Registration of ‘Sierra’ Chickpea

‘Sierra’ (Reg. no. CV-226, PI 631078) is a large seeded Kabuli type chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) developed by the USDA-ARS in cooperation with the Washington Agricultural Research Center, Pullman, WA and released jointly with the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station, Moscow, ID, the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, Fargo, ND, and the California Agricultural Experiment Station, Davis, CA in 2003. Sierra has good resistance to Ascochyta blight [caused by Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Labrousse; syn. Phoma rabiei (Pass.) Khune & J.N. Kapoor], a disease that has caused serious damage to chickpea crops in the U.S. Pacific Northwest from 1983 to the present. The disease was especially severe in 1987 when more than 50% of the crop was destroyed. Sierra was evaluated for Ascochyta blight resistance, yield, and quality traits as experimental line CA9783152C. Sierra originated as an F8 selection from a three-way cross ‘Dwelley’//FLIP85-58/‘Spanish White’ made in 1992. Dwelley (PI 598079) is a unifoliolate Kabuli-type cultivar that was developed for resistance to Ascochyta blight (2). FLIP85-58 is an Ascochyta blight resistant germplasm line provided by K.B. Singh, chickpea breeder at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas located at Aleppo, Syria. Spanish White is a white seeded cultivar with exceptionally large seed size and a preferred type in Spain. From the F1 to F8, progenies from the cross were advanced by the pedigree method with selection for seed size and color in each generation. Ascochyta blight resistance was assessed in the disease nursery that was established according to 3 at the Washington State University Spillman Research Farm located near Pullman, WA. Evaluations for Ascochyta blight resistance were made in the F3, F5, and F7 in 1994, 1995, and 1996, respectively. In the final year of screening, disease scores for Sierra indicated improved resistance to Ascochyta blight when compared with earlier released cultivars ‘Sanford’ (PI 598078) and Dwelley (1, 2). The improved resistance to Ascochyta blight was the primary reason for release of Sierra. Plants of Sierra average 53 cm tall, are branched at the base, and are generally upright. Sierra has a unifoliolate leaf structure that is similar to Sanford and Dwelley and differs from the fern leaf structure that is typical of ‘UC-5’ (PI 462203), ‘UC-27’ (PI 552530), and Spanish White. Depending on weather conditions, flowering is initiated about 46 d after planting. Flowers appear about 36 cm above the soil surface. Pods are rhomboid-ellipsoid and have glandular trichomes, which give them a pubescent appearance. Pods usually have one seed but occasionally two seeds are present. Crop maturity is 2 to 3 d earlier than Dwelley or Sanford and generally about 110 d after planting. Seed size of Sierra is similar to Dwelley but larger than Sanford and average 61.4 g per 100 seeds. Light-cream colored seeds of Sierra are lighter than Dwelley and Sanford. Sierra is suited to the domestic canning industry and is readily accepted in international markets. United States Plant Variety Protection has been applied for Sierra. Breeder and Foundation seed of Sierra will be maintained by the Washington State Crop Improvement Association under the supervision of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Agricultural Research Center, College of Agriculture and Home Economics, Washington State University, and the USDA-ARS, Pullman, WA 99164-6434. Small quantities of seed of Sierra for research purposes may be obtained from the corresponding author for at least 5 yr. Recipients of seed are asked to make appropriate recognition of the source of Sierra if it is used in the development of a new cultivar, germplasm, parental line, or genetic stock.