Rapid generation advancement in chickpea

Development of homozygous lines from segregating populations following hybridization takes several years if one generation is taken every year. Plant breeders have used various methods to accelerate generation turnover. In chickpea (Cicer arietinum), many breeding programs successfully take two generations per year – one in the field during the crop season and the other in off-season either in greenhouse or in an off-season nursery. In India, chickpea is grown in winter season and sowing generally starts in October. The length of crop season varies from 90 to 160 days depending on latitude, altitudes and growing conditions (soil type, irrigation, etc). The offseason crop is taken during summer in the high latitude areas, eg, Lahaul and Spiti in Himalayas (latitude 31°44’ to 32°59’ N, longitude 76°46’ to 78°41’ E, altitude 5,480 to 6,400 m). Similar off-season nurseries are available in many other countries, eg, Terbol in the Beqaa valley in Lebanon (latitude 33°47’ N, longitude 35°59’ E, altitude 1220 m). It is possible to