Molecular Mapping of Genes and QTLs in Pigeonpea

Abstract

Pigeonpea is one of the most important grain legume crops grown in arid and semiarid regions of the world. There is an increasing demand for the development of new cultivars with high yield potential and better adaptability to adverse environmental conditions. Recent advances in genomics tools and techniques have helped to develop large repertoire of molecular markers and genotypic platforms. The availability of molecular markers facilitated the development of high-density genetic maps that have been used in discovery of important/major QTLs for targeted traits in pigeonpea. In addition, the availability of high-throughput genotypic platforms helped to generate whole genome genotypic data in high-throughput manner necessary for whole genome scanning/genome-wide association mapping of economically important traits. The advances in comparative genomics, transcriptomics, and whole genome sequencing have uncovered thousands of useful genes including some genes unique to pigeonpea crop. The availability of wealth of genomics resources/information will facilitate molecular breeding aimed at improving production and productivity of pigeonpea in extreme environments of arid and semiarid regions of the world.