Legume Genomics and Genetics 2024, Vol.15, No.5, 221-231 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/lgg 223 Figure 1 Comparison of chickpea, legume and other dicotyledonous genomes (Adopted from Varshney et al., 2013) Image caption: (a) Age distribution of 4DTV for genes from three legume species (chickpea, M. truncatula and L. japonicus) genomes. (b) Synteny blocks shared between chickpea and other sequenced legume genomes, including M. truncatula, L. japonicus, soybean and pigeonpea. (c) Shared and unique gene families in legume species chickpea, M. truncatula, L. japonicus, soybean, pigeonpea; in millettioid and galegoids, and in legumes, A. thaliana and grape. (d) Phylogenetic tree of seven species (Adopted from Varshney et al., 2013) 3 Molecular and Genomic Approaches in Chickpea Breeding 3.1 Marker-assisted selection (MAS) Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) is a technique that uses molecular markers to assist in the selection of desirable traits in crop breeding. In chickpeas, MAS has been effectively used to improve traits such as drought tolerance, Fusarium wilt resistance, and Ascochyta blight resistance. The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies has significantly enhanced the efficiency of MAS by enabling the identification and utilization of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and other molecular markers (He et al., 2014; Sudheesh et al., 2021). MAS has led to the development of chickpea varieties with improved resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses. For instance, marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) has been used to introgress QTL regions for drought tolerance and disease resistance into elite chickpea lines (Varshney et al., 2013). However, the application of MAS is limited by the complexity of quantitative traits, which are controlled by multiple genes with small effects. This complexity often requires the integration of other breeding approaches, such as genomic selection (GS), to fully exploit the potential of MAS (Varshney et al., 2017; Budhlakoti et al., 2022). 3.2 Genomic selection (GS) Genomic Selection (GS) is a breeding method that uses genome-wide marker data to predict the breeding values of individuals. Unlike MAS, which focuses on specific markers linked to traits of interest, GS incorporates all available marker information into prediction models. This approach allows for the selection of individuals with superior genetic potential even before phenotypic evaluation, thereby accelerating the breeding cycle (Varshney et al., 2017; Sandhu et al., 2022). GS has shown promise in improving yield and stress tolerance in chickpeas. Studies have demonstrated high prediction accuracies for traits such as seed yield and days to maturity using GS
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