Chickpea Collection Research Articles

Effectiveness of the use of chickpea collection samples in breeding

Aim. To determine the breeding value the large number of collection chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) varieties obtained from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (India, Patancheru, ICRISAT) and the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine (Kharkiv) was evaluated in 1995-2022 under the conditions of the steppe zone of Ukraine. Methods. Standard field and laboratory methods (phenological observations, hybridization, structural analysis, biochemical analysis of protein content in seeds according to the Kjeldahl method), statistical analysis. Results. Donors and sources of such economically valuable features as early maturity, increased productivity, protein content in seeds, large-seeded, resistance against pathogens on an artificially created infectious background were identified. The set of 12 varieties of chickpea were developed by artificial hybridization, which are recommended for cultivation in all zones of Ukraine. Conclusions.The characteristics of the created varieties are given, the most valuable collection genotypes for use in crossing programs are recommended.

Genetic variability for protein, zinc, and iron content in a chickpea collection under no-tillage system conditions

Genetic variability for protein, zinc, and iron content in a chickpea collection under no-tillage system conditions

Uncovering Fusarium Species Associated with Fusarium Wilt in Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) and the Identification of Significant Marker–Trait Associations for Resistance in the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas’ Chickpea Collection Using SSR Markers

Enhancing plants’ resistance against FW is crucial for ensuring a sustainable global chickpea production. The present study focuses on the identification of fungal pathogens and the assessment of ninety-six chickpea samples for Fusarium wilt from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)’s collection. Eight fungal isolates were recovered from the symptomatic chickpeas. Polyphasic identification was conducted by comparing the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), the elongation factor 1-α (tef1-α), and beta-tubulin (tub2). Among them, Neocosmospora solani, N. nelsonii, N. falciformis, N. brevis, Fusarium brachygibbosum, and F. gossypinum were identified. An analysis of the genetic diversity of chickpeas, using 69 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, revealed a total of 191 alleles across all markers, with, on average, each SSR marker detecting approximately 2.8 alleles. A STRUCTURE analysis delineated lines into two distinct sub-groups (K = 2). Association mapping, using the generalized linear model (GLM) and mixed linear model (MLM) approaches, identified six and five marker–trait associations (MTAs) for FW resistance, respectively. Notably, these TA42, TA125 (A) and TA125 (B), TA37, and TAASH MTAs, commonly found in both models, emerge as potential candidates for the targeted enhancement of FW resistance in chickpeas. To our knowledge, this study represents an inaugural report on the association mapping of genomic loci governing FW resistance in chickpeas from the ICARDA’s accessions.

Impact of Terminal Heat and Combined Heat-Drought Stress on Plant Growth, Yield, Grain Size, and Nutritional Quality in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea is the third most consumed pulse and provides a kit of essential nutrients for an exponential population. High temperatures and drought stress are two major abiotic stresses that cause serious effects on chickpea growth and development. The comprehension of abiotic stresses’ impact on chickpea productivity and nutritional quality will permit the selection of promising genotypes. The current study aimed to assess the impact of heat and drought stresses on plant growth, grain yield and its components, grain size, and nutritional quality in chickpea. For this purpose, 43 international chickpea genotypes were evaluated under normal, heat, and combined heat-drought stress conditions. The findings revealed a significant decrease of over 50% in plant height, biological yield, and seed yield under both stress conditions. Grain size and hundred-seed weight were the most heritable traits under normal, heat, and combined heat-drought stress. Proteins were accumulated under both stresses, evolving from 20.26% for normal conditions to 22.19% for heat stress and to 21.94% for combined heat-drought stress. For minerals, significant variation between treatments was observed for Mn, Mg, and Na. Our results also showed a significant impact of genotype and genotype-environment interaction factors only on K content. Using selection indices, 22 genotypes were identified as highly tolerant to the combined heat-drought stress, while eleven genotypes were heat-tolerant. Mineral profile analysis according to the contrasting tolerance clusters revealed decreased potassium content in susceptible genotypes, indicating genetic potential in the studied chickpea collection, ensuring tolerance to both stresses while maintaining good grain quality.

