The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) Pioneers Speed Breeding for Pigeonpea
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has pioneered the world’s first pigeonpea speed breeding protocol, further bolstering food security in Asia and Africa. The new convention promises to substantially cut the time required to develop new pigeonpea lines with desirable traits, effectively bringing food to dryland communities faster.
Traditionally, pigeonpea breeding can take up to thirteen years. But with the new protocol’s emphasis on material breeding and control over factors like photoperiod, temperature, and humidity, the breeding cycle can now be shortened to just two to four years, as opposed to the conventional period of seven years.
