Improving cold tolerance and insect resistance in chickpea and the use of AFLPs for the identification of molecular markers for these traits

Selection for shorter time to flowering and maturity has been highly successful in chickpea in environments where terminal drought is likely, such as southern Australia. However, like many tropical and subtropical species, chickpea is highly susceptible to mean temperatures below 15 degrees C at flowering. Hence any advantage derived from early flowering and the avoidance of drought stress during pod development is negated by flower and pod loss due to low temperature. Another limiting factor to yield and seed quality in chickpea is susceptibility to native budworm (Helicoverpa spp.).

In this study increased cold tolerance in chickpea at flowering was achieved through an accelerated breeding programme based on haploid selection. Controlled environment assessments of the cross breeds show that the mean daily temperature at which pod set occurs is improved from 15 degrees C to 13 degrees C after only one cycle of pollen selection. Initial trials indicate that flowering and pod set also occurred earlier in the field.

Selective genotyping for cold tolerance and insect resistance are being investigated to identify putative genomic segments that contribute to these traits. The use of Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs), a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based technique, is described for the identification of molecular genetic markers that potentially span the genome of chickpea.