Food legume breeding strategies

Abstract

The chickpea and lentil growers, consumers, administrators, and politicians will keep on asking the chickpea and lentil researchers to develop varieties of chickpea and lentil suitable for all possible kinds of environments. The agricultural land is dwindling with every passing year, due to various pressures on it. This situation may move the staple food crops like wheat to the areas which are presently considered marginal for such crops, but suitable for chickpeas and lentils. This situation is going to pose a big challenge to the chickpea and lentil breeders engaged in the improvement of these pulses. To avoid the apprehension, a well thought-out, planning is needed, to develop greater productivity materials, which can grow successfully in various cropping systems and can find place in areas, which are presently considered non-convention for these pulse crops. An important ingredient for the future planning to produce enough chickpea and lentils to meet the domestic demand, is to have sufficient trained manpower at all levels. They need to be equipped with modern techniques and know how to raise the standard of research. The Training Workshop on "Food Legumes Breeding Methods and Hybridization Techniques" in collaboration with ICARDA's FLIP was planned as a second in-country course for chickpea and lentil researchers and technicians. The first was held in 1984 on "Ascochyta Blight Resistance in Chickpea" through ICARDA-PARC collaboration. A one-day seminar on breeding strategies for legumes was also arranged. Its participants comprised all concerned researchers from the country, engaged in research of various disciplines of the chickpeas and lentils. Based on their research findings and in-depth discussions, the recommendations were formulated for future improvement of these crops. We trust that the chickpea and lentil researchers will benefit from these recommendations and further stimulate research on the neglected aspects of the chickpea and lentil. These proceedings and the efforts behind them are a tribute to the devotion of ICARDA and PARC scientists and research managers, who recognized the urgency of improving the research status of grain legumes in Pakistan, particularly the breeding aspects.