This document outlines activities under Objective 5 of a project aimed at enhancing chickpea productivity and production in drought-prone areas of sub-Saharan Africa and

1. Objective 5
Enhance chickpea productivity and production in drought-prone
areas of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
Pooran Gaur, NVPR Ganga Rao, CLL Gowda, Said Silim,
PM Salimath, DM Mannur, V Jayalakshmi, Y Satish, Asanke Fikre,
Kebebew Assefa, Robert Kileo, Wilson Thagana, S Tripathi, V Vadez,
L Krishnamurthy, S Pande, HC Sharma, Rajeev Varshney

2. Project target regions
Country States/ Districts
Zones
Andhra Kurnool,
India Pradesh Prakasam
Karnataka Gulbarga,
Dharwad
East Gimbichu
Shewa
Ethiopia North Minjar,
Shewa Shenkora
Kenya Rift Valley Bomet,
Nakuru
Tanzania Lake zone Mwanza,
Shinyanga

3. Objective 5 Team
ICRISAT-Patancheru, Pooran Gaur, CLL Gowda, S Tripathi, V Vadez,
India L Krishnamurthy, S Pande, HC Sharma, Rajeev
Varshney
ICRISAT-Nairobi, Kenya NVPR Ganga Rao, Said Silim
NARS partners
India ANGRAU, Veera Jayalakshmi, Y Satish, CKK Reddy, P
Hyderabad Muniratnam, Y Koteshwar Rao
UAS-Dharwad PM Salimath
UAS-Raichur DM Mannur
Ethiopia EIAR, Addis Asnake Fikre, Kebebew Assefa, Million
Ababa Eshete, Nigussie Tadesse, Sherif Aliye,
Sitotaw Ferede, Lijalaem Korbu, Abebe Atilaw,
Tebkew Damte
Tanzania LZARDI, Robert Kileo , Epifania Temu, Everina Lukonge
Ukiriguru
Kenya KARI, Nairobi Wilson M. Thagana, Lucy Kuria, Clerkson
Mahagayu

4. Activity 1
Identify and enhance adoption of farmer
and market preferred chickpea cultivars
in water-limited areas

5. Identification of varieties for FPVS trials
The varieties for FPVS were
identified after discussions with
all stakeholders including,
NARES partners, farmers and
traders
Country No. of varieties identified for FPVS
Desi Kabuli Total
India 4 4 8
Ethiopia 1 5 6
Tanzania 2 4 6
Kenya 2 4 6

6. FPVS in India
• 237 trials (20 mother + 217 baby trials) in 23 villages
• 1181 farmers (1052 male + 129 female) involved in
ranking of varieties

7. Some Challenges in FPVS Trials
• The crop was destroyed in Prakasam district of India during
2007/08 due to heavy rains before harvest and also during
2008/09 at seedling stage due to Nisa cyclonic rains.
• The trials were re-sown during 2009/10 which were
successful

8. FPVS in ESA
• Over 100 (Ethiopia 38, Tanzania 39,
Kenya 24) FPVS trials conducted.
• Over 2100 farmers (Ethiopia 1746,
Tanzania 163, Kenya 197) participated in
varietal selection
• 190 field demonstrations conducted in
Ethiopia

9. Cultivars preferred by farmers at
different locations
Country Cultivars preferred by farmers
Desi type Kabuli type
India - Andhra JG 11, JAKI 9218,
Pradesh - Kurnool JG 130
India-Andhra JG 11, JAKI 9218, KAK 2
Pradesh - Prakasam JG 130
India-Karnataka JG 11, JAKI 9218,
BGD 103
Ethiopia Habru, Ejere, Arerti
Tanzania ICCV 00108 ICCV ICCV 92318, ICCV
97105 00305
Kenya ICCV 97105, ICCV ICCV 95423, 00305
00108

10. Varietal traits preferred by farmers
• High yield potential
• Profuse podding,
• Early maturity
• Resistance to fusarium wilt (in all countries)
and ascochyta blight (in Ethiopia)
• Seed traits (size, shape and color) preferred
by the market.

11. Number of varieties released
and in the pipeline for release
India: One desi chickpea variety BGD
103 was released and notified for
cultivation in Karnataka state of India
during 2009.
Kenya: Two desi (ICCV 97105, ICCV
00108) and one kabuli (ICCV 00305)
lines identified through FPVS trials are
under NPT.
Tanzania: Two desi (ICCV 97105, ICCV
00108) and two kabuli (ICCVs 92318,
00305) lines are going to enter NPT.

12. Breeder seed production
Over 150 t breeder seed of farmer-preferred varieties
was produced by ICRISAT (Patancheru and Nairobi)
and NARS partners in India, Ethiopia, Tanzania and
Kenya
(Details in Objective 8 report)

13. Activity 2
Develop improved chickpea germplasm with
enhanced tolerance to drought, resistance to
fusarium wilt and pod borer, and market
preferred seed traits

14. Development and evaluation of
breeding lines
• Over 1000 breeding lines with early maturity, high
resistance to fusarium wilt and market-preferred
seed traits were evaluated at ICRISAT-Patancheru.
• Over 200 lines (117 desi + 92 kabuli) were supplied
to NARS partners in India and ESA.

