The Eleventh Regional Wheat Workshop For Eastern ... - Cimmyt

Introduction ofdisease and pest resistant wheat cu/tivars to Lesotho - To/may et al.
(Reeves, 1999). For this reason, new cultivars should be introduced with caution without
being prescriptive, and with full participation of fanners in the process.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The need to check the usefulness of cultivars with resistance to Russian Wheat Aphid and
yellow rust in the Mokhotlong Valley lead to a partnership between the ARC-Small Grain
Institute and GROW a locally based Non-Governmental Organization. For this purpose, the
development approach and nurseries of GROW were used as part of their "Seeds of Well
being Project (SOW).
As a first step, the new cultivars were planted in a nursery situated at Makoabateng within the
Mokhotlong Valley with full participation of farmers. Here farmers work with, and get to
know the material. After one or two research cycles, participating farmers can select cultivars
they wish to include in their own on-farm experimental plots. During this stage, not only the
agronomic traits such as yield and stability are evaluated, but also other criteria such as the
usefulness of the straw for roofing and fuel as well as cooking and baking characteristics.
During the 1999/2000 season, farmers' wheat varieties and new cultivars were included in
tmreplicated plots in the Makoabateng nursery (Mokhotlong Valley). The altitude of the trial
site is 2440 m. To simulate farmers' conditions, no external inputs such as fertilizers,
pesticides or seed treatments were used. Two planting dates namely 8 October 1999 (early
planting) and 23 November 1999 (late planting) were used. The later planting took place later
than usual due to drought conditions prevalent at that time. The "farmers varieties" Bolane,
Mants' a Tlala and Telo Nts'o were retained and the following new cultivars were included
in the nursery:
• Puseletso - a RW A Resistant version of Mants' a Tlala. Also has resistance against
yellow rust and acid soils.
• SST 333 - a fast growing RWA resistant cultivar similar to SST 124, suitable for late
planting dates.
• Elands ­ a newly released cultivar with high yield potential and good RW A resistance. It
was included to see if it's genetic potential could be realized under the environmental
conditions in the area.
RESULTS
Good yields were obtained with the early planting of the crop (Table 1). As could be
expected, 'SST 333' a cultivar with a short growth period, was the only cultivar that
performed well when planted late in the season. Puseletso yielded well at the earlier planting
date; Tugela and Puseletso yielded similarly at the later planting date. The data indicate that
substantial improvement with regards to yield can be made with new varieties like Elands and
SST 333 due to higher yield potential of such cultivars. Telo Nts' 0 the durum variety with tall
straw, did not reach the yield level of the wheat cultivars, but it must be kept in mind that
farmers plant it for dual purposes; as a source of food and for roofing.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Inclusion of new culti vars in the Makoabateng nursery has indicated that there is potential for
substantial wheat yield increase in the Mokhotlong Valley. The adaptability and stability of
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