Role of classical breeding in improvement of pulse crops

Cereal crops " chiefly wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, and pearl millet " are the main food source
for more than two-thirds of the world population. Thus, introduction of insect pest and disease
resistance, breeding for abiotic stresses, and nutritional enhancement of crop plants are
fascinating accomplishments of modern biotechnology. This novel technology has the potential
of rapidly changing the genotypic makeup of a crop plant, helping to design more nutritious
crops with several other value-added traits. This technology should, however, be carefully
applied in conjunction with traditional breeding for maximal crop improvement for the benefit of
the human race. Conventional breeding is mainly responsible for the genetic improvement of
cereal crops and has resulted in cultivars with superior agronomic traits. Ryegrass (Lolium spp.) is
among the most important forage crops in Europe and Australia and is also a popular turfgrass in North
America. Previous genetic analysis based on a three-generation interspecific (L. perenne x L.
multiflorum) ryegrass population identified four quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for resistance to gray leaf
spot (Magneporthe grisea) and four QTLs for resistance to crown rust (Puccinia coronata). The current
analysis based on the same mapping population detected seven QTLs for resistance to leaf spot
(Bipolaris sorokiniana) and one QTL for resistance to stem rust (Puccinia graminis) in ryegrass for the
first time. Three QTLs for leaf spot resistance on linkage groups (LGs) 2 and 4 were in regions of
conserved synteny to the positions of resistance to net blotch (Drechslera teres) in barley (Hordeum
vulgare). One ryegrass genomic region spanning 19 cM on LG 4, which contained three QTLs for
resistance to leaf spot, gray leaf spot, and stem rust, had a syntenic relationship with a segment of rice
chromosome 3, which contained QTLs for resistance to multiple diseases. However, at the genome-wide
comparison based on 72 common RFLP markers between ryegrass and cereals, coincidence of QTLs for
disease resistance to similar fungal pathogens was not statistically significant (Young et.al.,2008).

The development of wheat germplasm with introduced powdery mildew and scab resistance of
Haynaldia villos Sch. And Leymus racemosus Lam., Roegnera ciliaris (Trin.) Nevskia as well as
R.Kamoji C.Koch respectively was made. Genome analysis by means of chromosome banding ,
genomic in Situ Hybridization (GISH) of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), molecular
markers, particularly restriction fragment length polymorphism(RFLP) coupled with aneuploid
analysis was employed for the purpose of improving breeding efficiency ( LIU Da Jun,2002) .

The stripe rust resistance screening and the diagnostic PCR analysis confirmed that the
introduced D. breviaristatum chromatin were responsible to the strip rust resistance in the
introgression lines. The sequential C-banding and Genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) analysis
of TDH- 2 indicated that the C-banding karyotype of Vbchromosomes of D. breviaristatum,
temporarily namedVb1-7, are significantly different from the V genome of D. villosum. Two
new wheat–Dasypyrum addition lines A6-7 and Y88-15 with high resistance to strip rust were
developed, and C-banding revealed that they contained the Vb3 and Vb7 chromosomes from D.
breviaristatum, respectively. The new wheat-Dasypyrum addition lines will be a promising
donor to produce stripe rust resistance wheat translocation lines for wheat breeding. (Z.J. Yang,
2008).
Role of classical breeding in improvement of pulse crops

Classical breeding of many crops has been instrumental for ensuring food security by developing new
varieties that are higher yielding, resistant to pests and diseases, drought-resistant or regionally adapted
to different environments and growingconditions. A total of 513 cultivars of different pulse crops
including chickpea, pigeonpea, mungbean, urdbean, lentil, fieldpeaand rajmash were developed in India
itself during last three decades. Adoption of high yielding varieties in early 1980'sincreased the average
productivity of the country by 34 % now. Significant achievements have been made in developing short
duration cultivars in almost all pulse crops with incorporation of photo- thermo insensitivity. Genetic
resistance for most of thediseases have been identified and incorporated in development of disease
resistant cultivars. In field pea, a major breakthrough has been made by developing dwarf and afila plant
type which led to increase in yield by 30%. Although cultivar development has traditionally emphasized
improvement through pedigree selection, mass–pedigree method and backcross breeding, interspecific
hybridization has also received much attention in 1980s. So far eight genotypes in different pulse crops
have been developed in the country using interspecific hybridization. In pigeonpea a trait cytoplasmic
male sterility has been introduced through wild gene introgression. Using this, a hybrid GTH 1 in
pigeonpea has been developed in India which has yielded 27%yield superiority than the traditional
cultivars. ( N. Nadarajan and Sanjeev Gupta,2010). Crop improvement using classical induced
mutagenesis is now well standardized. A large number of new promising varieties in different crops have
successfully been developed world wide using both physical and chemical mutagens. Recent advances in
technology combined with classical mutation breeding offers new and exciting challenges for
development of new varieties. There was necessary to compile worldwide activities on induced
mutagenesis for crop improvement. The book covers both basic and applied aspects of mutation and its
impact on different crops like vegetable, pulse, medicinal, edible and non-edible oil, ornamentals etc. in
different countries. The book is extremely well prepared and contains huge volume of information’s
accumulated using classical induced mutagenesis on different crops in different countries. The will serve
as an extremely comprehensive guide to the researchers, teachers, students and individuals who are
interested to use induced mutagenesis as a tool for crop improvement.

References

LIU Da Jun (2002) Genome Analysis in Wheat Breeding for Disease Resistance Botanica Sinica 44(9),
1096-1104.

Z.J. Yang (2008) extensively hybridized to wheat, and several Disease Resistance Resources and Crop
Evolution, 49: 305-312

Young et.al.,(2008). Comparative analysis of multiple disease resistance in ryegrass and cereal crops.
Springer-Verlag, 117,( 4) : 531-543.

N. Nadarajan and S. Gupta (2010) Role of classical breeding in improvement of pulse crops. Electronic
Journal of Plant Breeding 1 : 1099-1106