Understanding photothermal interactions will help expand production range and increase genetic diversity of lentil (Lens culinarisMedik.)

Abstract

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is cultivated under a wide range of environmental conditions, which led to diverse phenological adaptations and resulted in a decrease in genetic variability within breeding programs due to reluctance in using genotypes from other environments. We phenotyped 324 genotypes across nine locations over three years to assess their phenological response to the environment of major lentil production regions and to predict days from sowing to flowering (DTF) using a photothermal model. DTF was highly influenced by the environment and is sufficient to explain adaptation. We were able to predict DTF reliably in most environments using a simple photothermal model, however, in certain site-years, results suggest there may be additional environmental factors at play. Hierarchical clustering of principal components revealed the presence of eight groups based on the responses of DTF to contrasting environments. These groups are associated with the coefficients of the photothermal model and revealed differences in temperature and photoperiod sensitivity. Expanding genetic diversity is critical to the success of a breeding program; understanding adaptation will facilitate the use of exotic germplasm. Future climate change scenarios will result in increase temperature and/or shifts in production areas, we can use the photothermal model to identify genotypes most likely to succeed in these new environments.

Advances in lentil production through heterosis: Evaluating generations and breeding systems

“…The lentil domestication has resulted in approximately 40% loss of genetic diversity leading to narrow gene pools within breeding programs and restricted genetic gain [9]. For instance, most of the registered lentil varieties in Canada are related to the first two cultivars that founded Canadian production: 'Laird' and 'Eston' [10,11]. Furthermore, the narrow genetic base of lentil varieties has made them more susceptible to biotic and biotic stresses [12].…”

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.): A Current Review

“…Higher temperatures and alterations in lentil crop production zones are expected as a result of future climate change scenarios, necessitating increased breeding efforts. Lentil is grown in a variety of habitats, resulting in a wide range of phenological adaptations and a loss in genetic variability within breeding programs due to a lack of willingness to use genotypes from other environments (Wright et al, 2021). In semiarid places, lentil has the ability to improve soil colonized by nitrogen-fixing symbiotic bacteria while also giving income to local farmers.…”

Intelligent Characterization of Lentil Genetic Resources: Evolutionary History, Genetic Diversity of Germplasm, and the Need for Well‐Represented Collections

“…Around 76% of ICARDA lentil accessions have been characterized for morphological and phenological attributes (www.genesys-pgr.org; Kumar, Rajendran, Kumar, Hamwieh, & Baum, 2016;Kumari et al, 2018;Sharma et al, 2018;Sita et al, 2017). Under the Canadian-led project AGILE, a lentil diversity panel (LDP) consisting of 324 accessions was phenotyped for phenological attributes in nine different locations around the world for two seasons (Wright et al, 2020). This set has also been genotyped using an exome capture array (Ogutcen et al, 2018), and seeds from 321 lines have been deposited in the ICARDA genebank.…”