October 2012

Wheat research in South Africa:

Helping farmers grow their crop

Wheat for food security in Africa

Vicki L. Tolmay On behalf of ARC-Small Grain Institute

1

Introduction

• The challenges facing agriculture and agricultural researchers in

South Africa are diverse and enigmatic

• We aim to develop technologies that will

– assist producers to farm profitably within a globalised-marketing

environment

– act to improve household food security and

– help make South Africa self-sufficient in food production

• 2011: Smallest area (ha) of wheat planted in the past 20 years

• South Africa expects to import >50% of its wheat requirement in

2012

October 2012 Wheat for food security in Africa 2

• South Africa has the potential to produce most of its local wheat

requirement

• We don’t – this has a lot more to do with economics and politics than

the skills and capability of our farmers

• In 1996 the single channel wheat marketing system was replaced

with unprotected competition on the international market, in which

the forces of supply and demand determine price

• Farming wheat profitably became non-negotiable, it’s a business

• Industry initiated a levy per ton of wheat milled, which has been

used to fund research

• Producers use research-outputs to survive

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• ARC-Small Grain Institute is doing

research on 50 different wheat

related projects

• Research is executed by 26

scientists and 16 technicians

• Five research divisions:

– Germplasm Development

– Breeding

– Production Systems

– Crop Protection

– Farmer support

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Sustainable use & management

of natural resources

Improved ability of the sector to manage and

mitigate agricultural risks

Transformed agrarian

landscape

Enhance

nutrition, food

security &

safety

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Three distinct production regions:

1. Mediterranean climate, winter rain, spring dryland wheat

Western & Southern Cape

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October 2012 Wheat for food security in Africa 7

Three distinct production regions:

1. Mediterranean climate, winter rain, spring dryland wheat

2. Summer rain, winter / intermediate dryland wheat

Dryland Free State

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October 2012 Wheat for food security in Africa 9

Three distinct production regions:

1. Mediterranean climate, winter rain, spring dryland wheat

2. Summer rain, winter / intermediate dryland wheat

3. Irrigated spring wheat

Irrigation regions

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Cultivar Evaluation

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Cultivar Evaluation

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13 October 2012 Wheat for food security in Africa

Specific area and planting date:

Yield

Hectolitre mass

Protein

Falling number

14 October 2012 Wheat for food security in Africa

Highest three year average 2.68 t/ha

Lowest three year average 1.81 t/ha

Difference of 0.87 t/ha

by choosing the cultivar best adapted to your area

Wheat Quality determines grade

• Milling and bread making quality is an

important focus

• Cultivars for all three areas have

superior characteristics

• 73 000 analyses / year

• Mill with Junior Quadromat or Bühler

• Rheology → MixSmart, Alveograph

and MixoLab for dough properties,

HPLC for protein composition

• Selection at early generation possible

(F3 or F4)

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Biotic

stresses

• Different production regions

have different problems and

prevalent stressors

• Often need combinations of

different resistances – must also

be combined with adaptation

and end-use quality

• Stem rust

• Leaf rust

• Stripe rust

• Bollworm

• Russian wheat aphid

• Stripe rust

• Take-all

• Fusarium Head Blight

• Leaf rust

• Leaf miner

• Take-all

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Rust and RWA surveys

Trap nurseries → Collect samples → Identify races

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• Getting very complicated

• Numerous RWA biotypes

• Numerous rust pathogens & races

• Combine MAS and phenotyping

• Making progress

• 64 high potential lines identified

RWA & Rust resistance .

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RWA Sr35 Sr24 Lr34/Yr18 Number of

plants (A)

Number of

plants (B)

R AA + AA 2

R Aa + AA 1

R AA + Aa 1 1

R Aa + Aa 1

R AA - AA 2

R Aa - AA 2 1

R AA - Aa 3

R Aa - Aa 6

MR AA + AA 5

MR Aa + AA 4 1

MR AA + Aa 7

MR Aa + Aa 3

MR AA - AA 6

MR Aa - AA 6

MR AA - Aa 1

MR Aa - Aa 10 1

Fusarium Head Blight / SCAB

• Irrigated spring wheat

• Problematic due to double cropping

with maize and wheat and tillage

practices

• Mycotoxin management concern

• International and local collaboration

• Pre-breeding with diverse resistant

lines using MAS and phenotypic

evaluation

• As yet no resistant cultivars

available

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Field evaluation is best

for Type 1 and Type 2

resistance with local

pathotypes

Bio-insecticides

• Bollworm is a sporadic pest which

influences both yield and grade

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1 3

5 7

9 11

13 0

2 4 6 8

10

12

14

16

18

20

NR INF37 VIRUS R269 R444 SGI176 SASRI1174 Control

Food

inta

ke o

ver

14 d

ays

Conservation Agriculture

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0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

% C

on

tro

l

Ammonium Sulphate

• Do ammonium sulphate containing adjuvants have the

same effect on Roundup Turbo® efficacy (500ppm

CaCl2)

New cultivars

Kwartel Ratel

New cultivars

New cultivars

New cultivars

New cultivars

Tamboti Timbavati

New oat cultivars

Towerberg Simonsberg

Population distribution in SA

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Science for the future

• As scientists we must be committed to see our research

results translated to food security not only published in

scientific journals

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• It’s complicated and

sometimes difficult

• Need more than just

scientific know-how

• But that emphasises

just how important

this dialogue is that

we are busy with …

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