Breeding food legumes for enhanced drought and heat tolerance to cope with 

climate change  

Muhammad Imtiaz, Shiv Kumar, Fouad Maalouf, , , ,and Rajinder Malhotra

Amman 1‐ 4 February 2010

ICARDA Food Legume Crops

Lentil Faba bean

Kabuli Chickpea Grasspea

Production and productivity26 0 913

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2

4

4.5

5

5.5

6

Tons per hectare

Millions

0 4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

8

9

10

11

12

13

x 10

000

Millions

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

4

5

6

7

8

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2

1961

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2007

production Areas yield

Faba bean

1961

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2007

Chickpea

12009

600

800

1000

1200

56789

0

200

400

600

01234

00 1961

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2007

Lentils

Food and Nutritional security in Sustainable A i lt i l f lAgriculture mainly for poor people

• Food security: y– Best rotation with Cereals  worldwide; Intercropping.

– Nitrogen fixation

N t iti l it Hi h t i t t• Nutritional security: High protein content crops:

Min Max    Average

Chickpea  16 26 20

Faba bean 18 36 29

Lentils  20 30 26

Grass pea 28 30 29

I f f b b t i t t i t ti l• In case of faba bean, protein content is not negatively correlated with yield potential

Changes in temperatures and precipitations

•Negative effects g•Positive effects

S b fi f CCSome benefit of CC

The direct effect of the increase of CO2 on the food legumefood legume

•Increase the water WUEIncrease the water WUEIn Faba bean (54% by doubling CO2)

• Increase in photosynthesisIncrease in photosynthesis an increase in yield (Faba bean 36% by 

increasing 1.7% of CO2)increasing 1.7% of CO2)SIEBE C. VAN DE GEIJN and JAN GOUDRIAAN (1996)

•The reduction of stomatal conductance a reduction of transpiration

Negative effects: Epidemic pests 

Negative effects of the increase  of CO2 h i h di ion changing weather condition

• The temperature increase :Average climatic variables at Tel Hadya, Aleppo, Syria – a location with 350 mm long 

i f ll• The temperature increase : 

• Heat stress mainly in critical stage of the crop growing

term rain fall

2007-08

76 45

Precipitation (mm) Evaporation (mm) Temp (max)

Mean Temp Temp (min)

crop growing. 

• The reduction of the rainfall 

W t t T i l46

56

66

76

) 20

25

3035

40

45

• Water stress: Terminal Drought;

• changes in i it ti

6

16

26

36

(mm

-5

05

10

15

20

C0

precipitation distribution: Intermittent drought

-4 Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March Apr May Jun Jul

Months

-10

-5

Dry environmentsClimatic variability and Climatic Change: Fragile ecosystem

900

1000Main ICARDA Station

600

700

800

Breda: 250 mmTel Hadya 330 mmTerbol : 552 mm

400

500

600Terbol

Tel Hadya

Breda

Linear (Terbol)

Linear (Tel Hadya)

200

300

400 Linear (Tel Hadya)

Linear (Breda)

0

100

1 3 5 7 9 1 3 5 7 9 1 3 5 7

1981

1983

1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

Temperature extremes variations in main ICARDA t ti d i th l t d dICARDA stations during the last decades

Cold and Frost frequencies 

6T b l

Increase Heat frequencies at reproductive stages

44

2

3

4

5Terbol

Tel Hadaya

Breda

40

42

44Terbol

Tel HadyA

Breda

‐1

0

1

2

36

38

40

‐5

‐4

‐3

‐2

32

34

36

‐7

‐6

5

1982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009

30

32

1982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009

ChallengesChallenges

• Identify sources germplasm with acceptable toleranceIdentify sources germplasm with acceptable tolerance to heat and drought through morpho‐physiological tools

• Mitigate for Terminal drought and heat

– Early planting: requires breeding to Cold tolerance

– Shortening the plant cycle by breeding to early flowering maturing to escape for terminal water and heat stresses

Breeding for drought and heat ltolerance

• Breeding for broad adaptability: Evaluate eliteBreeding for broad adaptability: Evaluate elite advanced progenies under different moisture gradients: Breda Tel Hadya Terbol andgradients: Breda, Tel Hadya, Terbol and summer planting (extreme heat and drought)

• Screening in different environments for heat• Screening  in different environments for heat and drought: Late planting

M h i l i l i• Morphopysiological traits

Genetic Resources for mandate cropsGenetic Resources for mandate cropspp

Crop Landraces and WildCrop Landraces and breeding materials

Wild

Lentil 10,426 593

Kabuli Chickpea 13548 278

F b b 10 723Faba bean 10,723 -

Grasspea 3330 49

Total 38039 920

Evaluations for heat and drought at ICARDA

Evaluations for heat and drought at ICARDAChickpeadrought at ICARDAdrought at ICARDALentil

Faba bean

Direct and-TraitsDirect and-TraitsP i i li d i b diPutative traits applied in breeding

for drought tolerance

• Canopy temperature• Stomatal Conductance• Carbon isotope discrimination (13C)Carbon isotope discrimination ( C)• Chlorophyll content and Chlorophyll Fluorescence • Early flowering

E l i• Early vigor• Early maturity• Root lengthg

• Biomass/NDVI • Yield and yield componentsYield and yield components

Evaluations of faba bean breeding lines for drought tolerance under different rainfed conditions Yield (Kg/Ha)