Genome wide association study of genes controlling resistance to Didymella rabiei Pathotype IV through genotyping by sequencing in chickpeas (Cicer arietinum)

Ascochyta blight (AB) is a major disease in chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) that can cause a yield loss of up to 100%. Chickpea germplasm collections at the center of origin offer great potential to discover novel sources of resistance to pests and diseases. Herein, 189 Cicer arietinum samples were genotyped via genotyping by sequencing. This chickpea collection was phenotyped for resistance to an aggressive Turkish Didymella rabiei Pathotype IV isolate. Genome-wide association studies based on different models revealed 19 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associations on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8. Although eight of these SNPs have been previously reported, to the best of our knowledge, the remaining ten were associated with AB resistance for the first time. The regions identified in this study can be addressed in future studies to reveal the genetic mechanism underlying AB resistance and can also be utilized in chickpea breeding programs to improve AB resistance in new chickpea varieties.

Variability and stability of the main valuable economic traits of the chickpeas collection specimens in conditions of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

Purpose. The research is aimed at an in-depth study of the genetic diversity of the existing collection samples from the basic collections according to morphological, biological and economic features in conditions of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine and selection of reliable sources of these traits in order to create a new highly productive, adaptive breeding material. Methods. Field (conducting phenological observations and records), biometric and measuring and weighting (for recording productivity and yield), mathematical and statistical (objective evaluation of experimental data obtained). Results. During 2018-2021, on the experimental fields of scientific crop rotation of the Institute of Feed Research and Agriculture of Podillia of NAAS, evaluation of 223 chickpea samples obtained from the Breeding and Genetic Institute of the National Center for Seed Science and Varietal Research and 210 samples of the kabuli type and 13 samples of the desi type from the V.Ya. Yuryev Institute of Plant Breeding of NAAS was carried out. Using the coefficient of variation (V, %), the level of variability of the main morphological traits (“stem length”, “lower bean attachment height”, “number of branches of the 1st order per plant”), elements of seed productivity (“number of beans per plant”, “number of seeds per bean”, “weight of 1000 seeds” and “seed weight per plant”) and productivity was established in these samples. The ecological stability (stability and plasticity) of the main valuable morphological traits, elements of seed productivity and yield in chickpea collection samples selected for productivity features were studied. Conclusions. According to the data of four years of research (2018-2021), in conditions of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine, 16 collection samples of chickpeas (12 of the kabuli and 4 of the desi type) resistant to adverse abiotic and biotic factors with increased productivity were selected. These samples are valuable sources of the main morphological traits plasticity and stability, elements of the seed productivity structure for the purpose of breeding the increased the adaptability of chickpea varieties in conditions of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine.

Ex Situ Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources: An Overview of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) Worldwide Collections

The collection and conservation of chickpea and lentil germplasm has great importance due to their role as a staple food for millions of people. Nowadays, the largest chickpea collection, 41.2% of the total accessions, is held by ICRISAT, while the main lentil collection is stored by ICARDA. The main fraction of both collections is constituted by Indian landraces. In recent decades, several efforts have been made to integrate all genebanks into a global conservation system of plant genetic resources. The release of informatics platforms allowed the creation of virtual genebanks, which are powerful tools routinely consulted by germplasm users. The information available for the chickpea and lentil accessions included in the Genesys and EURISCO platforms has been taken into consideration in this mini review. This review also presents and discusses the strengths and drawbacks of the worldwide collections of both species emerging from the analysis of data obtained by enquiring these two platforms. The availability of core collections is of great utility for germplasm users, while the lack of origin and biological status for a significant fraction of accessions are the main drawbacks. Moreover, this review highlights the necessity of sharing as much as possible of the non-omic and omic characterization data.

Identification of Sources of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Resistance in a Collection of Wild Cicer Germplasm.

