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ABSTRACT. We characterized 13 accessions of dry peas of different origins from various growing regions in Argentina, based on three replications of 20 plants cultivated in 2009 and 2010 in a greenhouse, with the objective of selecting those with favorable characteristics for use in breeding programs. Significant differences were found for length and width of stipule and pod, length of the internodes and leaflets, plant height, total number of nodes, number of nodes at the first pod, number of days to flowering and to harvest, number of pods and seeds per pod, 100-seed weight and grain diameter, demonstrating a high degree of genetic variability. Phenotypic correlation analysis demonstrated that large pods produced more seeds per pod, but the seed weight decreased. Plants with smaller number of nodes in the first pod were more productive. Estimates of genotypic correlation coefficients indicated a strong inherent association among the different traits. Clustering methods grouped the accessions into five clusters. of leaflets (7.43 cm) and days to flowering (122.6), while cluster 3, with one accession, and cluster 4, with two accessions, showed the highest values for number of seeds per pod (3.78 and 4.39), number of pods per plant (5.33 and 5.70), length of pods (5.54 and 5.72 cm), and width of pods (1.21 and 1.20 cm, respectively). We conclude that accessions in clusters 3 and 4 would be useful for crosses with other cultivars in pea breeding programs.

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ABSTRACT. In breeding programs, a large number of F 2 individuals are required to perform the selection process properly, but often few such plants are available. In order to obtain more F 2 seeds, it is necessary to multiply the F 1 plants. We developed a rapid, efficient and reproducible protocol for in vitro shoot regeneration and rooting of seeds using 6-benzylaminopurine. To optimize shoot regeneration, basic medium contained Murashige and Skoog (MS) salts with or without B5 Gamborg vitamins and different concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (25, 50 and 75 μM) using five genotypes. We found that modified MS (B5 vitamins + 25 μM 6-benzylaminopurine) is suitable for in vitro shoot regeneration of pea. Thirty-eight hybrid combinations were transferred onto selected medium to produce shoots that were used for root induction on MS medium supplemented with α-naphthalene-acetic acid. Elongated shoots were developed from all ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 11 (3): 2729-2732 (2012 M.A. Espósito et al. 2730 hybrid genotypes. This procedure can be used in pea breeding programs and will allow working with a large number of plants even when the F 1 plants produce few seeds.

Biofortification refers to an approach to increase micronutrient concentrations in the edible parts of plants with increased bioavailability to the human population. Conventional, agronomic and transgenic breeding methods can be used to develop these biofortified crops, offering sustainable and cost‐effective strategies. Pea has long been recognized as a valuable, nutritious food for the human diet, but there is a limited amount of information about it, which prevents the full micronutrient enrichment potential of this pulse crop to be reached. Considerations must include not only micronutrient concentrations but also the amount of the nutrient that can be absorbed by the consumer, after processing and cooking. Development of biofortified pea that retains nutrients during cooking and processing is not only essential for fighting micronutrient malnutrition, but also necessary to improve agricultural productivity. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry

Pulses form an important component of the human diet, provide animal feed, and replenish soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation. However, pulse breeding is a time consuming process. Most of the traditional breeding programs take 10–15 years to release an improved cultivar. In the breeder’s equation, a model of the expected change in a trait in response to selection, cycle time is the most powerful parameter for increasing genetic gain. Shuttle breeding, double haploids and in vitro culture are some of the methodologies that have been developed; however, they have not been able to be implemented efficiently in the breeding programs for pulses. In this context, speed breeding emerges as a technology that allows increased efficiency of the programs, reducing costs and the work required. The technique uses optimal light quality, light intensity, daylength and temperature control to accelerate photosynthesis and flowering, coupled with early seed harvest. It can be integrated with other breeding technologies, does not include transgenesis or gene editing, and is presented as a revolution to increase the efficiency of the programs. We present different advances in pulse breeding programs and propose a speed breeding system for pea (Pisum sativum L.) that includes hybridisations and advancing generations in a growth chamber. This review concludes by highlighting the opportunities and challenges to incorporating speed breeding into pulse breeding programs.

In order to establish an efficient selection criterion the variability in three asparagus populations was evaluated defining the most important yield components and analysing its evolution along three growing seasons. The yield components, coefficient of variation (CV) and the proportion of plants contributing to 80% of the total yield were estimated. The elite plants were selected by mean of total yield and clusters techniques. Multiple regression showed that spear number (SN) and spear weight (SW) were the most important yield components. In every population, total yield (TY) and SN showed the highest values of CV, independently of sex. 69% of the plants contributed to the 80% of the total yield in the first year while in the second and third year the contribution was 57%. At the end of the third year, 17 plants were selected by the average of the total yield and 43 by clusters. It is suggested to select for SW in the first year, reducing in 68% the experimental material. In the second year, the selection for SN would reduce to 5% the plants to evaluate for total yield in the third year. In this way the selected plants are the same but the number of plants to evaluate is dramatically reduced along the years, therefore facilitating the breeders work.