Wheat is an essential food source in Tunisia, providing 54% of calories and 64% of daily protein intake. While Tunisia produces 20% of its bread wheat (BW) needs and 75% of its durum wheat (DW) needs, production is constrained by limited arable land, drought, heat stress, and diseases. Yield increases since the 1960s green revolution have come from new semi-dwarf varieties introduced from CIMMYT and ICARDA. Further increasing yields through improved varieties tolerant to stresses and better crop management will be needed to achieve food security with rising demand and limited scope for area expansion.

1. Wheat and food security
perspectives in Tunisia
M.S Gharbi* & H. Ben Salah
Field Crop Laboratory, National Institute Of Agriculture Research, Tunisia
*gahrbi.wheatpro@gmail.com
INRAT

2. Wheat is an essential food source
- 54 % calories
- 64% daily protein intake

3. General data
Population: 11 millions
Arable land: 4.5 millions ha
Area grown to cereals: 1.5 million ha
Among the highest per capita wheat consumption
rate: ~200 kg
Tunisia produces: 20% BW needs
75 % DW needs

4. Agro-ecological zones

5. Relative importance of major cereal crops
All cereals 1.5 millions Ha
(30 % of the arable land)
BA
0.55 m ha DW
(37%) 0.8 m ha
BW (53%)
0.14 m ha
(10%)

6. WHEAT: Mainly DW country
BW 15%
DW 85%

7. Pre-semi dwarf era
DW production (Million qx)
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970
BW Production (Million qx)
5
4
3
2
1
0
1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960

8. Link to the Green revolution
 First Mexican BW introductions 1965 through FAO.
 3rd ISWYN in 1966.
 Dr. N. Borlaug visits: 1966 and 1968.
 First CIMMYT semi-dwarf BWs in large scale cultivation
40% yield increase compaired to traditional varieties.
 Tunisia-USAID-FF-CIMMYT ‘’Projet Blé’’ 1968-1972.
(BW + DW)
 CIMMYT DW& BW germplasm without interruption since 1966.
 ICARDA starting from 1980

9. 0
5
10
20
25
15
10
19
20
19
30
19
40
19
50
19
Jori
60
19
Stork
70
19
B. B=Stk’S’
R² = 0.396
Karim
80
19
Raz y = 0.2305x - 8.7443
90
19
DW yield qx/ha (1910-2011)
Khiar
OMR
00
20
Nasr
9
20
10
20
11
20
Maali
10
15
20
25
30
0
5
1910
1920
1930
Yield increases
Ariana 66 1940
Sonora63 + Tobari
1950
Inia 66+ Jaral66
Soltane 72 1960
Carthage 74 1970
Dougga 74
1980
Tanit 80
R² = 0.3164
Salammbô 80 1990
y = 0.2738x - 8.991
BW yield qx/ha (1910-2011)
Byrsa 87/ Vaga 92
2000
Utique96/ Haidra
2008
2010
2011

10. D . W. KARIM RAZZAK KHIAR OMRABI NASR MAALI SALIM
ORIGIN CIMMYT TUNISIA CIMMYT ICARDA ICARDA/TU TUNISIA TUNISIA
RELEASED 1980 1987 1992 1996 2004 2007 2009
EIGHT YEARS (2004-2011) AVERAGE YIELD in Beja
YIELD (%Kar) 4.31 4.21 4.33 4.66 5.01 5.45 5.47
(100) (98) (100.5) (108) (116.3) (126.5) (126.8)
THE PLANT
EARLINESS EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY
HIGHT SHORT SHORT SHORT MID TALL MID TALL MID TALL SHORT
THE GRAIN
SP. WEIGHT HIGH HIGH MEDIUM MEDIUM MEDIUM HIGH HIGH
PROTEIN.C MEDIUM MEDIUM MEDIUM MEDIUM MEDIUM MEDIUM MEDIUM
YELLOW .I LOW MEDIUM HIGH HIGHT LOW MEDIUM MEDIUM
GLUTEN LOW HIGH HIGH HIGH HIGH HIGH HIGH
RESISTANCE/TOLERANCE TO STRESSES
SEPTORIA SUCEPTIBLE SUCEPTIBLE SUCEPTIBLE SUCEPTIBLE RESISTANT INTERMEDIATE RESISTANT
L. RUST SUCEPTIBLE SUCEPTIBLE SUCEPTIBLE SUCEPTIBLE SUCEPTIBLE INTERMEDIATE RESISTANT
Y.RUST RESISTANT RESISTANT RESISTANT SUCEPTIBLE RESISTANT INTERMEDIATE RESISTANT
DROUGHT SUCEPTIBLE TOLERANT SUCEPTIBLE TOLERANT SUCEPTIBLE TOLERANT SUCEPTIBLE