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is an important fungal pathogen of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), and it can cause yield losses up to 100%. The wild progenitors are much more diverse than domesticated chickpea, and this study describes how this relates to S. sclerotiorum resistance. Initially, the pathogenicity of nine Australian S. sclerotiorum isolates was examined on three Cicer lines to develop a robust phenotyping assay, and significant differences in isolate aggressiveness were identified with six isolates being classed as highly aggressive and three as moderately aggressive. We identified two S. sclerotiorum isolates, CU8.20 and CU10.12, to be highly aggressive and moderately aggressive, respectively. A subsequent phenotyping assay was conducted using the two isolates to evaluate 86 wild Cicer accessions (Cicer reticulatum and Cicer echinospermum) and two C. arietinum varieties for resistance to S. sclerotiorum. A subset of 12 genotypes was further evaluated, and subsequently, two wild Cicer accessions with consistently high levels of resistance to S. sclerotiorum were examined using the initially characterized nine isolates. Wild Cicer accessions Karab_084 and Deste_063 demonstrated consistent partial resistance to S. sclerotiorum. There were significant differences in responses to S. sclerotiorum across wild Cicer collection sites. The Cermik, Karabahce, and Destek sites' responses to the aggressive isolate CU8.20 ranged from resistant to susceptible, highlighting an interaction between isolate genotype and chickpea collection site for sclerotinia stem rot resistance. This is the first evidence of partial stem resistance identified in wild Cicer germplasm, which can be adopted in chickpea breeding programs to enhance S. sclerotiorum resistance in future chickpea varieties.

Evaluation of indigenous grain legume collections

Grain legumes have positive impact on global food and nutrition security. Grain legume collections, maintained at the Institute of Plant Genetic Resources - Sadovo are represented by 10 botanical genera. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the phenotypic diversity of local accessions from five grain legume collections (Vicia faba, Pisum sp., Lathyrus sp., Cicer arietinum and Lupinus sp.) and to select the best ones with potential to be used under different agro-climatic conditions. The assessment of morphological and agro-biological traits was performed according to the International Descriptor for each crop. The structural elements of the yield, such as the number of pods and the mass of pods and grains per plant, grains size, etc. have a significant impact on the productivity of the grain legumes. The variability of agronomic and biological traits has shown high genetic diversity in evaluated grain legume collections and increased the possibilities for their use in the breeding-improvement activity. Based on phenotyping assessment several grain legume accessions were distinguished as starting breeding materials: from pea collection - two cultivars and two local populations; from chickpea collection - four populations; from faba bean collection – eight populations; from bitter vetch collection – two accessions; from grass pea collection - six genotypes; from white lupin collection – two accessions. The study of the materials from the collections was focused on the interests of researchers, breeders and producers.

In Vitro and In Vivo Nutraceutical Characterization of Two Chickpea Accessions: Differential Effects on Hepatic Lipid Over-Accumulation.

Dietary habits are crucially important to prevent the development of lifestyle-associated diseases. Diets supplemented with chickpeas have numerous benefits and are known to improve body fat composition. The present study was undertaken to characterize two genetically and phenotypically distinct accessions, MG_13 and PI358934, selected from a global chickpea collection. Rat hepatoma FaO cells treated with a mixture of free fatty acids (FFAs) (O/P) were used as an in vitro model of hepatic steatosis. In parallel, a high-fat diet (HFD) animal model was also established. In vitro and in vivo studies revealed that both chickpea accessions showed a significant antioxidant ability. However, only MG_13 reduced the lipid over-accumulation in steatotic FaO cells and in the liver of HFD fed mice. Moreover, mice fed with HFD + MG_13 displayed a lower level of glycemia and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) than HFD mice. Interestingly, exposure to MG_13 prevented the phosphorylation of the inflammatory nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-kB) which is upregulated during HFD and known to be linked to obesity. To conclude, the comparison of the two distinct chickpea accessions revealed a beneficial effect only for the MG_13. These findings highlight the importance of studies addressing the functional characterization of chickpea biodiversity and nutraceutical properties.

Nutritional, physico-chemical and functional characterization of a global chickpea collection

A comprehensive study to assess and compare physico-chemical, nutritional and functional properties of a chickpea germplasm collection was carried out. The collection, composed of 57 accessions, also included black chickpeas from Apulia (Southern Italy), previously shown to display peculiar phenotypic and genetic features with respect to desi and kabuli chickpeas, and for which no information is currently available. Associations of genetic and phenotypic traits with nutritional and functional properties were assessed. Black (including Apulian types) and brown chickpeas showed a dietary fiber content ranging from 18.0 to 22.1 g 100 g−1, high bioactive compound contents, and levels of PUFA that reached 64.4 and 67.0 g 100 g−1 of total fatty acids, respectively. Brown accessions were characterized by high values of water absorption capacity (1.9 g water g−1 of flour), therefore could be suitable for mixing with cereal flours to produce cereal-pulse foods. Our findings highlight the nutritional and technological potential of local landraces which are being replaced by modern cultivars and are therefore, at risk of genetic erosion.

