Breakthrough at ICRISAT: World’s First Extreme Heat-Tolerant Pigeonpea Developed via Speed Breeding

From
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
Published on
09.06.25
Impact Area
Food security, Nutrition

Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General of ICRISAT (second from left), flanked by Senior Scientist-Pigeonpea Breeding, Dr Prakash Gangashetty (far right), Associate Scientist Dr Shruthi Beliappa (center right), and (far left) Associate Manager Naresh Bomma in the summer-adapted pigeonpea field.

Breakthrough cultivar ICPV 25444, developed through speed breeding, tolerates temperatures of 45°C during summer growth. It is the first of its kind in the world, and a boon to India, offering resilience amid intense summer temperatures.

In a significant advancement for Indian agriculture, scientists at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have developed ICPV 25444—a first-of-its-kind pigeonpea cultivar that can withstand high summer temperatures and mature in just 125 days.

This heat-tolerant, photo- and thermo-insensitive cultivar has been successfully tested in Karnataka, Odisha, and Telangana states in India, demonstrating yields of 2 tons per hectare. Crucially, it represents a breakthrough in pigeonpea cultivation, enabling the crop to be grown not only during the traditional rainy (kharif) season but also in the extreme heat of summer, where temperatures reach up to 45°C.

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