NATURAL OUTCROSSING IN CHICKPEA (CICER-ARIETINUM L)

The rate of natural outcrossing in the cultivated chickpea (Cicer arie tinum L.) was estimated with five lines grown over three planting date s in the 1988-1989 season, and four other lines grown in one planting date in 1989, and over two planting dates in 1991. At each planting da te,a randomized complete block design with six replications was employ ed. The location of the study was at the University of California, Sou th Coast Research and Extension Center, Irvine, CA, where high outcros sing rates have been previously observed in different genotypes of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Compound leaf, controlled by a s ingle dominant gene (Silv/silv), was used as a morphological marker. U nifoliate genotypes were used as female parents and were interplanted in the middle row of every plot with genotypes with compound leaves de signated as male parents. Although many bumble bees (Bombus spp.) and honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) visited open chickpea flowers, progeny tests revealed that the average rate of natural outcrossing in the lin es under investigation was less than 1%.