The field pea (Pisum sativum L.) is studied as an important grain legume used in both human and animal feed. DNA markers can contribute to the rapid breeding of novel pea cultivars. This study aimed to identify such molecular markers as the number of days to the beginning of flowering, plant lodging, and stem geometry. Phenotypic measurements were recorded during the field trials. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of soluble carbohydrates (e.g., monosaccharides, sucrose, and raffinose family oligosaccharides) in the pea seeds were performed. A t-test was used to detect the significance of markers associated with each trait. Fifteen markers that were significant for thirteen traits were identified in this analysis. The same markers were identified for verbascose concentration in 2013 and 2014 and stem-wall thickness in 2014 and 2015. Our marker for the number of days to the beginning of flowering (AB141) was 4 cM from the AB64 marker, which was identified as a marker linked to days to 50% bloom. We found a negative correlation between lodging score at the end of flowering and stem diameter in the middle (2015, −0.40) of this study set of pea lines. Although similar correlations were detected in the Carneval × MP1401 population, the correlation between lodging at maturity and diameter in the middle and upper stem sections was positive. In markers validation, particularly for polygenic traits, a statistical analysis of the observed characters is an important step for a division of the trait values into a bimodal distribution.

The WRKY gene family is widely distributed in plants and plays essential roles in plant development and stress response. Despite extensive characterization of WRKY transcription factors in many plants, a genome-wide analysis of the WRKY gene family in Pisum sativum is still lacking. The central method of this study focused on the retrieval and characterization of WRKY gene sequences in the pea genome and further looking up for their modulation in response to sulfur and water stress. This involved a combination of bioinformatics tools and gene expression study to identify, characterize, and understand the properties of the WRKY gene family in pea. In this study, 86 PsWRKY genes were identified in the pea genome, categorized into five phylogenetic groups. They were dispersed across all seven chromosomes, with Chromosome 5 showing the highest enrichment. Synteny analysis revealed orthologs of 69 PsWRKY genes in Arabidopsis and Medicago. Transcriptome analysis identified 36 differentially expressed PsWRKY genes in response to sulfur (S) stress, water (W) stress, and their combination (W + S). Real-time PCR validation confirmed significant upregulation of PsWRKY23, PsWRKY58, PsWRKY64, and PsWRKY83 under water stress, PsWRKY58 and PsWRKY84 under sulfur stress, and PsWRKY03 under combined (W + S) stress. Overall, this study provides important insights on genetic information of the WRKY gene family in Pea and its possible role in water and sulfur stress, which will help further to study these candidate WRKY gene with a future objective of understanding their role in abiotic stress.