Chickpea genetic resources to enhance production in changing climatic scenario

Chickpea is one of the dry edible legumes with best nutritional composition as it does not contain any specific major anti-nutritional or toxic factors. The seeds have an average of 23% protein and 80% of the crops’s nitrogen requirements are met from symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Chickpea has several desirable agronomic characteristics and it is one of the most heat and drought-resistant crop and suitable for production in low moisture and fertility soils. Chickpea remarkably predominates among other pulse crops in terms of both area and production in India. To meet with the ever increasing demand for new varieties with desirable traits, the genetic resources of chickpea are of immense value for the breeders. Due to rapid changes in the agro-ecological conditions throughout the world, the chickpea genetic resources comprising of wild species, old and primitive cultivars, land races endowed with superior gene complexes are being rapidly eroded. Efforts for augmentation of chickpea genetic resources were undertaken by importing the diverse germplasm from various parts of the world. The exotic introduction in chickpea comprises germplasm with resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses and its wild species for utilisation in crop improvement programmes in India.