International Center For Agricultural Research In Dry Areas Research Articles

Evaluation of Some Genotypes of Wheat (Triticum Durum L.) Under Conditions in Al Jabal Al Akhdar - Libya.

The experiment was conducted at the research farm of the College of Agriculture during the season (2019-2020) to evaluate the performance of six genetic compositions under semi-arid conditions using the green fodder. These compositions were obtained from the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), compared to the local variety "Ain Al-Faras." The treatments were planted according to a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Significant differences were observed among all the genetic compositions for all the studied traits. The variety "Ain Al-Faras" outperformed the other genetic compositions in plant height, spike length, number of grains per spike, grain yield, straw yield, and biological weight, with values of 86 cm, 9.65 cm, 61 grains/spike, 1.14 tons/ha, 10.68 tons/ha, and 11.82 tons/ha, respectively. Genetic composition 2020-741 also excelled in the trait of number of grains per spike (52.33), while genetic composition D2020-72 exhibited superiority in the trait of thousand-grain weight (63.35 g). Moreover, genetic composition D2020-4 showed a higher harvest index compared to the other genetic compositions, with a value of 12.91. The results indicated that the values of phenotypic variance were close to the values of genetic variance for most of the studied traits. The highest heritability ratio was observed for the traits of number of grains per spike and grain yield. High relative genetic advance values were recorded along with high values of specific combining ability for both the number of grains per spike and grain yield. Therefore, it is possible to infer the genetic composition through morphological data, and such traits can be considered as selection criteria for improving these crops.

Single- and multi-trait genomic prediction and genome-wide association analysis of grain yield and micronutrient-related traits in ICARDA wheat under drought environment.

Globally, over 2 billion people suffer from malnutrition due to inadequate intake of micronutrients. Genomic-assisted breeding is identified as a valuable method to facilitate developing new improved plant varieties targeting grain yield and micronutrient-related traits. In this study, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and single- and multi-trait-based genomic prediction (GP) analysis was conducted using a set of 252 elite wheat genotypes from the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA). The objective was to identify linked SNP markers, putative candidate genes and to evaluate the genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) of grain yield and micronutrient-related traits.. For this purpose, a field trial was conducted at a drought-prone station, Merchouch, Morocco for 2 consecutive years (2018 and 2019) followed by GWAS and genomic prediction analysis with 10,173 quality SNP markers. The studied genotypes exhibited a significant genotypic variation in grain yield and micronutrient-related traits. The GWAS analysis identified highly significantly associated markers and linked putative genes on chromosomes 1B and 2B for zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) contents, respectively. The genomic predictive ability of selenium (Se) and Fe traits with the multi-trait-based GP GBLUP model was 0.161 and 0.259 improving by 6.62 and 4.44%, respectively, compared to the corresponding single-trait-based models. The identified significantly linked SNP markers, associated putative genes, and developed GP models could potentially facilitate breeding programs targeting to improve the overall genetic gain of wheat breeding for grain yield and biofortification of micronutrients via marker-assisted (MAS) and genomic selection (GS) methods.

Estimation Yield And Yield Components of Promising Chickpea Genotypes under Different Levels of Challenge Herbicide

A field experiment was carried out in sandy clay loam during winter season 2020-2021 at the field of Agricultural Research Center, Duhok. Two promising chickpea genotypes (FLipo7-223C and FLipo7-245C) using in this study derived from crosses per formed at international center for Agricultural research in Dry Areas (ICARDA). Four levels of challenge herbicide use 0, 0.5, 1.5 L ha-1). The experimental units were laid out in randomize complete block design in three replicates. The results indicated that the Flip 07-245 c chickpea genotype was superior in first pod height (29.5 cm), main and secondary branch per plant (4.383 and 6.808), 100 seed weight (40.409),number of nodules per plant (84.83) ,number of pods per plant (42.67) and total seed yield (267.89),while the best challenge herbicide was 1.5 l ha-1 because the dose gave the lowest value 8.5, broad leafed weed and 2.33 for narrow leafed weed, there for the seed yield increase with the increase the rate of challenge herbicide. The seed yield correlated positive and significantly with first pod height (0.35), number of nodules per plant 0.828, number of pods per plant (0.537), number of main branchy (0.774) and secondary branches per plant (0.683), while negative significantly with number of broad leaved weed (-0.675) and plant height (-0.705)

Evaluation and identification of advanced lentil interspecific derivatives resulted in the development of early maturing, high yielding, and disease-resistant cultivars under Indian agro-ecological conditions.

