Effect of Vernalization on the Expression of Flowering Time Genes in Chickpea

Abstract

Vernalization, or prolonged exposure to cold, significantly accelerates flowering and increases yields in many crops. The mechanisms by which vernalization influences the transition to flowering have been well studied in the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana, but have not yet been uncovered in legumes. We examined the effect of vernalization on flowering gene expression in chickpea, which is one of the most important legumes. The response to vernalization is characteristic of wild chickpea species, while this property is largely lost in the cultivated varieties. We compared the expression of orthologs of key Arabidopsis flowering regulators in wild and cultivated chickpea with and without vernalization. The expression levels of FTa1 and FTa3 gene products increased significantly after vernalization, regardless of species. At the same time, the response to vernalization of the FT-activated genes differed between cultivated and wild chickpea, suggesting differences in regulatory mechanisms within the gene network.