Unravelling the nutriproteomics of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) seeds

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an essential grain for human consumption owing to its high protein content, nutritional quality and energy-efficient production. The aim of this study was to compare the protein extracts of 24 chickpea genotypes by biochemically characterising the storage proteins. The storage protein content was characterised by protein separation with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and visualisation of the banding patterns, which revealed considerable genetic variability within and between genotypes in this chickpea collection. High performance liquid chromatography showed that all genotypes had balanced amino acid content and some were rich in seven amino acids. Two chickpea genotypes, Flip97-171C and Elite, representative of the kabuli and desi types, respectively, were chosen for total proteome analysis. Two-dimensional electrophoresis and subsequent mass spectrometry were used to identify 454 protein spots from the Flip97-171C and Elite proteomes. By using Mascot Server software, 37% of the spots were identified as 47 different proteins involved in a large range of metabolic functions. Most proteins from both proteomes were assigned to nutritional storage activity. Chickpea proteome analysis is essential in reaffirming the quality of this grain protein for human nutrition, and will be important in future nutriproteomics and plant-breeding studies.

Genetic diversity of chickpea genotypes as revealed by ISSR and RAPD markers

Genetic diversity of 62 chickpea accessions was studied using 8 ISSR and 11 RAPD primers. In the study RAPD primers detected more polymorphism (98%) than the ISSR primers (80%). Genetic diversity index was high (0.73 for ISSR and 0.85 for RAPD) for each of these marker systems. Cluster analysis performed from both separate and combined data of RAPD and ISSR markers using SPSS software package. Jaccard?s similarity coefficient for 62 chickpea genotypes was 0.65. Cluster analyses based on combined data generated a dendrogram that separated genotypes into 11 clusters. Four clusters contained only one genotype showing the genetic uniqueness of these accessions. The studied chickpea collection has been proved to constitute a rich source of biodiversity as revealed by RAPD and ISSR markers. Crossing between distantly related genotypes is expected to yield more vigorous plants constituting much of the different traits contained in the two parental lines.

Biochemical and technological qualities of chickpea collection accessions

The aim of our study was to assess protein content and technological qualities of different chickpea varieties to use their seeds in food industry.Materials and methods. The field experiments were carried out in the experimental field of the Plant Breeding and Genetics Institute in 2013–2015. Collection accessions and recommended for cultivation varieties were sown with manual planters on optimum dates; the accounting area was 1 m2, the standard was sown every other 20 rows. The predecessor was winter wheat.The crop was harvested by hand; each accession was individually threshed on a thresher MPSU – 500 or MZB – 1. Economically valuable traits were evaluated as per "VIR Methodical Instructions for Studying Grain Legumes”. The protein content was estimated by Kjeldahl method; fat content – by Rushkovsky method. Trypsin inhibitor was determined by casein method.Collection accessions from 28 countries giving good yields and varieties of PBGI-NCSCI (‘Odyssey’, ‘Pamiat’, ‘Triumf’, ‘Budzhak’, and ‘Skаrb’) were taken as the test material.Results and discussion. Analyzing the results obtained, we can conclude that both cultivation conditions in Odessa region and genetic features of genotypes influenced protein accumulation in chickpea seeds. The genotype effect was significant. High protein content was recorded for NEC 2554 from Afghanistan, CP 60 from India, P 386, P 2080 and Flip 85-18c from India, Iran, and Syria, respectively. Forms with the best productivity will be involved in hybridization.Conclusion. Considerable genotypic variability in protein content was revealed in collection accessions and proposed for cultivation chickpea varieties.Seeds of the test forms swelled differently both at room and at elevated temperature. Swelling and hardness were more diverse at elevated temperature.The experimental data on the biological value and technological qualities make it possible to draw conclusions about the use of different varieties in food industry. For example, varieties 'Pamiat’ and ‘Skarb’, seeds of which swell greatly and are low density after blanching, are more suitable for canned products

Phenotypic diversity of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) landraces accumulated in the Vavilov collection from the centers of the crop’s origin

