Cultivating Resilience: Climate-Smart Grass pea as a Multifunctional Feed, Forage, and Fodder Crop in Dry Areas through Integrated Genomic Approaches

The poster on "Cultivating Resilience: Climate-Smart Grass Pea as a Multifunctional Crop" underscores the potential of grass pea as a climate-smart resource for food, feed, and fodder. Highlighting high-yielding low-ODAP cultivars, the crop excels in fragile agro-ecosystems prone to drought, heat, and salinity. The context emphasizes climate-induced challenges, malnutrition, and the nutritional potential of grass pea, with the caveat of managing ODAP for safety. The innovative approach involves trait discovery, genebank material assessment, molecular breeding, and harnessing crop wild relatives. Progress includes expanding grass pea cultivation, relay planting in rice fields, and establishing global partnerships. Future steps involve Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) and genome editing for zero ODAP germplasm development

Conservation agriculture improves agronomic, economic, and soil fertility indicators for a clay soil in a rainfed Mediterranean climate in Morocco

CONTEXT: Declining rainfall with increasing variability, increasing temperature extremes, and declining soil fertility are threatening crop production and ultimately food security in the rainfed Mediterranean environment in Morocco. Conservation agriculture (CA) practices such as reduced tillage, soil cover, and appropriate crop rotation are recognized as a set of adaptive agricultural systems in such climate-sensitive regions. Systematic evaluation of agronomic, economic, and soil fertility indicators with medium-and long-term adoption of CA in different crop rotations in such variable climatic conditions is needed to drive wider adoption of CA in the region. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to systematically evaluate agronomic, economic, and soil fertility indicators under CA and conventional tillage (CT) using field experimentation (medium-term) and simulation modeling (long-term) for a clay soil of a rainfed Mediterranean environment. METHODS: Methodologies included the following: 1) Field experimentation for 5 years (2015–2019), comparing CA and CT in four major food crops: wheat, barley, lentil, and chickpea, conducted in Merchouch, Morocco. The objective was to determine the effect of CA on crop productivity, yield stability, profitability, precipitation use efficiency, and soil fertility indicators of individual crops and cropping systems. (2) Dynamic simulation modeling to understand the long-term effect of adopting CA and CT under cereal–legume and cereal–cereal rotation systems. Using 5 years of experimental data, we calibrated and validated a Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) model for four crops; and ran the model for 36 years for two major rotations

Phenotyping T-Core lines at Terbol station- Lebanon

Samples of 447 T-CORE lines and 15 repeated checks under the experiment code (M1F22_ca) were planted on December 30, 2021, at Terbol station field, Lebanon with 2 replications. Each line is planted in two rows with a total of 14 seeds. At f the flowering stage, increasing the number of lines affected by Fusarium wilt with a total of lines affected (9.5%) from both replications. The plants were harvested in June 2022 to continue taking the yield and yield component traits

Editorial: Accelerating Genetic Gains in Pulses

Legumes, members of the Fabaceae/Leguminosae family, are the third largest family of higher plants with almost 20,000 species belonging to 650 genera, and are ubiquitous all over the world. Among all legumes, pulse crops or food legumes fall into the four clades of the subfamily Papilionoideae which include aeschynomenoids/dalbergiods, genistoids, hologalegina, and phaseoloids/millettoids. They are distinctive due to their positive impact on agricultural and environmental sustainability and have a prominent role in promoting human and animal health, soil amelioration, cropping system diversification, and sustenance of rural livelihoods (Pratap et al., 2021a). These also provide protein isolates that are increasingly being used in the food industry as functional ingredients suitable for vegan diets (Robinson et al., 2019). The inclusion of pulses in rotation with cereals helps to improve system yields, enhance net carbon sequestration, and lower the carbon footprint. Nonetheless, in addition to being an excellent source of protein, starch, and micronutrients, pulses also contain anti-nutritional compounds that can interfere with the absorption of minerals (Moore et al., 2018) and also the digestion of protein (Clemente et al., 2015). Realizing their importance, significant research has been dedicated to their genetic amelioration, thereby turning them into mainstream crops from so-called “orphan legumes”. Classical plant breeding methods led to the development of more than 3,800 improved varieties of different pulse crops globally, with improved attributes of grain yield, crop duration, stress resistance, nutrition quality, etc. However, despite this effort, the increase in average pulse yields (from 637 to 1,009 kg/ha) has been modest compared to dramatic increases in cereal productivity (from 1,353 to 4,074 kg/ha) between 1961 and 2017 (Kumar et al., 2020). Among legumes, Koester et al. (2014) studied 80 years of historical data of soybean breeding at the Crop Research and Education Center in Urbana, USA and reported a genetic gain of 26.5 kg ha−1 year−1 , attributing the gain in grain yield to increases in light interception, energy conversion, and partitioning efficiencies. Productivity gains in pulses have been recorded when especially considered along with the markedly reduced duration of the improved varieties, leading to increased cropping intensity, while genetic gains have been recorded for traits imparting resistance to major biotic and abiotic stresses, herbicide tolerance, larger seeds, and improved nutritional quality. This resulted in the growth, in terms of production and productivity, in major pulse-producing countries. For example, India witnessed the highest growth in production in mung bean (178%), followed by chickpea (125%), urdbean (90%), pigeonpea (51%), and lentil (34%) in the last 15 years (Gaur, 2021). Notably, breeding in most pulses has remained confined to the exploitation of genetic variation within the primary gene pool, which has resulted in a narrow genetic base in most of them

Evaluation of performance and stability of new sources for tolerance to post-emergence herbicides in lentil (Lens culinaris ssp. culinaris Medik.)

