Using Crop Wild Relatives for Future Lentil Breeding: Evaluation of Drought and Disease Resistance of Interspecific Hybrid Lines
This is an international project funded by the Global Crop Diversity Trust (https://www.croptrust.org/) aimed at evaluating cultivated x wild lentil introgression lines for multiple traits in multiple environments with a view to identifying promising lines with tolerance to multiple stresses.
Use of crop wild relatives is regaining status as an important genetic strategy for future global food and nutritional security in the face of genetic erosion from loss of diversity and environmental shifts caused by climate change and loss of natural habitat. In Phase I of this project we intend to grow primary breeding lines developed from available interspecific hybrids between the cultivated lentil (Lens culinaris) and the wild lentil species that represent the primary and secondary gene pools (L. orientalis, L. ervoides). Selected RILs from interspecies crosses are being evaluated, along with local and other checks, in locations in Canada, Spain, Morocco, Ethiopia, Turkey, Bangladesh and India. Phenotypes of interest include resistance to the parasitic plant Orobanche crenata, resistance to stemphyllium blight ( Stemphylium botryosum), and tolerance to drought.The results will lead to (1) rapid development of genetic resources for preservation, (2) rapid deployment of genetic resources for breeding programs for traits of economic significance (3) development of of practical genetic markers for plant breeders (4) up to date genetic maps for lentil and its wild relatives (5) increased reliability and productivity for future lentil crops.
April/May 2015 Field Trial Update
Bert and Kirstin visited sites in Turkey (Diyarbakir and Kiziltepe) and Spain (Córdoba). There was a lot of variation among the lines - a huge response to the environment.
Thanks to Beybin, Omer, Tugba, and Diego for showing us the plots.
Kiziltepe Turkey. April 28, 2015
Córdoba Spain. May 1, 2015
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