New pigeonpea for dryland ryots
A new, improved, protein-rich pea is set to launch a new Green Revolution.
This new variety of pigeonpea, called Pushkal, is the first commercially available hybrid legume in the world.
“With 40 per cent higher yields than the best local varieties, Pushkal is truly the magic pea,” exclaims Dr William Dar, Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).
Pigeonpea is a high protein dietary staple in many semi-arid tropical countries of the world. It is especially important in India, eastern and southern Africa, the Caribbean and Myanmar, areas where high protein foods are scarce.
Pigeonpea provides 20 to 22 per cent of the protein in most of the countries where it is grown extensively (India, Myanmar, Nepal, China, South-East African countries). Globally, pigeonpea is cultivated on 4.92 million hectares (about 12 million acres), about the size of Texas, U.S.
Several uses
In India, pigeonpea is cooked as dal, a traditional curry eaten with rice or bread. In addition, immature green seeds and pods are eaten as a green vegetable. The seeds are crushed for animal feed in rural areas and its dry stems are used as fuel.
The new hybrid thrives in drought conditions and has greater resistance to diseases than the best varieties. It also creates a strong root system which aids greater nitrogen fixation to keep the soil fertile.
The new variety, which is very affordable for poor farmers, comes during a global pigeonpea shortage which has caused prices to soar, creating misery among millions of poor people who cannot afford them.
Will be available soon
Seeds for the new hybrid have been planted on some 5,000 hectares (12,500 acres), but Dr Saxena, ICRISAT’s principal pigeonpea breeder, predicts that the hybrid will be widely planted in the next few years as the low cost seed becomes more readily available.
“Because India has many private seed companies, we went through the private sector for production and marketing," explains Dr Saxena.
The new hybrid technology has generated interest from a number of other countries, including Myanmar, Brazil, the Philippines and China.
For further information readers can contact Dr. K.B. Saxena, through email at k.saxena@cgiar.org, or Dr. Said Silim through email at s.silm@cgiar.org
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