Pigeon pea

23.02.2024

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Why in the  news?

According to the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) a new fast-breeding protocol is likely to make it easier for scientists to develop better quality varieties of the pigeon pea crop at a faster rate.

About Pigeon pea:

• It is also called arhar and tur in India.
• It is an important legume crop and protein-rich food which is primarily consumed as dal in India.
• It is predominantly a crop of tropical areas mainly cultivated in semi-arid regions of India.

Climatic conditions

○Rain: It requires 600-650 mm of annual rainfall along with moist conditions for the initial eight weeks and dry conditions during its flowering and pod development phase.

○Temperature: It can be grown with a temperature ranging from 260C to 300C in the rainy season and 170C to 220C in the post-rainy (November to March) season.

○Soil: It can be grown on all types of soil; however, sandy loam or loam soil is most suitable for its cultivation.

○It is very sensitive to low radiation at pod development, therefore flowering during the monsoon and cloudy weather, leads to poor pod formation.

• It is commonly intercropped with a wide range of crops. In India, it was estimated that 80 - 90 % of the pigeon pea were intercropped.
• The important diseases of Pigeon pea are Wilt, Sterility mosaic disease, Phytophthora blight, Alternaria blight and Powdery mildew etc.
• Concern: The Pigeon pea’s long growth cycle and sensitivity to day length have hindered breeding efforts, with only about 250 varieties released globally over six decades.
• Health benefits: It has a low glycaemic index and is rich in thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, vitamin A, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.
• Major Pigeon pea-producing states: Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand.

New protocols of ICRISAT

• The new convention promises to substantially cut the time required to develop new Pigeon pea lines with desirable traits, effectively bringing food to dryland communities faster.
• The new protocol shortens the breeding and control over factors like photoperiod, temperature, humidity, and breeding cycle to 2 to 4 years while the traditional Pigeon pea breeding takes up to 13 years.                                      

                                       Source: Down to earth