New Delhi, August 4, 2026 — In a significant scientific milestone, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed India’s first fully annotated telomere-to-telomere (T2T) reference genome of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan), popularly known as arhar or tur. The high-quality genetic blueprint of the variety ‘Asha’ is expected to accelerate the development of climate-resilient, high-yielding and nutritionally superior pigeonpea varieties, strengthening India’s self-reliance in pulses.
The achievement builds on pioneering work by the ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology (NIPB), New Delhi. In 2011, the institute published the world’s first draft genome of a pulse crop — also of the pigeonpea variety ‘Asha’ — which was the first crop genome to be sequenced entirely in India. An improved version followed in 2017. The latest T2T sequence represents the most complete genetic map of the crop to date.
The new genome assembly, designated NIPB_CcT2T_4, contains 752.65 million base pairs of DNA organised into 92 contigs. It provides a complete representation of all 11 chromosomes of pigeonpea, including all 11 centromeres and 22 telomeres. Comprehensive annotation has identified 36,557 genes that produce 48,008 coding sequences (mRNAs). Transcriptome mapping showed more than 99.9 per cent read alignment, confirming the high accuracy and completeness of the assembly.
The sequence has been deposited in the global NCBI database under accession number GCF_000230855.1 and was released on 20 April 2026.
Scientists say the fully annotated T2T reference genome will serve as a valuable national resource for advanced gene discovery, pangenome analysis, molecular breeding and genome-editing technologies. It is expected to speed up the identification of genes linked to important agronomic and nutritional traits, helping breeders develop improved varieties more efficiently.
Pigeonpea is one of India’s most important pulse crops and a major source of dietary protein. The new genomic resource is seen as a major boost to the country’s pulse improvement programme, with potential benefits for scientists, breeders and farmers through higher productivity and better livelihoods.
The development comes at a time when the Government of India is implementing the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (2025-26 to 2030-31). The mission aims to raise pulse production to about 35 million tonnes by 2030-31, reduce import dependence and increase farmers’ incomes through improved seeds, expanded cultivation, technology adoption, assured procurement and stronger post-harvest infrastructure.
ICAR continues to play a central role in this effort by developing high-yielding, pest-resistant and climate-resilient pulse varieties, supervising breeder seed production, conducting multi-location trials and disseminating improved technologies through its institutes and Krishi Vigyan Kendras.
The T2T pigeonpea genome marks an important step forward in India’s agricultural genomics capabilities and is expected to contribute significantly to food and nutritional security in the years ahead.
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