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Vernalization response of wild chickpea
S Abbo1, S Lev-Yadun2, N Galwey3
1The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
The New Phytologist
|April 20, 2021
Summary
Cultivated chickpea (Cicer arietinum) evolved reduced sensitivity to cold temperatures, unlike its wild progenitor. This adaptation facilitated its shift to spring sowing and wider geographic spread.
Area of Science:
- Plant genetics
- Crop evolution
- Agronomy
Background:
- Understanding the domestication of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is crucial for crop improvement.
- Investigating the response to low temperatures during early growth reveals evolutionary adaptations.
- Wild chickpea (Cicer reticulatum) serves as a key progenitor for studying domestication processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the response to low temperature during early growth in cultivated chickpea and its wild progenitor.
- To clarify the evolutionary processes of chickpea under domestication, focusing on cold response.
- To assess the genetic variation in low-temperature response within chickpea progeny.
Main Methods:
- Exposure of parental lines and F2/F3 progeny of chickpea to cold treatment (4°C for 30 days) versus control conditions.
- Comparison of flowering time and apical dominance between wild and cultivated chickpea under cold stress.
- Analysis of genetic variation in flowering time response to low temperature in F3 progeny.
Main Results:
- Cold treatment advanced flowering by 19 days in wild chickpea but only 3 days in cultivated chickpea.
- Low temperature promoted apical dominance in wild chickpea, while it was constitutive in cultivated chickpea.
- Significant genetic variation in flowering time response to low temperature was observed in F3 progeny.
Conclusions:
- Selection against vernalization requirement alleles was a key step in chickpea evolution.
- Reduced low-temperature response enabled chickpea's transition to a spring-sown crop and its spread to new regions.
- Introgression with wild chickpea risks reintroducing cold-sensitive alleles, potentially impacting yield and stress resistance.
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