Landraces represent a valuable gene pool as a source for introgressing adaptive genes to modern varieties. The Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) chickpea collection contains 3380 accessions, most of which are landraces. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the phenotypic diversity of old chickpea landraces stored in VIR collection. The variability of 11 biological, morphological, and economically valuable traits in 1082 chickpea landraces originating from 60 countries has been analyzed. Further accessions from the places of origin of chickpea were studied in more detail (with 15 traits analyzed): 75 landraces from Turkey (primary center) and 24 from Ethiopia (secondary center) were collected 90 years ago. Interrelations between the traits were studied using component analyses. The geographic regularities of certain traits in the studied accessions have been revealed. The accessions from Ethiopia were fairly uniform, revealing primitive and dominant character of the traits. They belong to the Abyssinicum eco-geographical group of varieties, absolutely unique and endemic to Ethiopia. The Turkish landraces are characterized by a much higher diversity for the majority of phenotypes, covering almost the entire range of traits specified in chickpea descriptors. In this region, together with landraces typical of Turkey, there are those characteristic of the western Mediterranean and areas bordering Turkey to the east. In accordance with the eco-geographic classification, they fall into three groups of varieties: turcicum, hispanicum, and afghanicum. A lesser degree of variability and a more primitive character of traits, as well as the lower seed productivity in the Ethiopian than in the Turkish landraces show the more advanced breeding state of the latter. Useful traits for breeding are present in landraces from both centers of origin.

Characterization of chickpea germplasm conserved in the Indian National Genebank and development of a core set using qualitative and quantitative trait data

Chickpea is the third most important pulse crop as a source of dietary protein. Ever-increasing demand in Asian countries calls for breeding superior desi-type varieties, in turn necessitating the availability of characterized germplasm to breeders. The Indian National Genebank, located at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, conserves 14,651 accessions of chickpea. The entire set was characterized in a single large-scale experiment. High variation was observed for eight quantitative and 12 qualitative agro-morphological traits. Allelic richness procedure was employed to assemble a core set comprising 1103 accessions, 70.0% of which were of Indian origin. Comparable values of total variation explained by the first three principal components in the entire collection (51.1%) and the core (52.4%) together with conservation of nine pairwise r values among quantitative traits in the core collection and a coincidence rate around 99.7% indicated that the chickpea core was indeed an excellent representation of the entire chickpea collection in the National Genebank. The chickpea core exhibited greater diversity than the entire collection in agro-morphological traits, as assessed by higher variance and Shannon–Weaver diversity indices, indicating that the chickpea core maximized the phenotypic diversity available in the Indian chickpea germplasm. The chickpea core, comprising mainly indigenous desi genotypes, is expected to be an excellent resource for chickpea breeders. Information on the chickpea core can be accessed at http://www.nbpgr.ernet.in/pgrportal.

IRAP and REMAP-based assessment of genetic diversity in chickpea collection from Iran

Retrotransposons (RTN) make a significant contribution to the size, organization and genetic diversity of their host genomes. Several RTN families have been identified in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and other closely related species. In the current research, integration activity and insertional polymorphism of the RTNs CARE1, Tms1Ret1, TPS and LORE were studied in 64 chickpea accessions collected in Iran using inter retrotransposon amplified polymorphism (IRAP) and retrotransposon-microsatellite amplified polymorphism (REMAP) techniques. Results indicated that all RTNs studied, are transpositionally active in chickpea genome and amplified scorable and polymorphic banding pattern. Among the RTN families used, the highest percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL) was produced by TPS family (81.82%). Totally, 129 loci were amplified using 18 IRAP and REMAP primers which 83 (64.34%) were polymorphic. The Dice genetic similarity coefficients among accessions ranged from 0.84 (accessions Tj48 and Ba4) to 0.98 (accessions Ka30 and Urm61), averaging 0.93. The parameters of expected heterozygosity (He), Shannon?s information index (I) and number of effective alleles (Ne) were the highest for Urmia accessions. Cluster analysis based on UPGMA algorithm and Dice similarity coefficient categorized the 64 accessions in 7 main groups. The mean Fst values of all groups except for groups IV and VII, were lower than 0.20, demonstrating no clear differentiation among the groups, no genetic structure of the studied chickpea collection and probably occurrences of gene flow among the origins. In conclusion, although RTN-based markers were able to differentiate the chickpea accessions but the measured relative genetic similarity among accessions were not correlated with geographical distances between places of their origins.

