Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability

Climate change due to increase in the frequencies of extreme events and climatic variability, causing serious concerns for enhancing pulse production and productivity in the country. Induction of climate resilient (CR) varieties into seed chain is important to mitigate the adverse climatechange effects vis-à-vis to increase yield as these crops grown predominantly as rain-fed. In the present study, attempts have been made to analyse the effects of new CR varieties in pulse crops in terms of increased productivity before and after 2006–2007. With respect to varietal replacement rates in Chickpea, Pigeonpea and Greengram, only a few CR varieties were in the seed chain, while after the 2000s, more CR varieties having wider adaptability were deployed. On the basis on the average of three years, their share in the total indented breeder seed was 46.5% (Chickpea), 32.9% (Pigeonpea) and 21.4% (Greengram) in India. Similarly, seed replacement rates (SRRs) have been increased by 13 folds in Lentil, 5 in Chickpea, 3 in Pigeonpea and 2 in both Blackgram and Greengram during 2000–2001 to 2011–2012. On the basis on the average of six years, during period I (2001–2002 to 2006–2007) and period II (2007–2008 to 2012–2013), productivity increased significantly in Chickpea, in Gujarat (322 kg/ha), Chhattisgarh (197 kg/ha), Rajasthan (132 kg/ha) and Maharashtra (289 kg/ha); in Pigeonpea, in Tamil Nadu (121 kg/ha) and Orissa (174 kg/ha); in Rabi/spring Greengram in Andhra Pradesh (147 kg/ha), Bihar (72 kg/ha), Uttar Pradesh (192 kg/ha), West Bengal (179 kg/ha), while in Blackgram in Uttar Pradesh (101 kg/ha) and at national level (62 kg/ha). As for pulses, significant yield increases were found in Chhattisgarh (121 kg/ha), Gujarat (195 kg/ha), Karnataka (130 kg/ha), Maharashtra (135 kg/ha) and at national level (86 kg/ha) which are statistically significant during period II as compared to period I as proved by comparing means through t-test. Overall, during Rabi/spring in Greengram and Blackgram, Uttar Pradesh has made remarkable progress in yield improvement, while in Tamil Nadu, the yield reduction was observed in same crops as well as in total pulses. In Lentil, no yield gains were observed but variability in yield increased in all Lentil-growing states. Conclusively, the adoption of CR varieties with short season in Chickpea, Pigeonpea, Blackgram and Greengram has also increased crop diversification, cropping intensity and further opened up scope for their inclusion in new regions and seasons.