The genetic base revealed by pedigree records of the majority of released cultivars appears to be narrow in major pulse crops, including lentils, because of the frequent use of the same parents and their derivatives in crop improvement programs. Therefore, corrective measures are needed to widen the genetic base by involving the genetic resources of a distinct gene pool. In this direction, rigorous efforts were made to introgress wild Lens taxa, L. culinaris ssp. orientalis, and L. ervoides into the backgrounds of cultivated varieties. Subsequently, genetic materials were advanced through the single seed descent method of breeding along with a rapid generation advancement (normal and off-season) approach. Two F10:11 interspecific derivatives of lentils were evaluated in augmented block design at two locations, viz. International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), India. The analysis of variance showed remarkable variability for all target characters at both locations. The heritability estimates were high, and correlation analysis exhibited a significant association between the majority of traits assessed at ICARDA and SKUAST, India. Further, SKUAST identified the most promising lines as “Jammu Lentil 144” and “Jammu Lentil 71.” These derivatives were further validated separately for their agronomic potential and resistance against major biotic stresses. The results revealed that Jammu Lentil 144 and Jammu Lentil 71 produced 16.65 and 9.40% more seed yield than local and national checks, including earliness, by 25 and 15 days, respectively. These promising interspecific derivatives were also found to be resistant to fusarium wilt, root rot, pod borer, and aphid infestations. The standard agronomy of these cultivars has also been assessed consecutively for 2 years at SKUAST. Overall, the pre-breeding efforts have resulted in the development of early maturing, high-yielding, and disease-resistant lentil cultivars for the Jammu region of India.

TALBINAH-21: PAKISTAN’S FIRST HULL-LESS, HIGH YIELDING AND LODGING TOLERANT BARLEY VARIETY

Talbinah-21, a first hull-less barley variety was prepared at Wheat Research Institute (WRI), Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI), Faisalabad Punjab-Pakistan during 2021 and released for irrigated and moisture stress areas of Punjab as well. The proposed genotype with parental AGER/2*PETUNIA 1 with pedigree CBSW01WM00121T-0TOPY-4M-1Y-1M-1Y-OM-0AP was earmarked due to promising hull-less line and selected from the exotic breeding materials ‘’International Naked Barley Yield Trial (INBYT)’’ during 2014-15. This trial was received from International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), Terbol, Lebanon, through National Wheat Coordinator, National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad. Although, the yield performance was not up to the mark with respect to local check Jau-83, but the Entry No 12 expressed itself a promising hull-less line and acclimatised completely well among all 25 entries in the said trials.
 So, keeping in view the expressivity of the line, it was added and evaluated with the variety code of B-15006 for yield performance in regular yield trial for one year during 2015-16 and in Provincial Uniform Barley Yield Trial (PUBYT) for continuous two years during 2016-17 to 2017-18. It performed better than commercial check variety of Haider-93 by 3.78% more yield in regular yield trial and 22.41 and 8.04% high grain yield in provincial trials during both years. In national uniform barley yield trial, the purposed hull-less line also excelled the yield than the check variety by 1.72% in 2018-19 and 12.9% in 2019-20. It performed also best under rainfed areas by giving 3.76% more yield than the check during 2017-18 and 23% during 2018-19.
 Disease, infestation was also found resistant. The seed is amber in colour with shape of elliptical. Protein content in the proposed genotype is ranging from 12-14.4% while thousand grain weight was found from 37-40 gram. It was found lodging tolerant and shattering resistant. The mentioned genotype (Talbinah-21) was approved in 2021 by Punjab Seed Council (PSC) for different ecological zones across the province for general cultivation.

Genome wide association and prediction studies of agronomic and quality traits in spring beard wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under rain-fed environment with terminal moisture stress

Drought is the principal abiotic stress which affect grain yield and quality of wheat at the global level, more particularly in West and South Asia, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. To identify marker-trait associations (MTA) and putative genes associated with agronomic and quality traits under rain-fed condition, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using 214 spring bread wheat (Triticum atrium L.) genotypes from the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA). The study was carried out at Merchouch station in Morocco over a period of 2 years (2018 and 2019). The three best high yielding genotypes G212, G189 and G172 were selected for their excellent grain quality and recorded an average yield of 6.76, 6.72 and 6.67 ton per hectare (t/ha), respectively. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using the mixed linear model (MLM), where 5841 polymorphic DArT markers were used for genotyping. A total of 42 MTAs (P < 0.05) and 11 genes were detected in this study, where 23 MTAs were recoded for agronomic traits and 19 MTAs were recorded for quality traits. The markers “836,912”, “1,042,644” and “368,094” were the most significant associated markers were significantly correlated with grain yield under rain-fed condition. The markers and candidate genes identified have potentials for marker-assisted selection to develop high yielding wheat genotypes with acceptable end-use quality, tolerance to heat and drought stresses.

