Presentation by Dr. Vicki L. Tolmay (ARC-Small Grain Institute, South Africa) at Wheat for Food Security in Africa conference, Oct 9, 2012, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

1. Wheat research in South Africa:
Helping farmers grow their crop
Vicki L. Tolmay
On behalf of ARC-Small Grain Institute
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2. Introduction
• The challenges facing agriculture and agricultural researchers in
South Africa are diverse and enigmatic
• We aim to develop technologies that will
– assist producers to farm profitably within a globalised-marketing
environment
– act to improve household food security and
– help make South Africa self-sufficient in food production
• 2011: Smallest area (ha) of wheat planted in the past 20 years
• South Africa expects to import >50% of its wheat requirement in
2012
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3. • South Africa has the potential to produce most of its local wheat
requirement
• We don’t – this has a lot more to do with economics and politics than
the skills and capability of our farmers
• In 1996 the single channel wheat marketing system was replaced
with unprotected competition on the international market, in which
the forces of supply and demand determine price
• Farming wheat profitably became non-negotiable, it’s a business
• Industry initiated a levy per ton of wheat milled, which has been
used to fund research
• Producers use research-outputs to survive
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4. • ARC-Small Grain Institute is doing
Improved ability of
research on 50 different wheat the sector to
Enhance manage and
related projects mitigate
nutrition, food agricultural risks
• Research is executed by 26 security &
safety
scientists and 16 technicians
• Five research divisions: Sustainable use
& management
– Germplasm Development of
natural resources Transformed
– Breeding
agrarian
– Production Systems landscape
– Crop Protection
– Farmer support
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5. Three distinct production regions:
1. Mediterranean climate, winter rain, spring dryland wheat
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6. Western & Southern Cape
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7. Three distinct production regions:
1. Mediterranean climate, winter rain, spring dryland wheat
2. Summer rain, winter / intermediate dryland wheat
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8. Dryland Free State
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9. Three distinct production regions:
1. Mediterranean climate, winter rain, spring dryland wheat
2. Summer rain, winter / intermediate dryland wheat
3. Irrigated spring wheat
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10. Irrigation regions
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11. Cultivar Evaluation
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12. Cultivar Evaluation
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13. Specific area
and planting
date:
Yield
Hectolitre mass
Protein
Falling number
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14. Highest three year average 2.68 t/ha
Lowest three year average 1.81 t/ha
Difference of 0.87 t/ha
by choosing the cultivar best adapted to your area
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15. Wheat Quality determines grade
• Milling and bread making quality is an
important focus
• Cultivars for all three areas have
superior characteristics
• 73 000 analyses / year
• Mill with Junior Quadromat or Bühler
• Rheology → MixSmart, Alveograph
and MixoLab for dough properties,
HPLC for protein composition
• Selection at early generation possible
(F3 or F4)
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16. Biotic
stresses
• Stem rust
• Leaf rust
• Stripe rust
• Bollworm
• Different production regions
• Russian wheat aphid
have different problems and
• Stripe rust prevalent stressors
• Take-all • Often need combinations of
different resistances – must also
• Fusarium Head Blight
be combined with adaptation
• Leaf rust
• Leaf miner
and end-use quality
• Take-all
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17. Rust and RWA surveys
Trap nurseries → Collect samples → Identify races
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18. Number of Number of
RWA
RWA & Rust resistance
Sr35 Sr24 Lr34/Yr18
plants (A) plants (B) .
R AA + AA 2
•R
R
Aa + AA
Getting very complicated
AA + Aa 1
1
1
•R Numerous RWA biotypes
Aa + Aa 1
R AA - AA 2
•R Numerous rust pathogens & races
Aa - AA 1 2
R AA - Aa 3
•R Combine MAS and phenotyping
Aa - Aa 6
MR AA + AA 5
•
MR Making progress
Aa + AA 1 4
•
MR
MR
AA + Aa
64 high potential lines identified
Aa + Aa
7
3
MR AA - AA 6
MR Aa - AA 6
MR AA - Aa 1
MR Aa - Aa 10 1
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19. Fusarium Head Blight / SCAB
• Irrigated spring wheat
• Problematic due to double cropping
with maize and wheat and tillage
practices
• Mycotoxin management concern
• International and local collaboration
• Pre-breeding with diverse resistant
lines using MAS and phenotypic
Field evaluation is best
evaluation for Type 1 and Type 2
• As yet no resistant cultivars resistance with local
pathotypes
available
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20. Bio-insecticides
• Bollworm is a sporadic pest which
influences both yield and grade
20
Food intake over 14 days
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
13
11
9
7
5
3
1
NR INF37 VIRUS R269 R444 SGI176 SASRI1174 Control
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21. Conservation Agriculture
• Do ammonium sulphate containing adjuvants have the
100
90
same effect on Roundup Turbo® efficacy (500ppm
80
CaCl2) 70
% Control
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Ammonium Sulphate
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22. New cultivars
Kwartel Ratel

23. New cultivars

24. New cultivars

25. New cultivars

26. New cultivars
Tamboti Timbavati

27. New oat cultivars
Towerberg Simonsberg

28. Population distribution in SA
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29. Science for the future
• As scientists we must be committed to see our research
results translated to food security not only published in
scientific journals
• It’s complicated and
sometimes difficult
• Need more than just
scientific know-how
• But that emphasises
just how important
this dialogue is that
we are busy with …
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