In Sivas, central Türkiye, significant progress has been made in agricultural research and development (R&D) efforts that have been underway for approximately 14 years.
Turkish scientists have successfully developed three bread wheat varieties. Since 2010, the Agricultural Sciences and Technology Faculty has focused on important agricultural R&D projects, leading to this significant achievement.
Professor Tolga Karaköy, a faculty member, announced the development of bread wheat varieties and stated that the three wheat varieties have been registered.
Seed production for these varieties will be carried out in the 2024-25 growing season, making them available for farmers.
Karaköy highlighted the ongoing research on various plant species, emphasizing the importance of grains for the country.
"Our work primarily focuses on cereals, including wheat, barley and oats, as well as soybeans, sugar beets and forage crops, we are also developing new varieties for legumes like chickpeas, lentils and beans," he said.
Karaköy expressed pride in achieving a first for Sivas, stating: "Since 2010, we have experienced a first in Sivas, for the first time in the region's history, bread wheat varieties have been developed within the framework of agricultural R&D efforts. We will produce seeds for the registered varieties in the 2024-25 growing season and provide them to our farmers in the 2025-26 production season."
Regarding the newly registered wheat varieties, Karaköy mentioned: "We have registered three bread wheat varieties. In the next two to three years, new bread and durum wheat varieties will be registered and made available to farmers. We prioritize ensuring that our new varieties outperform those previously cultivated in terms of bread and pasta quality."
"They must meet higher yield and quality criteria, aligning closely with the quality values required by our flour mills, we hope to help farmers achieve higher profits by producing higher-quality products with our new varieties compared to older ones, having varieties with higher quality and yield values is extremely valuable and important for us."
