August 9, 2026
Field Visit
Long-standing partnership between ICARDA and Uzbekistan’s national agricultural research system continues to support wheat improvement across the country. As one example of this broader partnership, varieties developed through ICARDA's collaboration with the Southern Agriculture Research Institute (SARI) alone were planted on approximately 55,600 hectares of winter bread wheat during the 2026 cropping season.
Bread wheat remains Uzbekistan's principal staple crop and is central to the country's food security. During the 2026 season, approximately one million hectares of irrigated land were planted with winter bread wheat using a combination of locally developed varieties and internationally sourced breeding materials.
Through the longstanding collaboration between ICARDA and the Southern Agriculture Research Institute (SARI), several high-performing winter wheat varieties have been developed using ICARDA's international germplasm. These varieties combine improved yield potential with broad adaptation and resilience to Uzbekistan's diverse agro-climatic conditions.
So far in the 2026 cropping season, six ICARDA-derived wheat varieties released at SARI alone have been planted on a combined 55,621 hectares, accounting for approximately 5.6% of the country's irrigated winter wheat area.
|
Variety
|
Area planted (ha)
|
|
Hisorak
|
19,394
|
|
Shukrona
|
13,892
|
|
Kesh-2016
|
11,420
|
|
Gozgon
|
5,278
|
|
Bunyodkor
|
3,709
|
|
Turon
|
1,928
|
|
Total
|
55,621
|
The widespread adoption of these varieties reflects years of collaboration between ICARDA and national breeding programs to develop wheat varieties tailored to local production systems while addressing emerging challenges such as climate variability and evolving production constraints.
ICARDA's international wheat breeding program provides improved germplasm that national research institutions use to develop locally adapted varieties, strengthening national breeding capacity while accelerating the delivery of improved technologies to farmers. This collaborative approach has helped expand farmers' access to varieties that offer higher productivity, greater resilience, and improved performance under irrigated conditions.
As climate change places increasing pressure on agricultural systems, partnerships that combine global genetic resources with national breeding expertise remain essential for strengthening food security and building more resilient farming systems across Central Asia.
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