Journal of Food Legumes

An attempt has been made to evaluate the overall trend in area, production and productivity of kharif, rabi and total pulses as well as their respective growth rates and instability during the period 1986–87 to 2007–08 for the sixteen major pulse growing states of India. Also performance scoring of each state for kharif, rabi and total pulses have been performed in order to them rank to judge the sustainability level of that crop in the periods under study. For determining instability measurement, weighted coefficient of variation method has been followed and regarding performance indices, composite scoring of economic characters followed by K-Means and Hierarchical cluster analysis were performed. Data on pulses has been collected from website of DES, and through various issues of Agricultural Statistics at a glance Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, Govt. of India. The results envisages the fact that there is a tendency to shrink kharif pulses area (−3.89%) more than the rabi pulses (−2.31%) decadally with respective growth in productivity (1.49% and 9.47% respectively). Regarding instability in area, production and yield of pulses, although rabi season is more potential for pulse production, instability in rabi pulses across states was more than that of kharif pulses which indicating more scope of refinement of technologies of the rabi pulses compared to kharif for all states and also there is still room for certain areas, for putting to use monocropped kharif areas under double cropping. State-wise relative performance of pulses envisage the fact that Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh have shown stable performance in pulses cultivation in both the seasons taken under consideration. However, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh has shown dominancy in kharif pulses but has registered weaker performance in rabi season. Similarly, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar three major kharif paddy based states have registered high level of performance in rabi pulses in regard to mean acreage, production and productivity. In sense of total performance of pulse cultivation across India, Orissa has the poorest composite score (0.16) in terms of rate of change in acreage, production, productivity of pulses along with their degree of instability. But there cannot be any complacency in the pulse scenario of the country in the backdrop of actual and projected population rise, continuing pulse imports and sustainability of production systems which are rendered less fertile over time and is at stake. In all the states rabi productivity of pulses had a considerable edge of kharif pulses. The productivity of pulses in respective states has pushed up because of rabi pulses predominantly. Since pulses are low water requiring crops and rabi pulse as to area and productivity shows enough of possibility towards a useful strategy to convert possible areas under double cropping in the respective states with low and instable acreage for rabi pulse. This may be also increase the productivity per unit of water owing to better solar harvesting and there should be concerted efforts to regain the area under pulses.