Chickpea : Crop Wild Relatives for Enhancing Genetic Gains

Chickpea: Crop Wild Relatives for Enhancing Genetic Gains explores aspects related to critical analysis on factors responsible for narrow genetic base of chickpea productions including domestication bottleneck, the level of diversity present in different cultivated and wild species, the uniqueness and usefulness of potential gene sources available and maintained in production systems across the globe, the level of genetic erosion both at landrace and species level over time and space etc. Despite considerable international investment in conventional breeding, production of chickpea has not yet been significantly improved beyond that achieved through its normal single domestication event and high self-pollination rate. Total annual pulse production of ~12 million tons (FAO 2016) is far below actual potential. Susceptibility to both biotic and abiotic stresses have created a production level bottleneck whose solution possibly lies in the use of crop wild relatives and other genetic traits cultivated by tailoring novel germplasm.

Presenting options for widening the genetic base of chickpea cultivars by introgression of diverse genes available in distantly related wild Cicer taxa, thus expanding the genetic base and maximize genetic gains from the selection, it is necessary to accumulate other complimentary alleles from CWRs. This review will focus on present status of gene pool and species distribution, germplasm conservation, characterization and evaluation, problems associated with crop production, sources of target traits available in wild species, status of trait introgression in synthesizing new gene pool of chickpea along with progress made in chickpea genomics.

An edited book with contributions from leading scientists, this information will guide and inform chickpea breeders, PGR researchers and crop biologists across the world.

• Presents both conventional and emerging techniques
• Provides insights into gene pyramiding as cytogenic manipulations
• Includes case studies highlighting the impact of improving chickpea production

Dr Mohar Singh currently works as Principal Scientist (Plant Genetic Resources) at ICAR- National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources Regional Station, Shimla India. He received his PhD degree in Plant Breeding from Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University Palampur, India followed by DSc from Himachal Pradesh University Shimla India. He is working on genetic and genomic resources of pulses, pseudo cereals and cereals including their crop wild relatives and landraces foe diversity analysis using next generation technologies, which resulted into identification of useful traits against nutritional and major biotic and abiotic stresses including agronomic improvement related characters, some which have been introgressed into the cultivated backgrounds for diversification of cultivated gene pool. He has published more than 120 research papers in journals of national and international repute and also holds three textbooks and eight edited books to his credit published by Elsevier Insight, Academic Press and Springer, among others.