Plant breeding programs in Oman
The Sultanate of Oman is the third largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It has generally warm, sunny winters and very hot, dry summers. Fruits occupy 58 % of the agricultural land. Since the discovery of oil in commercial quantities in 1964, the agricultural sector contributes only around 3% of the GDP but it still engages almost half of the active population.
Plant breeding activities in Oman actually started in the form of introduction and selection in all the crop species at the time when activities on agricultural research were initiated in the late 1960s. Today, agricultural research in Oman is experiencing a rapid expansion phase in tune with the agricultural modernization programs. Two public institutions are carrying out breeding activities around the country in different research centres.
In the Sultanate, the grain crops like wheat, barley and chickpea (as strategic crops for food security) and annual and perennial forages for livestock have always been the priority in research. A more recent new approach in field crops research has been combating salinity using novel crop species or indigenous rangeland species.
Existing facilities appear to be insufficient to meet the research needs in both plant breeding and biotechnology. Limited trained staff in the field of plant breeding and biotechnology is also a major constraint to the success of plant breeding programmes in the Sultanate of Oman.
Research and education institutes with activities in plant breeding
Directorate General of Agriculture and Livestock Research
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College of Agriculture and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU)
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Information by Saleem Kaseemsaheb Nadaf, Hamid Ali Galoub, Ali Kharbotly, Ali H. Al-Lawati and Ahmed Nasser Al-Bakri (2006) - Information based on the Oman's full report from the PBBC survey. Last revised 24-03-2010, GIPB.