FAISALABAD:High yielding hybrid wheat varieties must be evolved, adopted and promoted across the country to ensure food security in addition to weeding out rural poverty and stabilizing national economy, said University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan.
He was addressing an inaugural session of two-day international wheat conference arranged by Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, UAF at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security.
He said that like the technological intervention in the corn that resulting in a bumper yield increase, the adaptation of modern technologies in wheat was the need of the hour. He said that climate changes had badly affected the productivity for which we have to come up new varieties to feed the population of 220 million people in the county. He said that due to high yield potential, the hybrid rice was replacing the rational verities. He said with the help of industry, we have to take measures to shift towards new wheat technologies.
Aussie Scientist Prof Dr Richard Trethowan said that wheat is an important crop for Australia. He said that both the stability and productivity of wheat must improve in our hostile farming environment. He also said that hybrid maize revolutionized production globally.
Aussie Scientist Dr Rebbeca Thistlethewaite said that Australian wheat varieties are generally heat tolerant. The best lines have been identified with the ACIAR hybrid wheat project.
Islamic Organization for Food Security Director General Prof Yerlan A Baidaulat said that they were aimed at providing expertise and technical know-how to member states on various aspects of sustainable agriculture, rural development, food security, and biotechnology. They are assessing and monitoring the state of food security in member states.
Director Program and Project Development Islamic Organization for Food Security Dr Zulfiqar Ali stressed upon the need for promotion of modern trends to increase the per acre productivity.
Nagash Geleta from Ethiopia, Dr Abdul Awlad from Bangladesh, Dr Javed Ahmad, Dr Rizwana Maqbool, Dr Rabia Faridi and other notable also spoke on the occasion.