Impact of Heat and Drought Stress on Grasspea and Its Wild Relatives
Khawla Aloui,
Hasnae Choukri,
Noureddine El Haddad,
Priyanka Gupta,
Keltoum El Bouhmadi,
Peter M. F. Emmrich,
Akanksha Singh,
Anne Edwards,
Fouad Maalouf,
Outmane Bouhlal,
Jasmine Staples,
Shiv Kumar
Affiliations
Khawla Aloui
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Rabat 10112, Morocco
Hasnae Choukri
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Rabat 10112, Morocco
Noureddine El Haddad
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Rabat 10112, Morocco
Priyanka Gupta
Département de phytologie, Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes Pavillons Charles-Eugène Marchant, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada
Keltoum El Bouhmadi
Laboratory of Ecology and Environment, Ben M’Sick Faculty of Sciences, University Hassan II, Casablanca 20800, Morocco
Peter M. F. Emmrich
John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
Akanksha Singh
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), New Delhi 110012, India
Anne Edwards
John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
Fouad Maalouf
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Beirut 1108 2010, Lebanon
Outmane Bouhlal
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Rabat 10112, Morocco
Jasmine Staples
John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
Shiv Kumar
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), New Delhi 110012, India
Grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is recognized as a highly drought-tolerant legume. However, excessive consumption of its seeds and green tissues causes neurolathyrism, a condition characterized by an irreversible paralysis of the legs induced by a neurotoxin amino acid called β-N-oxalyl-L-α, β- diaminopropionic acid (β-ODAP). The present study investigated the effects of heat, and combined heat + drought during the reproductive phase on physiological and phenological parameters, yield-related factors, ODAP content, and seed protein of 24 genotypes representing 11 Lathyrus species under controlled conditions. Analysis of variance revealed a highly significant effect (p IG 66026, IG 65018, IG 65687, IG 118511, IG 64931, and IG65273 were identified as having the most favorable combination of yield, protein content, and seed ODAP levels across all conditions. ODAP content in these six accessions varied from 0.07 to 0.11% under no stress and remained at moderate levels during both heat stress (0.09–0.14%) and combined stress (0.11–0.17%). IG 66026 was identified as the most stable genotype under drought and heat stress conditions with high protein content, and low ODAP content. By identifying those promising accessions, our results have established a basis for forthcoming grasspea breeding initiatives while paving the way for future research exploration into the fundamental mechanisms driving ODAP variation in the presence of both heat and drought stress conditions.
