Contributions

Table FP4.2. Focus traits for improvement of GLDC crops by FP4 and FP5 interventions.

Crop	Traits for all target regions	Traits specific to target regions
Chickpea	Drought and heat tolerance*, pod borer resistance; high protein, Fe and Zn content	Ascochyta blight resistance (ESA, CWANA), dry root rot resistance (SA), herbicide tolerance* (SA)
Cowpea	Drought tolerance*, aphid and Rhizoctonia resistance	Striga* (WCA); Alectra resistance (ESA)
Groundnut	Drought tolerance*, stem rot resistance, high oil content*, high Fe and Zn content, aflatoxin resistance	Resistance to rosette (WCA, ESA), Early leaf spot (ELS) resistance, fresh seed dormancy (SA)
Lentil	Drought and heat tolerance*; high protein, Fe and Zn content; earliness	Resistance to Ascochyta blight, rust and root diseases, water logging tolerance (Sub-Saharan Africa). Resistance to Stemphylium blight, rust and root diseases, herbicide tolerance, high biomass (South Asia)
Pigeonpea	Resistance to fusarium wilt, sterility mosaic disease and pod borer; high protein, Fe and Zn content	Resistance to sterility mosaic disease and pod fly (SA); resistance to Cercospora and pod sucking bug (ESA)
Soybean	Drought tolerance/escape; shattering, lodging, rust resistance	Seed size, Frogeye resistance, Biological Nitrogen Fixation, day length insensitive (SA and WA)
Finger millet	Drought tolerance, blast resistance; high Fe, Zn and Ca content	Resistance to Striga and downy mildew (ESA)
Pearl millet	Drought tolerance*, downy mildew resistance, high nutritional quality (Fe, Zn), low flour rancidity	Blast resistance (SA), Striga resistance* (WCA and ESA)
Sorghum	Drought tolerance*, nutritional quality (Fe, Zn), fodder digestibility	Striga resistance* (WCA and ESA)
Color codes for the traits: Abiotic stress, biotic stress, grain nutrition value and consumer preferred for market pull. * 'no-regret' traits

Genomic selection will be used to improve breeding processes efficiency²⁵⁴. Double haploid technology will be used for rapid homozygosity in the crops where protocols are already available or will be developed in FP5 as appropriate. In other crops, rapid generation turnover (RGT) protocols (in vitro culture, photoperiod alterations, single seed descent, off-season planting/shuttle breeding, etc.) standardized in FP5 will be used to create multiple generations annually. The improved high throughput phenotyping platforms established in FP5 and current phenotyping facilities in CoA 4.1 will be used for precision phenotyping of abiotic and biotic stresses and nutritional quality. Early generation testing will be carried out in partnership with NARES at the representative sites in respective TPEs utilizing efficient experimental designs to identify promising breeding lines with desired combination of traits.

CoA 4.3: Product testing and release

Superior germplasm and breeding lines selected in CoA 4.2 will be evaluated at multi-locations in partnership with public and or private sector actors in respective TPEs to identify lines with stable performance and that meet yield and other trait targets. Promising lines and experimental hybrids will be entered into pre-release trials and national performance test by public and private partners and subsequently released as new varieties and hybrids in line with their national regulations. Farmer participatory varietal selection will be conducted to identify farmer and market preferred traits, a precondition for release in most countries. Where capacity of national partners is limited, CGIAR institutes will backstop development of variety release proposals and provide additional characterization data/information needed for that purpose. FP4 will strengthen the capacity of participating public and or private sectors to design, manage and support multilocation testing and variety release. Two mechanisms will be used to continuously inform the breeding strategy: (1) Hybrids- ICRISAT’s Hybrid Parents Research Consortium (HPRC) for pearl millet, sorghum and pigeonpea will provide feedback on research priorities, share sites for shuttle breeding and early generation testing, and support rapid release and dissemination of hybrids. (2) Varieties- national partners will provide feedback from FPVS and on-farm and on-station data. BMS will used to manage data (pedigrees, nurseries and trials) and data sharing facilitated through an open access portal shared with FP5. The breeding program will train partner scientists and technicians, with special emphasis on empowering young women in integrated breeding.