Characterization of Pisum sativum Mediterranean accessions by qualitative traits.

Nowadays, pea field is getting more attention because of its nutritional values. The objective of this paper is to characterize and identify relationships among 21 Mediterranean pea accessions. Fifteen accessions of Pisum sativum subsp. elatius and six accessions of Pisum sativum subsp. arvense were provided by ICARDA (International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas). Twenty qualitative traits were selected according to the guidelines of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). We measured eight vegetative qualitative traits such as presence or absence of leaflets, type of plant axis development and presence or absence of anthocyanin coloration. We measured twelve floral qualitative traits such as standard color, pod color and curvature of the pod. In order to study the clustering of our accessions, we used Past4.03 with the test UPGMA (unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean). The biometric and descriptive analysis we carried out reveals the presence of traits that discriminate accessions. Among these traits, we can cite C15 (vegetative qualitative trait), C23, C31 and C35 (floral qualitative traits). C15 discriminates the accessions TUR10, TUR8, SYR1 and SYR2. C23 distinguishes TUR6, TUR11 and AL2 accessions from other accessions. C31 is a discriminating trait for TUR13 accession. The type of starch grain (C35) discriminates the TUR14 accession. Cluster analysis led to establishing dendrogram allowing a grouping of accessions according to their geographical affiliation. In fact, it is possible to discriminate significantly the accessions TUR10, SYR1 and SYR2 from the accessions TUR12, TUR13, GR1 and TUN which could be an incentive for further improvement and better exploitation.

Genome wide association study of grain yield and yield related traits in spring bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under drought and heat conditions in three different locations

Abiotic stress, especially drought and heat, affects cereal yields and wheat production worldwide, more particularly in West and South Asia, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. The present study was carried out on 229 spring bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes from the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) to identify the genomic region and marker-trait associations (MTA) responsible for drought and heat tolerance. The study was carried out in three different locations, Merchouch station (Morocco), Sids station (Egypt), and Wadmadani station (Sudan) over a period of 2 years (2018 and 2019). A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using the mixed linear model (MLM) and 13,698 DArTseq markers were used for genotyping. Linkage disequilibrium revealed that 1914 pairs of markers mapped on the B sub- genome, followed by D and A sub-genomes with 1745 and 1726 paired markers, respectively. A total of 342 MTAs (P < 0.05) and 78 genes were identified in the three environments, of which 134 MTAs were recorded at Sids station and 128 and 80 MTAs at Wadmadani station and Merchouch station. The markers 822,842, 196,565 and 753,901 were significantly correlated with grain yield under drought, heat and yield potential stations Morocco, Sudan, and Egypt, respectively. The markers and candidate genes identified in this study have potentials for marker-assisted selection to develop high yielding wheat genotypes with resistance to heat and drought stresses.

Status of introduction and conservation in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Barley is important cereal crop and grown over a broad environmental range.  There is a need to collect, conserve barley genetic resources to meet the known and unknown challenges of emerging diseases and climate change. For augmentation of diverse germplasm ICAR- National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) is the nodal institute with a well-established procedure and since its establishment in 1976 and a total of 80,124 accessions in barley were introduced/imported including trait specific/ value added accessions from different countries and International Institutes.  Additionally, each year 200-3000 accessions are imported as international nurseries/ trials. International centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) has the global mandate for improvement of barley and is doing rebreeding activities in barley. The new variability generated is made available to researchers users in form of International nurseries and trials and new form of variation in exotic material is made available through these nurseries/trials. The national Genebank  at ICAR-NBPGR conserves over eight thousand accessions of barley of which more than one thousand five hundred accessions are of exotic origin. Access to these resources is regulated by various national and international instruments related to bio-diversity and agriculture. Access to barley germplasm from India is regulated by Biological Diversity Act, 2002.  As barley is included in the multilateral system of the International Treaty on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (ITPGRFA) and India has also designated 468 accessions to the MLS, the access to such designated accessions of barley is also made through the national focal point of the Treaty that is Department of Agricultural Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DACFW).  However access under the provisions of the Treaty is done after signing the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA), ensuring  that the material accessed under the MLS of the treaty shall be freely available to others for use in research, breeding and training provided the third and subsequent parties are bound by the same conditions of the SMTA. Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) cannot be claimed by the recipients on the material received from the MLS and if any commercial utilization is done, the benefits would be deposited in a trust fund of the Treaty. DOI.10.25174/2582-2675/2020/83213

