CURRENT AND FUTURE STRATEGIES IN BREEDING LENTIL FOR RESISTANCE TO BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC STRESSES

Lentil production is limited by lack of moisture and unfavorable tempe ratures throughout its distribution. Waterlogging and salinity are onl y locally important. Progress has been made in breeding for tolerance to drought through selection for an appropriate phenology and increase d water use efficiency and in breeding for winter hardiness through se lection for cold tolerance. The diseases rust, vascular wilt, and Asco chyta blight, caused by Uromyces viciae-fabae, Fusarium oxysporum f. s p. lentis, and Ascochyta fabae f. sp. lentis, respectively, are the ke y fungal pathogens of lentil. Cultivars with resistance to rust and As cochyta blight have been released in several countries and resistant s ources to vascular wilt are being exploited. Sources of resistance to several other fungal and viral diseases of regional importance are kno wn. In contrast, although the pea leaf weevil (Sitona spp.) and the pa rasitic weed broomrape (Orobanche spp.), and to a lesser extent the cy st nematode (Heterodera ciceri), are significant yield reducers of len til, no sources of resistance to these biotic stresses have been found . Directions for future research in lentil on both biotic and abiotic stresses are discussed.