Problems and prospects of stress resistance breeding in chickpea [Cicer arietinum]

Chickpea suffers from a number of biotic and abiotic stresses which reduce the yield and make production unstable. Sources of resistance were identified for several important biotic stresses such as plant diseases (Ascochyta blight, Fusarium wilt, dry root rot, and Botrytis gray mold), pea leaf roll virus, cyst nematode, insect pests (pod borer and leaf miner), and Orobanche spp. Also, sources of resistance were identified for a few abiotic stresses, such as cold, drought, iron deficiency chlorosis and lodging. But efforts to identify sources of resistance to heat, salinity and water logging have not met with success. Utilizing these sources of resistance, cultivars with resistance to Ascochyta blight, Fusarium wilt and cold have been released in several countries. However, success in insect resistance breeding has been limited. Breeders have developed lodging resistant lines which may soon be released. For other stresses, where sources of resistance have been found, efforts are underway to breed resistant cultivars. These stress resistant cultivars, however, never been popular with growers with possibly two exceptions. These were Fusarium wilt-resistant cultivars in Mexico and Ascochyta blight and cold resistant cultivars in the Mediterranean region. A major reason for low popularity of resistant cultivars was the lack of multiple stress resistance. In most areas more than one stress is important, hence the need for multiple stress resistant cultivars arises. Cultivars with multiple stress resistance are of paramount importance if chickpea is to be introduced in new areas or conditions. Ascochyta blight and cold resistant cultivars for winter sowing in the Mediterranean region; Phytophthora root rot and root lesion nematode resistant cultivars for Australia; heat, collar rot and Colletotrichum blight resistant cultivars for early sowing in Peninsular India; and terminal heat and drought tolerant chickpeas for sowing as a catch crop in rice-based farming systems of south Asia are a few well demonstrated examples. Chickpea production has remained static for the last three decades, but it can be increased substantially if appropriate resistant cultivars are available for introduction in new areas and/or conditions