Prasad, - and Muniswamy, S and Basavaraj, P S and Gangurde, A and Babar, R and Shinde, S and Boraiah, K M and Harisha, C B and Halli, H M and Sreekanth, D and Kumar, Praveen and Laxuman, C and Suma, T C and Kuchanur, P and Gangashetty, P I and Sammi Reddy, K (2026) Leveraging High-Throughput Phenomics and Morpho-Physiological Traits for Selecting Drought-Tolerant Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh] Genotypes. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation (TSI). pp. 1-22. ISSN 0721-7595
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Abstract
Drought stress is a significant global environmental challenge that threatens food security, affecting ~ 66% of arable land and resulting in economic losses estimated at USD 37 billion, with further increases anticipated due to climate change. Cajanus cajan (pigeonpea), a widely cultivated grain legume in the semi-arid tropics, often experiences 40–50% yield reduction under drought. Understanding the genetic basis of drought tolerance is critical for selecting diverse parental lines and designing effective crop improvement programs. In this study, 47 pigeonpea genotypes were evaluated under well-watered (WW; 60–70% field capacity) and drought-stressed (DS; 18–20% field capacity) conditions, with drought imposed by withholding irrigation from 80 to 120 days after sowing, corresponding to the flowering to pod-setting stage, in a controlled greenhouse. Drought stress significantly reduced most morpho-physiological traits (2.8–68.8%), while vapour pressure deficit and proline accumulation increased by 1–1.5-fold. High-throughput phenomic traits, including digital area (projected shoot area), convex hull area (CHA), calliper length (CL), and near-infrared reflectance (NIR), effectively distinguished drought-tolerant from sensitive genotypes. Nine genotypes, viz., ICPX140196-B-1, ICPX140203-B-1, ICPX140213-B-3, ICPX140203-B-1-5, ICPX140203-B-2, GRG-152, ICPX140205-B-4, ICPX140217-B-1, and ICPX140188-B-3, were identified as drought-tolerant, exhibiting superior photosynthetic efficiency (Net CO₂ assimilation rate), favourable tissue water status, and minimal grain yield reduction (< 5%). Notably, leaf temperature was negatively associated with grain yield. Moreover, photosynthetic parameters showed significant associations with grain yield under stress and exhibited high genetic variability (10–46%) with moderate heritability, highlighting their utility as selection indices. These findings demonstrate the potential of integrating high-throughput phenomics with conventional morpho-physiological traits for the rapid and precise identification of drought-tolerant pigeonpea genotypes, providing insights for introgression breeding and genetic enhancement programs aimed at improving drought tolerance.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Divisions: | Global Research Program - Accelerated Crop Improvement |
| CRP: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Abiotic stress, Genotype selection, Phenotyping, Pigeonpea, Pulses, Sensors |
| Subjects: | Others > Abiotic Stress Mandate crops > Pigeonpea |
| Depositing User: | Mr Nagaraju T |
| Date Deposited: | 22 Apr 2026 10:12 |
| Last Modified: | 22 Apr 2026 10:12 |
| URI: | http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/13609 |
| Official URL: | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00344-0... |
| Projects: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Funders: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Acknowledgement: | The authors thank ICAR-NICRA for funding support through the Project “Phenotyping of Pulses for Enhanced Tolerance to Drought and Heat” (XX01737) and ICAR-NIASM for their logistical support. The authors are also thankful to the University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, for facilitating the student exchange that enabled the study. The authors also thank Krishna Jangid for his support during the HTP study. |
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