OAR@ICRISATBotanical Description of Pigeonpea [Cajanus Cajan (L.) Millsp.]C VSameer KumarauthorS JSatheesh NaikauthorNMohanauthorR KSaxenaauthorR KVarshneyauthorPigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh] is an important legume crop of the papilionaceae family. It is an often cross-pollinated crop, and breeding principles of both self and cross-pollinated crops are highly effective in its genetic enhancement. Pigeonpea is a hard woody shrub, extensively adaptable to a range of soil types, temperature, and rainfall. It has a deep taproot system extending up to two meters and can grow to a height of four meters. Pigeonpea roots form a symbiotic association with Brady rhizobium spp. and perform biological nitrogen fixation. The branching pattern of stem may vary from bush type to compact upright type and is of determinate, semi-determinate, and non-determinate type based on the flowering pattern. The primary leaves are simple, opposite, and caduceus, while the latter ones are pinnately trifoliate with lanceolate to elliptical leaflets. Pigeonpea flowers are zygomorphic, borne on terminal or auxiliary racemes and are normally yellow in color with some variations. It has ten stamens in diadelphous condition with light or dark yellow anthers. The ovary is superior with a long style attached to a thickened, incurved, and swollen stigma. Pigeonpea is an often cross-pollinated crop with an average of 20% cross-pollination. The fruit of pigeonpea is called pod, which is of various colors, with and without deep constrictions. Seeds (with 20–22% proteins and amino acids) can be round or lens shaped, in shades of white and brown color with yellow color cotyledon. Pigeonpea is a widely consumed multi-utility pulse crop, thus the knowledge about the crop botany is vital for modifying it according to future challenges and goals.Pigeonpea2017SpringerBook Section

For work being deposited by its own author: In self-archiving this collection of files and associated bibliographic metadata, I grant OAR@ICRISAT the right to store them and to make them permanently available publicly for free on-line. I declare that this material is my own intellectual property and I understand that OAR@ICRISAT does not assume any responsibility if there is any breach of copyright in distributing these files or metadata. (All authors are urged to prominently assert their copyright on the title page of their work.)

For work being deposited by someone other than its author: I hereby declare that the collection of files and associated bibliographic metadata that I am archiving at OAR@ICRISAT) is in the public domain. If this is not the case, I accept full responsibility for any breach of copyright that distributing these files or metadata may entail.

Clicking on the deposit button indicates your agreement to these terms.