Registration of ‘Kafkas’ Lentil

A. Aydoğan, N. Aydin, I. Küsmenoğlu, and A. Karagöz, Central Research Institute for Field Crops (CRIFC), Ankara, Turkey; A. Sarker and W. Erskine, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Aleppo, Syria. Registration by CSSA. Received 17 June 2006. *Corresponding author (a.sarker@cgisr.org). ‘Kafkas’ lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) (Reg. No. CV-29, PI 635041) was jointly developed by the Central Research Institute for Field Crops (CRIFC), General Directorate of Agricultural Research, Ankara, Turkey, and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Aleppo, Syria. It was released in Turkey in 2001 by the National Seed Board for cultivation as a winter crop in the highlands of Central Anatolia, Turkey. Kafkas is a high-yielding red cotyledon lentil cultivar with a high level of winter-hardiness. Lentil production can be increased signifi cantly by shifting planting from spring to early-spring or fall sowing (Sakar et al., 1988). This gives the crop the benefi t of winter rainfall, and the moisture received is less subject to evaporation because temperatures are lower as the crop approaches maturity. This environment allows optimum vegetative growth, development of higher yield potential, and higher water-use effi ciency. In addition, the taller canopy allows for mechanical harvest. The higher biomass from the winter crop is highly valued as feed for small ruminants. ICARDA’s main research station in Syria has mild winters, so research into winter-hardiness is performed with CRIFC, Turkey. Field screening is done at Haymana, Sivas, and other areas prone to extreme cold. Information generated and selections made are sent to ICARDA, and the material is incorporated in the International Cold Tolerant Nursery, which is sent to other national programs for evaluation. In addition, winter-hardy parents are used in the hybridization program at ICARDA, and segregating populations are sent to the national program partners to select single plants suited to various agro-ecological conditions. During the 1997 and 1998 growing seasons, winter-hardy research on lentil was strengthened under a USAID-linkage project, and research was jointly performed by CRIFC, Turkey, Washington State University, USA and ICARDA, Syria. The project activities facilitated multilocation testing and eventually led to the development and release of Kafkas. Kafkas was developed through single plant selection from a local landrace collected from southeast Anatolia, Turkey. Initially, 156 landraces were evaluated at the Haymana Research Station (1050 m above sea level [masl]) in 1990. A total of 5064 single plants were selected and tested in fall-sown 1-m single-row plots during the 1992 season in Haymana. After rigorous testing and selection in cold-prone areas of Haymana, Sivas (1350 masl), Konya (1032 masl) and Karaman (1033 masl), 45 lines were retained at the end of 1996–1997 season based on winterhardiness, desirable agronomic performance, and higher yield potential. The lines were then evaluated at four locations in replicated yield trials. The materials were subjected to –29°C in Sivas in 1999–2000. On the basis of winter-hardiness (1–3 score), yield performance, medium maturity, and seed traits, seven lines were retained and were given CRIFC accession numbers. Kafkas received CRIFC accession number TUR 01261 (AKM 196). Kafkas, other promising lines, and two checks, ‘Yerli Kırmızı’ and ‘Seyran 96’, were evaluated at Haymana, Yozgat, Konya, and Karaman, in the highlands of Central Anatolia during the 1998 to 2000 seasons. From 12 large-plot multilocation yield trials, Kafkas gave an average yield of 1705 kg ha−1 compared with 1537 kg ha−1 for Yerli Kırmızı and 1238 kg ha−1 for Seyran 96. Kafkas showed consistently higher yield over the checks and had wide adaptation in the region. Based on winter hardiness, Kafkas can survive well in the harsh winter conditions at Sivas (–29°C). Kafkas plants have slightly pubescent leaves with small leaflets with well-developed tendrils. Plants are semi-erect in growth habit without any pigmentation. It fl owers in 214 d and attains physiological maturity in 263 d. Flower color is purple and produces two to three fl owers per peduncle. The cultivar has a plant height of up to 40 cm at maturity, and the lowest pod height is 14 cm above ground. The cultivar is good for mechanical harvest, with very low harvest loss. Seeds have a brown testa with mottled pattern, and the cotyledon is bright red. Seeds are medium and average with about 3.65 g per 100 seeds. Breeder seed stock of Kafkas is maintained at the Grain Legume Improvement Program, CRIFC, Ankara, Turkey. Small quantities of seed can be obtained from the corresponding author for at least fi ve years from the date of publication. Seed of this release is deposited Published in the Journal of Plant Registrations 1:44–45 (2007). doi: 10.3198/jpr2006.06.0387crc © Crop Science Society of America 677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA