Turning up the heat on chickpea yield

A Queensland University study has outlined a practical method to speed up the creation of heat-resistant chickpeas utilizing new omics technologies. Ph.D. candidate Callum Jamie indicated that these technologies provide valuable insights into how complex traits like heat tolerance function. The research, published in Food and Energy Security, highlights the limited effectiveness of traditional breeding in stress tolerance due to the narrow genetic diversity in elite chickpea gene pools.

The study explains that modern omics tools, including genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, phenomics, and enviromics, offer a comprehensive understanding of biological systems. However, their application in chickpeas has been limited, primarily due to the use of only one to two omics datasets, a small sample of genotypes, and single tissues, which complicates the interpretation of results for trait architecture and mechanisms.

Jamie's research at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation proposes a staged approach. This approach would initially use genomic prediction and phenotyping, followed by the integration of omics layers as costs decrease and uncertainties are resolved. The project, led by Dr. Millicent Smith, aims to develop chickpea varieties adapted to high temperatures.

Heat stress significantly impacts yield through flower and pod loss, reduced pollen viability, and impaired grain filling. Late-sown chickpea is particularly vulnerable in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, where Australian growers face severe yield implications. The development of new varieties with improved genetics to withstand heat stress is crucial for the future of Australian chickpea production.