In terms of safe food and a healthy food supply, beans (Phaseolus spp.) are a significant source of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals especially for poor populations throughout the world. They are also rich in unsaturated fatty acids, such as linoleic and oleic acids. From the past to the present, a large number of breeding studies to increase bean yield, especially the common bean (P. vulgaris L.), have resulted in the registration of many modern varieties, although quality and flavor traits in the modern varieties have been mostly ignored. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to compare protein, fat, fatty acid, and some mineral content such as selenium (Se), zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) of landraces to modern varieties. The landrace LR05 had higher mineral contents, particularly Se and Zn, and protein than the modern varieties. The landrace LR11 had the highest linoleic acid. The landraces are grown by farmers in small holdings for dual uses, such as both dry seed and snap bean production, and are commercialized with a higher cash price. The landraces of the common bean are, not only treasures that need to be guarded for the future, but also important genetic resources that can be used in bean breeding programs. The results of this study suggest that landraces are essential sources of important nutritional components for food security and a healthy food supply.

Genetic resources of the genus Cicer L. are not only limited when compared to other important food legumes and major cereal crops but also, they include several endemic species with endangered status based on the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The chief threats to endemic and endangered Cicer species are over-grazing and habitat change in their natural environments driven by climate changes. During a collection mission in east and south-east Anatolia (Turkey), a new Cicer species was discovered, proposed here as C. turcicum Toker, Berger & Gokturk. Here, we describe the morphological characteristics, images, and ecology of the species, and present preliminary evidence of its potential utility for chickpea improvement. C. turcicum is an annual species, endemic to southeast Anatolia and to date has only been located in a single population distant from any other known annual Cicer species. It belongs to section Cicer M. Pop. of the subgenus Pseudononis M. Pop. of the genus Cicer L. (Fabaceae) and on the basis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence similarity appears to be a sister species of C. reticulatum Ladiz. and C. echinospermum P.H. Davis, both of which are inter-fertile with domestic chickpea (C. arietinum L.). With the addition of C. turcicum, the genus Cicer now comprises 10 annual and 36 perennial species. As a preliminary evaluation of its potential for chickpea improvement two accessions of C. turcicum were field screened for reproductive heat tolerance and seeds were tested for bruchid resistance alongside a representative group of wild and domestic annual Cicer species. C. turcicum expressed the highest heat tolerance and similar bruchid resistance as C. judaicum Boiss. and C. pinnatifidum Juab. & Spach, neither of which are in the primary genepool of domestic chickpea. Given that C. arietinum and C. reticulatum returned the lowest and the second lowest tolerance and resistance scores, C. turcicum may hold much potential for chickpea improvement if its close relatedness supports interspecific hybridization with the cultigen. Crossing experiments are currently underway to explore this question.

Although chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) has high yield potential, its seed yield is often low and unstable due to the impact of abiotic stresses, such as drought and heat. As a result of global warming, both drought and heat are estimated to be major yield constraints between one-quarter and one-third per annum. In the present review, genomic-mediated breeding strategies to increase resilience against global warming. Exacerbated drought and heat stresses have been examined to understand the latest advancement happening for better management of these challenges. Resistance mechanisms for drought and heat stresses consist of (i) escape via earliness, (ii) avoidance via morphological traits such as better root traits, compound leaves, or multipinnate leaves and double-/multiple-podded traits, and (iii) tolerance via molecular and physiological traits, such as special tissue and cellular abilities. Both stresses in chickpeas are quantitatively governed by minor genes and are profoundly influenced by edaphic and other environmental conditions. High-yield genotypes have traditionally been screened for resistance to drought and heat stresses in the target selection environment under stress conditions or in the simulacrum mediums under controlled conditions. There are many drought- and heat-tolerant genotypes among domestic and wild Cicer chickpeas, especially in accessions of C. reticulatum Ladiz., C. echinospermum P.H. Davis, and C. turcicum Toker, J. Berger, and Gokturk. The delineation of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genes allied to drought- and heat-related attributes have paved the way for designing stress-tolerant cultivars in chickpeas. Transgenic and “omics” technologies hold newer avenues for the basic understanding of background metabolic exchanges of QTLs/candidate genes for their further utilization. The overview of the effect of drought and heat stresses, its mechanisms/adaptive strategies, and markers linked to stress-related traits with their genetics and sources are pre-requisites for framing breeding programs of chickpeas with the intent of imparting drought tolerance. Ideotype chickpeas for resistance to drought and heat stresses were, therefore, developed directly using marker-aided selection over multiple locations. The current understanding of molecular breeding supported by functional genomics and omics technologies in developing drought- and heat-tolerant chickpea is discussed in this review.

