Accomplishments and challenges of pigeonpea breeding research in India

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.