Punjab 2000: A New Large-seeded Desi Chickpea Variety for Punjab Province of Pakistan

摘要

Chickpea (Cicer arietimtm) is the major pulse crop in Pakistan, contributing 72.8% to the total area of pulses. It occupied an area of 961,400 ha during 2002-03 out of which 860,000 ha (89.5%) was in Punjab province (Anonymous 2003). Of this area in Punjab, 90.2% of the crop was planted as rainfed and of the rainfed area, 88.2% was concentrated in Thai. The Thai area comprises sand dunes and interdunal valleys having poor soil fertility (Anonymous 2002-03). In Thai, due to scarcity of soil moisture,desi chickpea varieties are grown and a large-seeded desi cultivar C 44 is predominant in the area. The produce of C 44 is locally known as bittal (large-seeded) quality. With the introduction of short or high input-responsive varieties of wheat (Triticum aestivum), the irrigated area of chickpea in Punjab declined from 184,000 ha (26% of the total area) in 1970-71 to 53,400 ha (6.8% of total area) in 2000-01. However, canal water shortage in recent years has favored cultivation of chickpea in irrigatedarea, as it requires less water as compared to wheat. Thus, the irrigated chickpea area has increased to 63,800 ha in 2001-02 and 84,000 ha in 2002-03 (Anonymous 2002-03). The farmers in irrigated areas use the type called bittal quality because of itsattractive seed size. However, the crops planted on clay loam soils are affected by iron deficiency induced chlorosis in the early crop growth stage after the soil gets compact with the application of first irrigation/rainfall. But the same variety in sandy soils of Thai is not affected by iron-deficiency chlorosis (Ali et al. 1994). Sources of resistance to iron-deficiency chlorosis are available (Ali et al. 1988a) and the chlorosis is conditioned by a single recessive gene (Ali et al. 1988b). Recently, A 16, a near isogenic line of C 44 and having resistance to iron-deficiency chlorosis, was released as Bittal 98 to extend its cultivation in irrigated areas (Ali 1999). Further need was felt to develop a variety of chickpea, which can successfully beplanted in rainfed as well as irrigated areas in the Punjab Province.