Genetic Improvement of Lentil for Fusarium wilt Resistance

Abstract

Lentil is one of the major components of low-input agriculture in the sub-tropics including parts of Indian sub-continent. It plays an important role in alleviating protein malnutrition for millions of vegetarian peoples of these regions. The production and productivity of lentil is severely constrained by Fusarium wilt (FW). FW has been reported to cause 100% yield losses, if it affects the crop in the seedling stage. However, recent advances in the identification of races of the pathogen, screening techniques to identify resistant genotypes, genetic dissection and mapping and tagging of resistance genes through molecular markers have resulted in the release of several FW resistant varieties the world over. This has not only narrowed the gaps between potential and realized yields, but also minimized yearly fluctuations in production and productivity of lentil.