Taming the wild chickpea
Americans know chickpeas as garbanzos, the foundation for hummus, the protein- and fiber-rich spread made from pureed chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Chickpea is one of the world’s oldest cultivated crops and are a crucial source of income, food security and nutrition to poor farmers in the developing world. CountryGuide, based in Canada, tells the story of a global research project to breed hardier and higher-yielding varieties with traits identified in wild relatives. Chickpeas “are notoriously poor field competitors and they are highly susceptible to biotic and abiotic stressors, including disease and climate,” it says.
The University of California-Davis is leading the work with four research partners. USAID supplies the funding. UC-Davis says “researchers will combine advanced genomic technologies with analysis of plant traits to identify new and desirable genes harbored by chickpea’s closest wild relatives,” which will then be available to plant breeders.
Chickpea is one of the most widely grown legume crops in the world, says UC-Davis. It is grown on more than 27 million acres in 40 countries. India accounts for two-thirds of plantings. The United States was 14th with 140,000 acres and Canada No 15 with 105,000 acres in 2008.
For USAID’s news release about the project, click here.