Abstract
Phosphorus (P) is an essential, non-renewable resource critical for crop productivity across the world. P is immobile in nature and, therefore, the identification of novel genotypes with efficient P uptake and utilization under a low P environment is extremely important. This study was designed to characterize eighty genotypes of different Lens species for shoot and root traits at two contrasting levels of P. A significant reduction in primary root length (PRL), total surface area (TSA), total root tips (TRT), root forks (RF), total dry weight (TDW), root dry weight (RDW) and shoot dry weight (SDW) in response to P deficiency was recorded. A principal component analysis revealed that the TDW, SDW and RDW were significantly correlated to P uptake and utilization efficiency in lentils. Based on total dry weight (TDW) under low P, L4727, EC718309, EC714238, PL-97, EC718348, DPL15, PL06 and EC718332 were found promising. The characterization of different Lens species revealed species-specific variations for the studied traits. Cultivated lentils exhibited higher P uptake and utilization efficiency as compared to the wild forms. The study, based on four different techniques, identified EC714238 as the most P use-efficient genotype. The genotypes identified in this study can be utilized for developing mapping populations and deciphering the genetics for breeding lentil varieties suited for low P environments.
Highlights
The lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus ssp. culinaris) is a self-pollinated legume species with the genome size of 4063 Mbp/1C [1]
The total root length (TRL) and RSR increased by 14.05% and 7.58%, respectively, under low phosphorus (LP) compared to the sufficient phosphorus (SP) level
The results showed that these genotypes were highly efficient in uptake as well as the utilization of P under a limited P environment
Summary
The lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus ssp. culinaris) is a self-pollinated legume species with the genome size of 4063 Mbp/1C [1]. Culinaris) is a self-pollinated legume species with the genome size of 4063 Mbp/1C [1]. It is an ancient crop and its domestication dates back to the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution in the eastern Mediterranean during the. 8th and 7th millennia BC [2]. Thereafter, the crop disseminated to Central Asia, the Nile. Valley and Europe during the period of Neolithic agriculture. The lentil was part of the Harappan crop assemblage (2250 to 1750 BC) in the Indian subcontinent [3]. The crop is cultivated for its protein-rich seeds and valuable straw in North America, South Asia, and the Mediterranean region. The global lentil production was 5.73 mtons during 2019 and Canada was the leading lentil producer followed by India [4]
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