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Global team of scientists resequences genome of 292 pigeonpea varieties
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Wednesday, 31 May, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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In a significant breakthrough, a global team of 19 scientists from nine institutes have resequenced the genome or DNA of 292 pigeonpea varieties from 23 countries and discovered new traits such as resistance to various diseases that affect the crop and its insensitivity to photo-period (the duration of daylight hours required for reaching maturity).
The research also traces the likely origin of the domesticated pigeonpea, which is scientifically called Cajanus cajan and commonly called arhar or tur dal in India, to Madhya Pradesh in central India. These discoveries have been published in the prestigious journal Nature Genetics.
This breakthrough will lead to the development of superior varieties of this important pulse crop, which can enable higher production and profits for smallholder farmers and a better market value and bring it within an affordable price range for the consumer, especially the poor.
Pigeonpea is a major source of protein, fibre, minerals, vitamins and resistant starch. It is important for ensuring nutritional security for millions in the developing world. However, the crop yield has remained stagnant over the last six decades, with limited genetic diversity and genome information, which is required for the development of superior varieties.
The nine collaborating institutes are the School of Agriculture and Environment and Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia; Shenzhen Millennium Genomics Inc, China; Macrogen Inc, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Institute of Biotechnology, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), Hyderabad, India; Agricultural Research Station, Gulbarga, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Karnataka, India; The Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, USA; Biological Sciences and International Centre for Tropical Botany, Florida International University, Miami, USA, and Visva-Bharati, Shantiniketan, India and will be led by the Hyderabad-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).
Grown on over five million hectare (ha), primarily by smallholder farmers, pigeonpea is the sixth most important food crop in the world. It is central to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s goal of attaining self-sufficiency in pulse production, and an important source of protein to ensure nutritional security for mothers and children. Pigeonpea imports were close to 3,00,000 ton in 2012-131 and the prices of pulses have put them out of reach for a majority of the Indian population.
“The study used re-sequencing data to identify genomic regions impacted by domestication and breeding that have contributed to narrowing the genetic base,” said Dr Rajeev K Varshney, research programme director, ICRISAT, and the project director.
“It also identified the genetic origin of the crop at a DNA level for the first time and identified genes with agronomically useful traits, such as resistance to sterility mosaic disease and fusarium wilt, and insensitivity to photoperiod that will help to accelerate pigeonpea breeding and reduce the time to develop superior varieties from 8-10 years to five years,” he added. One of these genes was efl3.
This was one of the biggest breakthroughs in pigeonpea research since the decoding of its DNA sequence (published in Nature Biotechnoogy) in 2011 by an ICRISAT-led global research team, and allowed for a better understanding of patterns of genome-wide variations and the genetic basis of agronomic traits.
Rachit Saxena, senior scientist, pigeonpea genomics, ICRISAT, added, “The research also mapped similarities and dissimilarities between modern cultivars, landraces and wild species to arrive at the source and subsequent movement of pigeonpea from South Asia to sub-Saharan Africa, and finally to Central and South America.”
David Bergvinson, director general, ICRISAT, said, “Pigeonpea is a very important commercial crop for smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia, as it has a huge export potential. This breakthrough will help us better understand the grain’s quality traits and unlock the huge potential of this crop and allow farmers access to high value markets.”
“Understanding the photoperiod sensitivity is an example, as this will allow the crop to be established in many regions where it is currently not grown,” he added.
Robert Bertram, chief scientist, USAID, the study’s main sponsor, said, “This USAID-supported research is an important milestone in pigeonpea genetics and genomics.”
“Pigeonpea is vital to the livelihoods of millions of farmers across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The findings in this study will help pigeonpea farmers boost their productivity and expand food and nutritional security across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa,” he added.
S K Pattanayak, secretary, ministry of agriculture and farmers’ welfare (the co-sponsor of the research), put this discovery in the context of doubling of farmers’ incomes in India.
“India needs such critical discoveries that do not just add to scientific knowledge, but also enhance production by delivering photo-insensitive lines and increase productivity by delivering high-yielding varieties,” he added.
“These genomic advances provide an effective means to harness the genetic diversity present in pigeonpea germplasm collections in gene banks for bigger yields and enhancing disease resistance. This will help to provide more produce to farmers,” said Trilochan Mohapatra, director general, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
This research will also allow for comparative studies against other legumes, contributing valuable resources to accelerate genetic gains to benefit pigeonpea farmers and ensure profitability and a food-secure future through effective risk management.
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