to train end-users. 6. Assessment of crop yield and water productivity under soil salinity will be implemented in different tillage systems by NSRC, the effective and suitable agricultural machines, variety and methodology will be evaluated and then identify the appropriate technology to be introduced to the stackholders. The outcomes of the project will be shared with end-users through a training program.