<p>While the first draft of pigeon-pea genome has been published in the latest issue of Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, a second and more accurate draft of the genome map is expected to be released within the next six months.<br /><br />The genome map would help crop breeders to come out with pigeon-pea (Arhar) varieties capable of giving better yield and fighting a common crop disease called Fusarium wilt.<br />“Currently we are developing an improved pigeon-pea variety through conventional breeding. <br /><br />The genetic map would help crop developers with tools for marker assisted breeding , which in turn will cut down the new variety development time by half,” team leader Nagendra Kumar Singh from the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), here told while talking to Deccan Herald.<br /><br />Singh and his colleagues from IARI, University of Agriculture Sciences, Dharwad, Banaras Hindu University, Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur and Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth in Akola decoded the pigeon-pea genome in the last four years.<br /><br />Pigeon-pea is one of the most important pulses in India as more than 85 per cent of the world's crop is produced and consumed in India. However, its productivity (650 kg per hectare) remains low in the last six decades.<br /><br />While mapping the Arhar genome, the scientists identified 1213 disease resistance and 152 genes for flood and drought tolerance, which would be exploited later to breed better quality pigeon pea varieties. <br /><br />“The entire breeding process would be fast-tracked though results are not expected before 4-5 years,” Singh said.<br /><br />Pigeon-pea genome mapping is an indigenous effort to decode a plant genome, though Indian farm and plant scientists in the past have participated in international efforts to decode rice, tomato and potato genome.</p>
<p>While the first draft of pigeon-pea genome has been published in the latest issue of Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, a second and more accurate draft of the genome map is expected to be released within the next six months.<br /><br />The genome map would help crop breeders to come out with pigeon-pea (Arhar) varieties capable of giving better yield and fighting a common crop disease called Fusarium wilt.<br />“Currently we are developing an improved pigeon-pea variety through conventional breeding. <br /><br />The genetic map would help crop developers with tools for marker assisted breeding , which in turn will cut down the new variety development time by half,” team leader Nagendra Kumar Singh from the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), here told while talking to Deccan Herald.<br /><br />Singh and his colleagues from IARI, University of Agriculture Sciences, Dharwad, Banaras Hindu University, Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur and Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth in Akola decoded the pigeon-pea genome in the last four years.<br /><br />Pigeon-pea is one of the most important pulses in India as more than 85 per cent of the world's crop is produced and consumed in India. However, its productivity (650 kg per hectare) remains low in the last six decades.<br /><br />While mapping the Arhar genome, the scientists identified 1213 disease resistance and 152 genes for flood and drought tolerance, which would be exploited later to breed better quality pigeon pea varieties. <br /><br />“The entire breeding process would be fast-tracked though results are not expected before 4-5 years,” Singh said.<br /><br />Pigeon-pea genome mapping is an indigenous effort to decode a plant genome, though Indian farm and plant scientists in the past have participated in international efforts to decode rice, tomato and potato genome.</p>
