Chickpea Improvement Research Articles

Genetic Variability, Correlation, Direct and Indirect Effects on Seed Yield through Different Quantitative Traits in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Germplasm at Central Plain Zone (Uttar Pradesh)

Chickpea is the leading legume grain crop source for protein and other nutritional content. Chickpea holds second rank in pulse production area and third in total production. There are totally 26 germplasm and 11 traits were chosen for this study. All the traits were recorded on the optimum plant growth stages. Among 26 chickpea genotypes, KPG-59, IPCO-2K-25, IPC-04-52, C-203, C-223 and PC-6006 recorded highest mean seed yield with the contributory characters namely, number of seeds per plant, harvest index, number of pods per plant, biological yield, seed index. The phenotypic correlation revealed that the seed yield per plant recorded positive correlation with plant height, number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches per plant, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per plant, biological yield, harvest index and seed index. Also, the biological yield and harvest index recorded positive direct effect on Seed yield per plant and the negative direct effect found in days to 50% flowering, plant height and number of pods per plant. The traits, days to 50% flowering and plant height showed positive correlation and negative direct effect on seed yield per plant. Seed yield per plant recorded higher PCV and GCV value than other traits. The broad sense heritability and genetic advance as percent of mean recorded higher value in seed yield per plant. The efficiency of selection will be improved by understanding the association among the traits and variability. This will be helpful in chickpea improvement plant breeding program.

Assessment of molecular genetic diversity of 384 chickpea genotypes and development of core set of 192 genotypes for chickpea improvement programs

Assessment of molecular genetic diversity of 384 chickpea genotypes and development of core set of 192 genotypes for chickpea improvement programs

Targeted breeding for chickpea improvement

Targeted breeding for chickpea improvement

DIVERSITY ANALYSIS OF CHICKPEA GERMPLASM FOR THE YIELD RELATED TRAITS

Chickpea is one of the major food legumes cultivated on a large area in the world and is famous for highly proteinaceous seeds. Germplasm diversity plays a key role in chickpea improvement programs. In this regard, the experiment was conducted for the assessment of phenotypic diversity present in chickpea germplasm for yield-related traits. The 74 genotypes and 14 modern cultivars of chickpea were sown following the randomized complete block design at the farm area of MNS University of Agriculture, Multan, in November 2018. The evaluation was based on the morphological parameters including plant height (cm), number of pods per 5 plants, number of seeds per pod and 100 seed weight (g). The analysis of variance represented that significant differences were present for these traits among germplasm lines. Based on recorded results, the plant height ranged from 52.58 cm to 82.60 cm in genotypes and from 46.73 cm to 72.86 cm in cultivars. In the case of 100 seeds weight, the range was 13.99 g to 26.51 g in genotypes while 16.67 g to 22.58 g in cultivars. The number of pods in five plants ranged from 23.33 to 211.33 in genotypes and that of 98.33 to 210 in cultivars. Finally, the minimum and the maximum number of seeds per pod in genotypes were 1.53 and 2.93, respectively, while those in the case of the cultivars were 1.6 and 2.5, respectively. Further, based on yield-related traits viz. No. of pods per plant, No. of seeds per pod and 100 seed weight, the TGK1508 was the highest yielding genotype and the D072-11 remained the lowest yielding genotype while Fakhar-e-Thal performed best and was the highest yielding cultivar.

