Indian Breeders Release New Pigeonpea

NEW DELHI - Feb 10/05 - SNS -- Plant breeders with the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics have developed the technology to produce hybrid pigeonpea varieties suitable for conditions in India.

The cytoplasmic male-sterility (CMS) based hybrid pigeonpea was developed from a cross involving Cajanus cajanifolius, a wild relative of the cultivated pigeonpea. This research was made possible through ICRISAT's partnership with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and private-sector companies.

"Plant breeders can now use this technology to produce stable hybrids for commercialization, which can almost double the productivity to about 3 tons per hectare, in comparison to released commercial varieties," the organization said in a prepared statement about the development.

Using this technology, ICRISAT developed and tested more than 200 hybrids. In this year's evaluation, three experimental hybrids showed near-doubled productivity, high stability and no plant deformity. The new experimental hybrids have also generated high interest among partners because of their high productivity, low labor requirement for seed production and greater drought tolerance.

Subscribers can read the full text of the article by Clicking here