ARS | Publication request: Allelic diversity of USDA chickpea core collection of quantitative trait loci for resistance to ascochyta blight.

Submitted to: International Ascochyta Workshop
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: April 28, 2009
Publication Date: May 29, 2009
Citation: Coyne, C.J., Taylor, L.D., Varshney, R.K. 2009. Allelic diversity of USDA chickpea core collection of quantitative trait loci for resistance to ascochyta blight. Second International Ascochyta Workshop, June 29-July 2, 2009.

Interpretive Summary: Knowledge of the molecular genetic variation of the accessions of the core collection is important for their efficient use in marker-assisted breeding programs. If the allelic state at a locus associated with a trait of interest, i.e. ascochyta blight resistance in chickpea, of a given accession is known, its usefulness to a breeding and research program is greatly enhanced. As part of a larger experiment to determine the genetic structure of the USDA chickpea core collection for association studies, we examined the allelic diversity of the collection for nine flanking markers of ascochyta blight resistance QTLs in chickpea.The allelic diversity discovered is encouraging from a conservation perspective, but further reveals an inherent problem in germplasm collections of landrace genetic stocks. Our mission statement includes a mandate to preserve the maximum amount of genetic diversity within and between accessions, as demonstrated by the 25 alleles, on average, discovered per SSR. But to provide the breeding and research community with a more utilitarian resource, a further step of selection and inbreeding of the core collection is required. As the result of this study, construction of a single plant descent chickpea core is underway.

Technical Abstract: NA