1600Tel Hadya

DT/9013/05/06DT/9043/05/06

DT/9020/05/06 1300

DT/9008/05/06

ILB1814 KFARDAN

DT/9028/05/06DT/9005/05/06

ILB1270

DT/9009/05/06

ILB1266

10001000 1400 1800 2200

DT/9035/05/06

ILB1266

700

KFARDAN: 420 mmTel Hadya : 287 mm+ 40 mm Supl. IRR for seed GerminationILB1270, ILB1266 and ILB1814 were the local checks favorable under irrigated agriculture

Yield of some drought tolerant lentil lines (173.6mm rainfall)lines (173.6mm rainfall)

3000900

2500

700

800

1500

2000

500

600

SY(kg/ha)

1000

200

300

400 BY(kg/ha)

0

500

0

100

200

Sel.34101 Sel.34109 Sel.34113 Sel.34115 Small Local Large Local

Grain Yield of Chickpea Genotypes AtDifferent Irrigation LevelsGrain Yield of Chickpea Genotypes AtDifferent Irrigation LevelsDifferent Irrigation LevelsDifferent Irrigation Levels

2000

2500

1000

1500

2000 IR0

IR1

IR2d (K

g/ha

)

0

500

1000

Yie

ld

Evaluation of Lentil Germplasm for Seedling VigorEvaluation of Lentil Germplasm for Seedling Vigor

60

70

Shoot length of 118 lentil lines at 30 days after sowing

20

30

40

50

ypic

freq

uenc

y

0

10

20

6.00-8.00 8.00-10.00 10.00-12.00 12.00-14.00 14.00-16.00G

enot

yShoot length (cm)

ILL 6002 with early vigour

354045

101520253035

typi

c fr

eque

ncy

ILL 9913 ILL 9899 ILL 9903 ILL

05

10

1.00-1.50

1.50-2.00

2.00-2.50

2.50-3.00

3.00-3.50

3.50-4.00

4.00-4.50

4.50-5.00

5.00-5.50

Gen

ot

Dry weight in g

ILL 9913, ILL 9899, ILL 9903, ILL 7620, ILL 9967 with > 14 cm shoot length and >5 g dry weight at 20 day DAS

Root and Shoot Length Variation in lentil

Mean Range

Root length (cm) 62.25 28.2 - 86.28Shoot length 28.28 19.4 - 41.43(cm)

12141618

1214161820

type

s

2468

10

2468

1012

No. of gen

ot

020-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60-70 70-80 80-90

015-20 20-25 25-30 30-35 35-40 40-45

Root length (cm) Shoot length (cm)

N

Physiological: Measurement of NDVI and Chlorophyll content in faba bean 

0.8

0.85

0.9

0.35

0.4

0.65

0.7

0.75

0.25

0.3

0 45

0.5

0.55

0.6

0.15

0.2

0.4

0.45

0.1

Chloropyll Fluoresence under Suppl IRR +120 mm

Chlorophyll fluoresencr under RAINED 289 mmChlorophyll fluoresencr under RAINED 289 mm

NDVI Biomass (Suppl IRR +120 mm)

NDVI Biomass (RAINFED 289 mm)

Correlation Between Yield and Chlorophyll Fluorescence in Chickpea

Fv_Fm1

Fv_Fm2 0.06

Fv_Fm3 0.05 0.50Pod_p ‐0.19 ‐0.29 ‐0.52

Yield_P ‐0.13 ‐0.28 ‐0.42 0.94

Fv_Fm1 Fv_Fm2 Fv_Fm3 Pod_p Yield_P

One year data –preliminary analysis on 48 genotypes, while this year analysis is in progress

Screening for heat tolerance and drought  in faba beans

Screening for Heat tolerance in wide lentils

L. culinaris ssp. orientalis is more drought tolerant than cultigens.

Response of faba bean genotypes to drought and heat

30

35

percentage

20

25

percentage

15

5

10

0

Less than 25 damage Between 25 and 50% damage

Between 50 and 75% damage

more than 75% damage total damage

2 4 6 7 92 4 6 7 9

Response of chickpea genotypes to drought and heat

3000

3500

Out of 4000 genotypes tested in sever year 2008, only 157 genotypes were classified as highly

2000

25002008, only 157 genotypes were classified as highly tolerant to moisture stress 

1000

1500

0

500

Highly tolerant to tolerant Moderate to Intermediatetolerant

Moderate to highlysusceptible

1‐9: 1 = 100% pod setting, 9 = 100% plants killed, no pod setting

Earliness in lentilsEarliness in lentils

Promote winter chickpea to mitigate droughtdrought

Winter planted chickpeaSpring planted chickpea

Mitigate to drought: Early planting in faba bean

Drought ‐ Success StoryDrought ‐ Success Storyg yg y

Gökçe – Released in Turkey• Zee News ‐ New chickpea variety that survives drought

• CIT2 News Wire » New chickpea variety survives drought in Turkey ...

• USAID Weekly

• New Chickpea That Can Survive Global Warming! www newspostindia comWarming! www.newspostindia.com

• Drought News ‐ Drought History ‐ Ultimate News Database www infopig com/keywordsNews Database www.infopig.com/keywords 

Thank you for your attentionThank you for your attention