Inheritance of cleistogamous flower nature in pigeonpea and its role in maintenance breeding

Maintenance of varietal purity in pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp] is the prime concern and it is necessary to search for a solution. Cleistogamous flower with modified keel and filamentous separate anthers will help in reducing insect visitation, thus reducing the out-crossing percentage. Knowledge about the genes controlling this character and inheritance pattern is important for further use in breeding programmes. Crosses were made with donors ICPL 99004 and ICPL 99009 with popular varieties WRG 27 (Rudrama) and ICPL 87119 (Asha) at Agriculture Research Station, Warangal during kharif, 1999. Inheritance pattern of cleistogamous flowers indicated the involvement of monogenic recessive gene that segregated in 3:1 ratio in F₂ generation.