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search for new strains and related species and the provision of seed from the ICRISAT collection for<br />
evaluation and use in programs of colleagues everywhere.<br />
To increase, through breeding, the ability of genotypes to produce higher yields, optimum protein<br />
content and quality, and characteristics favored by the consumer.<br />
In its management of the germplasm collections and genotypes resulting from its work, ICRISAT<br />
intends to continue its cooperation with plant breeders in all national and regional pulse-improvement<br />
programs, hoping to provide superior genetic materials for the use of others who are attempting to<br />
develop tailor-made lines needed for conditions in a specific location. The segregating of genotypes<br />
with a wide diversity of genetic characters, plant architecture, physiological attributes, and insect and<br />
disease resistance is a major goal.<br />
I C R I S A T Center<br />
ICRISAT Center is the major research facility of the Institute. Located near the village of Patancheru<br />
on the highway between Hyderabad and Bombay, the facility includes two major soil types<br />
found in the semi-arid tropics. The red soil (Alfisol) is light and droughty; the black soils (Vertisols)<br />
have a great water-holding capacity. The availability of these two soil types provides an opportunity<br />
to conduct selection work under conditions representative of many areas of the SAT. Three distinct<br />
agricultural seasons - rainy, postrainy, and hot dry - characterize the area. The rainy season, also<br />
known as monsoon or kharif, usually begins in June and runs into September; more than 80 percent<br />
of the annual rainfall occurs during these months. The postrainy season of October through January,<br />
also known as postmonsoon or rabi, is dry and cool; days are short. From February until the rains<br />
begin again is known as the hot dry season, with daily temperatures of between 36 and 43 C.<br />
Chickpeas are planted in October or November and grow on residual soil moisture; only one generation<br />
per year is grown. June and July are the months in which pigeonpeas are planted; they grow<br />
throughout the season and on into the postrainy season without irrigation. An additional generation of<br />
early maturing types is planted at ICRISAT Center in December and grown with irrigation so as to<br />
provide an additional generation for the breeding program.<br />
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