ABC Transporter-Mediated Transport of Glutathione Conjugates Enhances Seed Yield and Quality in Chickpea.

The identification of functionally relevant molecular tags is vital for genomics-assisted crop improvement and enhancement of seed yield， quality， and productivity in chickpea (). The simultaneous improvement of yield/productivity as well as quality traits often requires pyramiding of multiple genes， which remains a major hurdle given various associated epistatic and pleotropic effects. Unfortunately， no single gene that can improve yield/productivity along with quality and other desirable agromorphological traits is known， hampering the genetic enhancement of chickpea. Using a combinatorial genomics-assisted breeding and functional genomics strategy， this study identified natural alleles and haplotypes of an -type transporter gene that regulates seed weight， an important domestication trait， by transcriptional regulation and modulation of the transport of glutathione conjugates in seeds of and chickpea. The superior allele/haplotype of this gene introgressed in and near-isogenic lines enhances the seed weight， yield， productivity， and multiple desirable plant architecture and seed-quality traits without compromising agronomic performance. These salient findings can expedite crop improvement endeavors and the development of nutritionally enriched high-yielding cultivars in chickpea.