Can pigeonpea hybrids negotiate stresses better than inbred cultivars?

Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] is an important rainfed pulse crop of tropics and sub-tropics, and during its long growth cycle of 6-9 months it encounters a number of biotic and abiotic stresses. The recently developed CMS-based pigeonpea hybrids have demonstrated large gains in yield and stability over the traditional inbred cultivars. In this review, the authors argue that the heterosis expressed in traits like seed germination, radicle growth, root biomass production and moisture retention during water stress confers advantages to hybrid plants in negotiating a few abiotic and biotic stresses in much better way than pure line cultivars.

Breeding pigeonpea cultivars for intercropping: synthesis and strategies.

Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] is an ideal pulse crop of rainfed tropics and sub-tropics due to its high nutritive value and ability to survive various biotic and abiotic stresses. Thus it has continued to be cultivated on marginal land mostly under rainfed situation where the risk of crop failure is very high. To have insurance against crop failures and harvest more food in time and space, most farmers grow pigeonpea as an intercrop with short-aged cereals and other crops. Presently, intercropping system accounts for over 70% of the pigeonpea area. However, yield of pigeonpea in this system is very low (400-500 kg/ha). The non-availability of improved cultivars adapted specifically to the intercropping environments is perhaps the major constraint that accounts for low yield. Considering the food and nutritional needs of the ever increasing population, productivity enhancement of this high-protein pulse is highly indispensable. In this review, the authors critically examine the technical difficulties encountered by breeders in developing high yielding cultivars for intercropping systems and discuss the strategies to overcome these constraints.