Barley: Global challenges and perspectives under non-tropical dry areas

The International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) is one of the 15 CGIAR centers and has a global mandate for barley improvement, specifically for more than 16 million ha of barley is grown in non-tropical dry areas across the globe. ICARDA’s barley improvement program has been reorganized into spring barley for high and low input environments and winter barley programs to address the requirements of different agro-climatic conditions/regions. The spring barley program targets germplasm improvement for feed, food and malt purposes, targeting germplasm enhancement for global stressed environments in hulled and huskless barley. The winter barley program is basically focused to improve germplasm for colder regions in West and Central Asia where cold and frost are the major stresses along with drought. Each year, nearly 10000 advanced lines are evaluated for various agronomic, biotic and abiotic stress tolerances, and grain quality parameters in the breeding program. ICARDA’s gene bank holds more than 33,000 barley accessions of which 2042 accessions are wild relatives of barley. The Focused Identification of Germplasm Strategy (FIGS) approach is utilized to mine efficiently this collection by selecting manageable subsets with higher frequencies for finding the sought traits. ICARDA’s barley improvement program annually shares more than 330 sets of international trials and nurseries, with more than 60 collaborators in 35 to 40 countries. During 1977-2018, more than 269 barley varieties have been released across the globe by different countries, with direct introduction of germplasm from ICARDA’s barley breeding programs, out of which 53 are released during last 10 years. In recent year, ICARDA’s feed and food barley improvement program aims at improving nutritional qualities of barley, specifically Zn, Fe, and β-Glucan contents. Simultaneously, the malt barley improvement is targeting to identify better malting quality germplasm for developing countries in Africa and Asia with a possibility of additional income to farmers through premium price for better quality in East Africa and South Asia. Doi.org/10.25174/2249-4065/2018/85893

Germplasm evaluation of heat tolerance in bread wheat in Tel Hadya, Syria

Breeding for heat tolerance in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a serious global concern due to the increasing threats of high temperature. Thus, 189 wheat genotypes coded from 1 to 189 were evaluated for heat tolerance in normal and late seasons in the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), Tel Hadya, Syria, from 2010 to 2012. The experiments were laid out in alpha lattice designs with two replicates. Data collected on the grain yield, days to heading and maturity, grain filling duration and plant height were subjected to restricted maximum likelihood (REML) analysis for generation of the best linear unbiased estimates (BLUEs). Very highly significant effects (p ≤ 0.001) of genotype, season, and genotype by season interaction on grain yield and other traits were obtained. The grain yield and other traits performance of the wheat genotypes were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher in the normal season than in the late season. Genotype 148 was among the 30 top grain yielding genotypes in all the environments, while genotypes 172 and 124 were among the top yielding genotypes in all the environments except in late season 2. The relative heat tolerance of the genotypes ranged from -33.69% to -77.95% in late season 1 vs. normal season 1 and -65.28% to -95.83% in late season 2 vs. normal season 2. The high variability obtained in the germplasm underlies sufficient genetic variability for improving heat tolerance in bread wheat.

A New Method of Phenotyping and Utilization of Wild Lens Taxa for Diversification of Primary Genepool

The genus Lens is a member of the Vicieae tribe and comprised four self-pollinating diploid (2n=2x=14) species. Lens culinaris subsp. culinaris Medikus, encompassing two cultivated lentil on the basis of agro-morphological traits, the small seeded (microsperma) and largeseeded (macrosperma) and L. culinaris subsp. orientalis (Boiss.) Ponert, its presumed wild progenitor. The other sub-species and species are L. culinaris subsp. tomentosus (Ladz.), L. culinaris subsp. odomensis Ladz., L. ervoides (Brign.) Grande, L. nigricans (Bieb.) Godr. and L. lamottei Czefr. [1]. Lentil is an important pulse crop of Indian sub-continent, the Middle-East, Southern Europe and Eastern and Northern Africa. A critical appraisal of lentil cultivation and breeding in the past has relied primarily on local landraces of L. culinaris ssp. culinaris. Of late, modern lentil cultivars are derived from only a small number of improved landraces through pure line selection following hybridization between genotypes adapted to specific environmental conditions and seed size. These cultigens have some superiority over traditional varieties in terms of yield potential and disease resistance. Like other pulses, substantial improvement in the yield potential of lentil has not been achieved due to the lack of combination of genes for higher productivity, biotic and abiotic resistance, which are scattered in the cultivated and its wild relatives. Exploitation of wild gene pool for breeding purposes is a common practice in an increasing number of cultivated plants. In many cases, the wild relatives still possess important variation that no longer exists in their cultivated counterparts. Therefore, synthesis of new gene pool following hybridization and introgression from cultivated and wild types would make it possible to recreate some of the lost diversity in respect of productivity and other desirable characters. In this direction, a total of 463 global wild annual Lens taxa were introduced from the Biodiversity and Integrated Gene Management (BIGM) Unit at the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), Aleppo, Syria during 2010-11. These were further multiplied in adequate quantity, characterized and evaluated under different agro-ecological conditions for various qualitative and quantitative traits. We found that certain accessions of L. ervoides and L. nigricans does not flower properly during normal winter season and these accessions were planted again in summer himalayan nursery at Sangla in Himachal Pradesh during long days. The study revealed that remarkable variability with respect to genetic and non-genetic factors exists within the species and would be useful to the geneticists and breeders to plan phenotyping of wild Lens genepool. Phenotyping Procedure

