Synopsis

Dr Anupama Hingane, a plant breeder at ICRISAT, joins us to discuss the significance of pigeon peas as a high protein and drought resistant crop which forms a diet staple in India and shares her hopes for expanding the crop’s marketability with targeted breeding efforts. 

In this episode of the Plant Breeding Stories podcast, Anupama shares how a close connection to her family’s farm naturally guided her towards a career in plant breeding. We learn about her early breeding work with cotton and cluster beans and their industrial applications.  

She explains why pigeon peas have historically been neglected by breeders despite their nutritional and agronomic benefits, and she shares also shares how the ICRISAT team uses the latest plant breeding technology to develop pigeonpea varieties that are more adaptable to non-native growing environments, which has agronomic and economic benefits for farmers.