ICARDA annual report 2004

ICARDA Annual Report 2004
36
lentils and forage legumes grown
at Tel Hadya (160 ha) are now
sprayed with this chemical.
Imazapic was also tested on 34
ha of winter chickpea during the
2002/03 growing season. Two
applications of imazapic at a rate of
1.5 g ai/ha controlled Orobanche
successfully. Only slight phytotoxic
effects were observed and yields
were not reduced.
Assessing phytotoxicity is
important in herbicide trials.
Farmers fear that phytotoxic side
Selecting forages with
farmers to promote
adoption
At least 250 million poor farmers in
CWANA’s dry areas rely on livestock
for their livelihoods. This
number is expected to increase rapidly
over the next five decades.
When coupled with the effects of
climate change, it means that mixed
crop–livestock and peri-urban meat
and milk production systems will
become the region’s dominant
farming systems. Economic reforms
and urbanization have already
started boosting market demand for
livestock products.
effects will reduce yields, and will
not use chemicals that damage
their crops at the early stages of
development, even if they later
recover. While imazapic is a feasible
option for Orobanche control in
lentil and forage legumes,
researchers found that it could not
be used in faba bean because its
phytotoxic effects were too severe.
Glyphosate (‘Round-up’) is a better
alternative, as it controlled
Orobanche without affecting faba
bean. Two to three applications of
Project 2.3.
Improvement of sown pasture and forage
production for livestock feed in dry areas
L
arge feed deficits are predicted for more than 80% of the
countries in the dry areas of CWANA. This will prevent
resource-poor livestock producers from taking advantage
of the growing market for livestock products. Introducing forage
legumes into crop–livestock systems can help increase meat, milk,
and wool production, and also make these systems more sustainable.
In 2004, participatory approaches were used to promote
the adoption of forage technologies and determine which forage
legumes farmers preferred. Trial results also showed that grazing
forage legumes such as bitter vetch could help to overcome
feed shortages in the spring.
glyphosate at a dose of 60 g ai/ha
per application are recommended.
The glyphosate should first be
applied soon after flowering; later
applications should be separated
by an interval of 15-20 days.
Another alternative is the use of
‘Giza 4,’ an Orobanche-tolerant faba
bean variety developed by
ICARDA. This option would
require the use of no, or little,
glyphosate. Extension efforts are
needed to disseminate this information
to farmers growing faba bean.
However, resource-poor producers
will not be able to benefit
from this growing market, because
large feed deficits are projected for
more than 80% of the countries in
the region. ICARDA and its national
partners are using participatory
approaches to test new foragelegume
technologies designed to
improve crop and animal production,
as well as soil fertility, in
small-scale crop–livestock systems.
Researchers evaluated the performance
of common vetch (Vicia
sativa), narbon vetch (V.
narbonensis) and grass pea (Lathyrus
sativus) under on-farm conditions
in the El-Bab and Khanasser areas
of northern Syria. Farmers in these
areas were recently introduced to
grass pea and narbon vetch, and
asked to compare these with common
vetch, which they have been
growing for several years.
Earliness, tolerance to water
stress and frost, vigorous growth,
leaf size and color, and pod size
and number, were the traits farmers
valued most. They preferred
narbon vetch to common vetch
Syrian farmers discuss the performance of
common and narbon vetch, and grass
pea lines with ICARDA scientists.