The completion of the chickpea genome sequencing a few years ago opened new horizons for the scientists to both further study the function of the identified genes and for respective crop improvement based on the obtained knowledge. According to Bunyamin Tar’an, associate professor and chickpea breeder at the University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre, Canada, chickpeas have been known to be a great source of proteins and minerals but due to a recent research progress, they could also become a great source of Vitamin A. Currently millions of people in developing countries are at high risk for Vitamin A deficiency. Developing new chickpea varieties with improved Vitamin A content will help fight this problem. Vitamin A has been known to have a number of health-beneficial properties like enhancing brain function, improving sight and skin health, and even as a natural anti-aging agent. One of Prof. Tar’an’s PhD students, Mohammad Rezaei, has recently identified a set of genes that are responsible for Vitamin A synthesis in chickpea. In order to do this Rezaei used the information from the chickpea genome in which sequencing Prof. Tar’an’s team was involved together with other national and international research institutes and universities. Rezaei is aiming at developing genetic markers for the identified genes, which would allow him to breed for alleles of interest related to high Vitamin A content in chickpea.
Sorces: Crop Biotech Update, University of Saskatchewan
