Grain Legumes Research at ICRISAT RK Varshney and TEAM Grain Legumes Research Program, ICRISAT
Grain Legumes Research
at ICRISAT RK Varshney and TEAM
Grain Legumes Research Program, ICRISAT
Food Legumes for health and prosperity
• Legumes are lifeline of farming systems globally
• Fix atmospheric nitrogen, make phosphorous
available
• Capable of growing in extreme conditions on marginal
soils
• Provide critical dietary protein, vitamins and minerals
to poorer section of society
• Impart sustainability to various farming systems and
environment
• Provide income and livelihood support to poor and
marginal farmers
Strategy
Grain legumes such as chickpea, pigeonpea and
groundnut are important complements to cereals.
Legumes more susceptible to pests and diseases,
thereby increasing the risk for smallholder farmers
and constrains the adoption of improved cultivars.
Breeding targets include biotic and abiotic stresses,
grain quality and nutritional traits, food safety,
improved nitrogen fixation, hybrids, and adaptation
to diverse dryland agro-ecosystems.
Use modern genomics and molecular tools, precise
phenotyping and crop simulation modeling.
Overcome seed system constraints.
Improvement of grain legumes
Past approach:
• Centralized Crop Improvement:
Favorable ecologies/better endowed farming
situations
Often lack of coherence between on-station and
on-farm performance
Emerging new approach:
• Participatory Varietal Section
Promising results in many crops
More suited for unfavorable and less endowed
farming conditions
Selection in target environments by farmers
themselves
New tools and techniques
• ICRISAT has 120,341 accessions
• 49,819 are grain legume germplasm
• Well characterized subsets, mini core collections in chickpea,
pigeonpea and groundnut
• Trait-specific, genetically diverse and agronomicaly desirable lines
identified for use in crop
improvement
Genetic Resources The source of improved germplasm
Infrastructure and support Modern science to improve efficiencies
• Centre for Excellence in Genomics (CEG)
• Platform for Translational Research in Transgenic crops (PTTC)
• High Throughput Phenotyping Platform
• Tissue culture and Wide Hybridization
• Detection of mycotoxins and viruses
The pigeonpea genome
• Illumina sequencing tech used
to generate 237.2 Gb
• 72.7% (605.78 Mb) of the total
pigeonpea genome assembled
into scaffolds
• Genome analysis has predicted
48,680 genes
• High levels of synteny
observed between pigeonpea
and soybean
• >50,000 SSR and SNP markers
identified
• Higher abundance of drought
tolerance genes
• Illumina sequencing used to
generate 153.01 Gb
• 73.8% of the genome is
captured in scaffolds
• Genome analysis predicted
28,269 genes
• High levels of synteny
observed between chickpea
and Medicago
• > 81,845 SSRs and 4.4 million
variants (SNPs and INDELs)
The chickpea genome
0
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Yield
(kg/ha)
Irrigated
Rainfed
Introgression of drought tolerance QTLs into JG 11
Enhanced root length density
Upto 12% higher yield in rainfed conditions
Institution Cross/parents Current status
ICRISAT, India JG 11 × ICC 4958 20 BC3F5 lines
Chefe × ICC 8261 8 BC3F5 lines
KAK2 × ICC 8261 2 BC3F5 lines
ICCV 10 × ICC 4958 22 BC3F5
IIPR, India DCP92-3 × ICC 4958 60BC1F1
KWR 108 × ICC 4958 7 BC1F1
IARI, India Pusa 362 × ICC 4958 170 BC2F1
EIAR, Ethiopia Ejere × ICC 4958 384 BC2F1
Arerti × ICC 4958 27 BC3F4 lines
EU, Kenya ICCV 97105 × ICC 4958 33 BC3F1
ICCV 95423 × ICC 4958 10 BC3F5 lines
MABC for enhancing chickpea drought tolerance in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa
Introgression of rust resistance QTL in
three groundnut varieties
Marker based purity testing for hybrids in
pigeonpea
Saxena et al. 2011 Mol Breed;
Bohra et al. 2011 BMC Plant
Biol
ICPH 2438
ICPH 2671
Transgenic interventions for key target constraints in legumes
Efficient Transformation Systems @ ICRISAT
Groundnut
Pigeonpea
Chickpea
Product development time-line
T0’s Event Selection (GH) Event Selection (Fld) Regulatory Release
Groundnut
viral diseases
Chickpea
pod borer
Pigeonpea
pod borer
Groundnut GRAV PBNV
Groundnut TSV
Pigeonpea & Chickpea
Bt
Groundnut A, flavus
Pigeonpea & Groundnut ß-carotene
1-2 years 2-3 years 2-4 years 2-4 years
Groundnut drought
Groundnut ß-carotene
3-6
Translational Activities
(PTTC)
Chickpea DREB Groundnut
DREB
Pigeonpea & Chickpea
Bt
New Tools • RNAi • Proteomics
Networking with Indian Institutions CGIAR-wide initiatives through CRPs Explore collaborations with:
Bioscience Eastern and Central Africa (BecA)-ILRI hub NPAD’s African Bioscience Initiative (ABI) regional networks :
Southern African Network for Biosciences (SANBio) West African Biosciences Network (WABNet) North African Biosciences Network (NABNet)
FARA (Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa) Other regional organizations like AATF
Areas of Collaboration: Transgenic product development and testing Capacity building Technology transfer
Cooperation Initiatives on transgenics
• Breeding for earliness for drought-escape
• Emphasis on drought tolerance and WUE
• MAS for root mass and rooting depth (drought
tolerance)
• Resistance to major diseases (wilt, root rot)
• Transgenic approach for Helicoverpa resistance
• Good prospects as future health food
Chickpea
Key factors for chickpea revolution in
Andhra Pradesh
1. Availability of high yielding, short-duration, heat tolerant,
fusarium wilt resistant varieties well-adapted to short-
season, warmer environments of southern India.
