Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) is an important source of protein for people in developing countries. Aphanomyces root rot (ARR) has emerged as one of the most devastating diseases affecting lentil production. In this study, we applied two complementary quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis approaches to unravel the genetic architecture underlying this complex trait. A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population and an association mapping population were genotyped using genotyping by sequencing (GBS) to discover novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). QTL mapping identified 19 QTL associated with ARR resistance, while association mapping detected 38 QTL and highlighted accumulation of favorable haplotypes in most of the resistant accessions. Seven QTL clusters were discovered on six chromosomes, and 15 putative genes were identified within the QTL clusters. To validate QTL mapping and genome-wide association study (GWAS) results, expression analysis of five selected genes was conducted on partially resistant and susceptible accessions. Three of the genes were differentially expressed at early stages of infection, two of which may be associated with ARR resistance. Our findings provide valuable insight into the genetic control of ARR, and genetic and genomic resources developed here can be used to accelerate development of lentil cultivars with high levels of partial resistance to ARR.

Fall‐sown chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) yields are often double those of spring‐sown chickpea in regions with Mediterranean climates that have mild winters. However, winter kill can limit the productivity of fall‐sown chickpea. Developing cold‐tolerant chickpea would allow the expansion of the current geographic range where chickpea is grown and also improve productivity. The objective of this study was to identify the quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with cold tolerance in chickpea. An interspecific recombinant inbred line population of 129 lines derived from a cross between ICC 4958, a cold‐sensitive desi type (C. arietinum), and PI 489777, a cold‐tolerant wild relative (C. reticulatum Ladiz), was used in this study. The population was phenotyped for cold tolerance in the field over four field seasons (September 2011–March 2015) and under controlled conditions two times. The population was genotyped using genotyping‐by‐sequencing, and an interspecific genetic linkage map consisting of 747 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, spanning a distance of 393.7 cM, was developed. Three significant QTL were found on linkage groups (LGs) 1B, 3, and 8. The QTL on LGs 3 and 8 were consistently detected in six environments with logarithm of odds score ranges of 5.16 to 15.11 and 5.68 to 23.96, respectively. The QTL CT Ca‐3.1 explained 7.15 to 34.6% of the phenotypic variance in all environments, whereas QTL CT Ca‐8.1 explained 11.5 to 48.4%. The QTL‐associated SNP markers may become useful for breeding with further fine mapping for increasing cold tolerance in domestic chickpea.