Pigeonpea Improvement at ICRISAT______________________________

The achievements described in sections I–IV created exciting new technology options, that provoked wide interest in partnership-based efforts to intensify the global cultivation of the crop,
address a broad spectrum of production system issues, and tackle some of the most intractable problems. In a sense, it was first necessary to prove what pigeonpea was capable of, and to communicate those findings widely (Nene et al. 1990), in order to attract additional partners to help fulfill the crop’s true global potential.

Calling all NGOs: ecofriendly ways to control Helicoverpa
Circles of partnership in pigeonpea improvement have expanded to include NGOs in recent years. With their close ties to village and farmer organizations, these groups are highly effective in the testing and adoption of such knowledge-rich technologies as integrated pest management. This comparative advantage is being applied to test and disseminate practical methods for controlling the Helicoverpa pod borer.

Helicoverpa, a relative of the cotton boll weevil and other well-known Heliothine pests, is unquestionably the most important biological constraint in pigeonpea cultivation, causing annual losses estimated at a stunning US$ 317 million. It lays eggs in newly-formed floral buds; emerging larvae feed on the floral organs, and later instars bore into green pods to feed on the seeds. Chemical control, while hazardous, is the only effective option for farmers at present.

A voracious feeder, many have assumed that resistance to Helicoverpa is unattainable. (Nevertheless, ICRISAT is currently studying whether progress might be made against this intractable problem through biotechnology.)

The International Fund for Agricultural Development is helping ICRISAT engage 19 NGOs, together with Indian NARS, to test practical methods for controlling this scourge in Andhra Pradesh, India. The use of natural and biological control alternatives, such as neem and the NPV virus, threshold-based spray schedules, and other ecofriendly alternatives to agrochemicals are being tried. If successful, this alliance could catalyze additional partnerships with NGOs.

Partnering across continents to solve postharvest constraints
Growing improved varieties is of little use if there is no way to process the produce. Take Sri Lanka. Earlier efforts to introduce pigeonpea—a crop ideally suited to dry, eroded lands in this country—failed because there was no processing technology available.