Abstract
Pigeonpea, a subtropical legume, was successfully grown in a high-latitude (≈45°N) environment. Four short-season pigeonpea accessions from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) were subjected to three cycles of pedigree selection. Performance trials (175,000 plants/ha) were conducted on loamy sand with dryland and irrigated sites in 1991 and 1992. Thirty-eight S3-derived lines from ICRISAT ICPL 83004 were used in both years and seven S3-derived lines from ICRISAT P 2125 and ICRISAT ICPL 85010 were added the second year. Differences (P ≤ 0.05) in seed yield (kg·ha–1) were observed among the S3 lines, with a maximum yield of 1468 kg·ha–1. The lines also differed (P ≤ 0.05) for harvest index (HI), calculated as the ratio of seed yield to shoot total dry matter (TDM) with a maximum of 0.48 (line MF-26). Dryland seed yield was strongly correlated with TDM (r2 = 0.98), HI (r2 = 0.92), and early bloom (r2 = 0.76). In a time-of-planting comparison of seven lines in 1992, seed yield was highest (754 kg·ha–1) at the earliest (29 Apr.) planting date and declined progressively to 178 kg·ha–1 at the latest (2 June) planting date, while HI decreased from 0.42 to 0.12. Plants were shorter at maturity in the earliest planting date.
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