Nearly 250 agricultural research projects will be undertaken in the country this year (started March 21), said Abdolali Qaffari, head of Iran’s Dryland Agricultural Research Institute (DARI).
The projects aim to identify and modify various highly-consumed crops including cereals (wheat and barley), legumes (peas, lentils), and oilseeds (rapeseed, sunflower and safflower) in 12 arid and semi-arid provinces. Also introduction of drought-resistance crops is on the agenda, IRNA reported.
DARI mainly focuses on breeding drought-resistant crops, soil management to conserve moisture (minimum tillage, crop rotation, etc.), supplementary irrigation, water harvesting, and agro-ecological zoning, all basic activities to cope with future droughts.
