Heat and Drought Tolerant Wheat Varieties

Wheat cultivation in high temperature regions

The Heat and Drought Tolerant Wheat Varieties mature within 90 days, faster than many traditional varieties. They can withstand temperatures that are 4°C higher than normal and show 75% of their yield potential under extreme conditions of less than 200mm of moisture and heat stress. These varieties are resistant to diseases and pests like yellow stem rust and have high water use efficiency, making them suitable for regions with limited water resources. They also have good bread-making quality with 14-15% protein content. These traits make these varieties particularly suited for challenging growing conditions, such as those found in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

7•8

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 7/9; level of use 8/9

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

These wheat varieties offer more reliable crop yields, securing livelihoods for adults who depend on agriculture for income, even under extreme weather conditions.

The poor: Positive medium

Poor communities, particularly in regions facing food scarcity, gain access to affordable, locally-produced wheat, reducing reliance on expensive imports and improving overall food availability.

Under 18: Positive low

The increased food production from resilient wheat varieties improves access to nutritious food, which is crucial for the growth and development of children in drought-prone regions.

Women: Positive low

Women, especially those in rural areas, benefit from improved food security and reduced household vulnerability, as they often manage household nutrition and contribute significantly to farming activities.

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

The Heat and Drought Tolerant Wheat Varieties reduce environmental strain by using water more efficiently, minimizing the need for irrigation, and lowering chemical inputs.

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

By adapting to extreme weather conditions, these wheat varieties enhance agricultural resilience to climate change, helping to stabilize food production in vulnerable regions.

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

The resistance to pests and diseases decreases reliance on chemical pesticides, promoting biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems and protecting beneficial organisms.

Carbon footprint: Much less carbon released

Improved yields from these varieties can lead to less land being needed for wheat production, potentially reducing deforestation and lowering the overall carbon footprint of agricultural practices.

Environmental health: Greatly improves environmental health

Soil quality: Does not affect soil health and fertility

By reducing the need for chemical inputs, these varieties help maintain soil health and prevent degradation, fostering a more balanced ecosystem.

Water use: Much less water used

These wheat varieties require less water for growth, promoting sustainable agricultural practices and conserving vital water resources in arid regions.

Problem

Heat Stress: Traditional wheat varieties suffer from reduced yields when exposed to temperatures 4°C higher than normal.
Drought Conditions: Insufficient moisture levels, often less than 200mm, cause significant yield losses in conventional wheat.
Low Productivity: Farmers struggle with low yields, impacting food security and economic stability. Traditional varieties yield much less than the improved variety's 6 tons/ha.
Limited Cultivation Zones: Traditional varieties are unsuitable for regions with high temperatures and low rainfall, limiting agricultural expansion.

Solution

Heat Tolerance: These varieties can thrive in environments with temperatures 4°C higher than what traditional wheat can tolerate. This is critical for areas experiencing rising temperatures due to climate change.
Drought Resistance: They can grow with minimal water, performing well with less than 200mm of rainfall. This makes them suitable for arid and semi-arid regions where water scarcity is a major issue.
Increased Yields: Farmers can achieve up to 6 tons per hectare, which is a significant increase compared to conventional varieties. This boost in productivity helps improve food security and farmers' incomes.
Expanded Cultivation Areas: These wheat varieties are suitable for cultivation in regions that were previously not viable for wheat farming due to high temperatures and low rainfall. This expansion can help increase overall wheat production and make more land usable for agriculture.

Key points to design your project

The technology of heat and drought tolerant wheat varieties offers a solution to the environmental and socio-economic challenges faced in wheat production in Sub-Saharan Africa. By enabling farmers to achieve higher and more stable yields despite extreme weather conditions, it contributes to food security, poverty reduction, and economic empowerment of women. Additionally, by promoting climate change adaptation and reducing carbon emissions, it supports sustainable development goals while creating new opportunities for employment and income in rural areas.

To integrate this technology into your project, and create a list of project activities and prerequisites and plan these activities:

Given a typical planting rate of 100 kg/ha in average and the cost of seed treated with fungicide ranging from USD 35 to USD 45 per ha, calculate the required quantity of seeds for your project.
Consider where the technology is sourced, and include the delivery cost to the project site and account for import clearance and duties if relevant.