DIVERSITY ANALYSIS OF CHICKPEA GERMPLASM FOR THE YIELD RELATED TRAITS

Chickpea is one of the major food legumes cultivated on a large area in the world and is famous for highly proteinaceous seeds. Germplasm diversity plays a key role in chickpea improvement programs. In this regard, the experiment was conducted for the assessment of phenotypic diversity present in chickpea germplasm for yield-related traits. The 74 genotypes and 14 modern cultivars of chickpea were sown following the randomized complete block design at the farm area of MNS University of Agriculture, Multan, in November 2018. The evaluation was based on the morphological parameters including plant height (cm), number of pods per 5 plants, number of seeds per pod and 100 seed weight (g). The analysis of variance represented that significant differences were present for these traits among germplasm lines. Based on recorded results, the plant height ranged from 52.58 cm to 82.60 cm in genotypes and from 46.73 cm to 72.86 cm in cultivars. In the case of 100 seeds weight, the range was 13.99 g to 26.51 g in genotypes while 16.67 g to 22.58 g in cultivars. The number of pods in five plants ranged from 23.33 to 211.33 in genotypes and that of 98.33 to 210 in cultivars. Finally, the minimum and the maximum number of seeds per pod in genotypes were 1.53 and 2.93, respectively, while those in the case of the cultivars were 1.6 and 2.5, respectively. Further, based on yield-related traits viz. No. of pods per plant, No. of seeds per pod and 100 seed weight, the TGK1508 was the highest yielding genotype and the D072-11 remained the lowest yielding genotype while Fakhar-e-Thal performed best and was the highest yielding cultivar.

Phenological, Morphological and Yield based Characterization of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Germplasm Lines

Background: The characterization of chickpea genetic resources is a vital step to explore genetic variability in breeding programs. In the present study, we characterized 90 germplasm lines of desi chickpea collected across the Indian chickpea growing region. The identified trait-specific germplasm lines will be used as a valuable genetic resource for the chickpea improvement programme. Methods: An experiment was conducted in augmented design to characterize germplasm lines of chickpea for 13 qualitative and 17 quantitative agro-morphological traits under Bundelkhand agro-climatic conditions. Result: Ample variation was observed for qualitative and quantitative traits. The study revealed that the presences of high variability in qualitative and quantitative traits are useful in the identification of plant genotype for a specific trait, genetic purity analysis, germplasm conservation and also possible use of potential genotype in the breeding program.

Erratum

Legume ScienceVolume 3, Issue 2 e114 ERRATUMFree Access Erratum This article corrects the following: Potential and limits of exploitation of crop wild relatives for pea, lentil, and chickpea improvement Clarice J. Coyne, Shiv Kumar, Eric J.B. Wettberg, Edward Marques, Jens D. Berger, Robert J. Redden, T.H. Noel Ellis, Jan Brus, Lenka Zablatzká, Petr Smýkal, Volume 2Issue 2Legume Science First Published online: April 7, 2020 First published: 28 June 2021 https://doi.org/10.1002/leg3.114AboutSectionsPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Following publication of the below articles, the Conflict of Interest section has been added (Coyne et al., 2020). Potential and limits of exploitation of crop wild relatives for pea, lentil, and chickpea improvement (Egan et al., 2020). Characterisation of seed marking types in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): Tiger stripe and other blemishes (Nwadi et al., 2020). Enrichment of food blends with bambara groundnut flour: Past, present, and future trends (Tufan et al., 2020). Utilization of legume flours in wafer sheets (Kumar et al., 2020). Effect of germination and roasting on the proximate composition, total phenolics, and functional properties of black chickpea (Cicer arietinum). REFERENCES Coyne, C. J., Kumar, S., von Wettberg, E. J. B., Marques, E., Berger, J. D., Redden, R. J., Ellis, T. H. N., Brus, J., Zablatzká, L., & Smýkal, P. (2020). Potential and limits of exploitation of crop wild relatives for pea, lentil, and chickpea improvement. Legume Science, 2(2), e36. https://doi.org/10.1002/leg3.36 Egan, N. E., Keir, C. F., Miller, J. C., Pengilley, G. C., Hobson, K. B., & Wood, J. A. (2020). Characterisation of seed marking types in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): Tiger stripe and other blemishes. Legume Science, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/leg3.29 Kumar, Y., Sharanagat, V. S., Singh, L., & Mani, S. (2020). Effect of germination and roasting on the proximate composition, total phenolics, and functional properties of black chickpea (Cicer arietinum). Legume Science, 2(1), e20. https://doi.org/10.1002/leg3.20 Nwadi, O. M. M., Uchegbu, N., & Oyeyinka, S. A. (2020). Enrichment of food blends with bambara groundnut flour: Past, present, and future trends. Legume Science, 2(1), e25. https://doi.org/10.1002/leg3.25 Tufan, B., Sahin, S., & Sumnu, G. (2020). Utilization of legume flours in wafer sheets. Legume Science, 2(1), e12. https://doi.org/10.1002/leg3.12 Volume3, Issue2Special Issue: Early Career Researcher Special IssueJune 2021e114 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Cicer turcicum: A New Cicer Species and Its Potential to Improve Chickpea.

