Arunachalam Muthiah

Title : Molecular characterization in Pigeonpea for genetic diversity in cultivated and wild relatives for certain economic traits

Abstract:

1. Plant genome – their size – difficulties in plant genome assembling – pigeonpea  genome sequencing  – molecular marker development
2. Pigeonpea – Narrow genetic base in the cultivated varieties
3. Wild relatives of pigeonpea and the useful characters present in them for introgression into cultivated genotypes.
4. Molecular markers with emphasis on Single Sequence Repeats (SSR) markers / microsatellite markers in detecting genetic diversity. Pigeonpea and its wild relatives for certain economic traits.
5. Economic traits viz. cytoplasmic genic male sterility, quality traits like seed/grain weight, protein content, determinant plant types for early flowering and uniform maturity, pod borer resistance etc- their molecular characterization and their impact in genome assisted breeding (GAB).
6. Inheritance and mapping of protein markers for pod borer resistance in pigeonpea, polymorphism among Cajanus cajan and Cajanus scarabaeoides genotypes with contrasting host response.

Plant  Variety  Protection  (PVP)  and  farmer’s  Right  (FR)  – PVP  and FR authority demanding submission of details of molecular markers associated with the newly released cultivar , so that admixture, if any, in seed lots could be identified – a practical application of molecular markers.

Biography:

Dr. Arunachalam    Muthiah    studied    Agricultural    Science    at Tamilnadu     Agricultural     University(TNAU),     Coimbatore,     India during 1970—74. Graduated as Master of Science (1976) and Doctor of Philosophy in  Plant  Breeding and  Genetics in  1990  at  TNAU.  He joined  the  research  group  in  grain  legumes  in  1995  and  worked nearly for two decades in improvement grain legumes specifically for pigeonpea  improvement  with  higher  yield  potential  coupled  with biotic resistance for gram pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera ) and he is   responsible   for   the   development   of   pigeonpea   cultivar   CO8, maturing  in  170  – 180  days  with  average  grain  yield  of  1600  kg  /ha under    rainfed    conditions    ,    drought    tolerant    and    moderately resistant  to  pod  borer  complex.  This  variety  is  released  for  general cultivation   in   2017   in   India.   PPV   and   FR   authority   of   India   is provided  with  DNA  finger  printing  profile  for  this  cultivar.  During the  year  2013,  Dr.  Arunachalam  Muthiah  obtained  the  position  of Director,   Centre   for   Plant   Breeding   and   Genetics   Tamil   Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore,  India.