Yield losses in lentil (Lens culinaris ssp. culinaris Medik.) caused by weeds are estimated at 20–80%. In the absence of effective broad-spectrum herbicides, the menace of weed has emerged as a serious yield constraint in lentil. Aims. Identification of tolerance to two broad-spectrum post emergence herbicides, imazethapyr and metribuzin. Methods. 221 lentil accessions were screened at the experimentalresearch station of the International Centerfor Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Terbol (Lebanon) over four crop seasons (2014/15–2018/19). During the 2014/15 season, a preliminary screening experiment was conducted with 221 lentil accessions in an alpha lattice design with two replications, where accessions were treated at the pre-flowering stage at 150% of the recommended dose of imazethapyr (112.5 g active ingredient/ha) or metribuzin (315 g active ingredient/ha). Based on the preliminary results, 38 accessions were selected for further evaluation. In subsequent testing, the selected accessions were screened at 100% and 150% of the recommended doses of imazethapyr or metribuzin. Key results. Herbicide treatments delayed the flowering time and maturation of tested lentil accessions. The plant height of selected tolerant accessions was reduced by 15% and 8% in the plots treated by imazethapyr and metribuzin, respectively. Reduction index (RIsy) was an effective tool to select for herbicide tolerance. Stability analysis indicated that two accessions (IG4400 and IG5722) performed under high rainfall environments while two other accessions (IG323 and IG4605) were adapted to low rainfall environments. Conclusions. Four accessions (IG323, IG5722, IG4400, IG4605) were identified as independently tolerant to metribuzin and imazethapyr. Implications. The identified herbicide-tolerant accessions can be used to develop herbicide-tolerant cultivars

Seed nutritional quality in lentil (Lens culinaris) under different moisture regimes

The world’s most challenging environmental issue is climate change. Agricultural productivity and nutritional quality are both substantially threatened by extreme and unpredicted climate events. To develop climate resilient cultivars, stress tolerance along with the grain quality needs to be prioritized. Present study was planned to assess the effect of water limitation on seed quality in lentil, a cool season legume crop. A pot experiment was carried out with 20 diverse lentil genotypes grown under normal (80% field capacity) and limited (25% field capacity) soil moisture. Seed protein, Fe, Zn, phytate, protein and yield were recorded in both the conditions. Seed yield and weight were reduced by 38.9 and 12.1%, respectively, in response to stress. Seed protein, Fe, Zn, its availability as well as antioxidant properties also reduced considerably, while genotype dependent variation was noted with respect to seed size traits. Positive correlation was observed between seed yield and antioxidant activity, seed weight and Zn content and availability in stress. Based on principal component analysis and clustering, IG129185, IC559845, IC599829, IC282863, IC361417, IG334, IC560037, P8114 and L5126 were promising genotypes for seed size, Fe and protein content, while, FLIP-96-51, P3211 and IC398019 were promising for yield, Zn and antioxidant capacity. Identified lentil genotypes can be utilized as trait donors for quality improvement in lentil breedin

Experimental on-farm trials data of faba bean and wheat intercropping field validation in Lebanon and Morocco

This data paper describes the content of four datasets col- lected by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) as a partner in the project “Designing InnoVative plant teams for Ecosystem Resilience and agricultural Sustainability (DIVERSify)”with the objec- tive of assessing the feasibility of faba bean-wheat mix- ture in Mediterranean environments under diverse rainfed conditions. Data was collected during the trials conducted in Kfardan-Lebanon during 2017/2018 where 40 faba bean varieties were evaluated as sole and as mixture with 2 wheat cultivars ‘Margherita’ and ‘Miki’ and during 2018/2019 where 40 faba bean varieties and one durum wheat cultivar ‘Margherita’ were evaluated under low rainfall environments. Trials were also conducted in Tal Amara-Lebanon during 2019/2020 where 20 faba bean lines and one durum wheat cultivar ‘Margherita’ were evaluated under high rainfall en- vironments and in Marchouch-Morocco during 2019/2020 where 7 faba bean lines with 3 cultivars and one durum wheat cultivar ‘Margherita’ were evaluated under extremely low rainfall environments. A detailed list of the different bi- ological traits collected for wheat and faba bean is found in the specification table in this article. The Kfardan 2018/ 2019, Tal Amara and Marchouch data is related to the conference paper “Performance of faba bean-wheat mixture under di- verse Mediterranean environments”

