title: Global wild annual Lens collection: a potential resource for lentil genetic base broadening and yield enhancement.
abstract: Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are invaluable gene sources for various traits of interest, yet these potential resources are themselves increasingly threatened by the impact of climate change as well as other anthropogenic and socio-economic factors. The prime goal of our research was to cover all aspects of wild Lens genetic resource management like species characterization, agro-morphological evaluation, diversity assessment, and development of representative sets for its enhanced utilization in lentil base broadening and yield improvement initiatives. We characterized and evaluated extensively, the global wild annual Lens taxa, originating from twenty seven counties under two agro-climatic conditions of India consecutively for three cropping seasons. Results on various qualitative and quantitative characters including two foliar diseases showed wide variations for almost all yield attributing traits including multiple disease resistance in the wild species, L. nigricans and L. ervoides accessions. The core set developed from the entire Lens taxa had maximum representation from Turkey and Syria, indicating rich diversity in accessions originating from these regions. Diversity analysis also indicated wide geographical variations across genepool as was reflected in the core set. Potential use of core set, as an initial starting material, for genetic base broadening of cultivated lentil was also suggested.
authors.affiliation: National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Mohar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Ishwari Singh
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Bisht
authors.affiliation: National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Manoranjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.affiliation: National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Kailash Chander
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Bansal
authors.affiliation: National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Moreshwar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karale
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas, South Asia and China Regional Programme, NASC Complex, DPS Marg, Pusa, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Ashutosh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sarker
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas, Tunisia, Tunis.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amri
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: Shiv
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Division of Crop Science, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Swapan Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Datta
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D044822:Biodiversity; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D038622:Internationality; D027806:Lens Plant / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D013312:Stress, Physiological