Using the IIIVmrMLM Method to Confirm and Search New Genome-Wide Associations in Chickpea

Chickpea (Cicer arientinum) is an important crop grown in the Middle East, Central Asia, Turkey, India and southern Russia and used in a wide variety of traditional dishes. The decrease in genetic diversity during domestication, as well as the crop's greater sensitivity to abiotic and biotic stresses, provides the idea of using landraces in breeding programs to improve the crop. The new IIIVmrMLM method for genome-wide association search allowed us to identify new variants in the genetic data of the chickpea collection, which were localized within important genes, and to identify landraces best suited to the climate of the two experimental stations.