Maternal inheritance of male sterility in the progeny of a natural hybrid between Cajanus lineatus and C. cajan

Adoption of pigeonpea hybrids in central and southern India is showing high impact with on‐farm yield advantages of >30%. The hybrid pigeonpea technology, the first in any legume crop, is based on a cytoplasmic‐nuclear male‐sterility (CMS) system. For a long‐term sustainability of hybrid programme, it is imperative that both nuclear diversity and cytoplasmic diversity are maintained among hybrid parents. In this context, a continuous search for new CMS‐inducing cytoplasms is necessary. This paper reports detection of maternal inheritance of male sterility in the progeny derived from a natural hybrid between a wild relative [Cajanus lineatus (W. & A.) Maesen comb. nov.] of pigeonpea and an unknown pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] genotype. In the present study, the male sterility was maintained up to BC₇F₁ generation by an advanced breeding pigeonpea line ICPL 99044. This male sterility inducing cytoplasm of C. lineatus was tagged as A₆. In future, this CMS genetic stock can be used to develop a range of new pigeonpea hybrids with high yield and adaptation.