Registration of ‘Sundre’ Barley

Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Field Crop Development Centre, 5030-50 St., Lacombe, AB, T4L 1W8, Canada. Registration by CSSA. Received 6 Sept. 2006. *Corresponding author (joseph.nyachiro@gov.ab.ca). ‘S undre’ barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) (Reg. No. CV-332, PI 643445) is a six-rowed, hulled, smooth-awned, spring feed barley. It has medium-strong straw and is adapted to western Canada. Sundre was developed at the Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC) of Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (AAFRD). It was recommended by the Prairie Registration Recommending Committee for Grain–Barley and Oats Subcommittee for registration in February 2005. Sundre was registered in Canada (Reg. no. 6115) on 28 Apr. 2006. Sundre barley was named after the town of Sundre, Alberta, Canada. Sundre barley is derived from the cross H92068 (BT 636/‘Tukwa’) made at the FCDC in 1992. The line BT 636 originated from the Lacombe Research Centre, Agriculture and AgriFood Canada (AAFC). The pedigree of BT 636 is LA659-207/BT 324. LA659-207/BT 324 is a sister line of ‘Diamond’ (Kaufmann and Kibite, 1985), which originated from the cross of ‘Galt’/ ‘Unitan’ (Harder and Legge, 2000; Martin et al., 1991). Galt (Wells, 1967) is a Canadian cultivar, and Unitan (Eslick and Hockett, 1965) is an introduced cultivar to Canada from the USA. Line BT 324 is from the cross of NDB 135/Br. 6355-14. Line NDB 135 is a North Dakota six-rowed feed barley developed in the 1960s that was noted then for its good leaf disease resistance. The pedigree of NDB 135 is Dickson/3/CIho 4738//Traill/UM 570 (Peterson et al., 1968; Lambert, 1958). The pedigree of UM 570 is ‘Newal’ (CIho 6088)/‘Peatland’ (CIho 2613)//‘Montcalm’ (CIho7149). Line Br. 6355-14 was developed in 1963 at the Brandon Research Centre, AAFC (likely a six-rowed malt cross), whose pedigree is not traceable. Tukwa was released by the FCDC and registered in 1992 (Helm et al., 1996). Tukwa originated from the cross of I74161/ ‘Hiproly’. Hiproly (PI 60693) is a two-rowed hulless cultivar that originated from Ethiopia. The line I74161 (FCDC accession code number) was introduced as DL69 (PI383854) to the FCDC barley program from the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA)/International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) program in Mexico. The line I74161 is six-rowed, hulled, semi-dwarf barley originally developed in Punjab, India from the cross of BG1/Mexican-5-13. Sundre was evaluated as line H92068001 in the FCDCAAFRD barley yield trials and as BT 566 in the Western Cooperative Six-Rowed Barley trials. A modifi ed pedigree-bulk breeding method was used to advance early generations of Sundre. The F2 generation was grown as a bulk population at the FCDC near Lacombe, Alberta in 1993. The whole F2 population was harvested in bulk and seed was screened for plumpness using a gravity table. About 5000 F3 seeds of Sundre were grown for one season (1993–1994) in the California winter nursery near El Centro. The F3 generation was derived from the seed of about 500 spikes selected at random from the California winter nursery. The selections from the California winter nursery were grown at Lacombe for subsequent bulking, and selection in F4 and F5 from 1994 to 1996. In 1996, 200 spikes were selected from the F6 bulk population and grown in 1997 as individual F7 singlespike-derived progeny rows. Sundre was selected from these single-spike-derived progeny rows in 1997 to enter into the fi rst yield trials in 1998 that were conducted in single replicate plots of 3-m long by 1.25 m and 8 rows at one location, Lacombe. Between 1998 and 2002, Sundre was evaluated in the FCDC– AAFRD barley fi eld trials. These trials were conducted in multiple replicated plots and at multiple locations in Alberta and Saskatchewan. In 2003 and 2004, Sundre was evaluated in the Western Cooperative Six-Rowed Barley Test conducted in three replicates and multiple locations across western Canada. In both the FCDC– AAFRD barley fi eld trials and Western Cooperative Six-Rowed Barley tests, selection and advancement of Sundre was based on grain yield, silage yield, test weight, 1000-kernel weight, kernel plumpness, maturity, lodging resistance, and resistance to scald [caused by Rhynchosporium secalis (Oud.) J.J. Davis] and smuts (caused by several Ustilago spp.). Purifi cation of Sundre was accomplished by selecting 161 F13 single-spike–derived progeny rows that were uniform in appearance and bulked to form the breeder’s seed. Sundre is a medium-height cultivar with medium lodging resistance of 2.7 (on 0–9 scale), where 0 = no lodging and 9 = severe lodging. The lodging resistance of Sundre is lower compared with 1.7 for ‘Vivar’. Sundre has an intermediate-erect Published in the Journal of Plant Registrations 1:35–36 (2007). doi: 10.3198/jpr2006.09.0567crc © Crop Science Society of America 677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA

