Breeding and Market Opportunities of Karcag Winter Wheat Varieties

Czimbalmos, Róbert – Asbolt, Gergő – Murányi, Eszter

Keywords: region-specific breeding, quantitative/qualitative indicators of winter wheat, seed production, gross margin, cultivation technology, Q10, Q13, Q15

The National List of Field Crops Varieties includes 36 varieties of 14 crop species bred in the MATE Karcag Research Institute, of which 10 are winter wheat varieties, as a result of decades of plant breeding activities carried out at this institute. The breeding of the wheat varieties in Karcag takes place in one of the production areas of the most extreme ecological conditions of the Trans-Tisza region, which has comparative advantages during the classical breeding activity. The region-specific varieties bred here have adapted well to the climatic conditions of the Karcag region. They were developed as a result of natural and artificial selection, and they are suitable for intensive, semi-intensive and organic cultivation as well. The primary purpose of breeding, based on pedigree selection is to make a new variety superior to its predecessors in one or more traits. The breeder must know the local ecological conditions, the qualitative and quantitative indicators of the given variety, he must also pay attention to the effect of the growing season, and the economic expectations: during the production of the pre-basic, basic, and certified seed, their contribution to the margin cost must also be followed. Calculating and examining this is important because the decision maker’s decisions only have an impact on variable costs, so the margin cost contribution qualifies the work done. Quantitative and qualitative indicators are not secondary for market participants either, as they must meet the required quality criteria, when selling a commodity base, even though the quality surcharge is not always paid even today. An important factor in increasing revenues is the certified seed, which guarantees the quality of the commodity base, the varietal purity and the excellent real value of seed. Unfortunately, the rate of use of certified seeds is still frustratingly low nationwide, at around 25%. From the point of view of the production costs, farmers have to make appropriate choice of crop varieties to grow and of agrotechnics to apply at the given production site for adaptation to the actual ecological conditions of the given growing season. Approximately 40% of the adaptation effectivity is determined by the production site and the conditions of growing season and 30-30% by the chosen crop variety and the applied cultivation technologies. Results of detailed scientific surveys presented regional climate conferences of increasing number prove that frequency of weather extremes have increased in the Carpathian Basin in recent decades. Unfavourable effects of these weather extremes can be reduced by appropriate choice of crop varieties, plant breeding, economic analysis, and by application of agrotechnics adapted to these conditions.