Legumes are important in sustainable production of food and feed in the Islamic Republic of Iran. They are important source of good quality protein in the diets of people and are valuable as animal feed. Legumes also increase and sustain the productivity of the soil and in rotation with cereal reduce chances of build-up of diseases, insect pests and obnoxious weeds for the following cereals crops.
Pulse produced in Iran are mostly consumed within the country, usually production is more than sufficient to meet the country’s demand (Sabaghpour, 2015b). The excess food legume production is exported to other countries. Food legumes due to its higher protein content is used in many dishes.
Chickpea, lentil and bean are grown on 550,000, 120,000 and 98000 hectares in Iran (FAO, 2013). Chickpea and lentil areas have ranks fourth and eighth in the world. Major chickpea and lentil areas (97% and 94%) are planted in rainfed condition and are grown in rotation with cereals mainly wheat and barley. There is high potential areas (about three million hectares) for producing pulses (chickpea and lentil) in dryland areas in rotation wheat and barley under dryland condition. But due to food legume production are more than sufficient, farmers prefer to plant food legume about 670,000 hectares in Iran.
Mean productivity of chickpea and lentil 968 and 1140 kg/ha in world, But are 536 and 608 kg/ha in Iran. The rainfed yield for chickpea and lentil are about 39% and 41% of the irrigated area. These are indications that improving moisture conservation in rainfed area may improve the rainfed yield. Major reason for low productivity of these crops in Iran, is terminal drought stress. Most of the farmers grow chickpea and lentil on marginal areas in the spring season (Sabaghpour, 2015b). In spite of decrease rainfall and unsuitable distribution rainfall but productivity of chickpea and lentil have increased from 482 to 536 and 463 to 608 in last decade due to transfer technology to famer field (Sabaghpour, 2015b). Major areas of beans, faba bean and mungbean are under irrigated field in Iran. Average bean productivity are 791 and 2582 kg/ha in world and Iran respectively (FAO, 2013).
Main challenge for food legume (chickpea and lentil) production are drought, cold, ascochyta blight and fusarium wilt
Drought is the common abiotic stress limiting chickpea production in different parts of Iran. Chickpea and lentil frequently suffers from drought stress towards the end of growing season after flowering, during pod setting and seed formation, drought is accompanied by heat stress in rain-fed conditions (Sabaghpour, 2004). Terminal drought stress reduce productivity of chickpea considerably in spring planting in comparison to autumn and entezari sowing. In spite of superiority of autumn and entezari planting to spring planting in respect of high water use efficiency and less suffer of terminal drought stress (Sabaghpour, 2002). Research on exploration of possibility of autumn planting of chickpea and lentil in milder environments and Entzari planting in harsh (sever cold) environments has given fruitful results with good successes. Transfer of these technologies to farmers is in progress and in some areas farmers are getting almost 50% or more productivity with adoption of winter- or Entzari –sowing. Therefore four chickpea varieties such as Hashem (Sabaghpour et al., 2005), Arman (Sabaghpour et al., 2006a), Azad (Sabaghpour et al., 2010), Adel (Sabaghpour 2015b) and two lentil varieties including Kimiya (Sabaghpour et al., 2013) and Bilesevar ( Sabaghpour, 2012) were released for planting in autumn in milder environments and Entzari –sowing in harsh (sever cold) environments. Transfer spring to Autumn or Entzari planting may in climate change adaptation or mitigation.
Drought escape is the most important success for breeders so far in comparison with other mechanisms. Famers usually are not able to plant chickpea in the beginning of March due to high moisture in field. Therefore, they often have to plant chickpea in the end March in Iran. Flowering time in chickpea will start in the first of May which rainfall will stop in many years (Sabaghpour et al., 2006b). But some farmers prefer to plant chickpea in spring (March) due to weeds problem. Major successes due to breeding have been achieved, in the selection for drought escape. A new drought tolerance chickpea variety " Sameen" (Sabaghpour, 2015a) has been released for planting in spring in cold areas of Iran.
Cold stress is one of the most important abiotic stress in cold region of the world. About 40 percent of chickpea area of Iran is sown in cold area (Sabaghpour, 2005). The yield of autumn planting is higher than spring planting due to benefit of winter rainfall and higher water-use efficiency (Sabaghpour, 2002). The lowest absolute minimum temperature at cold areas of Iran often occur in December, January and February. Absolute minimum temperature has different range from -10Co to -30Co with snow covering in different cold area of Iran. Due to local chickpea and lentil varieties could not tolerance to cold stress, farmer had to plant these crops in spring. A new improved chickpea variety (Saral) has been released for autumn planting in cold area of Iran.
