ICARDA News

INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN THE DRY AREAS
P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria
Phone: (963-21) 2213433, 2213477, 2225112, 2225012
Fax: (963-21) 2213490, 2225105; E-mail: ICARDA@CGIAR.ORG
Website: www.icarda.cgiar.org
13 May 2004
For more information contact:
Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
New Lentil Varieties Released in Africa
A farmer (center) from Zidane village, Morocco, shows his crop of ‘Chaouia’ lentil variety to Moroccan and ICARDA researchers.
Ethiopia recently released two lentil varieties, ‘Tershale’ (ILL 7978) and ‘Alem Tina’ (ILL 7980). These varieties are erect in habit, resistant to rust and wilt root-rot complex, high yielding, and have attractive red cotyledons. ‘Tershale’ produces an average of 2.2 t/ha compared to 1.6 t/ha from the improved variety ‘Adaa,’ and 1.7 t/ha from the best local check. ‘Alem Tina’ produces an average of 2.5 t/ha compared to 2.2 t/ha from the improved variety ‘Alemaya’ and 2.3 t/ha from the best local check.

    Dr Ashutosh Sarker, ICARDA lentil breeder, recently visited the Debre Zeit research station of the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization (EARO) where he met Mr Asnake Frike, the key breeder behind the development of these new varieties. Ethiopia has released seven varieties of lentil to date, all of which originated from ICARDA- supplied germplasm. ‘Tershale’ and ‘Alem Tina’ were introduced by ICARDA in 1996 through its international nurseries. Foundation seed production of the two new varieties for distribution to farmers is under way.

    New varieties of lentil were also released in Morocco. ‘Chaouia’ and ‘Abda’ both have high levels of rust resistance, produce around 2.0 t/ha and have large cream-colored seeds with yellow cotyledons, which are preferred by consumers. The new varieties mature early which allows them to escape Orobanche attacks. Dr Bouazza Sakr, the national food legume breeder in Morocco informed Dr Sarker that ‘Chaouia' was developed from a cross between 'Laird' and 'Precoz' (ILL4605) and ‘Abda’ was a derivative of L-24 and 'Precoz.' Foundation seed production of these varieties is being carried out by INRA, Settat and SONACOS, a semi-government company.

    Congratulations to the national programs of Ethiopia and Morocco for these achievements.

About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.cgiar.org) serves the entire developing world for the improvement of barley, lentil, and faba bean; and dry-area developing countries for the on-farm management of water, improvement of nutrition and productivity of small ruminants (sheep and goats), and rehabilitation and management of rangelands. In the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, ICARDA is responsible for the improvement of durum and bread wheats, chickpea, pasture and forage legumes and farming systems; and for the protection and enhancement of the natural resource base of water, land, and biodiversity.

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (www.cgiar.org) is a strategic alliance of 62 members and 16 Future Harvest Centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment.
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