Development of improved scald tolerant barley varieties with superior enduse (malt) and nutritional quality for dry land areas of the northern Ethiopia

Barley is an important cash crop for resource-poor farmers in Tigray region of northern Ethiopian where options are very limited, and barley is often the only possible crop. Biotic stresses plus a harsh environment have contributed to low productivity of barley leading to widespread food insecurity in the Tigray area. Unfortunately, efforts to deploy improved varieties in barley have not taken root in Tigray. The approach is this study is to combine molecular and client-oriented plant improvement techniques to improved efficiency of selection and fasten release of varieties. A fundamental problem in plant breeding is the relationship between selection environment and target environment. Plant breeders have had notable successes in favorable environments, but they are often addressing the problems of poor farmers living in unfavorable environments by simply extending the same methodologies and philosophies applied to favorable, high-potential environments. At the same time, achieving food security and poverty alleviation in northern Ethiopia will require a large cadre of well-trained agriculturists. In this project, we will target training MSc level plant breeders to strengthen research and teaching capacity at Mekelle University. The research and graduate training will be done in collaboration with Makerere University in Uganda. Importantly, this study will adopt participatory plant breeding approach to develop scald tolerant varieties adaptable to Tigray agro-ecology.