UK launches chickpea breeding program for national production

Like other nitrogen-fixing legumes, chickpeas can reduce the need for fertilizer on farms and reduce the high greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production and use of mineral fertilizers. The National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) will lead a new research and breeding program designed to assess the feasibility of growing chickpeas in the UK, says Richard Halleron in an article on www.agriland.ie: “The £500,000 project, called 'Cicero', has received financial support from the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra). The current production of legumes in the UK is mainly limited to field beans and peas, which are not necessarily optimized for human consumption. Most of these crops are intended for animal feed. In contrast, chickpeas are grown for the food industry. However, British farmers rarely choose chickpeas for planting, mainly due to the lack of adapted varieties and the lack of knowledge about this crop among both farmers and consultants. ...