Genetic resources of the genus Cicer L. are not only limited when compared to other important food legumes and major cereal crops but also, they include several endemic species with endangered status based on the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The chief threats to endemic and endangered Cicer species are over-grazing and habitat change in their natural environments driven by climate changes. During a collection mission in east and south-east Anatolia (Turkey), a new Cicer species was discovered, proposed here as C. turcicum Toker, Berger & Gokturk. Here, we describe the morphological characteristics, images, and ecology of the species, and present preliminary evidence of its potential utility for chickpea improvement. C. turcicum is an annual species, endemic to southeast Anatolia and to date has only been located in a single population distant from any other known annual Cicer species. It belongs to section Cicer M. Pop. of the subgenus Pseudononis M. Pop. of the genus Cicer L. (Fabaceae) and on the basis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence similarity appears to be a sister species of C. reticulatum Ladiz. and C. echinospermum P.H. Davis, both of which are inter-fertile with domestic chickpea (C. arietinum L.). With the addition of C. turcicum, the genus Cicer now comprises 10 annual and 36 perennial species. As a preliminary evaluation of its potential for chickpea improvement two accessions of C. turcicum were field screened for reproductive heat tolerance and seeds were tested for bruchid resistance alongside a representative group of wild and domestic annual Cicer species. C. turcicum expressed the highest heat tolerance and similar bruchid resistance as C. judaicum Boiss. and C. pinnatifidum Juab. & Spach, neither of which are in the primary genepool of domestic chickpea. Given that C. arietinum and C. reticulatum returned the lowest and the second lowest tolerance and resistance scores, C. turcicum may hold much potential for chickpea improvement if its close relatedness supports interspecific hybridization with the cultigen. Crossing experiments are currently underway to explore this question.

Genetic Diversity Analysis for Agronomic Characteristics of Kabuli Chickpea (<i>Cicer arietinum</i> L.) Genotypes at Central Ethiopia

Chickpea is one of the important pulse crop next to faba bean and common bean in terms of area coverage and production in Ethiopia. It is usually grown as a source of cash, protein, maintaining soil fertility, used for animal feed and as fuel. Low genetic diversity, poor resistance against major diseases and abiotic stresses are major constraints in achieving high yield potential. Forty-nine kabuli chickpea experimental materials were studied at Debre Zeit and Akaki, Ethiopia with the objective of estimating genetic divergence among the genotypes and clustering them into genetically divergent class using multi-variate analysis technique in 2020 cropping season. Cluster analysis showed the 49 genotypes grouped into three clusters and one solitary. This implies that the genotypes used for the study were moderately divergent. The maximum distance was found between clusters II and IV followed by cluster III and IV. The minimum distance was found between cluster II and I. The first four principal components with eigenvalues greater than one explain about 74.3% of the total variation. genotype DZ-2012-CK-0290 from cluster I for grain yield and number of primary branch, DZ-2012-CK-0242 for high biological yield from cluster II; DZ-2012-CK-0249 for seed size from cluster III; DZ-2012-CK-0309 for early flowering and maturity from cluster III and DZ-2012-CK-0291 for number of seeds per pod, number of seeds per plant could be utilized in hybridization program for kabuli chickpea improvement.

