Indian Society of Genetics & Plant Breeding
Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] is a protein-rich pulse
crop which can grow well under soil moisture limited
environments. The crop can play a significant role in meeting
the challenges of global food security under the looming
threats of climate change, soil degradation and rising
production costs. This would be possible through fasttrack
breeding of new cultivars with high and stable
performances. This paper reviews the achievements of
pigeonpea breeding research and suggests the growth
trajectory for future programmes related to breeding of
high yielding pure line and hybrid cultivars. In the past few
decades, three pigeonpea breeding milestones have made
their mark. These include development of (i) medium
maturing disease resistant pigeonpea cultivars for greater
yield and stability, (ii) high yielding early maturing
pigeonpea cultivars for area expansion involving new
production niches, and (iii) a trend setting hybrid breeding
technology for breaking the decades-old low yield plateau.
These innovations are showing their positive impact on
pigeonpea production and productivity and hold promise
for achieving nutritional security of masses in the country.
Keywords: Pigeonpea, production constraints, variety, hybrids, production strategies
Year: 2016
Volume: 76
Issue: 4
Article DOI: 10.5958/0975-6906.2016.00065.1
Print ISSN: 0019-5200
Online ISSN: 0975-6906
K. B. Saxena, P. Bhatnagar-Mathur, R. K. Saxena, R info_circle
R. Sultana info_circle
Y. S. Chauhan info_circle
I. P. Singh info_circle
R. S. Raje info_circle
A. N. Tikle info_circle
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