Registration of the Chickpea Germplasm PHREC‐Ca‐Comp. #1 with Enhanced Resistance to Ascochyta Blight

Abstract

The chickpea or garbanzo bean (Cicer arietinum L.) germplasm PHREC‐Ca‐Comp. #1 (Reg. No. GP‐282, PI 659664) was developed by the former Alternative Crops Breeding Program at the University of Nebraska Agricultural Research Division and was released in 2010. It was bred specifically for adaptation to growing conditions in Nebraska and for enhanced resistance to Ascochyta blight, a major disease of chickpea caused by Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Labr. PHREC‐Ca‐Comp. #1 is a composite of PI 315797, PI 343014, PI 379217, PI 471915, PI 598080, and W6 17256. The composite was developed in the fall of 2002 and was evaluated in six irrigated and four dryland environments at Scottsbluff, Sidney, and Alliance, NE, from 2004 to 2009. Across irrigated environments, PHREC‐Ca‐Comp. #1 had the lowest severity rating for Ascochyta blight and a higher yield under both irrigated and dryland conditions than ‘Sierra’, ‘Dwelley’, ‘Dylan’, and ‘Troy’. PHREC‐Ca‐Comp. #1 is a small, round, cream‐colored kabuli‐type chickpea. It exhibits an upright, indeterminate growth habit. Plants average 66 cm in height and have excellent resistance to lodging. PHREC‐Ca‐Comp. #1 has a fern leaf structure and white flowers and blooms 44 d after planting. It is a midseason bean, maturing 116 d after planting. Although its seed size does not meet commercial standards, PHREC‐Ca‐Comp. #1 has value in breeding programs as a source of resistance to Ascochyta blight and because of its high yield potential.

Registration of CA0469C025C Chickpea Germplasm

“…These observations suggest that similar to the recently released small chickpea germplasm PHREC‐Ca‐Comp. #1 (Urrea et al, 2011), CA0469C025C will be useful as a parent for breeding programs desiring to develop superior chickpea lines and cultivars that are high yielding and more tolerant to Ascochyta blight.…”

“…Consequently, developing chickpea germplasm and cultivars with improved resistance to Ascochyta blight tends to be a priority for breeding programs throughout the world. Partially resistant materials have been developed in the United States based on selections from disease screening nurseries, including the kabuli cultivar Dwelley (Muehlbauer et al, 1998a) and the germplasm PHREC‐ Ca ‐Comp #1 (Urrea et al, 2011). The Crop Development Center at the University of Saskatchewan released the kabuli chickpea cultivar CDC Frontier (Warkentin et al, 2004) and the desi chickpea cultivar CDC Corinne (Taran et al, 2009), both of which have partial resistance to Ascochyta blight.…”

“…Despite a range of control measures, losses due to Ascochyta blight may still be so severe that area under production is substantially reduced in regions where control measures are ineffective (Urrea et al, 2011). Isolates of the fungus with resistance to commonly used fungicides azoxystrobin and pyraclostrobin have been identified throughout Montana and North Dakota (Wise et al, 2009), which has placed a greater premium on the development of new chickpea cultivars with enhanced resistance to Ascochyta blight.…”

Registration of ‘New Hope’ Chickpea Cultivar with Enhanced Resistance to Ascochyta Blight

“…In 2011, the dry bean breeding program released PHREC‐ Ca‐ Comp. #1(Urrea et al, 2011) with enhanced resistance to Ascochyta blight. We evaluated the Western Regional Chickpea Trial obtained from USDA‐ARS, Pullman, WA, and other segregating populations to identify sources of Ascochyta blight resistance with good agronomic performance that could revive the chickpea industry in Nebraska.…”