8th INTERNATIONAL WHEAT CONFERENCE

eVALuATIoN ANd uTILIzATIoN of WheAT geNeTIC
ReSouRCeS IN BReedINg foR ReSISTANCe To ABIoTIC
STReSSeS
Alvina Avagyan
Armenian State Agrarian University, Teryan Str. 74, Yerevan, Armenia
E-mail Address of presenting author: alvinaav@mail.ru
Agriculture in Armenia one of the most important and at the same time one of the most
vulnerable sectors in the national economy and societal welfare that will be most sensitive
to the effects of climate change. Many crops that are crucial for food production are
sensitive to temperature and rain pattern changes that can affect both their quality and
their yields. The climate change challenges and undertaking mitigations actions are becoming
priorities for the country’s policy and are being considered in the light of the food
security and self-sufficiency in major food products. Cereal crops (wheat, barley) are of
strategic importance as a primary source for food security in the Republic of Armenia
and represent a dominant crop group in agricultural production of the country. Among
cereal crops wheat is the most widespread, as it ensures higher and more sustainable
yield compared to other cereals. According to the vulnerability assessment undertaken
in the country the productivity of cereals can be reduced on the average for 9-13% due
to the impact of global warming. Therefore improving genetic potential of crops such as
introduction of new high-yielding drought tolerant varieties of cereals is considered as an
adaptation measure targeted on reducing the adverse effects of climate. Due to the continuous
breeding based on utilization of only cultivated species in breeding programmes
nowadays cultivated wheat varieties have lost many genes which in their wild relatives
ensure stability to extreme environment conditions. Both research and farmer communities
need to use a great genetic reservoir to develop new crop varieties that will thrive in a
warmer environment and meet the food requirements of a continuously growing population.
Armenian plant genetic resources, in particular, crop wild relatives, are an essential
source of variation in plant breeding and act as buffer for adaptation and resilience in face
of climate change. Therefore the purpose of research work carried out at the Laboratory
of Plant Gene Pool and Breeding of the Armenian State Agrarian University was to mitigate
genetic erosion and to develop new crop varieties through utilization of wild wheat
species in wheat pre-breeding and breeding programmes.
Wheat genetic recourses, in particular, wild wheat species (Triticum urartu, T. boeoticum, T.
dicoccoides) and a number of interspecific hybrids synthesized at the Laboratory as a result
of pre-breeding research were screened for their adaptation to impact of abiotic stress. The
evaluation of adaptability of investigated species and hybrids to be used in further crossings
was done based on plants linear growth study. The linear growth of the plants was determined
with auxanographies, which allow monitoring the growth of the top leaf during 24
hours. The daily dynamics of growth was assessed depending on impact of a number of
abiotic factors (air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiance duration).
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