STATUS OF RESEARCH ON CHICKPEA Introduction:

Botanical Name: Cicer arietinum Family: Leguminosae or Fabaceae Sub-Family: Faboideae Common Name: Chickpea
It is also known as ceci bean, garbanzo bean, chana, sanagalu indian pea and bengal gram. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the worlds third most important pulse crop after bean and pea. Worldwide, approximately 11 million hectare with 9 million ton production is grown. It is grown in over 45 countries in all continents of the world. It is an important pulse crop with a wide distribution across the tropics, subtropics and temperate regions (Singh, 1997). It accounts for about 15% (9.3 million tons) of the worlds total pulse production (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2007). In many areas of production, including West and Central Asia, North Africa, Southern and Eastern Europe, North America and Australia, the chickpea is affected by the foliar fungal disease of chickpea. However, improved genetics can be packaged in a seed and be more easily adapted than improved agricultural practices that depend more heavily on input availability, infrastructure, access to market, and skill in crop and soil management (Campos et al., 2004).In Pakistan, there are two kinds of gram crop, namely Desi and Kabuli. A good gram crop has a yield of 15 to 20 quintals per hectare, and in the case of kabuli, varieties give about 20 quintals. Chickpea (gram) crop is mostly grown as a single crop or combined with barley, linseed, mustard, pea, sweet potato, wheat, or sorghum, etc. The cultivation of chickpea is gaining worldwide importance due to its many uses in the diets of almost all nationalities worldwide. The top ten producing countries today are: Pakistan, Turkey, Australia, India, Iran, Myanmar, Canada, Ethiopia, Mexico and Iraq.

Rationale: Global Scenario of Chickpea Research

Globally, chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important cool season food legume. The importance has further increased after its spread in Ocearua and North America. There has been 4-fold increase in the global trade of chickpea in the past two decades. Extensive breeding efforts in many countries and at the two CG centers (ICRISAT and ICARDA) have led to development of over 300 improved varieties. However, a breakthrough in its productivity is still awaited. Though the potential yield of chickpea is estimated at 5.0 tons per hectare, its global average, yield is around 0.8 tons

per hectare, mainly because chickpea is generally grown under rain fed conditions and a number of biotic and abiotic stresses constrain productivity. Thus, research efforts in chickpea have mainly focused on resistance breeding. Excellent progress has been made in development of short-duration varieties that are able to escape terminal drought, resistance to fusarium wilt, and development of varieties suitable for winter sowing in West Asia and North Africa regions. Breeding for resistance to other stresses still remains a challenge due to non availability of sources of high level of resistance in the cultigens and cross-compatible wild species. The success in transfer of resistance to cyst nematodes from C.reticulatum and Ascochyta blight from C.eehinospermum is encouraging. This will encourage researchers to utilize other wild Cicer species to introgress useful genes to the cultigen. There has been good progress in development of integrated pest management strategies for Ascochyta blight, botrytis gray mold and pod borer. However, efforts are still needed to promote their adoption by the farmers. Extensive efforts have been made in the recent past on biotechnological approaches to chickpea improvement. Several advanced research centers are engaged in development of molecular map of chickpea and identification of markers for resistance to important biotic and abiotic stresses. The recently formed International Chickpea Genomics Consortium will further strengthen efforts in this area. Excellent progress has been made in development of protocols for efficient in vitro regeneration of chickpea and development of transgenic for resistance to pod borer by incorporating insecticidal protein gene from Bacillus thuringiensis. It is expected that support of biotechnological methods to conventional breeding will catalyze rapid progress in chickpea improvement in the near future.

