Hybrid vigour and hybrid mimics in lentils

Project Member(s): Peacock, W., Dennis, E.

Funding or Partner Organisation: University of Saskatchewan

Start year: 2017

Summary: Grain legumes are important food crops, particularly in Asia, southern Asia and Africa and are of growing importance in western countries. They produce high protein grains. The project would be important because none of the grain legumes are able to be grown as hybrids because their pollination mechanism has so far prevented the establishment of a hybrid seed production system. The production of Hybrid Mimics from a relatively few handmade hybrids showing high levels of heterosis could be significant since it would result in the increased production in pure breeding lines with hybrid characteristics. If Hybrid Mimics can be produced in lentils, we are likely to be able to achieve similar results in other grain legumes. This could be a major development in production agriculture for high protein grain. AIM: 1. To determine if we can produce high yielding pure breeding Hybrid Mimic lines in lentils 2. To discover loci that are key to the production of high yielding hybrids (can be carried out in a range of independently produced hybrids and/or hybrid mimics) 3. To characterise the morphological, anatomical, physiological and molecular (genomic and epigenomic) features of hybrids and hybrid mimics

Publications:

Miyaji, N, Shimizu, M, Takasaki-Yasuda, T, Dennis, ES & Fujimoto, R 2021, 'The transcriptional response to salicylic acid plays a role in Fusarium yellows resistance in Brassica rapa L.', Plant Cell Reports, vol. 40, no. 4, pp. 605-619.
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FOR Codes: Crop and Pasture Improvement (Selection and Breeding), Crop and Pasture Production not elsewhere classified, Grain Legumes, Rice, Crop and pasture improvement (incl. selection and breeding)