Characterization and identification of annual wildCicerspecies for seed protein and mineral concentrations for chickpea improvement

AbstractDeveloping nutrient‐rich crop cultivars is the most economic strategy to combat malnutrition resulting from protein and mineral deficiencies. Chickpea (Cicer arietinumL.) is an important staple grain legume source of good quality dietary protein around the world, particularly in southern Asia, northern Africa, and the Middle East. In the present investigation, the genetic variability for protein and mineral concentrations was studied in 41 accessions of cultivated chickpea and eight annual wildCicerspecies of primary, secondary, and tertiary gene pool. Large variability was observed between and withinCicerspecies for seed protein, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Ca, and Mg concentration with high heritability.C. chorassanicum(Bunge) Popov was found to be the most promising species for high seed protein and Ca;C. judaicumBoiss. for high seed Fe, Cu. and Mg;C. yamashiataeKitam. for high seed Zn and Fe; andC. pinnatifidumJaub. & Spach for high seed Mn concentrations. All the wildCiceraccessions except ICC20190 (C. echinospermumP. H. Davis) had high concentration of at least one or more seed nutrients. WildCiceraccessions such as ICC17141 (C. chorassanicum), ICC17269 and ICC17303 (bothC. pinnatifidum), ICC17261 and ICC17262 (C. reticulatum), ICC20236 (C. chorassanicum), and ICC17117 and ICC17281 (C. yamashitae) were found promising for multiple seed nutrients. AsC. reticulatumLadiz. andC. echinospremumaccessions are crossable with cultivated chickpea, promisingC. reticulatumaccessions identified in the present study can be used in crossing program for developing new nutrient‐rich chickpea cultivars.

PRESENT STATUS OF GRAIN LEGUMES PRODUCTION IN NEPAL

This review paper is prepared to know the information about the present scenario of grain legumes in Nepal. Grain legumes are important crops for improving soil condition and dietary status of human. The area, production and productivity of grain legumes are collected from the data which is published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD). During the fiscal year 2019/20, Grain legumes are grown in 333,740 ha with the production and productivity of 381,987 Mt and 1,151 kg/ha respectively. Among pulses, the winter crop lentil dominates in production (65.76%) as well as in area coverage (62.93%). Grain Legumes Research Program (GLRP) of Nepal in collaboration with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGAIR) centres works for genetic improvement of lentil, chickpea, pigeon pea, soybean, black gram, fababean and cowpea.

Developing Classification Model for Chickpea Types using Machine Learning Algorithms

Ethiopia is the leading producer of chickpea in Africa and among the top ten most important producers of chickpea in the world. Debre Zeit Agriculture Research Center is a research center in Ethiopia which is mandated for the improvement of chickpea and other crops. Genome enabled prediction technologies trying to transform the classification of chickpea types and upgrading the existing identification paradigm. Current state of the identification of chickpea types in Ethiopia still sticks to a manual. Domain experts tried to recognize every chickpea type, the way and efficiency of identifying each chickpea types mainly depend on the skills and experience of experts in the domain area and this frequently causes error and sometimes inaccurate. Most of the classification and identification of crops researches were done outside Ethiopia; for local and emerging varieties, there is a need to design classification model that assists selection mechanisms of chickpea and even accuracy of an existing algorithm should be verified and optimized. The main aim of this study is to design chickpea type classification model using machine learning algorithm that classify chickpea types. This research work has a total of 8303 records with 8 features and 80% for training and 20% for testing were used. Data preprocessing were done to prepare the dataset for experiments. ANN, SVM and DT were used to build the model. For evaluating the performance of the model confusion matrix with Accuracy, Recall and Precision were used. The experimental results show that the best-performed algorithms were decision tree and achieve 97.5% accuracy. After the evaluation of results found in this research work, agriculture research centers and companies have benefited. The model of chickpea type classification will be applied in Debre Zeit agriculture research center in Ethiopia as a base to support the experts during chickpea type identification process. In addition it enables the expertise to save time, effort and cost with the support of the identification model. Moreover, this research can also be used as a corner stone in the area and will be referred by future researchers in the domain area.

