Breeding high-protein pigeonpea genotypes and their agronomic and biological assessments

Proteins, inevitable for nutritional security of human beings and legumes, by far, are the cheapest source of this vital nutrient. The escalating prices and never halting population growth limit the per capita availability of protein-rich legumes. In view of limited land resource and need to grow other food crops, the greater protein harvests are possible only by increasing the protein levels of popularly grown legumes. In this context, attempts were made for raising the protein content in pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] through traditional plant breeding tools. For this, the high-protein trait was successfully transferred from wild relatives of pigeonpea to the cultivated types. In the derived inbred lines, the protein content was significantly enhanced from 20% - 22% to 28% - 30%. Two high-protein lines HPL 40 and HPL 8 also produced 2100 and 1660 kg/ha grain yield, respectively. This simply means that, in comparison with traditional cultivars, the cultivation of high-protein lines will provide additional 100 kg/ha of digestible protein to the farming family. This paper, besides describing the breeding procedures, also discusses the accomplishments of this breeding endeavour with respect to its various nutritional and biological properties.