Morphology of the slashed pod trait in lentil

Abstract

Reducing losses from pod shatter is a major goal of most lentil (Lens culinaris) improvement programs, however, genetic variability is limited. Recently, a slashed pod trait was suggested to have potential value for reducing losses from shattering, but little was known about the trait. In this study we determined the anatomical features which were associated with the slashed pod trait. Histological specimens from ‘Brewer’ lentil (normal pods) and from germplasm lines expressing the slashed pod trait were compared to each other and to specimens from normal and reduced pod parchment pea (Pisum sativum) lines. Reduced parchment pea pods had less sclerenchyma tissue and fewer fibers than pea pods with normal parchment, but all lentil pods examined had comparable sclerenchyma tissue with similar quantities of fiber. The slashed pod trait was not the result of reduced sclerenchyma tissue (parchment) as had been previously suggested. Apparently, the slashed pod trait resulted from the stresses which develop between fiber cells within the sclerenchyma layer of the pod wall during pod maturation and drying. The trait had little effect on quality of seeds for human utilization in the environments tested but may have an undesirable effect in other environments. Although seed loss due to shatter appeared to be decreased in pods exhibiting the trait, the uncertainty of expression due to environmental influences makes the trait an unlikely candidate for use in lentil improvement programs.