Rust (Uromyces viciae-fabae Pers. de-Bary) of Pea (Pisum sativum L.): Present Status and Future Resistance Breeding Opportunities

Uromyces viciae-fabae Pers. de-Bary is an important fungal pathogen causing rust in peas (Pisum sativum L.). It is reported in mild to severe forms from different parts of the world where the pea is grown. Host specificity has been indicated in this pathogen in the field but has not yet been established under controlled conditions. The uredinial states of U. viciae-fabae are infective under temperate and tropical conditions. Aeciospores are infective in the Indian subcontinent. The genetics of rust resistance was reported qualitatively. However, non-hypersensitive resistance responses and more recent studies emphasized the quantitative nature of pea rust resistance. Partial resistance/slow rusting had been described as a durable resistance in peas. Such resistance is of the pre-haustorial type and expressed as longer incubation and latent period, poor infection efficiency, a smaller number of aecial cups/pustules, and lower units of AUDPC (Area Under Disease Progress Curve). Screening techniques dealing with slow rusting should consider growth stages and environment, as both have a significant influence on the disease scores. Our knowledge about the genetics of rust resistance is increasing, and now molecular markers linked with gene/QTLs (Quantitative Trait Loci) of rust resistance have been identified in peas. The mapping efforts conducted in peas came out with some potent markers associated with rust resistance, but they must be validated under multi-location trails before use in the marker-assisted selection of rust resistance in pea breeding programs

Effect of High Temperature Stress During the Reproductive Stage on Grain Yield and Nutritional Quality of Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus)

High temperature during the reproductive stage limits the growth and development of lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus). The reproductive and seed filling periods are the most sensitive to heat stress, resulting in limited yield and nutritional quality. Climate change causes frequent incidents of heat stress for global food crop production. This study aimed to assess the impact of high temperature during the reproductive stage of lentil on grain yield, nutritional value, and cooking quality. Thirty-six lentil genotypes were evaluated under controlled conditions for their high temperature response. Genotypic variation was significant (p < 0.001) for all the traits under study. High temperature-induced conditions reduced protein, iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) concentrations in lentils. Under heat stress conditions, mineral concentrations among lentil genotypes varied from 6.0 to 8.8 mg/100 g for Fe and from 4.9 to 6.6 mg/100 g for Zn. Protein ranged from 21.9 to 24.3 g/100 g. Cooking time was significantly reduced due to high temperature treatment; the range was 3–11 min, while under no stress conditions, cooking time variation was from 5 to 14 min. Phytic acid variation was 0.5–1.2 g/100 g under no stress conditions, while under heat stress conditions, phytic acid ranged from 0.4 to 1.4 g/100 g. All genotypes had highly significant bioavailable Fe and moderately bioavailable Zn under no stress conditions. Whereas under heat stress conditions, Fe and Zn bioavailability was reduced due to increased phytic acid levels. Our results will greatly benefit the development of biofortified lentil cultivars for global breeding programs to generate promising genotypes with low phytic acid and phytic acid/micronutrient ratio to combat micronutrient malnutrition

High-Temperature and Drought Stress Effects on Growth, Yield and Nutritional Quality with Transpiration Response to Vapor Pressure Deficit in Lentil

High temperature and water deficit are among the major limitations reducing lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) yield in many growing regions. In addition, increasing atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD) due to global warming causes a severe challenge by influencing the water balance of the plants, thus also affecting growth and yield. In the present study, we evaluated 20 lentil genotypes under field conditions and controlled environments with the following objectives: (i) to investigate the impact of temperature stress and combined temperature-drought stress on traits related to phenology, grain yield, nutritional quality, and canopy temperature under field conditions, and (ii) to examine the genotypic variability for limited transpiration (TRlim) trait in response to increased VPD under controlled conditions. The field experiment results revealed that high-temperature stress significantly affected all parameters compared to normal conditions. The protein content ranged from 23.4 to 31.9%, while the range of grain zinc and iron content varied from 33.1 to 64.4 and 62.3 to 99.3 mg kg−1 , respectively, under normal conditions. The grain protein content, zinc and iron decreased significantly by 15, 14 and 15% under high-temperature stress, respectively. However, the impact was more severe under combined temperature-drought stress with a reduction of 53% in protein content, 18% in zinc and 20% in iron. Grain yield declined significantly by 43% in temperature stress and by 49% in the combined temperature-drought stress. The results from the controlled conditions showed a wide variation in TR among studied lentil genotypes. Nine genotypes displayed TRlim at 2.76 to 3.51 kPa, with the genotypes ILL 7833 and ILL 7835 exhibiting the lowest breakpoint. Genotypes with low breakpoints had the ability to conserve water, allowing it to be used at later stages for increased yield. Our results identified promising genotypes including ILL 7835, ILL 7814 and ILL 4605 (Bakria) that could be of great interest in breeding for high yields, protein and micronutrient contents under high-temperature and drought stress. In addition, it was found that the TRlim trait has the potential to select for increased lentil yields under field water-deficit environment