Iran Accelerates Climate-Resilient Wheat Breeding to Safeguard Future Food Security

Iran is advancing a new generation of climate-resilient wheat varieties designed to withstand drought, heat stress, salinity, and major fungal diseases, reinforcing the country’s long-term food security strategy as climate change and water scarcity intensify.

Recent breeding programs have introduced new bread and durum wheat varieties with higher yields, improved baking quality, and greater resistance to diseases such as yellow rust and leaf rust. In 2025 (Iranian year 1404), 10 of the 12 newly released bread wheat varieties were specifically developed to improve tolerance to water shortages, drought, late-season heat, and saline conditions, and have entered Iran’s certified seed production system.

A key technological breakthrough has been the adoption of Speed Breeding, enabling researchers to produce four to five wheat generations per year under controlled greenhouse conditions, compared with just one generation annually using conventional breeding methods. The program also incorporates double haploid technology, significantly shortening the time required to develop genetically stable, high-performing wheat varieties.

Research findings indicate that adopting certified improved seed, combined with proper crop management, can increase wheat yields by 10% to 30%, while improving water-use efficiency and reducing production risks under increasingly challenging environmental conditions.

With Iran’s average annual rainfall having declined from 250 mm to 220 mm over the past 50 years, developing wheat varieties adapted to drought and diverse agro-climatic zones has become a national priority. Expanding the use of certified seed and replacing farm-saved seed with newly developed varieties is considered essential to fully realize the benefits of these breeding innovations and strengthen the resilience of the country’s wheat production system.