| dc.description | India has a long history ofscientific wheat research extending back to the first decade of the present centu"ry. Within a span of 90 years,,d very large number of wheat varieties have been released, to the considerable benefit of Indian farmers and consumers. At present, an array of improved genotypes, differing in agronomic characters, biotic and abiotic resistan~, and quality traits, are grown by farmers on about 24 million hectares in this country, thus helping greatly to·su.stain productivity. Numerous Central and State institutions are engaged in wheat breeding, with a large number of accessions, both indigenous and foreign, at their disposal for exploitation. To safeguard genetic diversity in future generations of cultivars, there is a need to maintain and document genetic resources as well as monitor crop genetic diversity, which will (and must) playa vital role in future plant breeding. This publication, Wheat Cultivars in India: Names, Pedigrees, Origins, and Adaptations, compiled by Dr. K.B.L. Jain, Principal Scientist (Retd.), Division of Genetics, IARI, New Delhi, and brought out by the Directorate of . Wheat Research, Karnal, Haryana, provides the requisite genetic information, to benefit future wheat breeding in this country and abroad. This work - the result of collaborative efforts by the Directorate of Wheat Research, Karnal, IARI, New Delhi, and CIMMYT, Mexico - deserves appreciation on its own merits and because it is an inter-institutional endeavour. For his tremendous dedication in compiling the information that follows, I compliment Dr. K.B.L. Jain, as 'well as the institutions that promoted this important effort. | |
