Improving food legumes of semi-arid tropics for the benefit of smallholder farmers: Status and way forward

Crop diversification can effectively tackle the twin challenges of climate change and population boom and incorporation of pulses in cropping systems may offer additional advantage of addressing the issue of malnutrition. Pulse crops possess an ability to grow under harsh conditions and are ideal for poor farmers with marginal lands. India is the largest producer, consumer and importer of pulses. The shortfall in pulses has been attributed to low inherent yield capacity, high G ' E interaction, geographical shift in cultivation, complex disease-pest syndrome, socio-economic status of the farmers and decreased market opportunities. The agricultural technologies thus require deviation from production-oriented to profit-oriented sustainable farming system, necessitating a paradigm shift in research, technology generation and dissemination. Over the last two decades, a large number of region-specific and widely adapted high yielding varieties with tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses have been developed. A whole new ambit of research initiatives involving the development of new plant types for different agro-climatic ecologies, exploitation of heterosis, transgenic development, marker assisted selection for introgression of resistance genes and pyramiding genes for resistance to multiple races and characterization of biotic and abiotic stresses have been taken up and are expected to have tremendous impacts on improving productivity of pulses. There is a strong need to formulate strategic planning to achieve the goal focusing on broader genetic base of pulses for breaking yield barriers, exploitation of hybrid vigour in Pigeonpea, development of transgenics in Chickpea and Pigeonpea, multiple disease resistance in various pulses, photo-thermo-insensitivity in Vigna crops and intensification of pulse-based cropping systems. Resource conservation and development of micro-irrigation techniques are of great significance to pulses cultivation in semi-arid tropics and therefore need increased attention.