August 18, 2004
A new signed
memorandum of understanding between the
Centre for Legumes
in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA) and the
International Centre for
Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) could open the
gate to a ‘field of dreams’, including drought and disease
resistant legume crops and pastures.
When recently visiting ICARDA headquarters in
Syria, CLIMA Director, Kadambot Siddique reviewed some of the
germplasm the memorandum will make more accessible, such as
chocolate spot-resistant faba bean and drought-tolerant
chickpea.
“Maturing CLIMA’s decade long collaboration
with ICARDA will deliver a host of valuable traits and products
to growers.
“For example, I saw several faba bean
varieties expressing resistance to bean yellow mosaic virus and
another 70 lines demonstrating resistance to chocolate spot.
These advances hold tremendous promise for Australia’s battle
against disease.”
ICARDA holds the world’s largest collection
of chickpea, faba bean and lentil germplasm.
Professor Siddique noted ICARDA chickpea
germplasm would soon deliver tangible benefits to WA and
Australia, with the impending commercialisation of an ascochyta
blight resistant variety, plus a large seeded variety for the
Ord River Irrigation Area.
Ascochyta blight resistant chickpea could
sustain a $160 million Australian industry.
CLIMA’s strong
collaborative relationship with ICARDA had resulted in ICARDA’s
decision to annually inject 20 promising chickpea lines into a
CLIMA and Australian Centre for
International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) project to
develop resistance to botrytis grey mould, which sporadically
cut yields in Australia by up to 90 per cent.
“CLIMA and ICARDA enjoy a reciprocal
relationship through trading germplasm, sharing disease
nurseries to screen for various resistances, educating
post-graduate students and collectively developing new
technologies,” Professor Siddique noted. |