US and Pakistan Partners in Disease Resistant Wheat Project

The Wheat Productivity Enhancement Project (WPEP), a joint research collaboration of the United States and Pakistan held a two day Annual Wheat Planning Meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan on 20 September 2013. Discussions were focused on reviews of progress of the past wheat growing season and on developing a plan for breeding, disease surveillance, and agronomy research in the coming years.

NARC 2011, a wheat variety developed by the project which is resistant to UG99 and high yielding was considered a milestone during the meeting. The meeting was attended by wheat researchers from across Pakistan, including representative from International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). WPEP links USDA, Pakistani, and international scientists to develop, introduce, and test disease-resistant wheat varieties as well as improve agronomic practices and upgrade research capacity in the country.

See the original news at: http://zaraimedia.com/2013/09/20/us-funded-wpep-pakistani-scientists-defending-pak-wheat-dreaded-ug-99-disease/ Pabic link: http://www.pabic.com.pk/US%20project%20about%20varieties%20of%20drug%20resistant%20wheat%20in%20Pakistan.html