No more recalcitrant: Chickpea regeneration and genetic transformation

Abstract

Chickpea production is limited worldwide because of abiotic and biotic stresses. Efforts to overcome these production constraints through traditional breeding are difficult due to limited genetic variation. Novel regeneration is pre-requisite for genetic transformation offers the opportunity to overcome hybridization barriers and introduce novel genes for resistance. Although direct gene transfer via direct DNA transfer has been reported, Agrobacterium mediated transformation is the preferred method and standard protocols have been established for the production of transgenic plantlets derived from cocultivation of embryonic axes. This was soon adopted due to difficulties associated with regeneration of whole plants from callus. Only few reports have been reported using genetic transformation/transgene(s) against abiotic stress tolerance transgenic chickpea plants. Transgenic chickpea using bacterial codA gene tolerance against abiotic stresses have been developed. Chickpea improvement and application of genomics tools to the study of the chickpea genome will be enhanced through the use of genetic transformation.