Novel Sources of Resistance to Root-Lesion Nematode () in a New Collection of Wild Species ( and ) to Improve Resistance in Cultivated Chickpea ().

, a nematode species that feeds and reproduces in chickpea () roots, is widespread throughout the Mediterranean basin and Indian subcontinent. In Australia, it can cause yield losses up to approximately 25% of intolerant chickpea cultivars. Potential for improvement has been hindered by the narrow genetic diversity of cultivated chickpea and a limited world collection of original wild spp. in the primary gene pool, consisting of 18 and 10 accessions. Recently, collections of and from Turkey have substantially increased the number of accessions. This study evaluated 133 and 41 accessions from the new collection for resistance to under controlled conditions in repeated glasshouse pot experiments. The aim of the study was to identify accessions with resistance superior to that currently available in Australian germplasm. Both wild spp. were found, on average, to be more resistant to ( < 0.001) than Combined analyses across experiments to determine genetic rankings showed that 13 (7%) wild accessions were significantly more resistant than the most resistant reference ILWC 246, while another 40 (23%) accessions were significantly more resistant than the least susceptible Australian chickpea cultivar PBA Seamer. Mean population densities differed significantly between collection sites in Turkey and within each of the genetic population groups. The sites Kayatepe and Baristepe1, and genetic population groups Ret_A and Ret_F associated with sites Oyali and Baristepe1, produced the lowest population densities. This is the first report assessing the resistance to of this new collection which offers novel sources of resistance and untapped genetic diversity valuable for international chickpea breeding programs to exploit.