TITLE:
Conventional and Molecular Approaches towards Genetic Improvement in Pigeonpea for Insects Resistance
AUTHORS:
Arbind K. Choudhary, Ranjeet Sharad Raje, Subhojit Datta, Rafat Sultana, Timmanna Ontagodi
KEYWORDS:
Cajanus cajan; Insects Resistance; Wild Species; Secondary Gene Pool; MABC; AB Breeding
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.4 No.2A,
February
28,
2013
ABSTRACT: Pigeonpea
[Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh] is an
important food legume of the semi-arid tropics (SAT) sustaining livelihood of millions of people. Stagnant and unstable
yield per hectare all over the world is the characteristic feature of this crop.
This is primarily ascribed to its susceptibility/sensitivity to a number of biotic
and abiotic factors. Among biotic factors, insects such as pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera), pod fly (Melanoagromyza obtusa) and spotted borer
(Maruca vitrata) substantially damage
the crop and result in significant economic losses. Management of these insects
by genetic means has always been considered environment friendly approach. However,
genetic improvement has always been impeded by limited genetic variability in the primary
gene pool of pigeonpea. Wild species present in the secondary and tertiary gene
pools have been reported to carry resistance for such insects. However, transfer
of resistance through conventional backcrossing has not been
much successful. It calls for gene introgression through marker assisted backcrossing
(MABC) or advanced backcross breeding (AB breeding). In this review, we have attempted
to assess the progress made through conventional and molecular breeding and suggested
the ways to move further towards genetic enhancement for insects resistance in pigeonpea