Registration of ‘Ceora’ Grass Pea

Crop ScienceVolume 46, Issue 2 p. 986-986 Registrations of Cultivar Registration of ‘Ceora’ Grass Pea K.H.M. Siddique, Corresponding Author K.H.M. Siddique [email protected] Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009 AustraliaCorresponding author ([email protected])Search for more papers by this authorC.L. Hanbury, C.L. Hanbury Department of Agriculture Western Australia, Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, WA, 6151 AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorA. Sarker, A. Sarker International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), PO Box 5466, Aleppo, SyriaSearch for more papers by this author K.H.M. Siddique, Corresponding Author K.H.M. Siddique [email protected] Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009 AustraliaCorresponding author ([email protected])Search for more papers by this authorC.L. Hanbury, C.L. Hanbury Department of Agriculture Western Australia, Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, WA, 6151 AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorA. Sarker, A. Sarker International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), PO Box 5466, Aleppo, SyriaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 March 2006 https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2005.0131Citations: 13 Registration by CSSA. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume46, Issue2March–April 2006Pages 986-986 RelatedInformation

Reviving ancient water tunnels in the desert—Digging for gold?

The water shortage in the Middle East is a well-known problem. The introduction of diesel operated pumps for irrigation has caused a severe drop in groundwater levels. At the same time the demand for groundwater is growing to alarming proportions. Alternative ways of groundwater su:ly and management need to be found to halt social and economical disaster in the future. Why not look at history? Qanats are subterranean tunnels ancient civilizations built to access groundwater. The technique is a sustainable method of groundwater extraction Throughout the Middle East some settlements still make use of these ancient systems. In the summer of 2000, a community rehabilitation of a qanat was executed with su:ort from the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) and international donors. The renovation served as a pilot community intervention within a participatory action research project aimed at evaluating the use of qanats in Syria. In a second stage of the project, the pilot was scaled up to a nation-wide survey of Syrian qanats in 2001. This resulted in qanat renovations on other sites executed in 2002 and 2003 with further international su:ort. This paper compares the first pilot renovation with a recent qanat renovation that took place in Qarah, Syria.

