Principales activités des programmes d’amélioration génétique de la lentille et du pois chiche Kabuli à ICARDA

Abstract

The development of new high yielding germplasm with enhanced resistance/tolerance to major biotic and abiotic stresses (ascochyta blight, fusarium wilt, root rot complex, parasitic plants and pests, drought, cold, heat) and improved nutrient composition is the main objective of Kabuli chickpea and lentil breeding programs at ICARDA. During the last ten years, 91 varieties (42 Kabuli chickpea and 49 lentil) were released by the NARS partners in different countries in the world. These varieties have largely contributed to a significant increase of the chickpea and lentil cultivated area, production and productivity and consequently the farmer’s incomes and benefits. In addition, ICARDA holds one of the largest collections of food legume germplasm with 48,000 accessions including 15,195 chickpea and 13,907 lentils with 547 and 605 accessions respectively. These genetic resources are the key building blocks for food legume crop improvement. These resources are characterized by significant genetic diversity for different traits and widely disseminated and exploited by breeding programs at ICARDA and around the world