Genome wide association study of genes controlling resistance to Didymella rabiei Pathotype IV through genotyping by sequencing in chickpeas (Cicer arietinum)

Ascochyta blight (AB) is a major disease in chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) that can cause a yield loss of up to 100%. Chickpea germplasm collections at the center of origin offer great potential to discover novel sources of resistance to pests and diseases. Herein, 189 Cicer arietinum samples were genotyped via genotyping by sequencing. This chickpea collection was phenotyped for resistance to an aggressive Turkish Didymella rabiei Pathotype IV isolate. Genome-wide association studies based on different models revealed 19 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associations on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8. Although eight of these SNPs have been previously reported, to the best of our knowledge, the remaining ten were associated with AB resistance for the first time. The regions identified in this study can be addressed in future studies to reveal the genetic mechanism underlying AB resistance and can also be utilized in chickpea breeding programs to improve AB resistance in new chickpea varieties. © 2023This study was funded Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies Grant No TAGEM/TBAD/A/21/A7/P3/2606 . The generation of the GBS sequencing data in this project was funded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) Grant No 118O840 .TAGEM/TBAD/A/21/A7/P3/2606; Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu, TÜBİTAK: 118O84