A global team of experts discovered the key traits in lentils that will
enable the important grain legume to tolerate rising temperatures.

Scientists from the University of Western Australia, Panjab University,
Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) - Indian Institute of Pulse
Research, Punjab Agricultural University, and International Center for
Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) screened a number of lentil
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genotypes in the field and lab to search for heat tolerant traits and the
key mechanisms involved in the tolerance. They exposed the lentil genotypes
to heat stress during the crucial stage of reproduction, which led them to
five genotypes showing heat tolerance and another five with heat
sensitivity. The heat tolerant genotypes showed significantly higher
germination, pollen viability, stigma function, ovule viability, and pollen
tube growth as well as higher sucrose production compared with the heat
sensitive genotypes.

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