ICRISAT has been selected as one of 11 global hubs to develop tools for utilizing natural genetic diversity in crop improvement. The HapCat and PanGenome Hub, led by Dr. Rajeev Varshney at ICRISAT, will study the genetic determinants of chickpea to create a haplotype catalogue and analyze the entire gene set of chickpea strains. The hub aims to provide a common platform for sequencing analysis and connect researchers generating diversity data. Activities will include connecting experts to expand crop characterization and sharing best practices for underutilized crops including in Africa. DivSeek International, which established the 11 hubs, is funded by organizations in Canada and aims to advance use of crop diversity globally

1. NewsletterHappenings
In-house version 16 October 2020, No.1876
ICRISAT among 11 global ‘Hubs’ to accelerate the use of
natural genetic diversity to advance crop improvement
Collaborations
Using chickpea as the case species,
one of the proposed 11 hubs of
DivSeek International will develop and
refine tools to accelerate the use of its
natural genetic diversity to advance crop
improvement.
Scientists in this hub will be studying the
genetic determinants on a single
chromosome to create the HapCat
(haplotypes catalogue) and to analyze the
PanGenome i.e. the entire gene set of all
strains of a species. The aim is to provide a
common and scalable sequencing data
analysis platform and a community focal
point for researchers primarily generating sequencing
data for utilizing genetic diversity in crop improvement
programs.
The HapCat and PanGenome Hub will be led by Dr
Rajeev K Varshney, ICRISAT, India, in collaboration with
Dr Dave Edwards, The University of Western Australia,
Australia and Dr Kuldeep Singh, Indian Council of
Agricultural Research ICAR- National Bureau of Plant
Genetic Resources, India.
Activities in the Hub Pilots include:
▪▪ Facilitating connections between culinary experts,
anthropologists, sociologists, ecologists, database
engineers, genomic and phenomics experts to expand
the characterization of crop diversity to include flavor,
culinary uses, and traditional agricultural practices.
▪▪ Identifying common practices for the characterization
of emerging crops, recently domesticated and novel
crops, locally adapted germplasm and regionally
important crops, including African staple food crops.
▪▪ Providing evidence-based perspectives for sharing
information about plant genetic resources, the
technological requirements for data-sharing across
constituencies, and non-monetary benefit sharing
practices of researchers that align with international
treaties.
DivSeek International’s operations are funded by
Genome Canada, Genome Prairie and the Global
Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of
Saskatchewan. The organization currently has 67
member institutions representing 28 countries and has
established a Secretariat in Saskatoon hosted by GIFS.
Read more on https://cegsb.icrisat.org/
This work contributes
to UN Sustainable
Development Goals
A file photo of the ICRISAT genomic lab.
Photo: S Punna