Research on cereals in Iran was started in 1930 by collecting and evaluating wheat landraces from different parts of the country. Since 1936, cereal breeding programs became more organized and studies on 5100 wheat and barley pure lines in “Karaj Agricultural Graduate School” resulted to release of wheat cultivars “Shahpasand” and “Ataee” and also barley cultivar “California”. Cultivar “Shahpasand” was a high yielding wheat variety with good agronomic traits and initially was planted in “Savejbolagh” district in Alborz province but later it was spread over in moderately cold regions in Central plateau of Iran. Subsequent studies were resulted on release of wheat variety “4820” that was selected from wheat germplasm introduced from North African regions and was suitable for planting in “Gorgan” and “Mazandaran” provinces.

 
Since 1948 and after separation of “School of Agriculture of Karaj” from “Ministry of Agriculture”, investigation regarding collecting and evaluating wheat and barley landraces was centered in “Karaj Plant Breeding Corporation” and these activities were extended gradually especially when common corporation with “The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations” (FAO) was begun.
Scientific and technical cooperation between “Ministry of Agriculture” and FAO regarding breeding of cereal crops started in 1952 and continued till 1968. Attempts of Dr. “Herman Kuckuck”, the first expert of FAO in Iran, on collecting 441 wheat accessions and 105 barley accessions as well as mapping geographical distribution of cereal species in Iran during 1952-1954 were tremendously valuable effort. Then, from 1954-1968 Dr. Alois Mudra served as cereal breeder and manager of common project between “Ministry of Agriculture” and FAO for wheat breeding and barley breeding programs. Since 1961 Iranian trainees were dispatched to the international research centers, a strong foundation was built for cereal research; so that after their return and establishment on the research stations across the country, very beneficial results were achieved. 
In the recent years, Cereal Research Department is responsible for management, programming, implementation and supervision of all researches on breeding, agronomy, diseases and end-use quality of irrigated cereals (bread wheat, durum wheat, barley, triticale, oat and rye) and in charge of seed multiplication for nucleus and breeder’s seed of wheat and barley varieties in Iran which is carried out in Karaj and 20 agricultural research centers consists of 33 research stations in four different climate zones including Warm and humid zone in North of Iran (Zone I), Warm and dry zone in south of Iran (Zone II), Temperate zone (Zone III) and Cold zone (Zone IV). 
Achievements of 93 years of continued and progressive research on cereals have been Release of 141 breed wheat, 46 barley, 14 durum wheat, 4 triticale and 1 rye cultivars.
 
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Number of released cultivars by Cereal Research Department in 1979-2023.

The main goals of Cereal Research Department are to breed and release bread wheat, durum wheat, barley, triticale and rye cultivars with following characteristics:


Genetic potential for high yield and wide and specific adaptation and yield stability

Resistance (tolerance) to biotic and abiotic stresses

Favored quality of flour for bread making, semolina for pasta products, forage and grain for feeding farm animals and poultry diets and malt for non-alcoholic beverages.

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Some strategies that are implemented in Cereal Research Department to reach these goals are as follows:
 

Determination of wide and specific adaptation and yield stability of advanced and elite lines.

Study of parents for general and specific combining ability, estimation of heritability of different traits.

Survey of cereal pathogens in different agro-ecological zones, identification of physiological races/ biotypes of pathogens causing major cereal diseases and determination of their virulence.

Evaluation of wheat and barley germplasm for sources of resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.

Evaluating quality of bread wheat, durum wheat and barley lines and varieties.

Studying genetic diversity of wheat and barley landraces in the CRD germplasm collection based on biochemical and cytological markers.

Collaboration with international agricultural research institutes such as CIMMYT and ICARDA and also national programs of some countries such as China, Russia, and France, Hungary and Turkey and evaluating cereal germplasm received from these centers and also scientific collaboration with domestic and international universities. 


Research programs in Cereal Research Department is implemented in 13 units as follows:

•    Bread wheat breeding group
•    Durum wheat breeding group
•    Barley breeding group 
•    Cereal chemistry and technology unit
•    Cereal pathology unit
•    Agronomic practices and physiology research unit
•    International nurseries assessment unit
•    Cereal collection conservation and evaluation unit
•    Genetics and molecular markers unit.
•    Speed breeding (DH & SSD) unit
•    Seed multiplication unit
•    Salt tolerance research unit
•    Economic and social studies unit
 

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• Greenhouse facilities

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• Cereals chemistry and technology laboratory



• Genetics and molecular markers laboratory



• Doubled haploid breeding laboratory


•    Physiology laboratory
•    Cereal pathology laboratory
•    Salt tolerance research laboratory
•    Growth chambers
•    Cold room for seed collection

6.1.8.0
گروه دورانV6.1.8.0