Alberta Regional Meeting 2004

Alberta Regional Meeting 2004

Genetic control of aggressiveness in Phytophthora infestans to tomato

Development of an effective biological control for botrytis blight in greenhouse tomato using Trichoderma spp.. Calpas, S.L. Lisowski, S.L. Mathur, C.C. Toews, and J.P. Tewari. Crop Diversification Centre South, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, S.S. No. 4, Brooks, AB T1R 1E6, Canada; and (J.P.T.) Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada. The occurrence and etiology of mint stolon rot in Alberta. K.F. Chang, S.F. Hwang, D.A. Burke, R.J. Howard, and M. Bandara. Crop Diversification Centre South, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, S.S. No. 4, Brooks, AB T1R 1E6, Canada; and (S.F.H.) Alberta Research Council, P.O. Box 4000, Vegreville, AB T9C 1T4, Canada. Biological control of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on Echinacea angustifolia. K.F. Chang, Y. Yang, S.F. Hwang, and R.J. Howard. Crop Diversification Centre South, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, S.S. No. 4, Brooks, AB T1R 1E6, Canada; (Y.Y.) Tianjin Institute of Plant Protection, China; and (S.F.H.) Alberta Research Council, P.O. Box 4000, Vegreville, AB T9C 1T4, Canada. Identification of resistance to late blight, Colorado potato beetle, and black leg in Mexican wild diploid Solanum spp. Q. Chen, D. Lynch, L. Kawchuk, D. Fujimoto, M. Goettel, and D. Beasley. Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1, Canada. Biological control of botrytis stem and blossom blight of lentil. R.S. Erickson and H.C. Huang. Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1, Canada. Suppressive subtractive hybridization to identify lowtemperature- responsive genes in snow-mold-resistant winter wheat. M. Frick, A. Laroche, R. Huel, B. Puchalski, T. Despins, S. Huang, and D. Gaudet. Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1, Canada. Evaluation of methods for genetic analysis of Streptomyces scabies. K. Irving, D. Fujimoto, S. Jensen, and J.P. Tewari. Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1, Canada; (S.J.) Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada; and (J.P.T) Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada. A wheat resistance gene against stripe rust. A. Laroche, F. Eudes, M.M. Frick, R. Huel, C.L. Nykiforuk, R.L. Conner, A. Kuzyk, S. Acharya, and M. Jordan. Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1, Canada; (R.L.C.) Morden Research Station, Unit 100-101, Route 100, Morden, MB R6M 1Y5, Canada; and (M.J.) Cereal Research Centre, 95 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2M9, Canada. An improved assay for identification of resistance to black leg in potato. L. Lintott, D. Fujimoto, D. Lynch, and Q. Chen. Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1, Canada. Quantitative trait loci involved in adult plant resistance to leaf rust [Puccinia triticina] and stripe rust [P. striiformis] in wheat. A. Navabi, J.P. Tewari, R.P. Singh, B. McCallum, A. Laroche, and K.G. Briggs. Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada; (R.P.S.) International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Apartado Postal 6-641, 0660 Mexico, D.F., Mexico; (B.M.) Cereal Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 195 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2M9, Canada; and (A.L.) Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1, Canada. Genetics of slow-scalding resistance in barley. B. Sorkhilalehloo, J.P. Tewari, T.K. Turkington, F. Capettini, K.G. Briggs, B. Rossnagel, and R.P. Singh. Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada; (T.K.T.) Lacombe Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, AB T4L 1W1, Canada; (F.C.) International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), c/o International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Apartado Postal 6-641, 0660 Mexico, D.F., Mexico; (B.R.) Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada; and (R.P.S.) CIMMYT, Apartado Postal 6-641, 0660 Mexico, D.F., Mexico. First report on Canada thistle disease caused by a bacterium in Alberta. W. Zhang, M. Sulz, T. Mykietiak, D. Cole, R. Andreiuk, J.P. Tewari, and N. Harker. Alberta Research Council, P.O. Box 4000, Vegreville, AB T9C 1T4, Canada; (D.C.) Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Edmonton, AB T6H 4P2, Canada; (R.A.) Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Leduc, AB T9E 7H3, Canada; (J.P.T.) Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada; and (N.H.) Lacombe Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, AB T4L 1W1, Canada.

Abstracts, Alberta Regional Meeting, The Canadian Phytopathological Society, 2000

Identification of fungicides for controlling saskatoon diseases. P.S. Bains, H.S. Bennypaul, and R.J. Howard. Crop Diversification Centre North, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, R.R. 6, Edmonton, AB T5B 4K3, Canada; and (R.J.H.) Crop Diversification Centre South, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, SS4, Brooks, AB T1R 1E6, Canada. Calcium mobilization in Yr-18 gene mediated adult-plant stripe rust [Puccinia striiformis]resistance in spring wheat. S.A. Elahinia and J.P. Tewari. Department of Plant Protection, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran; and (J.P.T.) Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada. Susceptibility of Brassica napus cultivars to fusarium wilt. R.M. Lange, D. Blais, L. Harrison, and P.D. Kharbanda. Alberta Research Council, P.O. Bag 4000, Vegreville, AB T9C 1T4, Canada; (D.B.) Canola Council of Canada, Box 37, Delmas, SK S0M 0P0, Canada; and (L.H.) Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Beaverlodge Research Farm, Box 29, Beaverlodge, AB T0H 0C0, Canada. Barley leaf epicuticular wax in relation to the scald disease. A. Mukerji and J.P. Tewari. Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada. Efficacy of crown (carbathiin and thiabendazole) to control seed-borne ascochyta blight on Kabuli chickpea. A. Matus, J. Atchison, E. Pensaert, and R. McLeod. Gustafson 10-2712-37 Ave. NE, Calgary, AB T2E 1E5, Canada. A genetic study of adult plant resistance to stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis) and leaf rust (Puccinia triticina) in spring wheat. A. Navabi, R.P. Singh, J.P. Tewari, and K.G. Briggs. Department of Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada; and (R.P.S.) International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Apartado Postal 6-641, 0660 Mexico, D.F., Mexico. Slow-scalding in barley, a novel strategy for disease management. B. Sorkhilalehloo, J.P. Tewari, T.K. Turkington, F. Capettini, K.G. Briggs, B. Rossnagel, and R.P. Singh. Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada; (T.K.T.) Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe Research Centre, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, AB T4L 1W1, Canada; (F.C.) International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), c/o International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Apartado Postal 6-641, 0660 Mexico, D.F., Mexico; (B.R.) Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada; and (R.P.S.) CIMMYT, Mexico. The impact of fall versus spring seeding on sclerotinia stem rot and black spot of canola. T.K. Turkington, G.W. Clayton, and K.N. Harker. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe Research Centre, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, AB T4L 1W1, Canada. Evaluation of resistance to Alternaria brassicae in some Chinese crucifer-genotypes. R. Wang and J.P. Tewari. Department of Horticulture, Inner Mongolia Agriculture University, Huhhot, Inner Mongolia, China; and (J.P.T.) Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada. Studies on disease suppressiveness of compost. J. Yang, P.D. Kharbanda, and J.P. Tewari. Alberta Research Council, P.O. Box 4000, Vegreville, AB T9C 1T4, Canada; and (J.P.T.) Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada. Evaluation of Paenibacillus polymyxaPKB1 for biocontrol of Pythium disease of cucumber in hydroponic systems. J. Yang, P.D. Kharbanda, and M. Mirza. Alberta Research Council, Vegreville, AB T9C 1T4, Canada; and (M.M.) Crop Diversification Centre North, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, R.R. 6, Edmonton, AB T5B 4K3, Canada. Streptomycete ecology: effects of agricultural practices and suppression of fungi. B. Zaitlin, D. Parkinson, K. Turkington, and G. Clayton. Department of Biological Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; and (K.T., G.C.) Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe Research Centre, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, AB T4L 1W1, Canada.

