Three women scientists joined forces with ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics) to create the most promising, climate-smart varieties of chickpeas of 2022.
The new varieties are considered to be a superior alternative to the existing ones available in Central and South India. The new options will be able to bear climate erraticism in terms of heat tolerance, mature early (one of the varieties matures in just 94 days) and can be harvested by machines for quicker collecting to escape sudden, unseasonal rains. They’re also resistant to many diseases including the dreaded fungal Fusarium wilt.
The women of the hour are Dr Veera Jayalakshmi, a Principal Scientist at the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Nandyal, Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University( ANGRAU), Andhra Pradesh, Dr Anita Babbar, Principal Scientist at Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya (JNKVV), State Agricultural University, Jabalpur and Dr Ritu Saxena, a Principal Scientist at Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV), Raipur.
Dr Jayalakshmi developed the drought-tolerant variant back in 2012, the first machineable variety in 2015 and after years of research, the much superior chickpea which is resistant to Fusarium wilt was developed in 2022.
Dr Babbar has developed a chickpea variety that can be easily cultivated in Madhya Pradesh and is tolerant to heat stress (late planting conditions) and is superior to existing varieties in terms of yield and its resistance to diseases.
Dr Saxena has developed a chickpea variety that matures in just 94 days.
Image source: ICRISAT