Research Review in Pakistan

Enhancement of grain legumes production through efficient operation and coordination of different aspects of yield increase has been the aim of the chickpea experts. In the complex problem of human nutrition, grain legumes, specially chickpea, occupy a strategic place since all efforts to increase production levels via varietal improvement, crop management, crop protection, and other cultural practices cannot yield maximum results unless the crop in question possesses the potential to respond fully to the improved environment. Such efforts have already begun in Pakistan. The germplasm in hand comprises local collections (over 1000) and selections and introductions from FAO, the United States, Mexico, Australia, Bulgaria, Egypt, Morocco, Iran, and about 1500 from ICRISAT and ICARDA. In the first half of the present century, the local gram proved to be susceptible to Ascochyta blight, and the severe epidemics from 1935 to 1940 resulted in an almost complete failure of the gram crop. Then, out of 392 exotic and local combined collections tested by the then economic botanist, three varieties F-8, F-9, and F-10 out of the material supplied by the United States Bureau of Plant Industry proved tolerant. F8 did well in the barani blight-affected area, but because of its low yield and susceptibility to wilt, it failed badly in other parts of the country. This led to an effort to hybridize F-8 with local varieties including Pb-7 and Pb-1, which were otherwise the top varieties of that era except that they were susceptible to blight. As a result, C12/34 was evolved in 1942. The years 1957-58 and 1958-59 were really the blight years and

provided a golden opportunity for selection under natural epidemic conditions. One type, C-727, held promise as one of the survivors. From the later studies by way of screening through the disease nurseries, 5/1A and CS-19 proved tolerant to the blight disease, whereas C57/3, C88/11, and C218/1 were tolerant to wilt , and the per formance of C-727, C392/1, and C357/1 was promising against both diseases. In order to determine the extent of bearing of various plant characters on the seed yield, simple, partial, and multiple correlations and heritability, variability, and path coefficients were worked out between them. Studies on the reasons for low seed setting in gram, flower development, and pollen tube growth were also under taken. Inheritance studies on flower and leaf color; seed shape, surface, and size; food Characters; and resistance to blight were also carried out as an aid to breeding. Most of consumers prefer a white bold seeded variety of chickpea. Sindh province has a lead in growing white chickpea. Recent research has proved the superiority of the varieties Sanyasi and Chola. They grow commercial chickpea as a Dobari crop on residual moisture after harvesting paddy and as there is no serious danger of blight epidemic in that tract, these varieties were doing very well. Research in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) has indicated the superior per formance of varieties 6077, 12-70, 1-06486, and C137/1. They are said to have better yields than C-612 and C-727. Efforts are also being made to use chickpea as an alternate crop for replacing poppy. Through the establishment of a pulse section at Punjab Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad, and since the intensification of research on grain legumes at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, many more lines have been received from exotic research as well as through mutation breeding. The latest research has shown a greater tolerance to chickpea blight in varieties 6558, 173, CS-30, 132, C150/4, and AUG-426. Efforts were made to pool the tolerance of these varieties and, therefore, out of the crosses, the varieties 59, 60, 63, and 6212 are doing better than the existing varieties. For the last 3 years, ICRISAT has been sending international yield trials and screening nurseries.

Conclusion:The importance of chickpea as a major grain legume crop and a source of cheap protein, food energy, and other nutrients cannot be over looked any longer. Not much research work has been done to evolve many more new strains. Even the strains which are available have no regular program for screening through the disease nurseries and testing them under different ecological conditions, working out their appropriate agronomic requirements, and multiplying them in a sizeable quantity. None of the prevalent varieties has full resistance against blight and wilt, and thus the crop continues to suffer. It is however necessary to look into any aspect linked to this crop and to the consequences for farming systems and work research programs in order to get the maximum rate of progress.

Priorities for Improvement:

Pakistan Agricultural Research Council should act as coordinator for research work and, if need be, provide technical assistance and financial support for special projects. There is a need for separate, independent research on chickpea breeding, agronomy, physiology, insect pests and pathology, and biochemistry, instead of the present status where the economic botanists, wheat breeders, and the pulse botanists work with various crops and cannot devote their full time to chickpea. Provincial governments should be requested to set up a system of a main research station and substations in the crop belt for providing necessary information to the researchers.

References: Gowda, C L L and Gaur, P M (2004) Global scenario of chickpea research present status and future thrusts. Green, J M and Nene, Y L and Smithson, J B, eds. (1980) Proceedings of the International Workshop on Chickpea Improvement 28 Feb - 2 Mar 1979. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. Chickpeas - A Potential Crop for the Midwest. 1986. Bulletin 698. Agriculture Experiment Station South Dakota State University Brookings http://www.wikipedia.com