Molecular characterization of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Genotypes using ISSR markers

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L., 2n=16) is a legume of family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Chickpea is the second largest grown food legume of the world (Gaur et al., 2008). Genetic divergence among 28 genotypes of Cicer arietinum L. was assessed through ISSR molecular markers. ISSR analysis showed 85.09 per cent of polymorphism. A total of 109 amplified bands were obtained that ranged between 150 bp to 2100 bp using 20 ISSR primers. The 92 out of 109 bands were polymorphic. The average PIC (polymorphic information content) of ISSR was found 0.257. Jaccard’s similarity coefficient for ISSR lay between 0.54 to 0.94 (54% to 94%). The similarity coefficients values were significant for this marker. Dendogram based on genetic distance calculated by UPGMA method segregated the 28 chickpea genotypes into three ISSR major clusters, respectively. Two and three dimension principal component analysis (PCA) showed similar clustering of 28 genotypes as evident from cluster tree analysis with dice similarity coefficients ranged from 0.77 to 0.91 (77% to 91%)for ISSR analysis. Based upon ISSR analysis of 28 genotypes with 20 primers genotype PBC-509, PBC-511, Pratap channa-1, Dohad yellow and Pratap Rajchana were identified as genetically diverse. Therefore, the results of the present study can prove helpful for implementation of chickpea improvement programmes.

Identification of novel resistant sources for ascochyta blight (Ascochyta rabiei) in chickpea.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the second largest pulse crop grown worldwide and ascochyta blight caused by Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Labr. is the most devastating disease of the crop in all chickpea growing areas across the continents. The pathogen A. rabiei is highly variable. The resistant sources available are not sufficient and new sources needs to be identified from time to time as resistance breakdown in existing chickpea varieties is very frequent due to fast evolution of new pathotypes of the pathogen. Therefore, this work was undertaken to evaluate the existing chickpea germplasm diversity conserved in Indian National Genebank against the disease under artificial epiphytotic conditions. An artificial standard inoculation procedure was followed for uniform spread of the pathogen. During the last five winter seasons from 2014–15 to 2018–19, a total of 1,970 accessions have been screened against the disease and promising accessions were identified and validated. Screening has resulted in identification of some promising chickpea accessions such as IC275447, IC117744, EC267301, IC248147 and EC220109 which have shown the disease resistance (disease severity score ≤3) in multiple seasons and locations. Promising accessions can serve as the potential donors in chickpea improvement programs. The frequency of resistant and moderately resistant type accessions was comparatively higher in accessions originated from Southwest Asian countries particularly Iran and Syria than the accessions originated from Indian sub-continent. Further large scale screening of chickpea germplasm originated from Southwest Asia may result in identifying new resistant sources for the disease.

Quantifying Genetic Advance of Kabuli Chickpea Varieties for Yield and Yield Related Traits in Ethiopia

Fourteen Kabuli chickpea varieties released since 1974 were evaluated in 2017 cropping season at Akaki, Chefe Donsa, Debre Zeit, and Jari stations to determine genetic progress in yield and yield associated traits of Kabuli chickpea varieties. The varieties were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The average rate of increase in grain yield per year over the past 42 years period was 22.35kgha -1 yr -1 with a relative genetic gain of 1.04% year -1 , which was not significantly different from zero. The regression of hundred seed weight against the years of release showed significant increase for the last 42 years of improvement in Ethiopia. It showed an annual rate of genetic gain of 0.56 g yr -1 with a relative annual genetic gain of 4.37%. Number of pods per plant and number of seeds per pod revealed a significant decreasing trend over the past 42 years, which could be a reciprocate to the increased seed size. Plant height, days to flowering, and days to maturity showed non-significant trend in the current study. Grain yield showed non-significant positive association with plant height, days to flowering, number of pods per plant and non-significant negative association with days to maturity, number of seed per pod and hundred seed weight. Hundred seed weight was positively and significantly correlated with days to maturity but negatively and significantly correlated with number of pods per plant and number of seeds per pod. Therefore, the Kabuli chickpea improvement program needs special attention to compliment seed size and grain yield by using integrated breeding approach to make rapid progress in developing superior Kabuli chickpea varieties. Keywords: Kabuli chickpea, Grain yield, hundred seed weight, Genetic gain DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/10-15-04 Publication date: August 31 st 2020