15. Marker-assisted introgression of drought
tolerance traits (large roots) - linked to TL1
Root length density (cm cm3)
Donor parents for
root traits

16. MABC for improving root traits
Crosses: 3 Cultivars x 2 Donors for root traits Donors
BC1: Cultivar x F1
↓
BC1F1
BC 2: Cultivar x BC1F1
↓
BC2F1
Subjected to foreground and background selection
BC3: Cultivar x BC2F1 Cultivars
As in BC 2
↓
BC3F1
Selected heterozygous plants for QTL-linked markers
and over 90% genome of the recurrent parent JG 11
↓
BC3F2
Selected homozygous plants for QTL-linked markers
↓
BC3F3
2009/10 Seed multiplication Chefe KAK 2
↓
2010/11 Multilocation evaluation BC3F4 lines

17. Marker-assisted recurrent selection (MARS)
using good-by-good crosses for improving
yield under moisture stress conditions
Reselection generation after generation, with interbreeding of
selects (selected using QTL-associated molecular markers) to
provide opportunity for genetic recombination and cumulate
favorable alleles
2 crosses 1 cross
2009/10 Genotyping of F3 completed; Genotyping of F3 plants
F4 grown for seed multiplication
2010/11 Multilocation evaluation F4 (Seed multiplication)
of F5 progenies and
QTL analysis
Selection and inter-crossing Multilocation evaluation
of F3s of F5 progenies and
QTL analysis
•

18. Enhancing pod borer resistance
• Efforts are being made to combine different mechanisms
of resistance from cultivated and wild species
• 40 F6 progenies of C. arietinum (ICC 506) x C. reticulatum
(IG 72933) crosses were evaluated. Four progenies with
higher levels of resistance than both the parents were
identified for further evaluation.
• Seven C. arietinum (JG 130, JAKI 9218, JG 11, KAK 2,
JGK 1, ICC 17109, ICC 506) x C. reticulatum (IG 72933)
crosses advanced to F2

19. Activity 3
Enhance capacity of NARS in chickpea
improvement research and development and
provide training to farmers in improved
chickpea production technology

20. Training of Extension Personnel
The extension personnel of the Department of Agriculture/
NGOs were trained as Master Trainers in improved
production technologies
India: 413 Extension personnel
(389 male + 24 female)
ESA: 36 Extension personnel
Ethiopia 10
Tanzania 18
Kenya 8

21. Training of farmers
Training to farmers was
provided on various aspects
of improved crop and seed
production technologies of
chickpea.
India: 5556 farmers
(5016 male + 540 female)
ESA: 3465 farmers
Ethiopia: 2774
Tanzania: 240
Kenya: 451

22. Training of Researchers
Two one-month training courses on “Chickpea Breeding
and Seed Production” organized at ICRISAT Patancheru
Batch 1:
Jan/Feb 2008
Participants: 9
5 Male + 4 Female
Ethiopia: 2M
Tanzania: 1M+1F
Kenya: 2M
Myanmar: 3F

23. Batch 2:
Jan/Feb 2009
Participants: 10
5 Male + 5 Female
Ethiopia: 2M
Tanzania: 2F
Kenya: 2M
Myanmar: 3F
Philippines: 1M

24. Training course on
Chickpea Breeding and Seed Production
Lectures and hand on
trainings on
 Screening techniques for
abiotic and biotic stresses
 Conventional and
biotechnological
approaches of chickpea
improvement
 Crop and seed production
techniques
 Seed processing storage
and quality testing

25. Degree students
Country Student Degree Research area
program
Ethiopia Tadesse M Sc Molecular characterization of
Sefera Gela chickpea cultivars
Kenya Peter Kaloki M Sc Heat tolerance in chickpea
India Tosh Garg PhD Molecular mapping of
fusarium wilt, ascochyta
blight, and botrytis grey
mould resistance in chickpea

26. Lessons learnt ….1/2
• Farmers’ awareness of the improved varieties and
availability of the seed of improved varieties are the
key factors in spread of improved chickpea cultivars.
• FPVS trials are very effective in enhancing
awareness of farmers to improved varieties and in
spreading new varieties.
• The farmers need some orientation and close follow
ups for their active participation in FPVS trials.

27. Lessons learnt….. 2/2
• In addition to yield, maturity duration and resistance
to diseases, seed traits preferred by market (seed
size, color and shape) were given high weightage by
the farmers in PVS.
• The farmers’ preference for growing kabuli chickpea
varieties largely depended on the price premium
received over desi type.
• Off-season seed multiplication with supplemental
irrigation can facilitate faster varietal spread in
Ethiopia.

29. Vision for Phase II
• Expansion of activities to new districts/states/zones/
regions in the countries of phase I
• Possible expansion of activities to other countries
like Malawi and Mozambique.
• Further strengthen of seed system based on the
experiences of phase I.
• Evaluation of breeding materials generated through
genomic approaches (MABC &MARS) under TL I
along with breeding material generated under TL II in
target environments.