Since autumn-sown faba beans possess several advantages including higher seed yield over the spring cultivars, the study was aimed to screen and select cold tolerant accessions of faba beans (Vicia faba L.) and compare these to wild species in the highland of the west Mediterranean region, Turkey. A total of 114 accessions of Vicia species including 109 accessions of faba bean, three accessions of narbon bean (V. narbonensis L.) and two accessions of V. montbretii Fisch. et C.A. Mey. were screened for cold tolerance at seedling stage in two successive years, 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 growth seasons. Accessions were evaluated for cold tolerance using a 1 (Highly cold tolerant)-5 (Highly cold susceptible) visual scale. Considerable variation was found for cold tolerance and some agronomical characteristics in faba beans. Wild relatives of faba bean were found to be more tolerant to cold than those of cultivated faba beans. Although some pigmented accessions were free from freezing damage at -9.6°C without snow cover, accessions with white flowers were damaged. The proposed screening technique could easily be used to evaluate many faba bean accessions for cold tolerance. To increase yield, it was concluded that the cold tolerant accessions with high yield could be grown as autumn-sown crop in the target environment.

Yield of the cultivated chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) can be doubled when the sowing time is shifted from spring to autumn in the Mediterranean region; however, weeds are one of the most important and unsolved problems in autumn-sown or irrigated chickpea. To solve weed problem, improvement in herbicide resistance has given priority for effective weed management by the farmers. This study deals with the selection of resistance to imidazolinone (IMI) using induced mutagenesis in three Cicer species including five ÔmacrospermaÕ

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When susceptible cultivars are grown in calcareous soils with high pH, significant yield loss due to iron (Fe) deficiency chlorosis is brought about in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). One of the most efficient ways for solve this problem is improved of Fe-deficiency chlorosis via conventional breeding methods. In the study, genotypes ICC 4851 and ICC 4858, which are resistant to Fe-deficiency chlorosis, were crossed with genotype ICC 6119, which is susceptible to Fe-deficiency chlorosis, and studied genetics of Fe-deficiency chlorosis in F1 and F2 segregating generations. Fe-deficiency chlorosis was governed by a major recessive gene and affected by environment factors like high temperature. A negative selection seems to be an effective approach after segregation in F2 or later generations.