
New, Improved
Chickpea Now AvailableBy Jan Suszkiw April 22, 2003Legume lovers, rejoice!
Agricultural Research Service scientists
and their cooperators have released a new chickpea variety called Sierra, whose
tasty, cream-colored seed could be coming to salad bars soon. Sierra's high yield of such seed, combined with disease resistance to
Ascochyta blight, patho-types 1 and 2, also should suit the "economic
tastes" of commercial chickpea growers. This spring marks the first commercial plantings of Sierra from
30,000-50,000 pounds of foundation seed, according to geneticist Frederick
Muehlbauer, with ARS' Grain
Legume Genetics and Physiology Research Unit in Pullman, Wash. Sierra, named after Muehlbauer's two-year-old granddaughter, is derived from
crosses he made in 1992 between Dwelley, an earlier release, and chickpea
germplasm obtained from Mexico and central Asia via the
International Center for Agricultural
Research in the Dry Areas, located in Aleppo, Syria. Walter Kaiser, a retired ARS colleague, conducted plant pathology studies to
ensure Sierra's resistance to Ascochyta rabiei, a top fungal foe of
chickpeas worldwide. University cooperators in Washington, Idaho, North Dakota
and California conducted field trials evaluating Sierra's agronomic
characteristics. Their data indicate that, after planting, Sierra generally blooms in 65
days, grows to 21 inches high, and reaches peak crop maturity in 110 days.
Farmers who rotate chickpeas with barley and wheat should find Sierra
relatively easy to harvest by combine, since it grows upright and can be cut
six inches off the ground. In eight out of 10 field tests in eastern Washington, northern Idaho, North
Dakota and South Dakota, Sierra produced higher seed yields than two industry
varieties, Dwelley and Sanford. For example, during four years of tests at
three Palouse sites, Sierra's average yearly seed yield was 1,348 pounds per
acre, versus 1,274 for Dwelley. Sierra is a kabuli-type chickpea, the kind served at salad bars and used in
ethnic dishes. Besides taste, chickpeas offer a low-fat source of fiber,
protein, iron, vitamins A and C, and folic acid. ARS, which has filed for a plant variety protection certificate, is the
U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief
scientific research agency. U.S. Department of Agriculture | |