Suitability of poor quality water for irrigation depends on salinity level and solute concentration in the water and selected crop. Salt stress is a major potential constraint for faba bean. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of different Cl- and SO₄-containing salt sources in irrigation water with different salinity levels on emergence, early seedling growth and photosynthetic capacity of six faba bean genotypes. The negative effect order of salinity level was high (3 dS/m) > medium (2 dS/m) > low (1 dS/m) > control (0.05 dS/m) for all investigated parameters except dry root weight. The negative effects of Cl-containing salt sources were higher than that of SO₄-containing salt sources. The worst and the best performing genotypes were determined as III-28 and III-29 on emergence percentage at 10th DAS, I-29 and III-1 on mean emergence time, III-22 and III-1 on shoot height, III-1 and I-29 on fresh biomass weight, III-22 and III-28 on fresh shoot weight, III-29 and I-29 on fresh root weight, respectively. This study showed that faba bean genotypes have different behaviors in terms of response to the increasing salinity levels artificially makeup by using different salt sources indicating that salt response of faba bean is genotype-specific.

The concept of ‘crop ideotype’ is coined as a desirable plant model expected to better perform for seed yield, oils and other useful characteristics when developed as a cultivar, and it consists of two major approaches, namely, (i) ‘defect elimination’, that is, integration of disease resistance to a susceptible genotype from a resistant genotype and (ii) ‘selection for yield’ by improving yield after crosses between desirable parents. For consideration of these approaches, here we introduced an ideotype in kabuli chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) which is high-yielding, extra-large-seeded, and double- or multi-podded, has high plant height and imparipinnate-leafed traits, and is heat tolerant and resistant to ascochyta blight [Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Labr.], which causes considerable yield losses, via marker-assisted selection. F₃ and F₄ lines were evaluated for agro-morphological traits divided into six classes, namely, (i) imparipinnate-leafed and single-podded progeny, (ii) imparipinnate-leafed and double-podded progeny, (iii) imparipinnate-leafed and multi-podded progeny, (iv) unifoliolate-leafed and single-podded progeny, (v) unifoliolate-leafed and double-podded progeny, (vi) unifoliolate-leafed and multi-podded progeny. F_3:4 lines having 100-seed weight ≥ 45 g and double- or multi-podded traits were additionally assessed for resistance to ascochyta blight using molecular markers including SCY17₅₉₀ and CaETR-1. Superior lines having higher values than their best parents were determined for all studied traits indicating that economic and important traits including yield and seed size in chickpea could be improved by crossing suitable parents. Imparipinnate-leafed and multi-podded plants had not only the highest number of pods and seeds per plant but also the highest yield. On the other hand, imparipinnate-leafed and single podded progeny had the largest seed size, followed by imparipinnate-leafed and double-podded progeny. Multi-podded plants produced 23% more seed yield than that of single-podded plants, while multi-podded plants attained 7.6% more seed yield than that of double-podded plants. SCY17₅₉₀ and CaETR-1 markers located on LG4 related to QTL_AR2 and QTL_AR1 were found in 14 lines among 152 F_3:4 lines. Six superior lines were selected for being double- or multi-podded, imparipinnate-leafed, suitable for combine harvest, heat-tolerant, and resistant to ascochyta blight, and having both of two resistance markers and extra-large seeds as high as 50–60 g per 100-seed weight. Resistance alleles from two different backgrounds for resistance to ascochyta blight were integrated with double- or multi-podded kabuli chickpea lines having high yield, extra-large seeds, high plant height, imparipinnate-leaves and high heat tolerance, playing a crucial role for future demands of population and food security. These approaches seem to be applicable in ideotype breeding for other important crop plants.