Breeding for Abiotic Stress Adaptation in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Chickpea is an important legume crop, providing a protein rich diet for humans and animal feed. Globally, chickpea is grown in over 56 countries, occupying a production area of approximately 17.8 million ha. The crop is grown mainly in arid and semi-arid regions under rainfed conditions, where it is highly vulnerable to abiotic stresses such as heat, frost and drought at various growth stages during the season. Severe yield losses due to abiotic stresses have been recorded, especially when the crop is exposed to adverse conditions during the reproductive phase, causing instability in chickpea production worldwide. Breeding for tolerant chickpea that is widely adaptable to various growth conditions and diverse growing regions is the best strategic approach but requires a fine-tuned combination of advanced phenotyping and genotyping methods. However, breeding and selection of suitable chickpea genotypes is complicated by its narrow genetic base which limits the sources of novel alleles, and its indeterminate growth habit that at times allows it to recover, flower, set pods and yield following stressful events if subsequent conditions are favorable. This manuscript provides an insight into common abiotic stresses affecting chickpea production worldwide with an emphasis on heat, frost and drought. We will elaborate on breeding approaches and application of advanced genotyping and phenotyping tools commonly used to develop tolerant chickpea varieties. Finally, key crop tolerance traits that can be easily screened for by using genotypic and phenotypic technologies will be discussed.