VARIATION IN SEED PROTEIN-CONTENT IN THE ANNUAL WILD CICER SPECIES

In a search for higher seed protein content than in cultivated chickpe a (Cicer arietinum L), the authors evaluated a collection of 228 acces sions from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the D ry Areas (ICARDA), representing the eight annual wild species of the g enus Cicer, along with 20 cultivated chickpea check lines. Variation i n seed protein content ranged from 168 g kg(-1) in C cuneatum Hochst e x Rich to 268 g kg(-1) in C pinnatifidum Jaub & Spach, with an average seed protein content of 207 g kg(-1) over the eight wild species. C y amashitae Kitamura had the highest mean (217 g kg(-1)), while C echino spermum PW Davis had the lowest (192 g kg(-1)). The mean protein conte nt of the cultivated checks was 188 g kg(-1). Significant variation wa s present in C judaicum Boiss, C pinnatifidum and C reticulatum Ladiz. C pinnatifidum had the highest number of accessions with high protein content. Overall, protein content showed negative association with ha rvest index, but little association with leaf area, days to maturity a nd canopy width. Although the variation for seed protein content of th e collection showed accessions with higher protein content than with t he cultivated checks, it falls within the range reported for cultivate d chickpea. It is expected that agronomically superior selections from interspecific hybrids involving C arietinum and its annual relatives should not be inferior to the cultigen in protein content. Moreover, a s usually occurs in distant hybridisation, unexpected epistatic effect s could produce positive transgressive segregants, as has already been reported in Cicer. (C) 1998 Society of Chemical Industry.