Due to unique climatic conditions of Balochistan, specific cultivars are needed for cultivation in the province. The following varieties of cereals and have been released after a rigorous testing in different agro-ecological zones of highland Balochistan:
High yielding, cold and drought tolerant and Yellow Rust Resistant wheat variety, AZRI-96 and a barley variety Sanober-96 have been approved for general cultivation. Average grain yield of AZRI-96 is 2 t ha-1 as compared to 1.5 t ha-1 of the local ones. The barley variety
Sanober-96 is facultative, tolerant to yellow rust and cold/drought stresses. Its average grain yield is 2.2 t ha-1.
The AZRC cereals varieties have been disseminated to more than 250 nucleus farmers of different agro-ecological zones of highland Balochistan.
Key Reference
Khan, M. A., A. Samiillah, I. Begum, S.A. Jalil, A.S. Alvi. Z. Mirza, S. Mughal, S. Seikh and A.H. Bajoi. 1997. A new high yielding wheat variety, AZRI-96. AZRC Research Report No. 8.
