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
8 May 2008
Media contact: icarda-media@cgiar.org
 
Promising lentil lines for drought prone areas
Lentil is one of the major pulse crops used as human food and animal feed in different parts of the world. The total area of world lentil production is about 3.8 million hectares and the average world yield is about 0.8t/ha.
Dr Maarten van Ginkel (center), DDG – Research, inspecting lentil varieties in the field. On the left is Dr Geletu Bejiga, Consultant, and to right is Dr Seid Ahmed Kemal, Legume Pathologist

ICARDA has a global mandate for lentil improvement in the world. The lentil research activities under the BIGMP are focusing on developing breeding materials for high yield, and resistance/tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses.

Drought is one of the key problems in non-tropical dry lands where ICARDA is operating. This cropping season in Syria is known as one of the driest ones since 1979. Crops have suffered because of dry conditions during the planting period that delayed germination. This was followed by a cold period that slowed down the vegetative growth of the crop.
Selecting early lines of lentil with Australian visitors at Breda location.

Since late March the crops are exposed to terminal drought and in most cases failed to produce seeds, particularly in the driest areas like Breda, where we evaluate many germplasm accessions and breeding lines to identify suitable genotypes for dry areas. Those farmers who could give supplemental irrigation saved their crop while those without such facilities could harvest very low or had no yield.

However, under such harsh climatic conditions particularly at Breda, ICARDA's germplasm and breeding lines of lentil were found performing relatively well. The extra - early and early lines filled their grain normally and are expected to give yields of 600-700 kg/ha. These lines will be distributed in the form of International Nurseries to NARS with similar environments. Australian researchers who have collaborative projects with ICARDA have visited lentil materials at Breda and made selections for their own environments and seeds will be dispatched after harvest.
 

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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