Genome-wide gene expression analysis reveals major chickpea and lentil genes associated with branching

Chickpea and lentil are two important pulse crops used for human consumption as sources of vegetable protein, rich in amino acids and bioactive compounds. The search for elite cultivars with better architecture has been a demand by farmers of these two crops, which aims to systematize their mechanized planting and harvesting on a large scale. Therefore, the identification of genes associated with the regulation of the branching and architecture of these plants has currently gained great importance. This work aimed to gain insight into transcriptomic changes of two contrasting chickpea and lentil cultivars in terms of branching pattern (little versus highly branched cultivars). In addition, we aimed to identify candidate genes involved in the regulation of shoot branching that could be used as future targets for molecular breeding. The axillary and apical buds of chickpea cultivars Blanco lechoso and FLIP07-318C, and lentil cultivars Castellana and Campisi, considered as little and highly branched, respectively, were harvested.