Applications and Challenges of Mutation Breeding for Creating Climate-Resilient Pigeonpea

The rapidly changing climate poses a serious threat to agricultural productivity, triggering global food and nutritional security alarms. This chapter explores the unique potential of mutation breeding in the genetic improvement of pigeonpea ( Cajanus cajan ), a vital crop for sustainable agriculture and food security in tropical and subtropical regions. Conventional breeding has a multitude of limitations and is apparently impotent to address the rapid and dynamic challenges imposed by climate change. Pigeonpeas have a narrow genetic base, and the complex polygenes that control their tolerance to drought, heat, saltiness, water submersion, and new pests and diseases make it hard to improve them through traditional means. Under such situations, mutation breeding emerges as a powerful tool to introduce novel genetic diversity, potentially enabling the development of varieties with climate-smart traits. This chapter enumerates the applications and challenges of mutation breeding in producing high-yielding, climate-resilient pigeonpea varieties. It also highlights the necessity for the integration of modern technologies like CRISPR, speed breeding, genomics, and biotechnological tools in enhancing the efficiency and precision of mutation breeding. By adopting a holistic strategy, mutation breeding together with conventional breeding and modern tools can help foster climate-smart agriculture.