Registration of AWC 612M Chickpea Mutant Germplasm Line Resistant to Leaf Miner (Liriomyza cicerina)

Chickpea leaf miner (Liriomyza cicerina Rond.) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) is a distinctive, important insect pest of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) that can cause substantial yield losses if it is not adequately controlled. Host plant resistance to leaf miner is one of the best control options in sustainable farming. Since there are insufficient resistant sources in cultivated chickpea, an accession (AWC 612) of C. reticulatum Ladiz., crossable with cultivated chickpea, was subjected to 200, 300, and 400 Gy gamma rays to increase variation through mutating, and the mutant germplasm line AWC 612M (Reg. No. GP-305, PI 688421), with a multipinnate leaf type, was developed and selected in the M-3. AWC 612M was selected for its resistance against leaf miner under natural epidemic conditions in the field for 10 yr from 2007 to 2016. AWC 612M was free from damage, while the susceptible chickpea line ILC 3397 had numerous mines in >91% of leaflets and leaf drop >31%. AWC 612M, derived from C. reticulatum, which is compatible with the cultivated chickpea, represents a new source for breeding programs of resistance to leaf miner.