Researchers from India developed a line oftransgenicchickpea found to be
more tolerable to drought with increased seed yield trait. In the long
run, the transgenic chickpea can contribute to the decrease of annual
chickpea yield and production loss that is commonly attributed todrought.

The researchers developed transgenic chickpea lines that harbor the
transcription factor Dehydration Responsive Element-Binding (DREB)
protein 1A from/Arabidopsis thaliana/(/AtDREB1agene/), with the
objective of enhancing drought tolerance in the crop. DREBs are known to
be important plant factors that regulate stress-induced gene expression
and play a role in stress tolerance against abiotic factors.

The GM chickpeas were found to exhibit higher relative water content,
longer chlorophyll retention capacity, and higher osmotic adjustment
under extreme drought condition levels as compared to the non-transgenic
controls. The chickpeas were also found to have yielded more seeds with
a progressive increase in water stress.

The researchers concluded that the transgenic chickpea event would be
valuable for breeding in varietal development programs for enhanced
drought tolerance under parched conditions.

Transgenic chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.) harbouring AtDREB1a are
physiologically better adapted to water deficit | BMC Plant Biology |
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