Abstract
Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh] is an important food legume of the semi-arid tropics (SAT) sustaining livelihood of millions of people. Stagnant and unstable yield per hectare all over the world is the characteristic feature of this crop. This is primarily ascribed to its susceptibility/sensitivity to a number of biotic and abiotic factors. Among biotic factors, insects such as pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera), pod fly (Melanoagromyza obtusa) and spotted borer (Maruca vitrata) substantially damage the crop and result in significant economic losses. Management of these insects by genetic means has always been considered environment friendly approach. However, genetic improvement has always been impeded by limited genetic variability in the primary gene pool of pigeonpea. Wild species present in the secondary and tertiary gene pools have been reported to carry resistance for such insects. However, transfer of resistance through conventional backcrossing has not been much successful. It calls for gene introgression through marker assisted backcrossing (MABC) or advanced backcross breeding (AB breeding). In this review, we have attempted to assess the progress made through conventional and molecular breeding and suggested the ways to move further towards genetic enhancement for insects resistance in pigeonpea
Highlights
Millions of people in the semi-arid tropics (SAT) are living below poverty line and their livelihood primarily depends on rainfed agriculture
Transfer of resistance through conventional backcrossing has not been much successful. It calls for gene introgression through marker assisted backcrossing (MABC) or advanced backcross breeding (AB breeding)
The results suggest that non-glandular trichomes have a significant influence on genotypic susceptibility to pod borer in wild relatives of pigeonpea, and these can be used as marker traits to breed for resistance to pod borer
Summary
Millions of people in the semi-arid tropics (SAT) are living below poverty line and their livelihood primarily depends on rainfed agriculture. Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] plays an important role in sustaining the livelihood of poor people in the SAT regions by forming an integral component of rainfed agriculture [1] It is a multi-purpose legume, which provides food and domestic fuel wood, and enriches soil by improving water infiltration and conserving valuable nutrients and water. The wide host range, high degree of migration, indiscriminate pesticide application by farmers and innate ability of the insect to quickly develop resistance to applied insecticides have made it attain the status of the key pest [7,8]. The other most damaging insect, which has been identified as one of the most important yield reducing factors, is the pod fly (Melanagromyza obtusa Malloch) [10], causing an annual loss of US $256 million annually [6]. We have attempted to amass available literature on host resistance to these insets, and discussed the ways how best these can be utilized to develop resistant cultivars for improving yield stability in pigeonpea
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