Harnessing wild Cicer for climate-resilient chickpea: Genetic resources, traits, and genomics insights

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a vital pulse crop that contributes significantly to global nutrition and food security. However, its narrow genetic base limits improvement for tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Wild relatives of chickpea, comprising 44 species across the primary, secondary, and tertiary gene pools, represent an invaluable reservoir of genetic variation that can help overcome these limitations. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the role of wild Cicer species in enhancing chickpea resilience. Annual species such as C. reticulatum, C. echinospermum, and C. pinnatifidum confer drought and cold tolerance, while the recently described C. turcicum shows adaptation to heat stress. Perennial species, including C. microphyllum and C. anatolicum, thrive in extreme environments and contribute traits for drought and cold tolerance. Several wild accessions also exhibit resistance to major biotic stresses such as Fusarium wilt, Ascochyta blight, and nematodes. Advances in molecular genetics and genomics have accelerated the discovery of quantitative trait loci, single-nucleotide polymorphisms, and candidate genes associated with these adaptive traits, facilitating their use in pre-breeding, marker-assisted selection, and comparative genomics. Nonetheless, challenges such as cross-incompatibility, linkage drag, and limited pre-breeding efforts persist. Innovative techniques, including embryo rescue, tissue culture, and genome editing, offer promising solutions to these barriers. Harnessing the genetic potential of wild Cicer species is therefore crucial for developing climate-resilient, high-yielding cultivars. Integrating genomics, advanced phenotyping, and pre-breeding will be key to realizing this potential and ensuring sustainable chickpea production for future food and nutrition security.