First Fully Annotated Pigeonpea T2T Genome

Why in News?

Recently, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) developed India’s first fully annotated telomere‑to‑telomere (T2T) reference genome of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) variety ‘Asha’.

• Pigeonpea (Arhar/Tur) – One of India's most important pulse crops and a major source of dietary protein.
• Earlier Work – ICAR‑NIPB published of a pulse crop, pigeonpea variety 'Asha', which was also the first crop genome to be sequenced entirely in India in 2011 and improved version in 2017.
• Latest Achievement – Complete T2T genome sequence, providing chromosome‑level completeness.

Genome Details

• Assembly – 752.65 million base pairs, 92 contigs.
• Coverage – All 11 chromosomes, 11 centromeres, 22 telomeres.
• Annotation – 36,557 genes, 48,008 mRNAs.
• Accuracy – >99.9% transcriptome read alignment.

Significance

• National Resource – Serves as reference for gene discovery, pangenome analyses, molecular breeding, genome editing.
• It has been approved as the global reference genome, marking a major milestone in pulse research.
• Agronomic Traits – Enables development of climate‑resilient, high‑yielding, pest‑resistant, and nutritionally enriched varieties.

ICAR’s Role

• Develops improved pulse varieties.
• Supervises breeder seed production.
• Conducts multi‑location trials.
• Demonstrates technologies via institutes and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs).
• Provides scientific support for capacity building and dissemination.

Reference

PIB | Pigeonpea