A Guide to Accelerated Breeding Cycle in Chickpea to Enhance Rate of Gain

Abstract

Speed breeding is time saving based approach and is among genetic improvement enhancers approach through genetic recombination and fast generation reconstitution in plant breeding. Genetic gain acceleration enables combating the gap between demand and supply. Dagnachew et al., (2016), have reported a positive yield and seed quality gain over the four decades of Ethiopian chickpea research improvement endeavor. Increasing the number of generations per unit of time (over a given period) improves the overall efficiency in the delivery rate of defined variety or product/s. Amy et al., (2018) have reported that under controlled environment of growth chamber, speed breeding approach achieved up to 6 generations per year for spring wheat (Triticum aestivum), durum wheat (T. durum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and pea (Pisum sativum), and 4 generations for canola (Brassica napus), instead of 2–3 under normal glasshouse conditions.Under uncontrolled open field condition Asnake et al (unpublished) has reported 4 generations per year in chickpea, with possible further potential. It was also noted that the approach can easily be adopted, integrated with other conventional and/or advanced breeding approaches like molecular breeding. This manual tries to elaborate the approaches /which is flexible/ in chickpea speed breeding with the goal to achieve multiple generations per year without losing breeding values (the useful attributes of the products). Single Seed Decent (SSD) Technique is preferred approach along the speeding generation to be made in the course