Development, promotion and dissemination of improved Fusarium wilt resistant pigeon pea lines in drought prone areas of Uganda

Abstract

Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan) remains a relatively untapped food legume crop in Uganda and in many parts of Africa mainly due to lack of promotion and availability of varieties that meet producer and consumers needs. The crop is a rich source of protein, fixes nitrogen in the soil and is tolerant to drought conditions. This makes it an ideal crop for the semi-arid areas of Africa. This project is using a participatory breeding approach to develop and promote consumer/market preferred pigeon pea varieties resistant to Fusarium wilt disease (Fusarium udum) and drought among farmers in northern Uganda. To do this, a collection of landraces and elite materials from Uganda, Malawi and ICRISAT is being screened for farmer desired qualities. Promising lines will be analyzed for performance under Fusarium wilt infection and drought, and thereafter selected lines will be entered into a breeding program. All research activities have been designed as part of two students' M.Sc. thesis research, involving a Ugandan and a Malawian student