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Proceedings of the Workshop on Ascochyta Blight and Winter Sowing of Chickpeas (Sa.xena, Af.C<br />
and Singh, K.B.. eds.). ICARDA, 4-7 May 1981. Aleppo. Syria<br />
Strategy for Breeding Ascochyta Blight Resistant<br />
Cultivars<br />
K.B. SINGH, H.E. GRIDLEY and G.C. HAWTIN<br />
Plant Breeder, ICRISAT: Plant Breeder, ICARDA:<br />
Program Leader and Plant Breeder, ICARDA, respectively<br />
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum. L.) is not known to occur in the wild, and the earliest<br />
report of this species was in 5450 BC (Helback 1959). Candolle (1882) considered<br />
its center of origin to be between Greece and the Himalayas and between<br />
Krim and Ethiopia. Vavilov (1926) indicated Hindustan nnd the Mediterranean<br />
as centers of origin, along with Ethiopia as a secondary center of diversity, van<br />
der Maesen (1972) believed that the species originated in the southern Caucasus<br />
and northern Persia, while Ladizinsky (1975) gave south-eastern Turkey as the<br />
center of origin.<br />
Cubero (1975) ideaitified two groups based on seed size, macrocarpa and<br />
microcarpa,and these correspond, respectively, to the terms 'kabuli' and 'desi'<br />
used by plant breeders, for the main groups of immediate interest for genetic<br />
improvement within the species. The kabuli chickpeas generally have larger<br />
seeds than the desi types and are characteristic of the Mediterranean area and<br />
are also adapted to spring sowing in Afghanistan, Iran and countries westward.<br />
The desi types are adapted tc winter sowing in the Indian subcontinent, Ethiopia<br />
and Central America, though some cultivars are grown in spring in Afghanistan<br />
aaid Iran. The international work on this crop is also split geographically with the<br />
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in<br />
Syria responsible for the kabuli types, and the International Crops Research<br />
Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India responsible for the desi<br />
types.<br />
Ascochyta blight (Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Lab.) is the most serious disease<br />
affecting chickpeas, and there are several reports of epidemic outbreaks in<br />
various parts of the world (Nene 1983). To avoid crop loss from ascochyta blight<br />
in West Asia and North Africa, chickpeas are sown in spring. There is large<br />
increase in productivity if the crop is winter-sown, but there is a danger of<br />
complete crop loss from blight in the absence of adequate control of this disease<br />
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