New protocol can reduce breeding cycle of pigeonpea by 3-5 years, important for nutritional security in drylands

Pigeon pea, also called arhar and tur in India, is an important legume crop for the country’s nutritional security. The demand for the protein-rich food that is primarily consumed as dal in India is high – the country is the largest producer as well as importer of the grain.

A new fast-breeding protocol is likely to make it easier for scientists to develop better quality varieties of the crop at a faster rate, according to the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) that confirmed the technique. 

These new lines of pigeonpea will be crucial in bringing food security in the drylands of Asia and Africa, ICRISAT mentioned in the report published in the journal Plant Methods of BioMed Central, Springer Nature. 

Typically, developing a new variety of pigeonpea takes about 13 years of breeding, testing and release. The ICRISAT scientists conducted an experiment that showed the breeding cycle that takes around seven years, can be reduced to two-four years. 

“Pigeonpea is basically a six-nine months crop. The longer duration of the crop is a result of its short day nature, photosensitivity and seasonal specificity,” the researchers from ICRISAT, Hyderabad noted in their research paper published February 14, 2024, adding:

In the Indian scenario, the onset of fall / winter with reduced day length and temperature is conducive for flowering (< 11 h photoperiod). While the long day conditions deter the flowering and generation advancement. These requirements has restricted the generation advancement to a single season per year. 

During 2022-2023, they observed the photoperiod, light wavelength, temperature and nutrient requirements of the plant in every growth stage for speed breeding. 

They found the following to be the ideal conditions that increase annual generation advancement to 2–4 instead from just one:

• Photoperiod of 13 h: 8 h: 13 h is recommended at vegetative: flowering:  pod filling stages
• Broad spectrum light favoured early crop establishment and hastened pod filling
• Wavelength of far-red was proven crucial for onset of flowering 

“Under natural conditions, the plant, if sown in the first fortnight of June, waits four months to flower. In the due course, it gains unwanted biomass, wasting resources and costing in management,” the authors of the report noted.

The scientists successfully restricted vegetative growth and triggered early flowering, they added.

Pigeonpea has low glycaemic index and is rich in thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, vitamin A, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium and phosphorus, according to ICRISAT. 

This protocol will pave the way for self-reliance in pulse production and meeting the dietary necessities of nations such as India, Myanmar, Kenya, Tanzania, Myanmar, and Mozambique, said Jacqueline Hughes, director General of ICRISAT.

The organisation previously achieved success in speed breeding of wheat, barley, rice, cowpea, soybean and amaranth. 

The proposed seed or pod chip-based genotyping and marker-assisted selection techniques also add precision to the breeding processes, said Prakash Gangashetty, lead researcher of the project.

Pigeonpea flourishes in conditions in semi-arid regions where other legumes perish. It can provide sustenance and income for farmers in drylands, the authors noted, adding that the new method can help develop “climate-resilient, nutritionally superior and higher-yielding pigeonpea varieties at an unprecedented pace”.

For India, which is projected to import about 1.2 million tonnes of pigeonpea by March 2024, the model will be especially beneficial in providing a stable supply when imports are disrupted, like it happened in 2023 when pigeonpea prices soared because the country’s chief exporter Mozambique had to delay shipment due to bureaucratic reasons. 

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