What is cytoplasmic male-sterility based hybrid technology for pigeonpea?
The CMS technology involves crossing the wild relative of pigeonpea Cajanus cajanifolius with the cultivated variety. Through a series of six backcrosses (crossing the offspring back with the cultivated variety) a male-sterile progeny is created, which has the cytoplasm (the living liquid inside the plant cell) of the wild species and the nucleus of the cultivated variety. The male sterile progeny resulting from this cross is then crossed with other fertile restorer lines, resulting in all fertile offspring. The need for creating male-sterile parent was felt because pigeonpea is an often cross-pollinated plant. By creating male-sterile plants, out-crossing was ensured by planting them adjacent to the fertile cultivated variety. Insects did the rest, thereby reducing the labor cost for manual crossing. The CMS hybrid overcomes the limitations of an earlier generation of pigeonpea hybrids developed by ICRISAT and partners. During the late 1980s, ICRISAT had convened an inter-institutiona