2. High adoption of improved cultivars and production
technologies.
3. Transformation from subsistence to commercial cultivation
of chickpea.
4. Grain storage facilities available to farmers at local level
and at affordable cost
Chickpea research directed towards SSA
1. Evaluated chickpea trials and nurseries for high yield,
large seed size, Fusarium wilt, AB, drought tolerance.
2. Molecular breeding of chickpea for drought tolerance
by generating lines for Kenya and Ethiopia.
3. A QTL hotspot for root and related traits was
introgressed into several cultivars from South Asia
and sub-Sahran Africa (JG 11 , KAK 2, Chefe, ICCV 10, ICCV
97105, ICCV 95423, Ejere, Arerti) using 3 cycles of marker-
assisted backcrossing.
• Focus on early maturity and resistance to major
diseases
• Increased emphasis on tolerance to drought and WUE
• Large seeded types for confectionary purposes
• Transgenics for resistance to viruses and drought
tolerance
• Managing aflatoxin contamination for export
• Groundnut as food and nutritive crop for future
Groundnut
Variety releases in Phase II of Tropical Legumes II (TL II) project
that was implemented in 10 countries of ESA (4) and WCA (6)
• ESA: Three varieties (1 in Malawi and 2 in Tanzania)
recommended for release
• WCA: 13 varieties planned for release in five countries (Mali-4,
Niger-4, Nigeria-1, Ghana-2 and Burkina Faso-2).
Farmer participatory varietal selection (FPVS) trails
and entries in national evaluation trails
• ESA: 63 FPVS trials conducted in four countries involving 979 farmers
including 498 women.
• WCA: 30 elite lines evaluated in 56 trails using the mother- and- baby
methodology in 56 locations across 3 countries (Mali (35), Niger (4), and
Nigeria (17)). A total of 1473 women and 150 men involved in these trials.
• ESA+WCA: Over 40 elite lines entered for national performance evaluation
in different target countries.
Groundnut in SSA
• Women in Niger and Mali empowered in groundnut seed
production and marketing, and are using community-
based formal and informal seed systems scheme to
enhance their livelihoods.
• 16 women associations and 89 women farmers in Niger
and, Wacoro women association in Mali using CBO
schemes to produce and deliver over 243 tons of
groundnut seed in Niger and 10 tons in Mali.
Quantity of seed produced (kg) of different classes by women
and individual farmers in the Dosso region of Niger
Type of seed 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 Total
Basic 4472 7040 10950 22462
Certified 12243 25990 25680 37923
QDS 24630 54525 103630 182785
Total 41345 61565 140260 243170
Groundnut in SSA
• Varieties with range of maturity available (120-200
days)
• Resistant to wilt, SMD and Phytophthora
• Transgenic approach for Helicoverpa resistance
• Can be used to stabilize hill slopes
• Fodder for goat and cattle
• Hybrids have >47-64% yield over best control
• Seed production technology fine tuned
Pigeonpea
ICPH 2671 hybrid at Chautukoor, Jogipet, Sangareddy
ICPH 2671 on-farm trials (2007-10)
States Hybrid Control % Gain
Maharashtra 969 717 35
Andhra Pradesh 1411 907 56
Karnataka 1201 951 26
Jharkhand 1460 864 69
Madhya Pradesh 1940 1326 46
Mean 1396 953 47
Success of hybrid pigeonpea
• Babati is a major pigeonpea growing area
• ICEAP 00040 and 00053 (resistant to wilt)
• Has 67% more yield, needs 37% lower production cost
• Adoption is about 30% in Babati
• IRR was 27-35%
• Smallholder farmers were major beneficiaries
Adoption of pigeonpea varieties in
Tanzania
• White and Bold seeded, more
seeds per pod, with vegetable
type attributes.
• Breeding of hybrid parental
lines (A, B and R Lines)
initiated at Patancheru during
2012 Kharif.
• ICPA 2199 (white seeded A line)
was crossed with 20 elite lines
in 2012. The maintainer and
restorer reaction of these
crosses is under study.
Pigeonpea: preferred traits for ESA
257 scientists (65 women) trained
Capacity building
Sera
h
Alic
e
Paul exam
inin
g t
he
cro
sses
Musa Jarso
marker analysis for
MABC crosses
Jimmy and Seleman
high throughput
analysis in
pigeonpea genomics
Summary • Legumes are important for human and
animal nutrition
• Opportunities for enhanced income
generations and livelihoods of farmers
• N2 fixation and nutrient cycling
• Leveraging advanced science from
HQs to SSA
• Diversity among legumes to suit varied
niches
• Promote sustainability of production
systems
• National programs need to invest in
legumes R4D
Thank you!