Improvement of leaf miner (Liriomyza cicerina Rond. (Diptera: Agromyzidae)) resistance in Cicer species

Chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.) leaf miner [ Liriomyza cicerina Rond. (Diptera: Agromyzidae)] is one of the main insect pests of chickpea since it causes substantial yield losses in Turkey. The most efficient practical, environmental and economical solutions to overcome leaf miner damage in chickpea is the utilization of resistant cultivars. The present study aims selecting resistance for leaf miner via mutation breeding in two Cicer species viz. C. arietinum L. and C. reticulatum Ladiz. Genotypes were irradiated with 200, 300 and 400 Gy gamma rays. A total of 20 genotypes consisting of eight mutants, nine breeding lines, and two susceptible controls and one resistant control were compared for resistance to leaf miner for two years. A highly pigmented mutant of C. reticulatum with multipinnate leaves was highly resistant to leaf miner comparing with the controls and breeding lines under field conditions. It may be useful to develop cultivars for resistance to leaf miner since C. reticulatum can be easily crossed with the cultivated chickpeas.