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
Website: www.icarda.org
15 October 2008
Media contact: icarda-media@cgiar.org
 
Evaluating Lentil lines for Heat Tolerance
Maarten van Ginkel (right, DDG Research) and lentil breeder Geletu Bejiga review the experiment on lentil heat tolerance.
Lentil is one of the world's more important pulse crops, and a major source of dietary protein in West, South and East Asia, as well as North and East Africa. Globally, lentil area and production have increased in recent years (e.g. North America and Australia), driven by export markets. However, production is expected to fall in some traditional areas, particularly West Asia and North Africa, due to poor rainfall and terminal drought and heat stress – which are becoming important due to climate change.

ICARDA's lentil scientists have developed a screening methodology to evaluate large numbers of germplasm and breeding lines for tolerance to heat. One important issue is to adjust sowing times to measure the effect of heat stress at different growth stages, e.g. seedling stage, flowering, grain-filling. Another is to disentangle the effects of moisture stress and temperature stress. In one set of experiments conducted at Tel Hadya during July-August 2008, 108 genotypes were grown in shallow wooden containers filled with a mixture of soil and sand. The plants were provided with adequate water, and thus experienced only heat stress. Temperatures during July-August were in the range of 37-45°C. Sensitive lines were killed when temperatures rose beyond about 40°C. Beyond 45°C, very few lines survived. Those that did will be tested further in the coming season. The methodology has proved to be efficient and cost-effective, making it possible to screen large numbers of genotypes, and identify lines tolerant to heat at both seedling and flowering stages. Tolerant and susceptible lines have been identified, and will be used as controls in future experiments.
 

About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.org) is one of the 15 international research centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ICARDA serves the entire developing world for the improvement of barley, lentil, and faba bean; and dry-area developing countries for the on-farm management of water, improvement of nutrition and productivity of small ruminants (sheep and goats), and rehabilitation and management of rangelands. In the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, ICARDA is responsible for the improvement of durum and bread wheats, chickpea, pasture and forage legumes and farming systems; and for the protection and enhancement of the natural resource base of water, land, and biodiversity.

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (www.cgiar.org) is a strategic alliance of countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations supporting15 international research centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment.

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