Salt Tolerant Chickpea Project to Boost Crop Production
To improve salt tolerance of chickpea, co-investigators Prof. Timothy Colmer and Prof. Kadambot Siddique at the University of Western Australia, screened genotypes of chickpea and identified those with salt tolerance. The selected lines were used as parents in the breeding program in Western Australia and India. Advanced breeding lines were obtained and are undergoing evaluation.
The team also projects the development of Ascochyta blight-resistant lines with moderate levels of salt tolerance. In addition, molecular markers for saline tolerance have been identified during the process and will be useful in further development of chickpea varieties. With the project's progress, the team is looking forward to a new strategy in obtaining efficient use of saline-affected areas through rotation of moderately salt tolerant wheat and chickpea.
The project involves researchers from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in India and the Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture at UWA.
See the story at http://www.news.uwa.edu.au/201207094808/research/salt-tolerant-chickpea-project-boost-crop-production
This article is part of the Crop Biotech Update, a weekly summary of world developments in agri-biotech for developing countries, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Aquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter (ISAAA)
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