Objective 5

Pooran Gaur, NVPR Ganga Rao, CLL Gowda, Said Silim, PM Salimath, DM Mannur, V Jayalakshmi, Y Satish, Asanke Fikre,

Kebebew Assefa, Robert Kileo, Wilson Thagana, S Tripathi, V Vadez, L Krishnamurthy, S Pande, HC Sharma, Rajeev Varshney

Enhance chickpea productivity and production in drought-prone areas of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

Project target regions

Country States/ Zones

Districts

India Andhra Pradesh

Kurnool, Prakasam

Karnataka Gulbarga, Dharwad

Ethiopia

East Shewa

Gimbichu

North Shewa

Minjar, Shenkora

Kenya Rift Valley Bomet, Nakuru

Tanzania Lake zone Mwanza, Shinyanga

Objective 5 Team ICRISAT-Patancheru, India

Pooran Gaur, CLL Gowda, S Tripathi, V Vadez, L Krishnamurthy, S Pande, HC Sharma, Rajeev Varshney

ICRISAT-Nairobi, Kenya NVPR Ganga Rao, Said Silim

NARS partners India ANGRAU,

Hyderabad Veera Jayalakshmi, Y Satish, CKK Reddy, P Muniratnam, Y Koteshwar Rao

UAS-Dharwad PM Salimath UAS-Raichur DM Mannur

Ethiopia EIAR, Addis Ababa

Asnake Fikre, Kebebew Assefa, Million Eshete, Nigussie Tadesse, Sherif Aliye, Sitotaw Ferede, Lijalaem Korbu, Abebe Atilaw, Tebkew Damte

Tanzania LZARDI, Ukiriguru

Robert Kileo , Epifania Temu, Everina Lukonge

Kenya KARI, Nairobi Wilson M. Thagana, Lucy Kuria, Clerkson Mahagayu

Activity 1

Identify and enhance adoption of farmer and market preferred chickpea cultivars

in water-limited areas

Identification of varieties for FPVS trials

The varieties for FPVS were identified after discussions with all stakeholders including, NARES partners, farmers and traders

Country No. of varieties identified for FPVS Desi Kabuli Total

India 4 4 8 Ethiopia 1 5 6 Tanzania 2 4 6 Kenya 2 4 6

FPVS in India •  237 trials (20 mother + 217 baby trials) in 23 villages

•  1181 farmers (1052 male + 129 female) involved in ranking of varieties

Some Challenges in FPVS Trials

• The crop was destroyed in Prakasam district of India during 2007/08 due to heavy rains before harvest and also during 2008/09 at seedling stage due to Nisa cyclonic rains.

• The trials were re-sown during 2009/10 which were successful

FPVS in ESA • Over 100 (Ethiopia 38, Tanzania 39,

Kenya 24) FPVS trials conducted.

• Over 2100 farmers (Ethiopia 1746, Tanzania 163, Kenya 197) participated in varietal selection

• 190 field demonstrations conducted in Ethiopia

Cultivars preferred by farmers at different locations

Country Cultivars preferred by farmers

Desi type Kabuli type

India - Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool

JG 11, JAKI 9218, JG 130

India-Andhra Pradesh - Prakasam

JG 11, JAKI 9218, JG 130

KAK 2

India-Karnataka JG 11, JAKI 9218, BGD 103

Ethiopia Habru, Ejere, Arerti

Tanzania ICCV 00108 ICCV 97105

ICCV 92318, ICCV 00305

Kenya ICCV 97105, ICCV 00108

ICCV 95423, 00305

Varietal traits preferred by farmers

•  High yield potential •  Profuse podding, •  Early maturity •  Resistance to fusarium wilt (in all countries)

and ascochyta blight (in Ethiopia) •  Seed traits (size, shape and color) preferred

by the market.

Number of varieties released and in the pipeline for release

India: One desi chickpea variety BGD 103 was released and notified for cultivation in Karnataka state of India during 2009.

Kenya: Two desi (ICCV 97105, ICCV 00108) and one kabuli (ICCV 00305) lines identified through FPVS trials are under NPT.

Tanzania: Two desi (ICCV 97105, ICCV 00108) and two kabuli (ICCVs 92318, 00305) lines are going to enter NPT.

Breeder seed production

Over 150 t breeder seed of farmer-preferred varieties was produced by ICRISAT (Patancheru and Nairobi) and NARS partners in India, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya

(Details in Objective 8 report)

Activity 2

Develop improved chickpea germplasm with enhanced tolerance to drought, resistance to

fusarium wilt and pod borer, and market preferred seed traits

Development and evaluation of breeding lines

• Over 1000 breeding lines with early maturity, high resistance to fusarium wilt and market-preferred seed traits were evaluated at ICRISAT-Patancheru.

• Over 200 lines (117 desi + 92 kabuli) were supplied to NARS partners in India and ESA.

