Genetics of economic traits.

Abstract

AbstractAlthough lentil is among the most prominent grain legumes globally, its economic position strengthened significantly when it became important in international trade about two decades ago. This, coupled with the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), focused attention on the crop as its world mandate, served as a stimulus for enhanced research in the area of genetics, breeding and biotechnology. This chapter deals with the genetics of characters showing discrete, identifiable and contrasting phenotypes. The inheritance of morphological traits (growth habit, red foliage, light green foliage, leaflet shape, size and number, tendril formation, plant pubescence, plant height, globe mutant, stem fasciation, stipule size, flowering time, flower colour, number of flowers per peduncle, pod size, pod dehiscence, seed coat colour, tannin in seed coat, seed coat spotting, seed size, hardseededness, cotyledon colour), protein content, abiotic stresses (frost injury, drought tolerance, soil factors), disease resistance, and alloenzyme variation. Cytogenetics studies on lentil are discussed.