PLACE OF THE LOCAL VARIETY OF DURUM WHEAT (Triticum durum L. VAR MOHAMED BEN BACHIR) AMONG THE KEY VARIETIES AND THE NEW OBTAINING 'BOUTALEB' IN THE SEMI-ARID REGION OF SETIF IN ALGERIA

Abstract

The Algerian local variety of durum wheat Mohamed Ben Bachir (MBB) is a very old variety but it is still widely used, especially in the semi-arid region of Sétif. Reconsidering it by studying constitutes a strategic way to know it better and take profit of its advantages and disadvantages. To do this, data from three agricultural seasons, obtained at the ITGC experimental site in Sétif, were used to carry out this comparative study of agro-pheno-morphological characters between MBB on the one hand and Waha, Vitron, Gta dur, Bousselam and Setifis keys varieties as well as the new variety Boutaleb on the other hand, in the semi-arid region of Sétif. The results have led to the fact that MBB stands out with a significant average height compared to the other varieties with a little over 95 cm and 132 cm during the favourable agricultural season 2012/2013. On the other hand, it records the lowest values for the weight of spikes (WS), the number of spikes/m2 (NGM2), the weight of a thousand grains and the grain yield. Despite its poor productive performance for the three seasons, given its negative correlation with WS and NGM2, traits directly linked to yield; it is more stable than the other varieties. But it turns out that the Waha strain is the same if not more stable than MBB in addition to relatively high performance. With an average height, the Boutaleb variety, and unlike MBB, manages to associate with the WS character linked to the grain yield. The Setifis variety is also advantageous in this environment since it is productive and offers less risk of reduced production compared to MBB in unfavourable environments unlike the Vitron, Gta dur and Bousselam varieties which must be taken with caution. MBB turns out to be a good benchmark for new and relatively old varieties since a variety originating of the country and therefore more adapted to its conditions, particularly climatic, and which would be interesting to exploit in the selection given its potential for tolerance and stability.