Ontogeny of in vitro shoot organogenesis from axillary meristem explants in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a major food legume crops for the tropics and sub-tropical regions and is the main dietary protein source for vegetarians in developing countries. Besides several abiotic factors, its production is constrained by insect pests, as well as many fungal diseases. The success of any attempt to produce resistant varieties through genetic engineering to a large extent depends on the availability of efficient and reproducible regeneration and transformation procedures. Further, the transformation techniques can be more successfully applied if the ontogeny of shoot development is well understood. Ontogeny of shoot development from axillary meristem explants (AME) in chickpea has been studied with the optimization of conditions for high-frequency multiple shoot induction. Preculture of seeds in TDZ significantly enhances the frequency of multiple shoot induction from the explants. Ontogeny and early events of multiple shoot induction revealed direct adventitious origin of the shoots. The understanding of the regeneration process could be further utilized in the designing of efficient transformation methods.