Ascochyta blight (Ascochyta rabiei [Pass.] Labr.) is a major yield reducer for chickpea in north (Glostan), northwest (Oroumieh), west (Kermanshah, Lorestan and Ilam) and southern parts of Iran both in winter and spring planted chickpea, however it is more severe in winter sown crop (Sabaghpour 2015b). Occurrence and severity of this disease depend largely on the cultivar and weather condition in a given year. Ascochyta blight incidence was 100% in the epidemic years in farmer’s fields on local varieties in the Mediterranean region of Iran. Hashem, Arman, Azad, Adel chickpea varieties which are resistance to ascochyta blight, erect growth habit and high potential yield have were released for cold moderate, moderate, semi warm areas of Iran in the last decade. Ascochyta blight is not important on lentil and bean and mungbean in Iran. Ascochyta blight and Botrytis are major yield reducer for faba bean.
Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht. emend. Snyd. & Hans.f.sp. ciceri [Padwick] Snyd. & Hans) is another important disease mainly in spring chickpea in the northwest of Iran. A survey conducted in 1998 on fusarium wilt disease (Akem 1998) in north and northwest of Iran showed that 19% of the chickpea fields have fusarium wilt incidence in the range of 5-60%. A chickpea variety "Sameen" is tolerance to fusarium wilt, tolerance to drought stress, large seed size and high potential yield has been released for planting in cold area in spring planting.
Fusarium wilt is a major yield reducer for lentil Ardebil province (Bilehsavar) which 50 percent of lentil field had fusarium will incidence in the range of 20-80% in 2002 (Sabaghpour, 2006). A lentil variety "Bilehsavar" (Sabaghpour, 2012) is tolerance to fusarium wilt, large seed size and high potential yield has been released for planting in for cold moderate, moderate, semi warm areas of Iran.
Prof. Sayyed Hossain Sabaghpour DG, Agricultural Research and Natural Resources Center of Hamedan Province Zip code: 65199-91169 P.O. Box 887, Hamedan, Iran Tel: (+98-811) 4374720, 4373609 Fax: (+98-811) 4378730 Mobile: (+98) 9183314500
References
Akem, C. 1998. Survey on chickpea disease in Iran. ICARDA.
FAO. 2013. UN Food and Agriculture Organization. http://faostat.fao.org/site/291/default.aspx
Sabaghpour, S. H. 2002. Comparison of chickpea autumn and spring planting: proceeding of Seventh Iranian Crop Sciences Congress Aug. 24-26, 2002 Karaj, Iran.
Sabaghpour, S.H. 2004. Present Status and Future Prospects of Food Legume in Iran. In Role of Legumes in Crop diversification and Poverty Reduction in Asia (eds C.L.L. Gowda and S.S Pande) ICRISAT. pp. 75-86.
Sabaghpour. S.H . 2005. Study on chickpea promising lines for cold tolerance in controlled condition. Proceeding of The Fourth International Food Legumes Research Conference (IFLRC-IV), M. C. Kharkwal (ed.) October 18-22, 2005, New Delhi - India
Sabaghpour. S.H. 2006. Prospects and problems for enhancing grain yield of food legume on dryland in Iran. Iraian Jounal of Crop Science.2 (30):15-54.
Sabaghpour. S.H. 2012. Final reporting for releasing improved lentil variety " Bilesevar" (ILL 6037) for moderate and semi warm areas under rainfed condition of Iran. Dryland Agricultural Research institute of Iran. 37 pages.
Sabaghpour. S.H. 2015a. Final reporting for releasing improved chickpea variety "Sameen"(ILC 1799) for cold area under rainfed condition of Iran. Dryland Agricultural Research institute of Iran. 18 pages.
Sabaghpour. S.H. 2015b. Strategic framework for food legume research. Nashar and Entesharat organization. 417pp.
Sabaghpour, S. H., Malhotra., R. S. and Banai, T. 2005. Registration of Hashem kabuli chickpea. Crop Sci. 45. 2651.
Sabaghpour, S.H., Malhotra, R. S., Sarparast, R., Safikhani, M., Alizadeh, S. H., Jahangeri, A., and Khalaf, G. 2006a. Registration of ‘Arman’–A Kabuli Chickpea Cultivar, Crop Sci. 46: 2704-2705.
Sabaghpour. S.H, Mahmoodi, A. A., Saeed. A., Kamel, M., and Malhotra, R . S. 2006b. Study on chickpea drought tolerance lines under dryland condition of Iran. Indian J. Crop Science, 1(1-2):70 -73.
Sabaghpour. S.H, Safikhani, M., Pezakhpour, P., Jahangheri, A., Sarperast, R., Karami, I., Poursiabiedi, M., Shahriari, D,. Mahmoodi, F., Keshavarz, K. 2010. Azad, A New chickpea cultivar for Moderate and Semi Warm Climate of Iran. Seed and plant Journal. 2(26-1):293-295.
Sabaghpour. S.H., Seyedi, F., Mahmoodi, A.A., Safikhani, M., Pezeshakpour, P., Rostemi, B., Kamel, M., Feayedi, Y., Siabeedi, M.M., Kanoni, H., Mahmoodi, F., Pouralibaba, H., Kerami, I., Jahangeri, A. 2013 .Kimiya, A New High Yielding Lentil Cultivar for Moderate Cold and Semi Warm Climate of Iran. Seed and plant Journal, 2(29-1): 397-399.
Prof. Seyyed Hossain Sabbaghpour