the Symposium on Wheats for More Tropical Environments - cimmyt

51Wheat Research in <strong>the</strong>Coastal Region of EcuadorJ. Tola, Small Grains Program, InstitutoNacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Quito, EcuadorThe slopes and small plateaus of <strong>the</strong>highlands of Ecuador (2.500 to 3.200meters altitude) are <strong>the</strong> traditionalwheat-growing areas. In 1964. when90.000 hectares of wheat were grown inEcuador. <strong>the</strong> country was stillimporting 50% of its wheat needs. Atthat time. scientists at <strong>the</strong> NationalInstitute of Agricultural Research(lNIAP) decided to investigate <strong>the</strong>possibilities of growing wheat on <strong>the</strong>coast. Two major objectives wereestablished:• To increase <strong>the</strong> wheat-growing areain Ecuador. and• To obtain an additional croppingseason each year for breedingpurposes.In <strong>the</strong> beginning. three testing locationswere selected at INIAP experimentalcenters. They were chosen to represent<strong>the</strong> most common environments of <strong>the</strong>Ecuadorian coastal region (Table 1).From 1964 to 1969. more than 1.000homozygous lines were tested during<strong>the</strong> two tropical seasons. <strong>the</strong> rainyseason and <strong>the</strong> dry season. By 1969. itwas clear that. with <strong>the</strong> germplasmavailable. it was not possible to growwheat under wet conditions. Pooragronomic type and high incidence ofFusarium spp. and Erysiphe graminis.as well as weed and insect damage.were <strong>the</strong> main problems. The bestresults in germplasm adaptation wereobserved at tropical. dry Portoviejo.Some lines were also fairly well adaptedin <strong>the</strong> dry season at <strong>the</strong> intermediatezone of Pichilingue. However. attropical and humid Santo Domingo.even in <strong>the</strong> driest months of <strong>the</strong> year.few plants formed grain and almost allwere killed by Fusarium spp. Problemswere simUar at Pichilingue during <strong>the</strong>rainy season. but yield improved to amean of 1.0 Uha when <strong>the</strong> same lineswere planted during <strong>the</strong> dry season.Some additional dry sites prOVidedenough information to conclude thatwheat plants had improved tillering andgrain development and less diseaseincidence when <strong>the</strong>y were plantedduring <strong>the</strong> drier months (Table 2).Research efforts were concentrated atPortoviejo and several o<strong>the</strong>r locationswith simUar conditions. SegregatingTable 1. A comparison of climatic conditions in three coastallpcations, EcuadorLocationSanto Domingo Pichilingue PortoviejoClimatic