Leveraging Existing International Germplasm to Deliver Improved Acid Soil Tolerance Chickpea for Australian Growers (GRDC/USA/Ethiopia Initiative)

This project uses genomics-assisted breeding to develop chickpea varieties with enhanced tolerance to acid soils. Development of novel chickpea varieties that thrive under acidic soil conditions, where aluminium toxicity and phosphorous deficiency otherwise limit plant growth, would be a significant outcome for Australian farmers. The project benefits from linkage to the UC Davis-led Chickpea Innovation Lab that has been exploring the potential of chickpea germplasm to tolerate acid soils. The project will use genomic based breeding approaches to harness traits from chickpea landraces, grown for millennia on acid soils in Ethiopia, and from pre-breeding populations containing the previously untapped genetic potential of chickpea's wild relatives.