A team of trainers could provide training and support during project installation. Include the cost for training and post-training support for using the technology.

Communication support for the technology should be developed (flyers, videos, radio broadcasts, etc.)

For better optimization of the improved maize variety, it is recommended to associate this technology with Expanded Production of Irrigated Wheat, Furrow Irrigated Raised Bed Wheat Production and Yellow Rust and Stem Rust Resistant wheat.

To implement the technology in your country, you could collaborate with agricultural development institutes and seed multiplication companies.

This technology can be subdivided into two groups:

GROUP I: Heat tolerant and high yielding wheat varieties

Nigeria:

Varieties	Agro-ecology	Stade of maturity	Yield range	Yield	Nutritious traits
Atilla		Medium	High	4.0-4.5	Good baking quality
Pastor	Best fitted for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-7	Good baking quality
Kauz	Best fitted for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-7	Good baking quality
Lacriwhite-5 (Norman)	Best fitted for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-7	Good baking quality
Lacriwhite-6 (Reyna 28)	Best fitted for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-7	Good baking quality
Imam	Well adapted to irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	6-7	Good baking quality

Ethiopia:

Varieties	Agro-ecology	Stade of maturity	Yield range	Yield	Nutritious traits
Werer-2	Adaptable for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-7	Good baking quality
Lucy	Adaptable for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-7	Good baking quality
Moontiji-3	Adaptable for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-7	Good baking quality
Doukkala-4	Adaptable for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-7	Good baking quality
Amibera	Best fitted for Rain-fed highland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality
Fentale-2	Best fitted for Rain-fed highland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality
Sanate	Best fitted for Rain-fed highland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality
Manduyo	Best fitted for Rain-fed highland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality
Utuba	Best fitted for Rain-fed highland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality

Mali:

Varieties	Agro-ecology	Stade of maturity	Yield range	Yield	Nutritious traits
Goumria-3	Best fitted for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality
Kauz's' Florkwa-1	Best fitted for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality
Reyna 28	Best fitted for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality

Niger:

Varieties	Agro-ecology	Stade of maturity	Yield range	Yield	Nutritious traits
Reyna-28	Suitable for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality
Florkwa	Suitable for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality
Pastor-2 Katila	Suitable for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality

GROUP II: Drought tolerant, high yielding and disease resistant wheat varieties

Nigeria:

Varieties	Agro-ecology	Stade of maturity	Yield range	Yield	Nutritious traits
Lacriwhite-7	Adaptable for rain-fed highland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality
Lacriwhite-8	Adaptable for rain-fed highland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality

Sudan:

Varieties	Agro-ecology	Stade of maturity	Yield range	Yield	Nutritious traits
Goumria	Suitable for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality
Zakia	Suitable for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality
Imam	Suitable for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	6.0-6.5	Good baking quality
Elnielain	Suitable for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality
Bohaine	Suitable for irrigated lowland	Early to medium	High	4-6	Good baking quality

Cost: $$$

4 - 6 tons/ha

increase in yield

100 kg/ha

Planting rate

IP

Unknown

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Burkina Faso	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Eritrea	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Kenya	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Malawi	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Mali	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Niger	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Senegal	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Sudan	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Zambia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid		–		–
Subhumid	–	–	–	–
Humid	–	–	–	–

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

The introduction of drought-tolerant wheat varieties boosts food production, improving food security and nutritional quality for communities facing food scarcity.

Goal 13: climate action

The resilience of these wheat varieties to extreme weather conditions supports adaptation efforts to climate change, contributing to global climate action initiatives.

Goal 1: no poverty

Improved crop yields and income stability from these varieties contribute to poverty alleviation by enhancing the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in vulnerable regions.

Goal 5: gender equality

By empowering women farmers with reliable crop yields and improved food security, this technology supports gender equality and strengthens women’s roles in agriculture.

Heat and drought tolerant wheat varieties replace traditional wheat seed varieties.

They are cultivated on farmer fields using:

same planting density and mineral fertilizer input as other improved cultivars, following local recommendations;
good agricultural practices such as reduced or zero tillage, raised bed planting, soil fertility management, integrated pest management and efficient irrigation systems.