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.org
18 December 2007
Media contact: Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG), Ravi R. Prasad (r.prasad@cgiar.org)
 
New Chickpea and Lentil Varieties Released in Uzbekistan
A successful legume field trial in Uzbekistan. National research staff with ICARDA scientists Drs Rajiinder Malhotra (in amameh or turban) and Ashutosh Sarker (second from left).
Post-Independence, countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus (CAC) are diversifying their farming systems, expanding cultivation of legumes such as chickpea and lentil. ICARDA's chickpea and lentil researchers work closely with national programs in the region, in coordination with the Center's CAC Regional Program. The fruits of this partnership are ripening. One example is the recent release of four new chickpea and lentil varieties in Uzbekistan. ICARDA has provided over 2000 chickpea lines and about 600 lentil lines to research institutes in Uzbekistan for evaluation and breeding. ICARDA scientists (Drs Rajinder Malhotra, Ashutosh Sarker and D. Bitore) have worked with their Uzbek colleagues to monitor trials and select promising new lines.

As a result of these efforts, eight chickpea and three lentil lines were submitted to the State Varietal Testing Committee (SVTC): chickpea lines FLIP 98-210C, 88-85C, 97-99C, 98-143C, 98-197C, 98-183C, 98-116 and 98-140C; and lentil lines ILL-7513, FLIP-97-4L and ILL-1005. After three years of evaluation, the SVTC released two chickpea varieties Zumrad (FLIP-98-210C) and Djahangir (FLIP-88-85C) and two lentil varieties Oltin Don (ILL-7513) and Dormon (FLIP-97-4L). These varieties have consistently outyielded the local checks by 18-25%. They also have better disease resistance and larger, cream-colored seeds – which fetch higher prices. Uzbek partners and ICARDA are now focusing on seed multiplication and large-scale demonstrations, to accelerate adoption of the new varieties.

Uzbek farmers, as well as researchers from ICARDA and Uzbekistan, would like to thank Drs Raj Paroda, Surendra Beniwal and Raj Gupta for their strong and continuous support for this research.
 

About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.org) is one of the 15 international research centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ICARDA 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 countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations supporting15 international research 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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