Marker-assisted introgression of drought tolerance traits (large roots) - linked to TL1

Roo

t len

gth

dens

ity (

cm c

m3 )

Donor parents for root traits

Crosses: 3 Cultivars x 2 Donors for root traits

BC1: Cultivar x F1 ↓

BC1F1

BC 2: Cultivar x BC1F1 ↓

BC2F1 Subjected to foreground and background selection

BC3: Cultivar x BC2F1 As in BC 2

↓ BC3F1

Selected heterozygous plants for QTL-linked markers and over 90% genome of the recurrent parent

↓ BC3F2

Selected homozygous plants for QTL-linked markers ↓

BC3F3 2009/10 Seed multiplication

↓ 2010/11 Multilocation evaluation BC3F4 lines

MABC for improving root traits Donors

Cultivars

JG 11

Chefe KAK 2

Marker-assisted recurrent selection (MARS) using good-by-good crosses for improving

yield under moisture stress conditions

Reselection generation after generation, with interbreeding of selects (selected using QTL-associated molecular markers) to provide opportunity for genetic recombination and cumulate favorable alleles

2 crosses 1 cross 2009/10 Genotyping of F3 completed; Genotyping of F3 plants F4 grown for seed multiplication 2010/11 Multilocation evaluation F4 (Seed multiplication) of F5 progenies and QTL analysis

Selection and inter-crossing Multilocation evaluation of F3s of F5 progenies and QTL analysis • 

• Efforts are being made to combine different mechanisms of resistance from cultivated and wild species

• 40 F6 progenies of C. arietinum (ICC 506) x C. reticulatum (IG 72933) crosses were evaluated. Four progenies with higher levels of resistance than both the parents were identified for further evaluation.

• Seven C. arietinum (JG 130, JAKI 9218, JG 11, KAK 2, JGK 1, ICC 17109, ICC 506) x C. reticulatum (IG 72933) crosses advanced to F2

Enhancing pod borer resistance

Activity 3

Enhance capacity of NARS in chickpea improvement research and development and

provide training to farmers in improved chickpea production technology

Training of Extension Personnel

The extension personnel of the Department of Agriculture/ NGOs were trained as Master Trainers in improved production technologies

India: 413 Extension personnel (389 male + 24 female)

ESA: 36 Extension personnel Ethiopia 10 Tanzania 18 Kenya 8

Training of farmers

Training to farmers was provided on various aspects of improved crop and seed production technologies of chickpea.

India: 5556 farmers (5016 male + 540 female)

ESA: 3465 farmers Ethiopia: 2774 Tanzania: 240 Kenya: 451

Two one-month training courses on “Chickpea Breeding and Seed Production” organized at ICRISAT Patancheru

Batch 1: Jan/Feb 2008

Participants: 9 5 Male + 4 Female

Ethiopia: 2M Tanzania: 1M+1F Kenya: 2M Myanmar: 3F

Training of Researchers

Batch 2: Jan/Feb 2009

Participants: 10 5 Male + 5 Female

Ethiopia: 2M Tanzania: 2F Kenya: 2M Myanmar: 3F Philippines: 1M

Lectures and hand on trainings on

 Screening techniques for abiotic and biotic stresses

 Conventional and biotechnological approaches of chickpea improvement

 Crop and seed production techniques

 Seed processing storage and quality testing

Training course on Chickpea Breeding and Seed Production

Degree students

Country Student Degree program

Research area

Ethiopia Tadesse Sefera Gela

M Sc Molecular characterization of chickpea cultivars

Kenya Peter Kaloki M Sc Heat tolerance in chickpea

India Tosh Garg PhD Molecular mapping of fusarium wilt, ascochyta blight, and botrytis grey mould resistance in chickpea

Lessons learnt ….1/2

•  Farmers’ awareness of the improved varieties and availability of the seed of improved varieties are the key factors in spread of improved chickpea cultivars.

•  FPVS trials are very effective in enhancing awareness of farmers to improved varieties and in spreading new varieties.

•  The farmers need some orientation and close follow ups for their active participation in FPVS trials.

Lessons learnt….. 2/2

•  In addition to yield, maturity duration and resistance to diseases, seed traits preferred by market (seed size, color and shape) were given high weightage by the farmers in PVS.

•  The farmers’ preference for growing kabuli chickpea varieties largely depended on the price premium received over desi type.

•  Off-season seed multiplication with supplemental irrigation can facilitate faster varietal spread in Ethiopia.

Vision for Phase II

•  Expansion of activities to new districts/states/zones/ regions in the countries of phase I

•  Possible expansion of activities to other countries like Malawi and Mozambique.

•  Further strengthen of seed system based on the experiences of phase I.

•  Evaluation of breeding materials generated through genomic approaches (MABC &MARS) under TL I along with breeding material generated under TL II in target environments.