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
17 July 2003
For more information contact:S.Varma@cgiar.org
Food Legume Traveling Workshop:
Improving Production in Central Asia
The second in a series of traveling workshops on food legumes in Central Asia was organized in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan 1-5 July 2003 by ICARDA’s Central Asian and the Caucasus Regional Program. A total of 11 scientists from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kyrgyztan participated. Drs Rajendra Malhotra and Ashutosh Sarker, food legume breeders from ICARDA, and Dr Bitore, GP Scientist from the ICARDA Tashkent office also participated in the event. The first traveling workshop was organized in 2000 in Kazakhstan to provide training in integrated crop management and the development of research plans.
ICARDA and Andijan Chickpea Scientists showing improved Chickpea line (FLIP 98-44C), selected for release, to the participants at the Andijan Research Station.
     The improved germplasm of chickpea and lentil has been provided to various national programs in Central Asia and the Caucasus through the ICARDA regional office as part of the research that has been in progress since 1998. Other projects include crop diversification for the sustainability of cereal/cotton based farming systems.
     The traveling workshop brought together a group of scientists to evaluate and select improved lentil and chickpea lines, and discuss problems and future directions for legume improvement. The group visited Andijan and Galaoral research stations in Uzbekistan and Krasny Vodopad in Kazakhstan.
     In the Andijan region where chickpea and lentil crops are proving particularly succesful, two chickpea lines (FLIP 98-44C and FLIP 95-74C) and two lentil lines (FLIP 95-22L and FLIP 96-59L) were selected for registration and seed multiplication. Dr Ashutosh Sarker observed, "I was extremely happy to see the superior performance of these lines in this region."
     A large number of chickpea breeding lines received from ICARDA were planted at Galaoral research station, and these were jointly evaluated by the group. The seed of the improved chickpea lines in pre-release stage is being multiplied. A lentil line named "Oltindon" is under evaluation by State Variety Release Committee for future release.
     In Kazakhstan, all the elite lines of chickpea and lentil supplied by ICARDA were evaluated at Krasny Vodopad. More than 1000 lines of chickpea planted in the spring season were evaluated and an elite chickpea line was identified for future release.
Chickpea Crop at Farmer's field in Andijan.
     As part of the workshop, farmer's fields were also appraised for improved production technologies. According to Dr Malhotra "there is a real need to grow the elite selected lines for their evaluation and demonstration at farmers fields as these lines possess desirable traits like high yield, large seed size and erect growth suitable for mechanical harvest."
     On the last day, the participants took part in a wrap-up discussion of future strategies for seed production and adaptive research. Drs Malhotra, Sarker and Bitore summarized the achievements and developed a work plan for 2003/04 concerning seed production and on-farm demonstration with the help of the participants. Dr Raj Paroda, Regional Coordinator of the CAC Program, congratulated the CAC participants for their excellent efforts in identifying elite chickpea and lentil cultivars in a short period of time and assured the NARS all assistance in developing their work-plans.

ICARDA's (www.icarda.org) mission is to improve the welfare of people and alleviate poverty through research and training in dry areas of the developing world by increasing production, productivity, and nutritional quality of food, while preserving and enhancing the natural resource base. ICARDA is a Future Harvest Center.
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