Ccsmd04 Gene Discovery Offers New Hope For India’s Pigeonpea Farmers: All You Need To Know

Published on August 9, 2025 |

In Hyderabad and its partnering Indian states, severral scientists from ICRISAT, IIPR-Uttar Pradesh, RPCAU-Bihar, and IARI-Assam person created a breakthrough to protect pigeonpea from sterility mosaic disease, aliases SMD, often called nan Green Plague, particularly for its destructive impact. However, nan scientists person travel up pinch a guidance gene, called Ccsmd04, successful nan celebrated ICRISAT-bred assortment Asha, aliases ICPL 87119. This uncovering paves nan measurement for sturdier, much reliable yields, helping farmers who tin suffer up to 90 percent of their harvest to nan disease.

A leap guardant successful pigeonpea protection

Sterilic Mosaic Disease (SMD)in India alone, costs its farmers much than $300 cardinal USD connected a yearly basis. SMD is simply a notorious illness successful pigeonpea agriculture, causing lush but sterile vegetative maturation and terrible output nonaccomplishment crossed nan Indian subcontinent. The squad utilized a QTL‑seq attack pinch a recombinant inbred statement derived from crossing ICP8863 pinch nan resistant ICPL 87119 to place a genomic region connected chromosome Cc04 (9.3–12.5 Mb). This region contains 5 missense variants and 9 InDels, and notably disrupts a dormancy/auxin‑associated protein, now linked to nan Ccsmd04 gene.

Among these mutations, 4 circumstantial InDels (including 1 bp insertion, 21 bp insertion, 9 bp deletion, 3 bp insertion) were seen successful susceptible genotypes. These caused reduced look of nan gene, undermining guidance pathways. The squad validated these variants pinch KASP genotyping, processing reliable markers specified arsenic snpCC00149 and snpCC00150, which pave nan measurement for early screening successful breeding lines.

ICRISAT and ICAR scientists are celebrating a large breakthrough that could alteration nan early of pigeonpea farming successful areas deed hardest by sterility mosaic disease. Dr. Himanshu Pathak, nan Director General of ICRISAT, explains that nan recently discovered familial variants, cardinal genes, and useful markers tin beryllium utilized to create pigeonpea varieties that guidelines up to nan illness and lessen harvest losses.

The longstanding collaboration pinch ICAR, on pinch support from CGIAR and nan Gates Foundation, was acknowledged arsenic being profoundly weighted for this work. It was emphasized by Dr. Stanford Blade, Deputy Director General of Research and Innovation astatine ICRISAT, that nan institute’s genomics and pre-breeding programme is focused connected integrating genomic insights into nan breeding pipeline, pinch illness guidance identified arsenic a apical privilege owed to its nonstop effect connected husbandman livelihoods and nan environment.

What this intends for farmers and breeding efforts

For farmers, this intends a existent chance to trim losses from SMD and stabilize pigeonpea yields. For breeders, nan Ccsmd04 cistron and its associated markers connection devices to velocity up selection, whether done accepted breeding aliases cistron editing. The researchers opportunity they scheme to grow their activity to see guidance genes from pigeonpea’s chaotic relatives to guarantee long‑lasting section capacity nether varied microorganism and vector (mite) pressures.

Bottom Line

At nan halfway of this breakthrough is much than laboratory science; it is simply a committedness to farmers and to nan environment. When Dr. Manish K. Pandey and his squad move this cistron from a trial conduit to nan existent world, they transportation a patient consciousness of ngo and speed. Their goal? To make judge India has strong, dependable pulses for generations to come. Researchers person conscionable pinpointed nan Ccsmd04 gene, a existent game-changer against sterility mosaic illness successful pigeonpea. By pairing cutting-edge genomics pinch committed authorities partnerships, ICRISAT and its squad person delivered much than a laboratory achievement; they’ve handed a lifeline to nan farmers who count connected this important crop. Armed pinch caller breeding techniques and nan committedness of tougher, much resilient plants, nan travel now leads toward bigger harvests, stronger nutrient security, and steadier incomes for communities passim India and nan wider Asian region.