Mungbean (Vigna radiata) is an important short-season legume widely cultivated in Asia, particularly India. It is highly susceptible to bruchids and developing bruchid resistance is an important goal in mungbean breeding programs. In the present study, 52 mungbean genotypes were evaluated for bruchid resistance based on the “no-choice test” and identified two highly resistant genotypes (V2802BG and V2709) with no adult emergence and seed damage. Further, these two resistant genotypes were crossed with six high-yielding bruchid susceptible cultivars (CO 5, CO 6, CO 7, CO 8, VBN 2, and VBN 3), and 12 independent F₁ populations were generated. Of these, one population derived from CO 6 × V2802BG was selected (based on the good combining ability of the parents) and forwarded to later generations to trace the bruchid-resistant lines. A total of 159 F_2:3 families were screened for bruchid resistance, and the results showed that seven families were highly resistant, whereas the remainder were resistant to highly susceptible. Further, those seven families were evaluated in F₄ and F₅ generations. As a result, five highly resistant lines (BSR-GG-1-49-3-1, BSR-GG-1-56-2-2, BSR-GG-1-160-5-3, BSR-GG-1-170-2-4, and BSR-GG-1-198-1-4) with good agronomic performances were identified. The newly developed lines could be tested in multi-location trials and then be utilized as a potential source of genetic material for improving the bruchid resistance in mungbean breeding programs.

Mungbean is an important legume crop native to India. In this study, 500 indigenous mungbean accessions collected from diverse eco-geographical regions of India were evaluated for agronomic trait genetic variability and core collection development. The accessions were grown in an augmented design during 2019 and 2020, and data were recorded for seven quantitative and 13 qualitative traits. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), frequency distribution, and box-plot analyses revealed substantial phenotypic variation among the accessions. Traits including plant height (PHT), number of pods per plant (NPP), hundred-seed weight (HSW), and single-plant yield (SPY) exhibited high heritability coupled with high genetic advance, indicating the predominance of additive genetic effects. Principal component analysis showed that the first three principal components explained 70% of the total phenotypic variation. The Shannon–Weaver diversity index further indicated high levels of genetic diversity within the population. Based on quantitative traits, the accessions were grouped into six major clusters and 42 sub-clusters, with SPY, NPP, HSW, PHT, and days to 50% flowering (DFF) contributing substantially to genetic divergence. Correlation analysis suggested that direct selection for SPY and indirect selection through associated traits, including NPP, HSW, PHT, NSP, and pod length (POL), may enhance yield improvement. The germplasm collection also possessed desirable traits such as high yield potential, contrasting maturity groups, and plant types suitable for mechanical harvesting and bold-seeded type. A representative core set comprising 50 accessions was developed using the PowerCore program, providing valuable genetic resources for mungbean breeding and genetic improvement programs.

Small regulatory proteins with a size range of 5 to 20 kilodaltons (kDa) are known as microproteins (miPs). They are connected to bigger, frequently multi-domain proteins and typically include a single protein domain. Through their interactions with other proteins, these microproteins modify the post-translational gene expression level. Numerous microproteins that are essential for controlling transcription factor activity have been discovered in both plants and animals in recent years. Microproteins are necessary for several phases of plant development, such as seed germination, seedling growth, stomatal regulation, root formation, pigment synthesis, blooming and floral development. Certain microproteins viz., viral protein U (Vpu) microProtein, negatively regulates the K+ ion channel TASK1 in humans, LITTLE ZIPPER proteins found in arabidopsis which regulate transcription factor and mitochondrial microprotein BRAWNI are conserved only among vertebrates are exclusive to a given species, whilst others have evolved to be conserved since they first appeared early in evolutionary history. Food security is being challenged by the cumulative consequences of climate change and unsustainable agricultural methods, which increases the need for sustainable and innovative solutions since microproteins are essential regulators of several physiological processes in plants. They are excellent candidates for creating synthetic miPs that can be employed to support plant stress resilience leading to increased productivity. Understanding the microproteins' regulatory mechanisms is a crucial step in developing microproteins into useful biotechnological tools for crop bioengineering. There is a theory that target proteins and microproteins have similar evolutionary histories. Microproteins work at the molecular level by obstructing the assembly of higher-order protein complexes. Their potential for biotechnological applications is further enhanced by their ability to function as dominant regulators in a focused and precise manner. In addition to exploring the processes of microproteins and their functional roles in plant biology, this study intends to provide the groundwork for future investigations by helping scientists identify, characterize and map these proteins.

A set of three medium-duration CMS lines ICPA 2043, ICPA 2047, and ICPA 2048 were used in study to investigate fertility restoration by making twenty-eight test crosses at the Department of Pulses, TNAU, Coimbatore. ICPA 2047 exhibited fertility restoration ranging from 0-40 % with negligible pod setting except for the cross ICPA 2047×ICP 3181. In contrast, sixteen F1s derived from ICPA 2048 showed pollen fertility ranging from 10-48 % except for the cross ICPA 2048 × ICP 9224. Similarly, sixteen F1s derived from ICPA 2043 demonstrated 15-38 % pollen fertility, with ICPA 2043 × LRG 41 showing 98 % fertility and good pod setting. Among the hybrids, ICPA 2043 × LRG 41 exhibited high fertility, ranging from 95.58 % to 98.67 % over two years. This suggests that dominant fertility-restoring genes from the restorer parent were incorporated into the hybrid, which showed consistent fertility restoration across different years. In the current investigation, the restorer line ICP 3181 demonstrated monogenic inheritance of fertility restoration in crosses with ICPA 2047 and ICPA 2048, following 3:1 ratio. Conversely, the cross ICPA 2043 × LRG 41 exhibited a digenic duplicate dominance inheritance pattern. These results suggest that the fertility restoration in pigeonpea can be inherited monogenically or di-genically, depending on the hybrid. The identified hybrids, particularly ICPA 2043 × LRG 41 demonstrate significant potential for improving fertility restoration and enhancing productivity in pigeonpea breeding programs.

The genetic diversity among 117 mung bean (Vigna radiata) accessions was assessed using eight morphological traits and 70 Simple Short Repeat (SSR) markers. These accessions were grown in an augmented design during the Summer and Kharif seasons of 2017. The mean data from the two seasons were subjected to correlation, principal component and cluster analyses. Plant height (r = 0.527), the number of pods in a plant (r = 0.717) and the number of seeds in a pod (r = 0.241) showed a highly significant positive relationship with individual plant yield. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that the first three components explained 74.32 % of the total variation, with eigenvalues greater than one. Principal Component 1 (PC1) accounted for the maximum variation in traits, including days to first flowering (loading = 0.773), days to 50 % flowering (0.740), number of pods in a plant (0.708) and plant height (0.653). Morphological trait-based clustering grouped the genotypes into two major clusters. Further, the 117 mung bean accessions were analyzed using 70 SSR markers. Of the 70 SSRs, thirteen were polymorphic and generated 55 alleles, averaging 4.23 alleles per locus. The polymorphic information content (PIC) values ranged between 0.52 and 0.79, averaging 0.71. Analysis of genotypic data led to the classification of the accessions into three clearly defined clusters. The findings of the present study were expected to contribute to future mung bean breeding programs aimed at developing trait-specific genotypes.