A new range of drought-tolerant durum wheat, developed by breeders and gene bank employees at the International Center for Agricultural Research in DryLands (ICARDA) in close collaboration with local farmers with the support of the Crop Trust, is officially approved for cultivation in Morocco, according to www.foodingredientsfirst.com.

The name Jabal, meaning "mountain" in Arabic, was suggested by one of the farmers involved in the project, who said that the characteristic black crests resemble the Atlas Mountains, wheat is strong and resistant as a rock.

"The name Jabal really helps tell the story of this variety. In fact, his wild father once crossed the mountain that marks the border between Syria and Lebanon during a bitter civil war in 2013," said Filippo Bassi, principal investigator of ICARDA's Durum Wheat Breeding Program.

Unlike other varieties grown in the region, Jabal's wild genes allowed this wheat to thrive despite one of the worst droughts farmers have seen in decades.

When breeders and farmers tested the new variety between 2017 and 2021, Jabal's incredible resilience was immediately noticeable in a series of intense droughts when other commercial varieties of durum wheat tested failed. High yield and tasty bread are also characteristic of the "mountain wheat".

The secret of resistance lies in your family tree. Jabal was obtained by crossing durum wheat varieties with the wild related plant Aegilops speltoides, known as goat weed, collected by scientists from syria's arid and arid plateaus.

First assessed in the Crop Trust Wild Relatives (CWR) project, Jabal is now officially registered for cultivation by the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture after a two-year experimental program in many Moroccan regions. Their trade path has begun and the seeds are expected to reach the hands of farmers in the next three years.

Source: Agrolink