11. Bread Wheat
SALAMMBO BYRSA VAGA UTIQUE HAIDRA TAHENT
CIMMYT CIMMYT CIMMYT CIMMYT TUNISIA CIMMYT
ORIGIN
RELEASED 1980 1987 1992 1996 2004 2009
FOUR YEARS (2006-2007-2010-2011) AVERAGE YIELD in Beja
YIELD (%Utique) 43.5 - - 53.1 52.8 54.5
(82%) (100 %) (99.5%) (105.6%)
THE PLANT
EARLINESS EARLY MID LATE EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY
HIGHT SEMI DWARF SEMI DWARF SEMI DWARF SEMI DWARF SEMI DWARF SEMI DWARF
THE GRAIN
Gluten Strength MEDIUM HIGH MEDIUM MEDIUM MEDIUM HIGH
RESISTANCE/TOLERANCE TO STRESSES
SEPTORIA RESISTANT RESISTANT RESISTANT RESISTANT RESISTANT RESISTANT
L. RUST RESISTANT RESISTANT RESISTANT RESISTANT SUCEPTIBLE RESISTANT
Y.RUST RESISTANT RESISTANT RESISTANT RESISTANT RESISTANT RESISTANT
DROUGHT TOLERANT SUCEPTIBLE TOLERANT TOLERANT TOLERANT TOLERANT

12. Wheat (DW+BW) production million qx
25
20
15
10
5
0
191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 200
201
201
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 01
5
18
DW production (Millions qx) 4.5
BW production (millions qx)
16
4
14
3.5
12
3
10 2.5
8 2
6 1.5
4 1
2 0.5
0 0
19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 20 20
20
20
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 00 08
10
11

13. Wheat production (million qx)
25
20
15 DW
BW
10
Total
5
0
2001 2005 2010
Wheat imports (million qx)
18
16
14
12
10 DW
8 BW
6 Total
4
2
0
2001 2005 2010

14. Constraints to wheat production (1)
 Limited area
No possibility for area expansion
 Abiotic constraints: Mostly semi arid area
Drought ( rainfall amount /distribution)
and terminal heat stress are major yield limiting factors

15. Constraints to wheat production (2)
 Biotic constraints:
Foliar diseases
(Septoria, Leaf rust, Yellow rust, Tan spot)
Crown and root diseases
(Fusarium sps, nemathodes…)
Insects (Hessian fly)

16. Constraints to wheat production (3)
Under optimum crop management mainly nitrogen fertilizer and
weed control
Limited water resources for irrigation

17. Wheat research
Wheat research dates back to the end of the 19th
century.
95 % of the wheat area is grown to semi-dwarf
high yielding varieties.
Strong collaboration with international centers
(CIMMYT & ICARDA).

18. Research topics
Breeding: Strong Durum and Bread Wheat
breeding programs (Yield potential, disease
resistance, drought & heat tolerance, quality).
Use of molecular biology tools (Marker Assisted
Selection, Double Haploid production…)
Crop management: Fertilizer & water use
efficiency, disease and weed control, conservation
agriculture.
Conservation of biodiversity:
New Gene bank

19. PROSPECTS AND NEEDED ACTIONS FOR
ACHIVING FOOD SECURITY (1)
 Increasing demand for wheat grain
 Limited scope for area increase
 Increasing yield is therefore a must to Tunisian cereal
sector
Significant yield gap still exist in all production
environments.
Improved crop management is the main source of yield
and production gains.

20. PROSPECTS AND NEEDED ACTIONS FOR
ACHIVING FOOD SECURITY (2)
 Breeding new high yielding varieties with
improved drought and heat tolerance will help
valorize better input use
 Adoption of new production technologies
such as conservation agriculture will surely
help preserve natural and input resources.
Use of new biotechnology tools (Marker
Assisted Selection, Double Haploid etc…) can
accelerate new germplasm development.