Widening the genetic base of cultivated lentil through hybridization of Lens culinaris ‘Eston’ and L. ervoides accession IG 72815

Abstract

Tullu, A., Bett, K., Banniza, S., Vail, S. and Vandenberg, A. 2013. Widening the genetic base of cultivated lentil through hybridization of Lens culinaris ‘Eston’ and L . ervoides accession IG 72815. Can. J. Plant Sci. 93: 1037–1047. Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is affected by many stresses and the genetic variation for resistance to some of these stresses is limited in the cultivated germplasm. Introgression of genes from diverse sources for the improvement of disease resistance and agronomic performance is urgently needed. An interspecific recombinant inbred line (RIL) population designated LR-26 was developed from a cross of L. culinaris ‘Eston’ and L. ervoides (Brign.) Grande accession IG 72815. RILs were phenotyped (1) to examine the inheritance of resistance to the more aggressive race 0 of Colletotrichum truncatum (Schwein.) Andus & W.D. Moore, causal agent of anthracnose, for which resistance is lacking in the cultivated species and (2) to study the genetic variation in agronomic traits and their relationships to each other. Greenhouse studies were conducted to screen for resistance to race 0 of C. truncatum and evaluate RILs for variations of agronomic characters. Two recessive genes conferred resistance in L. ervoides accession IG 72815. Traits varied significantly and showed transgressive segregations. Seed yield had a significant and positive relationship with biomass, straw yield, seed weight and harvest index. About 20 lines that performed better than Eston in terms of podding ability, lodging, and stand at maturity can be used in a breeding program. LR-26-180 had an 8% greater seed weight than Eston, suggesting that IG 72815 has alleles contributing positively to seed size. Overall, results show that IG 72815 can be used in breeding programs to improve disease resistance and quantitative traits of lentil.