Speed breeding delivers 400 chickpea lines

Pakistan has developed 400 advanced chickpea breeding lines under a newly established Speed Breeding Facility, aimed at accelerating the development of climate-resilient and high-yield pulse varieties.

Dr Shahid Riaz Malik, Head of the Pulses Research Programme at the National Agricultural Research Centre, said the breeding lines were developed using controlled-environment speed breeding techniques and are being prepared for field testing. He said the facility reduces the development cycle of pulse varieties by nearly half, cutting the time needed to release a new variety from 12 to 15 years to about seven to eight years.

The facility focuses on chickpeas, lentils, mung beans, black gram and other pulses vital for food security and farm incomes, using controlled temperature, humidity and light to grow crops every two months instead of once a year. Dr Malik said chickpea normally takes six months in open fields and can be grown once a year, but under speed breeding five to six generations can be produced annually, allowing rapid screening for drought, heat and disease resistance.

Promising lines are advanced quickly through hybridisation before entering field trials, followed by national yield testing and approval by seed councils prior to release to farmers.

The centre is Pakistan's first dedicated speed breeding facility for pulses and the largest in South Asia, with chickpea research nearing completion and lentil work about 70% to 75% finalised. Protocols for mung bean and black gram are being optimised, while the programme has expanded to peanuts, millet and other crops, alongside training for scientists and students in modern breeding techniques.