Modern genomic tools for crop improvement help farmers withstand shocks

At the project launch (L-R) Dr Krishnappa, Ms Ambika, Dr David Bergvinson, Director General, ICRISAT, Mr Narasimharaju, Dr Peter Carberry, Deputy Director General Research, and Dr Varshney. Photo: PS Rao, ICRISAT

Using modern genomic tools to improve dryland crops – finger millet, sorghum, chickpea, pigeonpea and groundnut – is a top priority for the Government of Karnataka (GoK), India. Through the GoK Genomics Project Consortium, new tools like molecular assisted breeding and genome mapping will be used for improving these crops to withstand drought, insects and diseases.

Mr Krishna Byre Gowda, Minister of Agriculture, GoK, in his address at the project launch said, “We are implementing this through a consortium which includes State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and ICRISAT. The existing high yielding cultivars preferred by farmers need to be improved further by using new techniques for incorporating drought tolerance as well as insect and disease tolerance to benefit the farmers.” In his absence the address was read out by  Dr K Krishnappa, Resident Project Scientist, ICRISAT.

Work plans for each crop

At the project launch, scientists from the SAUs and ICRISAT came up with work plans for each crop.

Work in finger millet will focus on genome re-sequencing of 1,000 germplasm lines important to Karnataka. This project will work in collaboration with institutions in Kenya, USA and China and focus on developing new breeding lines with improved resistance to blast, drought and heat tolerance. Karnataka is the leading producer of finger millet, accounting for 58% of India’s production.

The focus for chickpea will be on developing improved lines with enhanced drought tolerance, Fusarium wilt resistance and molecular mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for dry root rot.

For pigeonpea the main concern is the emergence of new strains of wilt and sterility mosaic disease and susceptibility of resistant varieties to these new strains. Candidate genes for these diseases will be identified and improved high yielding varieties and hybrids developed through molecular breeding.

Groundnut is a major oil seed crop in Karnataka. High oleic oil has health benefits to consumers and also benefits industry as it enhances shelf life of products. Therefore, developing high oleic groundnut lines using genomics research is a priority. Three to four popular varieties of Karnataka will be improved for resistance to foliar fungal diseases, rust and late leaf spot.

For postrainy sorghum the emphasis is on developing cultivars with stabilized grain and fodder yield and tolerance to shoot fly and drought while diversifying the genetic base.

“To benefit the farmers of the state through the development and release of superior varieties, it is important to evaluate molecular breeding lines coming from earlier or ongoing projects of chickpea, pigeonpea, groundnut and sorghum in the state,” said Dr Rajeev Varshney, GoK Genomics Project Consortium Coordinator and Research Program Director Genetic Gains, ICRISAT.

The project launch, held on 18 March at ICRISAT-India, was attended by Mr Jaya Narasimharaju, Executive Director, Watershed Development Department, Ms Ambika, Department of Agriculture, and scientists from the SAUs and ICRISAT.