Characterization of ASR gene and its role in drought tolerance in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

Chickpea has a profound nutritional and economic value in vegetarian society. Continuous decline in chickpea productivity is attributed to insufficient genetic variability and different environmental stresses. Chickpea like several other legumes is highly susceptible to terminal drought stress. Multiple genes control drought tolerance and ASR gene plays a key role in regulating different plant stresses. The present study describes the molecular characterization and functional role of Abscissic acid and stress ripening (ASR) gene from chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and the gene sequence identified was submitted to NCBI Genbank (MK937569). Molecular analysis using MUSCLE software proved that the ASR nucleotide sequences in different legumes show variations at various positions though ASR genes are conserved in chickpea with only few variations. Sequence similarity of ASR gene to chickpea putative ABA/WDS induced protein mRNA clearly indicated its potential involvement in drought tolerance. Physiological screening and qRT-PCR results demonstrated increased ASR gene expression under drought stress possibly enabled genotypes to perform better under stress. Conserved domain search, protein structure analysis, prediction and validation, network analysis using Phyre2, Swiss-PDB viewer, ProSA and STRING analysis established the role of hypothetical ASR protein NP_001351739.1 in mediating drought responses. NP_001351739.1 might have enhanced the ASR gene activity as a transcription factor regulating drought stress tolerance in chickpea. This study could be useful in identification of new ASR genes that play a major role in drought tolerance and also develop functional markers for chickpea improvement.

Plumular meristem transformation system for chickpea: an efficient method to overcome recalcitrant tissue culture responses

Major biotic and abiotic stresses have led to the reduction of chickpea productivity, creating a strong barrier for its utilization as major food legume. Genetic transformation has revolutionized the chickpea improvement programs for biotic stress tolerance. Recent knowledge on genomic resources offers a range of approaches for genetic improvement of chickpea with a greater resolution, but relies on the transgenic establishment which is the major bottleneck in this process. Poor tissue culture responses along with insensitivity to in vitro rooting hindered the transgenic chickpea development through tissue culture based transformation methods. In the present report, Agrobacterium-mediated plumular meristem transformation was adapted in chickpea to bypass the recalcitrancy of regenerable tissue. Embryonic axis of immature seedlings of chickpea cultivar was decapitated followed by pricking of plumular meristem present in shoot apex and cotyledonary nodes. Pricking is followed by infection by Agrobacterium tumefaciens carrying binary vector pBI121. Three days co-cultivation was performed with infected explants in 6-benzylaminopurine and α-naphthaleneacetic acid supplemented modified Murashige and Skoog medium. Transient GUS expression was observed in co-cultivated explants and PCR based screening strategy allowed the establishment of primary transgenic events with a frequency of 60%. Kanamycin mediated stringent selection of T1 events helped to eliminate the chimeric plants and 44% of T1 progenies were confirmed through PCR. Further, Southern hybridization was performed to identify transgene integration in T1 events. Additionally, prominent GUS activity in T1 events confirmed the expression of transgene. Plumular transformation method, based on culture dependent Agrobacterium-infection and culture independent plant selection as well as establishment, was reported for the first time in chickpea. This transformation method will boost the recovery of novel genotypes with improved agronomic traits and mutant development for functional genomics in chickpea. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of plumular meristem in chickpea is established, following in vitro co-cultivation of explants and culture independent selection of transgenic plants, at higher frequency.

