Agriculture Research Station of Gonbad
Encyclopedia
The Agriculture Research Station of Gonbad is one of the well known agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 research stations in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

 because of its considerable contribution to releasing high yielding varieties. This station was established in 1985. It is located 5 km east of historical city of Gonbad-e Qabus
Gonbad-e Qabus
Gonbad-e Qābus or Gonbad-e Kāvus ; formerly Dashte Gorgan) is a city in and the capital of Gonbad-e-Qabus County, in the province of Golestān in the northeast of Iran...

.

Several experiments on breeding and agronomical aspects of important crops such as cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...

s (bread wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...

, durum
Durum
Durum wheat or macaroni wheat is the only tetraploid species of wheat of commercial importance that is widely cultivated today...

 wheat, barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...

), oil seed crops (sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...

, canola
Canola
Canola refers to a cultivar of either Rapeseed or Field Mustard . Its seeds are used to produce edible oil suitable for consumption by humans and livestock. The oil is also suitable for use as biodiesel.Originally, Canola was bred naturally from rapeseed in Canada by Keith Downey and Baldur R...

 and soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...

), pulse crops (chickpea
Chickpea
The chickpea is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae...

, lentil
Lentil
The lentil is an edible pulse. It is a bushy annual plant of the legume family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds...

), cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

, melon
Melon
thumb|200px|Various types of melonsThis list of melons includes members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae with edible, fleshy fruit e.g. gourds or cucurbits. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit...

 and watermelon
Watermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...

 are carried out. Collection and identification of pest and disease, pest and disease control methods, plant nutrition, are also conducted at the station. In addition to activities mentioned above, the breeders and foundation seed increase of varieties are done at the station. Accessions for tolerance to heat and draught stress, which are prevailing in the region (harsh conditions at final stages in particular), are evaluated at this station. Since several international experiments are carried out at this station, it is visited by researchers from International Institutes and by university professors.

The breeders at the station try to find lines and to produce hybrids with greater stability and higher tolerance to harsh abiotic conditions prevailing in the region. The best IPM methods in controlling pests, diseases and weeds are also studied. Increasing yield of crops per ha and per input is one of the principal aims of the researchers.

See also

  • International rankings of Iran
  • Agriculture in Iran
    Agriculture in Iran
    Roughly one-third of Iran's total surface area is suited for farmland, but because of poor soil and lack of adequate water distribution in many areas, most of it is not under cultivation....



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