BGM 547 - A high yielding chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) mutant variety for late sown condition in north western plain zone of India

Abstract

Chickpea or Bengal gram (Gicer arietinum L) is the third most important pulse crop worldwide and has been recognized as a valuable source of protein particularly in developing countries. India, with 5.79 million tonnes of production from 7.12 million hectare, is the largest contributor of world chickpea production and predominates in the global supply (contributing over 66 % of global output). Inspite of the above facts, the productivity of chickpea is still very low. This important crop is grown mostly as a rainfed crop under the reserve moisture in the post rainy season in semi-arid tropics and spring and winter season in the temperate mediterranean type of climate. The area of chickpea has substantially decreased during past three decades due to low productivity which is largely because of severe biotic and abiotic stresses this crop has to face. Since the role of improved varieties in increasing productivity is evident, the development of high yielding and disease resistant varieties with wider adaptability is the main focus of the breeders. Mutation breeding is an established tool to develop new varieties which are high yielding and resistant to major diseases and pests with wider adaptability [1). Three chickpea mutant varieties Pusa 408, Pusa 413 and Pusa 417, the first ever examples of micro-mutant varieties in chickpea in the world, developed at IARI, New Delhi were released first time in India through mutation breeding during 1985 following gamma irradiation [2).