Scientists from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), together with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) partner institutes, have achieved a major milestone in the fight against sterility mosaic disease (SMD) of pigeonpea.
In a recently published study, researchers identified a gene named Ccsmd04—a genetic fortress against the devastating disease—in the widely cultivated ‘Asha’ (ICPL 87119) variety.
SMD can ravage up to 90 percent of pigeonpea yields, posing a severe threat to farmers across India and Asia. This new discovery, leveraging advanced genomics, phenomics, and high-powered computational analysis, marks a historic leap toward sustainable crop protection.
“This is a landmark discovery by ICRISAT and ICAR researchers, considering the severity of SMD in the region. The identified genetic variants, genes and markers hold immense potential for breeding more resistant pigeonpea varieties,” said Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General of ICRISAT.
ICRISAT’s decades-long battle against SMD stretches back to 1975, marked by repeated challenges in translating lab success into field-level gains. Variability of both the virus and its mite vector has long undermined resistance efforts. The genomic insights from Ccsmd04 promise to change that dynamic.
Adding further perspective, Dr Stanford Blade, Deputy Director General – Research and Innovation at ICRISAT, emphasized, “We deeply value our longstanding partnership with ICAR and the support from CGIAR and the Gates Foundation for this work. ICRISAT’s genomics and pre-breeding program focuses on integrating genomic insights into the breeding pipeline, and disease resistance remains a top priority given its direct impact on farmer livelihoods and the environment.”
At the core of the discovery lies a comparative genomic study between ‘Asha’ (resistant) and ‘Maruti’ (susceptible), along with selected high-contrast individuals from a segregating population. The results revealed that Ccsmd04 encodes a dormancy/auxin-associated protein, and in susceptible lines, four frameshift mutations disrupt its function—compromising disease resistance.
To transform this breakthrough into real-world impact, the researchers developed four functional InDel markers tied to SMD resistance. These markers enable early-generation screening of breeding lines, accelerating selection and deployment of resilient cultivars. Dr Manish K. Pandey, lead scientist at ICRISAT, notes: “We’ve identified a resistance gene and validated four functional InDel markers associated with SMD resistance; these markers can now be used to screen pigeonpea breeding progenies for early generation selection of SMD resistance. This gene information can also be valuable for genetic improvement through gene editing.”
Looking ahead, the team plans to explore additional resistance genes, including those from wild pigeonpea relatives, aiming to bolster durable field-level protection. Through strengthened partnerships and advanced genomic tools, they intend to fast-track the breeding of SMD-resistant varieties—advancing India’s pursuit of pulse self-sufficiency.
This discovery not only kindles optimism among researchers and policymakers but also delivers a critical lifeline to millions of farmers reliant on pigeonpea—a crop integral to rural livelihoods, nutrition, and food security across Asia.
