The UK-CGIAR Centre has launched a new project: Deciphering the root-soil interface to develop efficient N2 fixing, climate smart pigeon pea cultivars with improved yield. The goal of the research is to improve pigeon pea’s (Cajanus cajan) resilience to heat stress.
This project will see the University of Nottingham teaming up with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), CIMMYT and national partners from India (IIPR, Kanpur; UAS, Raichur & Dharwad; PJTSAU, Telangana), Kenya (KALRO), Malawi (DARS), Tanzania (TARI) and Mozambique (IIAM).
Pigeon pea, a grain legume also known as toor dal, is an important crop for smallholder farmers in regions such as South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The legume plays a key role in supporting food security, enhancing soil fertility, and sustaining the household incomes of smallholder farmers.Pigeon pea’s drought tolerance, nutritional qualities, and soil improvement potential make it a promising crop for sustainable agriculture in many climate-challenged regions.
However, pigeon pea struggles during high temperature events, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change. The impacts of rising temperatures on pigeon pea yields could worsen food and nutrition insecurity, further exposing already vulnerable populations to hunger and poverty.
Improving the crop’s ability to survive, reproduce and flourish in regions experiencing high temperatures has become a priority for policymakers and scientists. Yet while the above-ground effects of heat stress on yields are being studied by CGIAR institutes, there is still a limited understanding of how pigeon pea’s root system is affected by rising temperatures. If root-soil interactions of the legume are not optimised for higher soil temperatures, pigeon pea’s productivity will be severely reduced.
Dr Rahul Bhosale, Research Fellow in Phenomics and Functional Genomics at the University of Nottingham, said “Resolving this scientific challenge could have far-reaching implications. In the long term, the work could make an important contribution to safeguarding food security, reducing poverty, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices, particularly for vulnerable populations in low-and middle-income countries.”
The teams at the partner organisations will study how temperature affects root growth, rhizosphere signaling and their interplay in microbial recruitment, nodule formation, nitrogen fixation, and overall plant performance. The project team will build on ongoing collaborations and recent staff exchanges.
The teams will be working in India, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania – countries that are key producers of pigeon pea. The work will help leverage existing networks of national institutes, farmers, breeders, grain and seed value chain stakeholders, and policymakers to implement strategies for improving pigeon pea production.
This UK-CGIAR Centre project is funded by UK International Development from the UK government and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation; however, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.
Photo by Danyell Odhiambo/ICRAF