NEW DELHI — In a landmark breakthrough for Indian agricultural science, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has successfully mapped the country’s first fully annotated, telomere-to-telomere (T2T) reference genome for the pigeonpea variety ‘Asha’.


This comprehensive genetic decoding is set to revolutionize how scientists breed one of India’s most critical pulse crops, promising faster development of high-yielding, climate-resilient, and nutrient-dense varieties.

Decoding ‘Arhar’ Dal

Pigeonpea—widely consumed across India as ‘Arhar’ or ‘Tur’ dal is a foundational staple of the Indian diet and a primary source of vegetarian protein.

The newly assembled genome, officially designated as NIPB_CcT2T_4, has been uploaded to the global NCBI database. It represents a massive leap in genetic mapping precision, detailing the plant's biology from end to end.


Key Technical Milestones of the T2T Genome:


Massive Scale:The sequence maps out 752.65 million base pairs structured across 92 contigs.

Absolute Completeness: It successfully covers all 11 chromosomes of the pigeonpea, including the notoriously difficult-to-sequence centromeres and telomeres.

Deep Cataloging: Researchers identified exactly 36,557 genes, yielding 48,008 coding sequences (mRNAs).

High Accuracy: The mapping achieved a remarkable 99.9% read alignment, confirming the extreme accuracy of the project.


A Decade-Long Scientific Journey

The achievement builds on a long legacy of pulse research at ICAR’s National Institute for Plant Biotechnology (NIPB) in New Delhi. Back in 2011, the institute made headlines by publishing the world’s first draft genome of the 'Asha' variety—which also held the distinction of being the first crop genome sequenced entirely on Indian soil. An updated, improved draft was later released in 2017.


With this fully annotated T2T version, researchers now possess a complete toolkit. ICAR noted that this vital national resource will heavily accelerate molecular breeding, advanced pangenome analysis, and targeted genome-editing technologies.


Aligning with National Food Security Goals

This scientific triumph arrives precisely as the government pushes for complete agricultural self-reliance. Under the recently launched Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (2025-26 to 2030-31), India aims to eliminate its reliance on pulse imports.


The genome mapping directly answers a recent call to action from Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Speaking at ICAR’s 98th Foundation Day in July, Chouhan challenged agricultural scientists to focus on non-Genetically Modified Organism (non-GMO) innovations to boost pulse yields.


“If countries without access to GM seeds can get better yields in pulses, why can’t India?” Chouhan remarked.


By utilizing the newly completed genome of the 'Asha' pigeonpea, Indian breeders now have the exact biological map they need to naturally select and edit traits for hardier, more productive crops—bringing the vision of pulse self-sufficiency one step closer to reality.