Genomics-Enabled Breeding for Manoeuvring Biotic Stresses in Lentil

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is a significant cool-season legume crop known for its high nutritional value, often referred to as the ‘poor man’s meat.’ The effects of global climate change have had a notable impact on lentil area and production, primarily due to the introduction of this crop into new niches as well as the increased incidence of diseases and pests affecting this crop. In this section, we address the biotic vagaries that lentil encounters, exploring integrated approaches through conventional and molecular breeding strategies for their holistic management. We delve into the sources of germplasm known for their resistance and tolerance to these stresses followed by their delivery through traditional breeding approaches as well as the identification of essential genes and quantitative trait loci (QTL) necessary for the development of disease-resistant lentil cultivars addressing these issues. The pace of integrating interactome methods of multiomics into breeding efforts and employing advanced tools like genetic engineering and genome editing in lentil has been notably slower. Consequently, there exists significant potential to explore these methodologies, enabling a substantial leap forward in the development of disease-resistant lentil cultivars. We summarize the current status, recent discoveries, and future directions of research towards mitigating biotic stresses in lentil.