The project “Utilization of introgression lines derived from wild Cajanus species for pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) improvement” is being carried out by a team consisting of the Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU), the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Professor Jayashankar Telanaga State Agricultural University, and the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR, Myanmar). The project is expected to take place between 2018 and 2020.
Pigeonpea is a widely adapted food legume crop cultivated throughout the semi-arid tropics and subtropics. It is of considerable importance in South Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America where it is grown primarily as a food crop. Due to its narrow genetic base, the genetic enhancement is not adequate in this crop and the productivity is hovering around 800 kg/ha for the past six decades. Hence, there is a need to exploit new and diverse sources of variations for the genetic improvement of pigeonpea. Wild Cajanus species possess high levels of resistance/tolerance for various biotic/abiotic stresses and provide novel genetic variations for pigeonpea improvement. Using wild species from secondary and tertiary genepools as donors, and pigeonpea cultivars as recipients, pre-breeding populations have been developed. Evaluation of these populations for yield and related traits over years and locations as well as for biotic/abiotic stresses resulted in the identification of promising introgression lines (ILs) having high-yield and resistance/tolerance to important biotic/abiotic stresses.
The objectives of this project are to conduct farmers-participatory varietal selection (FPVS) trials of high-yielding pre-breeding lines across several locations, evaluate salinity tolerant and disease (SMD and wilt) resistant ILs for yield- related traits across locations, evaluate newly developed backcross populations derived from simple and complex (4-way) crosses for pod borer tolerance, and identify and distribute promising ILs to farmers, breeders, NARS, and/or private sector partners for use in pigeonpea improvement programs. The project will focus on four of the wild relatives of pigeonpea: Cajanus cajanifolius, Cajanus scarabaeoides, Cajanus acutifolius, Cajanus platycarpus.
