Dissection of pea responses to water stress during seed filling identifies candidate genes for drought tolerance

International audience; Given their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, legumes are pivotal to the development of sustainable agriculture in Europe as a source of protein for food and feed. Pea (Pisum sativum) is currently the leading grain legume crop in France and major efforts are being made to reintroduce legumes as protein crops in Europe. However, instability of seed yield and quality due to environmental fluctuations still represent a real barrier for the development of these cultures, and breeding for stable yields is needed. In pea, drought stress occurring during the reproductive phase can greatly affect seed yield and quality. We investigated the response of pea plants (var. Cam…