Organic matter turnover in a calcareous clay soil from Syria under a two-course cereal rotation

Total organic C and microbial biomass C were measured in soils from a two-course rotation experiment at the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), Syria. Six rotations were sampled: wheat–vetch, wheat–lentil, wheat–wheat, wheat–chickpea, wheat–fallow and wheat–medic. Ten years after the experiment started in 1983–1984, soil samples (0–20 cm) from the wheat–vetch, wheat–fentil, wheat–heat and wheat–chickpea rotations all contained similar quantities of organic C and microbial biomass C. The soil under the wheat–medic rotation had gained organic C and biomass C, compared with the wheat–wheat `rotation', whereas both organic C and biomass C had fallen in the wheat–fallow `rotation', although of all these differences, only the wheat–medic gain was significant ( p=0.05). With one exception, there were no measurable differences in either soil organic C or biomass C between treatments in which crop residues were grazed in situ or ungrazed. Radiocarbon was measured in two soil samples from the wheat–wheat `rotation': the mean radiocarbon age was 550 years. An updated version (ROTHC-26.5) of the Rothamsted model for the turnover of organic matter in soil was used to simulate these measurements. Using ROTHC-26.5, the calculated annual inputs of plant C (in roots, stubble, root exudates, etc.) to the soil, averaged over the 2 years of each rotation, were: wheat–vetch, 0.87, wheat–lentil, 0.71, wheat–wheat, 0.71, wheat–chickpea, 0.75, wheat–fallow, 0.45, wheat–medic, 1.20 t C ha −1 year −1. The modelled turnover time of soil organic C (excluding inert organic C) in the wheat–wheat rotation was 19.2 years. The response to a change in management is slow in these Syrian soils: ROTHC-26.5 predicts that it will take 67 years for the soil under the wheat–medic rotation to move half-way to its final equilibrium value. Microbial biomass measurements were simulated to within experimental error.

Assessment of Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum) Grain Quality and Losses in Direct Combine Harvesting

ABSTRACT An experiment was conducted at the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) to test the effect of several combine harvester settings on returns of two chickpea varieties ILC 482 and ILC 3279 developed at the Center as potentials for mechanical harvesting. The settings on the harvester included three forward speeds, three concave clearances, and two cleaning fan capacities. The experimental design was general randomized complete block design with multiple observations per treatment. The two varieties were considered as the blocks and all treatment combinations were replicated four times within each block. Harvesting output studied included harvest total weight, and that of whole grains, broken grains, and unthreshed pods. Losses included those of threshing and shattering which were sampled and weighed using known standards. Statistical analysis showed that forward speed was a highly significant contributor to variations in harvest returns among all other treatments. The block effect (varieties) was also highly significant for all sample parameters in the experiment. Variety ILC 482 proved to be a better potential variety for mechanical harvesting due to its higher inherent yield even though it had higher percentages of harvesting losses.