Book of Extended summaries ISDA

International Conference on Reimagining Rainfed Agro-ecosystems: Challenges &
Opportunities during 22-24, December 2022 at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad
T3-05R-1029
Characterization and Evaluation of Pigeon Pea Mini-Core Collection for
Moisture Stress Tolerance Under Rainfed Condition
K. Salini*, B. Sarkar, N. Sridhar, N. Jyothilakshmi, M.Vanaja, M. Maheswari and
V. K. Singh
ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, Telangana 500059, India
*K.Salini@icar.gov.in
Pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] is an important grain legume grown for its proteinrich
seeds for human consumption, their ability to restore and maintain soil fertility by nitrogen
fixation, and their suitability to fit very well into various cropping patterns. With climate
change looming large and threatening agricultural production systems, the major emphasis is
on the breeding of stress-tolerant crop varieties by utilizing genetic resources that may be better
adapted to changing climatic conditions. The objective of the study was to identify the moisture
stress tolerant accession among the mini-core collection of pigeon pea thereby genetic
resources can be utilized for breeding for enhanced moisture stress tolerance.
Methodology
A total of 127 germplasm accessions of the mini-core collections of pigeon pea from ICRISAT
were evaluated in rainfed conditions in Augmented Block Design at Hayathnagar Research
Farm, ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad during 2018-19. Biometrical characters viz., days to 50%
flowering, days to maturity, plant height (cm), number of branches, number of pods, pod weight
(g), total biomass (g), harvest index and seed yield (g) were recorded. Physiological parameters
like Soil Plant Analytical Development (SPAD) Chlorophyll Meter Reading, canopy
temperature (SCMR) ( 0 C), net photosynthetic rate (µmolCO 2/m 2 /sec), stomatal conductance
(mmol H2O/m 2 /sec), transpiration rate (cm/sec) and leaf temperature ( 0 C) were also recorded.
Results
In the mini-core collections, the days to 50% flowering ranged from 71 (ICP 14903) to 178
(ICP 15109) with an average of 124 days. The days to maturity ranged from 113 (ICP 14819)
to 233 (ICP 14801) with a mean of 183 days. The plant height ranged from 52.67 (ICP 11627)
to 177.33 (ICP 10654) with an average value of 133.28 cm. The number of branches per plant
ranged from 8 (ICP 11627) to 28 (ICP 10559) with an average of 17.06. The number of pods
per plant ranged from 13 (ICP 14229) to 305 (ICP 7) with a mean of 72. Pod weight per plant
ranged from 10.38 (ICP 14229) to 97.64 (ICP 10503) with an average of 33.55 gm/plant. Seed
yield per plant ranged from 7.3 (ICP 15161) to 58 (ICP 7057) with an average of 22.18
gm/plant. Total biomass ranged from 36.43 ((ICP 11627) to 233.8 (ICP 5142) with a mean of
343 | Page Managing genetic resources for enhanced stress tolerance