Exploring Genetic Diversity in Maturity Duration among Pigeonpea Genotypes Grown under Off-season (Rabi) Conditions
Yaksha K. *
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, India and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Hyderabad, India.
Shivani D.
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, India.
Prakash I. Gangashetty
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Hyderabad, India.
Yogendra K.
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Hyderabad, India.
Jaba Jagdish
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Hyderabad, India.
Sunita Choudhary
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Hyderabad, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L. Millspaugh) is an important legume crop cultivated in rainfed areas due to its adaptability and soil-enriching properties. This study evaluated 250 genotypes from the PI-GAP (Pigeonpea International Genome-Wide Association Panel) for days to maturity under rabi season at ICRISAT, Patancheru. Maturity ranged from 92 to 209 days, with a mean of 141 days. Genotypes were grouped into five maturity classes, with most falling in the early category. Analysis of variance showed significant genetic effects (p < 0.001), supported by moderate GCV and PCV, high heritability (97.63%), and high genetic advance. A strong positive correlation (r = 0.78) was observed between plant height and days to maturity. Principal Component Analysis revealed that PC1 explained 88.64% of the total variance. These results highlight the potential of early and late maturing lines for target-specific pigeonpea breeding under diverse cropping systems.
Keywords: Days to maturity, PCA, stability, selection, variability