Conservation and Characterization of chickpeas (Cicer sp.) local germplasm under different saline conditions

Climatic changes in the Mediterranean basin and the surroundings are expected to affect adversely precipitation, and cause an increase in temperature. On the other hand, salinity stress is one of the abiotic stresses affecting the performance and production of many crop in Jordan including chickpeas. Chickpea(Cicer arietinum) is one of the leading crops for food security it is commonly used for as a cheap source of protein (20-30 %), carbohydrates (40%) and minerals all needed for the human diet (Flowers et al., 2010; Gaur et al., 2012).  Increasing the representation of chickpeas local germplasm variation is a base for future breeding toward higher production and stress tolerance.  Expansion of crop cultivation using treated saline water could be a valuable alternative to regular water sources and of cheaper prices when the country suffers a lack of good water sources for drinking and agriculture.  As legumes, roots must form nodules that need certain habitats of the rhizosphere it implies being cautious in suggesting such an alternative, however, the locally adapted varieties and crop wild relatives could both give very good alternatives to be explored toward such tolerance.