Sequencing the Chickpea Genome

Abstract

The importance of chickpea and constraints in chickpea production urged the need of chickpea genome. Varshney and colleagues in 2013 reported the draft genome of chickpea (kabuli). The genome assembly was 532.29 Mb spanning across 7,163 scaffolds and consisted of 28,269 gene models. The estimated size of chickpea genome was 738.09 Mb based on k-mer analysis. The draft genome assembly covered 73.8% of the total estimated genome size for chickpea. Gene annotation was carried for predicted gene models, though the UTRs and promoters have not been yet been predicted. Genome duplication and synteny analysis with other closely related legume crops showed gene conservation and segmental duplications spread across the draft genome assembly. The genome assembly provides resource for targeting genes responsible for disease resistance which are of agronomic importance. The genome assembly has been used for genome-assisted breeding and is further utilized to study the diversity and domestication of chickpea.