Genetically Engineered Chickpea: Potential of an Orphan Legume to Achieve Food and Nutritional Security by 2050

Abstract

Chickpea is an important legume, and its protein-rich seeds make it a healthy alternative to meat for humans. Furthermore, the low glycemic index of carbohydrates in the grain is considered healthy for humans. Chickpea is a cheap source of protein for the people in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Africa, and the Mediterranean region. Therefore, the improvement of the orphan chickpea is necessary to achieve food and nutritional security in those countries. The potential of the chickpea improvement was impeded by the green revolution, and the consequence was a slow (<1% per annum) increase in the global chickpea yield which was recorded since 1990. The lack of availability of high-yielding varieties with adequate protection from various stresses is the reason for low yield. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and a few other national institutions have been releasing improved varieties; however, abiotic stresses, pests, diseases, and weeds remain challenging to manage in the field and storage conditions. Water and salinity stresses are significant in Asia, Australia, and the Mediterranean regions, while Helicoverpa armigera, aphids, and Ascochyta are predominant in Asia, Australia, and Canada. In the Middle-East, weeds compete with chickpea for water and nutrition. For many of these constraints, conventional or advanced breeding approaches are limited due to the lack of resistant/tolerant sources within the gene pool. Genetic engineering has the potential to address some of these constraints; however, it needs adequate resources to achieve significant impacts. In the past decade, efforts have been made to genetically modify the chickpea genome using either Agrobacterium-mediated or biolistic method. In a few instances, success has been documented; for example, genes from Bacillus thuringiensis have been introduced for complete resistance to pod borers (Helicoverpa armigera). Also, the drought-tolerant trait has been incorporated using transgene. These traits were either tested in the greenhouse or approved for field trials; however, yet to be commercialized. The possibility to save the yield losses by genetic engineering is immense and has been successful in other legumes such as soybean, common bean, and cowpea. Thus, a second green revolution may be implemented to improve the potential of chickpea and other grain legumes to attain food and nutritional security of the growing population.