Zn deficiency is widespread in traditional areas of chickpea cultivation worldwide. It limits chickpea productivity and causes significant losses to the economies of the world’s largest chickpea exporters. | Turkish Journal of Botany Review Article Turk J Bot (2017) 41: 423-441 © TÜBİTAK doi: Zn-use efficiency for optimization of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Igor S. KRYVORUCHKO* Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey Received: Accepted/Published Online: Final Version: Abstract: Zn deficiency is widespread in traditional areas of chickpea cultivation worldwide. It limits chickpea productivity and causes significant losses to the economies of the world’s largest chickpea exporters. This review may be of interest to researchers who would like to contribute to the improvement of chickpea cultivation on Zn-depleted soils in an environmentally sustainable manner, namely via identification of genotypes with superior symbiotic performance under Zn-limited conditions. The primary aim of the current work is to familiarize the readers with the biology and symbiotic characteristics of chickpea, and also to provide the necessary background on Zn as an essential nutrient for symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF). Special attention has been paid to the choice of rhizobial strains compatible with chickpea. Strains that can serve as an inoculum for simultaneous analysis of many genetically diverse chickpea lines have been suggested. The genotypes listed in this work can be good starting material for identification of chickpea lineages useful for unraveling the molecular basis of Zn-use efficiency, SNF efficiency, or both. Key words: Chickpea, Cicer arietinum, symbiotic nitrogen fixation, nodulation, rhizobia, zinc, micronutrient deficiency 1. Introduction Leguminous plants are capable of symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) due to their ability to undergo endosymbiosis with soil bacteria called rhizobia. This process takes place in specialized structures that develop on legume roots and are known as .