Study some characteristics in global chickpea collection

To assess some characteristics in chickpea (Cicer arietinum) global germplasm, a genetically diverse subset from the USDA global chickpea core collection was assayed. The greenhouse experiment evaluated 39 global accessions and commercial cultivar UC-5, inoculated with Mesorhizobium ciceri. The design was carried out at greenhouse of Washington State University in complete block design with 6 replications in 2011. Flower number, biomass and ratio shoot to root (shoot/root) were determined. The results showed that cultivar had significant effect on flower number and biomass. The maximum flower number and biomass obtained ACNO 360456 from Iran and ACNO 339223 from Turkey respectively. The biomass had a positive, significant correlation with number of flower. ACNO = Accession number

Ecogeographic and evolutionary approaches to improving adaptation of autumn-sown chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.) to terminal drought: The search for reproductive chilling tolerance

Terminal drought is the most important abiotic stress of dryland chickpea. The principal adaptive strategy of the crop is drought escape through early phenology. In regions where average temperatures at flowering <14–16 °C, such as southern Australia or northern South Asia, the lack of reproductive chilling tolerance forces chickpea to delay podset. This delay compromises drought escape by exposing chickpea to terminal drought during much of the pod filling phase, reducing yield potential and stability, depending on seasonal climatic fluctuations. This paper defines chickpea growing seasons in time throughout the crop's global production regions using published data and feedback from local breeders. This information is used to calculate and map regionally specific chickpea bioclimatic variables such as flowering phase temperatures and the peak rate of growing season temperature change. Flowering phase temperatures <14 °C are uncommon. Mediterranean climates in southern Australia, Chile, California and Portugal tend to be cool during flowering (<15.4 °C), while much of WANA is moderate to warm (15.4–24.4 °C), with exceptions in coastal N Africa, the Nile valley and higher elevations in Morocco, the Balkans, central Afghanistan, NE and SW Iran. Ethiopia contains a wide range of flowering phase temperatures depending on altitude. In South Asia flowering phase temperatures tend to decrease with increasing latitude, with large cool regions in the Punjab, N Haryana, N Uttar Pradesh and the Nepali terai. Superimposing the peak rates of temperature change within the growing season identifies habitats which are likely to be consistently cool throughout the reproductive phase by eliminating regions with transient chilling stress, such as much of N South Asia. It is suggested that reproductive chilling tolerance is rare in chickpea because of the late Neolithic shift from autumn to spring sowing in WANA, and subsequent dissemination into predominantly moderate to warm flowering habitats with only transient low temperature stress. The search for reproductive chilling tolerance should concentrate on these relatively uncommon consistently cool habitats. These are not well represented in the world chickpea collection, a shortcoming which is exacerbated by the lack of passport data in regions of potential interest from Iran to Central Asia. An alternative strategy is to search for reproductive chilling tolerance in the wild Cicer species, which have maintained a winter annual lifecycle and appear to be more cold tolerant than the cultigen. This approach is limited by the lack of germplasm. Currently, there are <30 original wild accessions in the primary genepool of chickpea ( C. reticulatum, n = 18; C. echinospermum, n = 10) in the world's genebanks, so more collection is required.

Evaluation of Helicoverpa and drought resistance in desi and kabuli chickpea

AbstractA chickpea collection of 1600 desi and 1400 kabuli were evaluated for yield losses arising from pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera) infestation under rainfed conditions by spraying half the plots to prevent pod borer infestation and allowing the other half to be infested. From these lines, 82 were selected for further detailed evaluation of Helicoverpa resistance and drought resistance under irrigated and rainfed conditions. The yield losses from Helicoverpa damage varied from 10 to 33% depending on the chickpea type and the growing environment. Spreading types were more susceptible to Helicoverpa damage than erect types, as were kabuli types compared to desi types. Yield losses due to Helicoverpa infestation were always greater in the irrigated than in the rainfed materials. Terminal drought reduced yields by 13–37% depending on plant type. The yields in the kabuli c“hickpea lines were more severely reduced than were the desi types, due to a greater reduction in the number of branches and pods per plant in the kabuli compared to the desi lines. It appears that the extent of pod borer damage varies between the chickpea types, and that desi types have greater drought resistance than kabuli ones. These characteristics should be informative for the population improvement of chickpea for environments in which terminal drought and Helicoverpa damage occur frequently.