ICAR Develops First Fully Annotated Pigeonpea T2T Genome

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) developed India’s first fully annotated telomere-to-telomere (T2T) reference genome of pigeonpea variety ‘Asha’. The genome assembly, designated NIPB_CcT2T_4, was released on 20 April 2026 and is available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database under accession number GCF_000230855.1.

Telomere-to-Telomere Genome

A T2T genome is a complete chromosome-level DNA sequence that extends from one telomere to the other. In pigeonpea, the ‘Asha’ genome contains 752.65 million base pairs, 92 contigs, 11 chromosomes, 11 centromeres, and 22 telomeres.

Genome Annotation and Gene Content

Genome annotation is the process of identifying genes and functional elements in a DNA sequence. The annotated ‘Asha’ genome contains 36,557 genes and 48,008 mRNAs, with more than 99.9% read alignment recorded for accuracy.

ICAR and Pulse Genomics in India

The National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, under ICAR, published the world’s draft genome of a pulse crop in 2011 and an improved version in 2017. Pigeonpea is one of India’s major pulse crops and is also known as red gram or arhar.

Important Facts for Exams

• Pigeonpea belongs to the family Fabaceae and is a legume crop grown mainly for its protein-rich seeds.
• Telomeres are the terminal regions of chromosomes, while centromeres are the constricted regions involved in cell division.
• The National Center for Biotechnology Information is a global repository for biological sequence data.
• India’s Aatmanirbharta in Pulses initiative targets about 35 million tonnes of pulse production by 2030-31.

National Pulse Self-Reliance

The Aatmanirbharta in Pulses initiative aims to raise India’s pulse production to about 35 million tonnes by 2030-31. The pigeonpea T2T genome is part of India’s crop improvement research for climate-resilient and high-yielding varieties.