Salah, M and Belliappa, S H and Bomma, N and Pujar, M and Vemula, A K and Gangurde, S S and Pandey, M K and Adetimirin, V O and Gangashetty, P I (2025) Exploring Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in an International Panel of Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.). Crop Breeding Genetics and Genomics, 7 (4). pp. 1-23. ISSN 2632-7309
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Abstract
Pigeonpea is an important legume cultivated in more than 25 tropical and sub-tropical countries, either as sole or as inter crop with finger millet, sorghum, pearl millet, maize or even with short duration legumes. It offers a rich source of variability in the form of wild species and germplasm, which could be used for brining favorable alleles for disease resistance and good agronomic traits. Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] 248 reference set accessions were evaluated in an augmented design for assessing genetic variability and diversity for important agronomic attributes at ICRISAT, Patancheru. The morphological characterization revealed significant genetic variability among the accessions for traits studied, as shown by the significant (p < 0.0001) mean squares for the six traits through the analysis of variance (ANOVA). High heritability estimates (>70%) for all the six traits indicated that the selection can be highly responsive. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified key traits contributing to variability, with the first three components explaining 84.30% of the total variance. Cluster analysis based on morphological traits delineated six distinct groups, highlighting the diversity within the germplasm. Molecular characterization using 52,863 high-quality SNPs provided further insights into genetic diversity. The SNP analysis revealed moderate levels of polymorphism (average PIC = 0.36) and genetic diversity (mean He = 0.37). Population structure analysis suggested the presence of four main sub-populations (K = 4) with varying degrees of admixture. Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) indicated that the majority of genetic variation (87.01%) was found within populations, with moderate genetic differentiation (FST = 0.13) between the populations. The study identified several genetically distinct accessions that could serve as valuable resources for broadening the genetic base in pigeonpea breeding programs. These findings provide crucial insights for germplasm conservation, targeted breeding efforts, and the exploration of genetic diversity in pigeonpea, potentially leading to the development of more resilient and productive varieties.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Divisions: | Global Research Program - Accelerated Crop Improvement Research Program : West & Central Africa |
| CRP: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | diversity, variability, population structure, pigeonpea, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) |
| Subjects: | Mandate crops > Pigeonpea Others > Genetics and Genomics |
| Depositing User: | Mr Nagaraju T |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Jan 2026 05:00 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Jan 2026 05:00 |
| URI: | http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/13410 |
| Official URL: | https://cbgg.hapres.com/htmls/CBGG_1821_Detail.htm... |
| Projects: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Funders: | ICRISAT, African Union Commission |
| Acknowledgement: | The author expresses gratitude to the pigeonpea breeding from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) for their support and resources. |
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