Genomics Pushes Blackeye Breeding Forward

California researchers are opening up new possibilities for black-eyed pea improvement, and much of the work begins at the genetic level. The progress was highlighted by the University of California Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, which shared updates from UC Riverside and UC Davis on ongoing blackeye breeding research.

Bao-Lam Huynh at UC Riverside leads the statewide effort. His team studies the regions of the plant’s genome that control seed size, giving breeders tools to make faster and more precise decisions. That work ties into the GEMINI project, co-led by UC Davis breeder Christine Diepenbrock, which is designed to support advanced breeding tools across several dry bean crops.

UC Davis scientist Sassoum Lo identified two specific genomic regions linked to larger seed size during her doctoral research. By combining those regions, nine improved blackeye lines have already been created, and researchers are now evaluating nutritional quality and field performance.

For listeners who have wondered what scientists are building behind the scenes before new varieties reach farms, following this work offers a clearer look at the process.