UWA and ICRISAT Researchers Identify Genes to Improve Chickpea's Phosphorous Uptake and Use Efficiency

Researchers from The University of Western Australia (UWA)'s Institute of Agriculture, in collaboration with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have identified genes and loci (the position of the genes) for chickpea root architecture and root traits that were associated with phosphorus acquisition and use efficiencies.

The UWA and ICRISAT research teams used three statistical models to identify more than 100 marker-trait associations where they identified one single genetic variation that they associated with phosphorous uptake and use efficiency. Genes related to physiological phosphorus-use efficiency, specific root length, and manganese concentration in mature leaves were also identified.

According to the project's co-leader Professor Rajeev Varshney, ICRISAT Research Program Director and Adjunct Professor with UWA and Murdoch University, it was the world's first study that reported genomic regions associated with the above important traits by using genome sequencing data on a large set of germplasm lines.

For more details, read the news article on the UWA website.