Scientists from Durham University in the United Kingdom, Harran
University in Turkey, and the University of California Davis in the USA,
have discovered that flowering time in chickpeas and its wild relatives
is influenced by one to three majorgenes
[www.isaaa.org].

The research team created 10 genetically diverse chickpea families from
wild samples collected from different locations across southern Turkey.
They then cultivated the chickpea hybrids in the field at Harran
University and measured several performance-related traits. They also
analyzed multiple genetic markers of the chickpeagenomefocusing on
flowering time variation, as early flowering varieties can produce seeds
before suffering late summer droughtand high temperature in Turkey.

The findings of this pioneering study open up the door for further
exploration of the genetic variation for the flowering time available in
wild chickpea populations. It also enables the development of genetic
markers to make future chickpea breeding efforts faster and more
precise. Their research has provided new insights into improving
chickpea breeding and has already generated locally adapted varieties in
Turkey and Syria.

Developing new gene variants to breed climate resilient chickpeas -
Durham University
[www.durham.ac.uk]