SOURCES OF RESISTANCE TO CYST-NEMATODE IN CULTIVATED AND WILD CICER SPECIES

Among the nematodes infesting chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) plants in Syria, cyst nematode (Heterodera ciceri Vovlas, Greco et Di Vito) is t he most important. It is uneconomical to grow chickpea in fields infes ted with cyst nematode and to control this nematode with nematicide. T herefore, investigations were conducted at ICARDA, Syria from 1987 to 1991 to identify sources of resistance to cyst nematode in 7258 lines of C. arietinum and 102 lines of eight annual Cicer species including C. bijugum K.R. Rech. (13 lines), C. chorassanicum (Bge) M. Pop. (3 li nes), C. cuneatum Hochst. ex Rich. (3 lines), C. echinospermum P.H. Da vis (8 lines), C. judaicum Boiss. (18 lines), C. pinnatifidum Jaub. & Sp. (18 lines), C. reticulatum Ladiz. (36 lines), and C. yamashitae Ki tamura (3 lines). All lines were grown in a greenhouse at 15-25 degree s C in pots containing soil infested with 20 eggs of the nematode g(-1 ) soil. Nematode infestation was evaluated on a 0 to 5 scale based on number of females and cysts on roots. Resistance was found in one line of C. bijugum, six lines of C. pinnatifidum, and one line of C. retic ulatum. No lines of C. arietinum, C. chorassanicum, C. cuneatum, C. ec hinospermum, C. judaicum, or C. yamashitae was resistant to cyst nemat ode. Plants with resistance have been recovered in the F-3 generation from crosses between the cultigen and C. reticulatum, indicating the p ossibility of transfer of gene(s) for resistance to cyst nematode from wild to cultivated Cicer species.