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Legumes, a crop of poor and small farmers, have got a lending hand from scientists.
Farmers will soon be able to get climate change ready chickpea (gram) varieties that can withstand extreme weather conditions.
Scientists at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) have identified 40 lines of germplasm of chickpea with resistance to drought, high temperature and salinity. They had screened about 211 lines of chickpea over a period of 14 years to zero in on the 40 lines. An offshoot of this laborious research process is that the team, led by Hari D. Upadhyaya, Head of Genebank at the Patancheru-based institute, has identified six germplasm lines of chickpea that are resistant to extreme weather and for pests and diseases.
Rich in protein, starch, fibre, minerals, and vitamins, chickpea is an important legume in the world, with a total worldwide production of 11.6 million tonnes from 13.2 million hectares. India accounts for 71 per cent of the world chickpea production, while Australia, Turkey, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Iran and Pakistan are among other important chickpea producers.
Icrisat Director-General William Dar said the climate resilient germplasm lines would strengthen institute’s efforts to develop adaptation measures; support mitigation measures to help small farmers.
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