M. C. Saxena

Adaptation of spring-sown chickpea to the Mediterranean basin. I. Response to moisture supply☆

Chickpea is grown in spring as a rainfed crop in West Asia and North Africa (WANA) regions in areas with mean annual rainfall of not less than 400 mm but where the rainfall amount and distribution are highly variable. We hypothesized that for WANA, the best-adapted cultivars should produce high yields in years with low rainfall and be responsive to moisture supply in years with high rainfall. Studies were therefore conducted to determine whether there is genetic variability in response to moisture supply and if so, to develop breeding strategies that support our hypothesis. Chickpea cultivars of diverse origin were grown under a soil moisture gradient using a line-source sprinkler irrigation system at Tel Hadya, northern Syria during the 1986/87, 1987/88 and 1988/89 seasons. In 1986/87 rainfall (359 mm) was similar to the long-term average but temperatures in the March-May period were lower. In 1987/88 rainfall was high (504 mm); and in 1988/89, it was low (234 mm) and temperatures during the March-May period were higher than the long-term average. Rainfed mean grain yields were 0.984 t/ha in 1986/87; 1.099 t/ha in 1987/88 and 0.187 t/ha in 1988/89. Cultivars varied significantly in response of grain yield to moisture supply (3.93–9.29 kg/ha/mm in 1986/87; 2.15–8.19 kg/ha/mm in 1987/88; and 3.10–9.57 kg/ha/mm in 1988/89). Responsiveness to moisture supply (regression slope) was highly correlated with yield potential. However, the correlation between the responsiveness to moisture supply and drought (rainfed) yield was non-significant. Widely adapted (stable) cultivars (i.e. cultivars which are considered well adapted to variation in moisture supply) in 1986/87 and 1987/88 were those with high mean yield, high rainfed yields and high yield potential; and in 1988/89 when the rise in temperature in spring was fast, additional requirements for wide adaptation were early phenology and high harvest index. Chickpea cultivars with wide adaptation had deep root systems and high pre-dawn leaf water potential.

Effect of supplementary irrigation during reproductive growth on winter and spring chickpea (Cicer arietinum) in a Mediterranean environment

Inadequate soil moisture is one of the main constraints on the productivity of chickpea in the rainfed farming systems of the dry areas in West Asia and North Africa. The response to irrigation at flowering and pod filling of winter- and spring-sown kabuli chickpea was studied in 1983–86 at ICARDAs main research station at Tel Hadya in northern Syria. In 1983/84 when the cultivar ILC3279 was sown in winter, irrigation increased yield by 105% over a crop receiving 229 mm of precipitation. In 1984/85, ILC3279 was sown in winter and spring. Advancing the date of sowing to winter increased yield by 65% and irrigation increased seed yield by 73% in winter and 143% in spring sowings compared with crops grown receiving 373 mm rainfall. In 1985/86, six cultivars (ILC482, ILC3279, FLIP81–57W, FLIP81–293C, FLIP84–19C and FLIP84–80C) were compared, but differences in their response to irrigation were negligible. Advancing sowing from spring to winter increased seed yield by an average of 66%. Irrigation increased seed yield in winter and spring sowings by 56% and 72%, respectively, over those receiving 316 mm annual precipitation. Irrigation is, therefore, a way of increasing the productivity and yield stability of chickpea in northern Syria but the improvement in yield depends on the total rainfall and its distribution over the growing season.

Iron deficiency in chickpea in the Mediterranean region and its control through resistant genotypes and nutrient application

Iron-deficiency chlorosis is commonly observed in some genotypes of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in the Mediterranean region of West Asia and North Africa when grown on calcareous soils. An evaluation of 3267 germplasm lines of kabuli-type chickpea for iron-deficiency chlorosis on the calcareous soil (calcium carbonate content ∼20%, pH∼8.5) of the principal research station of the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) at Tel Hadya, northern Syria, revealed that most of the lines were tolerant while only 25 lines showed susceptibility. Foliar spray of 0.5% FeSO4 at the onset of chlorosis was effective in correcting the symptoms but did not result in significant increase in crop yield.Studies on the inheritance of resistance to iron-deficiency chlorosis revealed that the resistance was dominant and is governed by a single gene.To ensure elimination from the breeding material of chickpea genotypes inefficient in Fe-use on the calcareous soils of the Mediterranean region, a negative selection for Fe-deficiency chlorosis in the segregating populations in the field has proved effective. The method for field screening of large number of breeding lines and germplasm is described.

Comparative performance of some faba bean ( Vicia faba) cultivars of contrasting plant types. 1. Yield, yield components and nitrogen fixation

The potential for grain yield and nitrogen fixation by faba bean (Vicia faba L.) cultivars of contrasting plant types was studied at ICARDAs main research station at Tel Hadya in northern Syria during 1985-88. The cultivars included indeterminate landraces, determinate and independent vascular supply (IVS) plant types sown at two seeding densities. In 1985/86, the cultivars with indeterminate growth habit (ILB 1811, ILB 1819, ILB 1814), which are adapted to the Mediterranean basin, produced the highest grain yield, followed by the determinate cultivar FLIP 84-230F(.)

