6533b850fe1ef96bd12a8090

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Taking cool-season grain legume breeding to the next level: the key role of the pea genome sequence

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The transition from a standalone phenotypic selection to a marker-assisted selection has been seen as a great step forward to improve the breeding process and reach the expected goals. More recently, the genomic revolution has also had its great impact on breeding. -omics are now part of the required toolkit for a successful, cost and time-efficient breeding. The genome sequence of pea (Pisum sativum) has been made available in 2019 through a collaborative international effort. This is a great tool for the pea community in general and the Fabeae community in particular. Current challenges facing pea and other Fabeae production are numerous. A large number of traits has also to be tackled in order to adapt the products to the various intended markets while guaranteeing their quality and quantity. This talk will highlight ongoing efforts to take pea breeding to the next step with genomics-assisted breeding. Examples will be given to illustrate how the pea resource is also important for lentil and faba bean programs.