Location: Grain Legume Genetics Physiology Research
Project Number: 2090-21000-038-025-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2026
End Date: Jul 31, 2028
Objective:
Chickpea is produced in dryland agricultural systems throughout the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Northern Plains. Chickpea is grown in rotation with small cereal grains such as wheat and barley and provides biologically-derived fertilizer to these crops because, like other legumes, chickpea roots are colonized by beneficial bacteria (rhizobia) that produce nitrogen fertilizer for crops. However, throughout much of the USA where chickpeas are grown, soil pH has become so acidic, with a pH of 5.3 or less, that chickpea yields have been markedly reduced on these affected soils. Chickpea breeding lines and varieties that are more tolerant to low pH will contribute to increasing production on marginal soils. The objective of this research is to evaluate USDA chickpea breeding lines, populations, and commercial varieties in field experiments conducted in low pH soil.
Approach:
Plant materials will include ˜ 20 USDA advanced chickpea breeding lines, several commercial varieties including ‘Sierra’, ‘Nash’, and ‘USDA-Quinn’, and selected chickpea populations (F2) developed by the USDA chickpea breeding program at Pullman, Washington. All field experiments will be conducted at the University of Idaho Research Farm in Moscow, Idaho. Prior to planting, seeds will be treated with appropriate commercial seed treatments. Experiments will consist of three replicated paired-rows (˜ 1.4 m long) per entry planted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). During the growing season plots will be evaluated for several field and developmental traits including general vigor, plant height, days to flower, and days to mature. Plots of the USDA breeding lines and commercial varieties will be individually machine-harvested and yields determined for each plot. Appropriate statistical analysis will be performed to detect significant differences between entries for yield in low pH soil. Individual plants that exhibit good performance will be selected from the F2 plots and harvested by hand for subsequent generational increases to develop new USDA breeding lines and varieties with greater tolerance to low pH soils.