Potential and limits of exploitation of crop wild relatives for pea, lentil, and chickpea improvement

AbstractLegumes represent the second most important family of crop plants after grasses, accounting for approximately 27% of the world's crop production. Past domestication processes resulted in a high degree of relatedness between modern varieties of crops, leading to a narrower genetic base of cultivated germplasm prone to pests and diseases. Crop wild relatives (CWRs) harbor genetic diversity tested by natural selection in a range of environments. To fully understand and exploit local adaptation in CWR, studies in geographical centers of origin combining ecology, physiology, and genetics are needed. With the advent of modern genomics and computation, combined with systematic phenotyping, it is feasible to revisit wild accessions and landraces and prioritize their use for breeding, providing sources of disease resistances; tolerances of drought, heat, frost, and salinity abiotic stresses; nutrient densities across major and minor elements; and food quality traits. Establishment of hybrid populations with CWRs gives breeders a considerable benefit of a prebreeding tool for identifying and harnessing wild alleles and provides extremely valuable long‐term resources. There is a need of further collecting and both ex situ and in situ conservation of CWR diversity of these taxa in the face of habitat loss and degradation and climate change. In this review, we focus on three legume crops domesticated in the Fertile Crescent, pea, chickpea, and lentil, and summarize the current state and potential of their respective CWR taxa for crop improvement.

Comparative Root Transcriptomics Provide Insights into Drought Adaptation Strategies in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

Drought adversely affects crop production across the globe. The root system immensely contributes to water management and the adaptability of plants to drought stress. In this study, drought-induced phenotypic and transcriptomic responses of two contrasting chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes were compared at the vegetative, reproductive transition, and reproductive stages. At the vegetative stage, drought-tolerant genotype maintained higher root biomass, length, and surface area under drought stress as compared to sensitive genotype. However, at the reproductive stage, root length and surface area of tolerant genotype was lower but displayed higher root diameter than sensitive genotype. The shoot biomass of tolerant genotype was overall higher than the sensitive genotype under drought stress. RNA-seq analysis identified genotype- and developmental-stage specific differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in response to drought stress. At the vegetative stage, a total of 2161 and 1873 DEGs, and at reproductive stage 4109 and 3772 DEGs, were identified in the tolerant and sensitive genotypes, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed enrichment of biological categories related to cellular process, metabolic process, response to stimulus, response to abiotic stress, and response to hormones. Interestingly, the expression of stress-responsive transcription factors, kinases, ROS signaling and scavenging, transporters, root nodulation, and oxylipin biosynthesis genes were robustly upregulated in the tolerant genotype, possibly contributing to drought adaptation. Furthermore, activation/repression of hormone signaling and biosynthesis genes was observed. Overall, this study sheds new insights on drought tolerance mechanisms operating in roots with broader implications for chickpea improvement.

Breeding Advancement for Yield and Yield Related Traits ofDesiChickpea(Cicer arietinumL)Varieties in Ethiopia

Thirteen desi chickpea varieties released since 1974 were evaluated in the 2017 cropping season at Jari location. The varieties were laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among tested varieties for all traits except plant height revealing that the varieties tested were highly variable. The average rate of increase in grain yield per year over the past 42 years period was 30.68 kg ha-1yr-1 with a relative genetic gain of 0.73% year-1, which was a significant increase for the last four decades of desi chickpea improvement. The regression of a hundred seed weight against the years of release showed not significantly different from zero. It showed an annual rate of genetic gain of 0.85 g yr-1 with a relative annual genetic gain of 0.23%. The number of pods per plant and number of seeds per pod revealed a non-significant decreasing trend over the past 42 years. Plant height, days to flowering, and days to maturity showed a non-significant trend in the current study. Grain yield showed a non-significant positive association with plant height, days to maturity and a hundred seed weight and non-significant negative association with days to flowering, the number of seed per pod, and the number of pods per plant. The study also showed that varieties developed through hybridization and selection from introduction had higher progress than old varieties and selection from landraces. Therefore, it is more likely that the productivity of desi chickpea in the future can also be increased by developing varieties using similar approaches by combining modern breeding tools.