Khalil, a new bread wheat cultivar, for cultivation in southern warm and dry zone of Iran

"Khalil" wheat variety with the pedigree of Bow"s"/Vee"s"//1-60-3/3/Cocoraque 75/4/Chamran has derived from national wheat breeding program. The cross of this variety was made in Karaj in 2003-04 cropping season and then from F2 generation in 2005-06 cropping season, its segregating lines were studied through a shuttle breeding program between Iranshahr and Kelardasht research stations. The new variety was evaluated in Elite Regional Wheat Yield Trial (ERWYT) in the southern warm and dry zones' research stations during 2012-14 cropping seasons. The results confirmed that this new variety has yield stability in the studied research stations in southern warm and dry agro-climatic zone. Considering high grain yield, high level of resistance to different physiological races of stripe rust in different locations (hot spots), good grain quality as well as good agronomic performance and resistance to shattering, this line was selected and officially released as Khalil in 2017. Khalil, is adapted to irrigated wheat growing areas in the southern dry and warm agro-climatic zone in Iran, where in most of these regions a high disease pressure especially occurred by yellow rust is a limited factor for wheat production.