Summary
Improvement of durum wheat at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) was achieved by exploiting the variability of the tetraploid species in large numbers of combinations, and multi-location testing of germplasm on a world wide base. High yielding, widely adapted durums with short straw, good fertility, and adequate earliness were selected for distribution to major durum growing countries. Present attempts to improve durum wheat are directed at adjusting agronomic traits such as leaf angle and straw strength, and increasing spike fertility and spike size, thereby reaching higher grain numbers per unit area and higher yield potential. Diversification of the developmental pattern and incorporation of drought tolerance aim at further widening adaptation.
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Leihner, D.E., Ortiz F., G. Improvement of durum wheat-plant type, yield potential, and adaptation. Euphytica 27, 785–799 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00023715
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00023715