Genomic and biotechnological interventions in Prosopis cineraria: current status, challenges and opportunities

Abstract

The present review illustrates an inclusive overview on the progress made in the area of genomics, population genetics, phylogenetics, non-GM biotechnology and genomic resource development in Prosopis cineraria and also suggests how genomic and biotechnological research will accelerate gene discovery, molecular breeding and crop improvement program in P. cineraria. In the era of global climate change, plant resources able to tolerate adverse stressful environments particularly drought, heat, cold and salt stresses have immense importance. The adaptation of plants towards different abiotic stresses depend on the coordination and regulation of multiple stress-responsive genes. The tree species vital to arid environments possess a gene pool representing useful characteristics related to abiotic stresses. Utilization and characterization of genetic resources of plants of arid regions can lead to an increase in our knowledge of the genes that are linked to abiotic stress related traits. Prosopis cineraria is an important tree of Indian Thar desert and is able to survive in adverse environmental conditions. Genomics and identification of genomic resources of this important tree species may be useful in determination of its adaptive evolution under adverse environmental conditions. Little progress has been made for this tree species in the area of population genetics, genomic and genetic resources development in the form of transcriptome sequencing, generation of ESTs against the heat and drought stresses, and identification of genomic SSRs. The feasibility of micropropagation as a non-GM biotechnology has also been demonstrated in P. cineraria. In this review, we also compared the genomic resource development in P. cineraria with other Prosopis species and some other model forest tree species like Populus, Eucalyptus, Quercus, Pinus, Picea, Castanea. However, genomic resource developed in P. cineraria is almost negligible comparatively to other model plants and still considered as less studied species. Although, many stress-responsive genes have been identified in a number of model plants, the native plant species grown naturally under harsh environment are rich source of novel abiotic stress-tolerant genes. More efforts are therefore needed to characterise this tree species using most modern genomic, genetic and biotechnological tools. More genomic research would accelerate gene discovery and molecular breeding in P. cineraria and increase its acceptability as classical tree species at global level for abiotic stress tolerance.