Chemical weed‐control in chickpea and lentil

Abstract Chemical weed‐control experiments on chickpea and lentil were conducted during two growing seasons at two locations in Jordan, where gramineous weeds dominated the weed population. Pronamide (3,5‐dichloro (N‐1,1‐dimethyl‐2‐prophyI)‐benzamide), at 0.5 kg a.i./ha pre‐emergent; Sethoxydim (2‐[1‐(ethoxyimino) butyl]‐[5‐(2‐ethylthio) propyl]‐3‐hydroxy‐2‐cyclohexen‐1‐one), at 0.5 kg a.i./ha post‐emergent; and Fluazifop‐butyl (butyl 2‐[4‐(5‐trifluoro‐methyl‐2‐pyridyloxy) phenoxy] propionate), at 0.5 kg a.i./ha post‐emergent, efficiently controlled grass weeds and improved yields in both crops. inclusion of Terbutryn at 3.0 kg a.i./ha applied pre‐emergent in a herbicide combination with any of the above graminicides in chickpea resulted in as effective weed‐control and yield as obtained from hand‐weeding twice. In lentil, the pre‐emergence herbicide Metribuzin (4‐amino‐6‐(1,1‐dimethylethyl)‐3‐(methylthio)‐1,2,4‐triazin‐5‐(4H)‐one), at 0.5 kg a.i./ha, controlled weeds efficiently, but was toxic to lentil ...

Evaluation of world collection of kabuli chickpea for resistance to iron-deficiency chlorosis

SummaryIron-deficiency chlorosis is often seen in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) fields in the Mediterranean region and is particularly severe in fields where iron-deficiency susceptible cultivars are sown. Therefore, ICARDAs breeding programme field evaluated 6224 kabuli chickpea germplasm accessions for iron-deficiency chlorosis on a high pH Calcic Rhodoxeralf soil (pH 8.5, 20–25% calcium carbonate) at Tel Hadya, Syria during the winter and spring of 1987/88. Two resistant and 17 susceptible lines were grown during autumn, winter and spring of 1988/89 to examine the effect of sowing time on the appearance of the deficiency. About 99% of accessions showed no iron-deficiency symptoms. Evaluation of susceptible accessions during autumn, winter, and spring sowing revealed that iron-deficiency chlorosis was more pronounced during winter sowing. There were also significant genotype x season interactions, indicating differential responses of genotypes to time of sowing. Since the iron-deficiency chlorosis character is controlled by recessive genes, a negative selection to discard the susceptible lines from breeding material is recommended as an effective breeding strategy.

Evaluation of lentil harvest systems for different sowing methods and cultivars in Syria

Agricultural Research Centre, Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Douma, Syria(Revised MS received 21 January 1991)SUMMARYHand harvesting is a major constraint to lentil production in North Africa and West Asia. This study,in north Syria, compared hand harvesting, cutting by mower (double-knife) and cutting with angledblades on two lentil cultivars differing in standing ability and using two sowing methods (broadcastand drilled) both with and without the use of a heavy bar for field levelling in the 1984/85 season.Seven treatments were selected for testing in five locations in the 1985/86 season; and in the 1986/87and 1987/88 seasons, agronomic comparisons of mowing v. hand harvesting were conducted on fivefarmers fields.Both machine methods of harvesting resulted in significant harvest losses compared with handharvesting. The angled blades performed well on a ridged broadcast crop, but tended to mix soil withthe harvested crop. The loss of straw associated with harvesting by mower was reduced by levellingthe seedbed after sowing. The superiority in seed yield of cultivar 78S26002 over the local cultivarincreased from 9% when hand harvested to 39% with mowing because of its lower likelihood oflodging. In the 1986/87 and 1987/88 seasons, the seed yield from a hand harvest was 1650 kg/hacompared with 1508 kg/ha following harvest by mower, representing a loss of 8-6% frommechanization. The corresponding straw loss was 16-6% of the mean from a hand harves 2140 ktg ofstraw/ha. However, the harvest losses from mechanical harvesting by mower were compensated forby the reduced labour costs compared with hand harvesting.INTRODUCTION directly by combine harvester or mown into a swathewhich is later picked up by combine. Despite theThe lentil {Lens culinaris Medikus) is the most extensive use of combines on cereals in the Mediter-important food legume crop in West Asia and North ranean area, they are little used on lentil because ofAfrica, where it is a key component of dryland the unacceptably high losses of seed and straw due tofarming systems. Its seed is a source of good quality uneven, stony and cracking soil, ridged seedbeds, highprotein for the human diet and its straw is a valuable weed density and landrace cultivars with short stature,animal feed. However, the production area of the lodging habit and both pod dehiscence and dropcrop in the Arab world is declining because the (Erskine 1985).increasing cost and shortage of labour for harvesting A major goal of lentil research at the Internationalmakes its production increasingly less economic for Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areasfarmers. For example, the lentil area in Jordan, where (ICARDA) involves developing systems for thelabour costs have soared, dropped from a mean of mechanical harvesting of the crop (Papazian 1983;21 000 ha during 1969-71 to 7000 ha in 1979-81 Freidrich 1988; Saxena etal. 1988). The wide diversity(FAO 1985). National pulse programmes recognize in physical and socio-economic conditions found inthat the current system of hand harvesting is the the area where the crop is cultivated suggests that nomajor constraint to lentil production in Algeria single machine will be the universal solution. Ac-(Khayrallah & Hachemi 1979), Egypt (Ibrahim et al. cordingly, two major lines of research have been1979), Jordan (Abi Antoun & Quol 1979), Iraq followed: (i) restructuring of the crop production(Mayouf 1979), Lebanon (Lahoud el al. 1979), Syria system to make existing combines (with modifications)(El-Matt 1979) and Turkey (Eser 1979). more economic, and (ii) taking the traditional systemIn Canada and the USA, lentils are either harvested of production as a baseline and focusing on the