Main directions and modern methods of pea (Pisum sativum L.) breeding (review)

Peas are one of the leading legumes in the world, with production volumes reaching approximately 12 million tons. Pea acreage in the Russian Federation is steadily increasing. Further increases in pea yields and gross harvests are impossible without timely variety changing and the introduction of new varieties adaptable to changing stress factors. The purpose of the current work was to summarize and analyze information from scientific articles devoted to the most important areas and modern methods of pea breeding. Literary sources were selected from international databases and official publishing platforms. There has been analyzed a wide range of publications, including review papers and original research articles. Preference was given to materials with a high citation index, excluding research articles published in recent years that had not yet accumulated such an index. In order to ensure comprehensive consideration of this topic, there has been conducted an additional analysis of the bibliographic references in the selected works, which allowed identifying and expanding significant sources. An analysis of literary sources has revealed that the main characteristics currently being used in breeding work aimed at developing new pea varieties are seed productivity and quality, plant architecture, resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, length of a vegetation period, and increased symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Modern pea breeding is based on methods such as intraspecific hybridization and selection, mutagenesis, DNA-marking, and accelerated breeding. The current analysis has provided a comprehensive understanding of the present state of the issue, identified key trends, and outlined promising areas for future research.

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