Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

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A total of 986,000 hectares of land have been sown with grain crops across Azerbaijan this season, with approximately 60 percent of these areas planted with local wheat varieties developed by scientists from the Research Institute of Crop Husbandry (ETI) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Azernews reports, citing the director of ETI, Faiq Khudayev.

According to Khudayev, the first and most critical step toward achieving high productivity in grain cultivation is the selection of quality seeds. “The Institute is currently conducting breeding research to develop new varieties adapted to the soil and climate conditions of various regions across the country, with resistance to biotic stress factors and enhanced adaptability,” he said.

He emphasized that the agricultural sector, like many others, is facing new challenges brought about by globalization.

“This makes it essential to develop new, high-yield and resilient varieties that can meet both current and future demands. The majority of Azerbaijan's farmland is either rain-fed or under limited irrigation. In such conditions, the application of modern technologies and accelerated breeding methods is especially crucial to ensure productivity,” Khudayev noted.

Traditional breeding methods, however, are time-consuming, with the development of a new variety typically taking around 15 years — a timeline that no longer aligns with the fast-changing needs of modern agriculture.

“To address this,” Khudayev explained, “the Institute is shifting from classical methods to genetic-level research and fast-track breeding technologies. Through hybridization, it is possible to produce up to six generations in a single year. Using this approach, new varieties could be developed within five to six years.”

This transition, he added, will not only boost scientific efficiency but also allow researchers to respond more flexibly to the growing demands of farmers and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector.