Severity of leaf miner [Liriomyza cicerina (Rondani, 1875) (Diptera: Agromyzidae)] damage in relation to leaf type in chickpea

Yield loss due to leaf miner [Liriomyza cicerina (Rondani, 1875) (Diptera: Agromyzidae)] damage in chickpea (Cicer arietinum Linnaeus, 1753) (Fabales: Fabaceae) may reach 40% in the Mediterranean basin. A total of 15 chickpea genotypes with different leaf types including five normal (fern), five simple (unipinnate), and five multi (bipinnate) leaves were evaluated for resistance to leaf miner damage using a 1-9 visual scale (1 = no damage, 9 = severe damage etc.) under natural insect infestations in the field during the years, 2006 and 2007. Leaf miner resistance was significantly correlated with leaf type and leaflet size, but was not correlated with leaf pigmentation. Our results revealed that genotypes having simple leaf type were the most sensitive to leaf miner damage, while genotypes with multipinnate and small leaflets were least sensitive. The genotypes having multipinnate leaves with small leaflets may thus be considered for resistance sources to leaf miner in chickpea breeding programs.