Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
in Nepal1
N.K.YADAV2, A. SARKER3, R. DARAI 2 and B.N. ADHIKARI2
NEPAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COUNCIL, NEPAL2
ICARDA, SYRIA3
Introduction
• Agriculture is predominant in Nepal; where 66% of populations
depend on Agriculture for their livelihood and shares 38.81% GDP
(MOAC, 2004)
• Grain legumes usually called pulses in Nepal
• Grain Legumes covers(316010 ha )about 10% total cultivated land
(3091000ha)and ranked 4th in terms of area and production after
Rice, Maize and Wheat
• National average productivity is 840 kg/ha (MOAC, 2004)
• Lentil, chickpea and grass pea in winter and black gram ,pigeon
pea, soybean, horse gram, mung bean and cowpea in summer are
major legumes in Nepal
• Lentil is the single legume export to overseas
1000
800
600
400
200
0
1994/95 1995/96 1996/97 1997/98 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04
Soy
Hgram 7%
Others M ountain
2% Hills
9% 4%
20%
Grpea
2%
Bgram Lentil
10% 60%
Terai
Ppea Cpea 76%
7% 3%
5000
4500
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02
Production and demands situation of cereals and legumes in Nepal (scale: Cereals production and
demand 000' mt and legumes production and demand 00' mt)
• Nepal has exported pulses to India and overseas worth of 8.21 and 4.20
million US $, respectively during 2003/04, while at the same period Nepal
has imported pulses of 8.55 and 3.84 millions US $ from India and
overseas respectively. Thus the export import differences in terms of
monitory value is 0.03 million dollars (i.e. 2.1 million Rs).
• Lentil is the single commodity exported to overseas.
Legumes based cropping system
Cropping system in terai and inner terai
a. Lowland
Rice/Lentil-Fallow
Rice/Lentil + Mustard
Rice /Lentil-Maize
Rice /Lathyrus-Maize
Rice-Rice-Chickpea
Rice-Rice-Lentil or Lathyrus + Linseed
Rice-Wheat or Mustard-Mungbean
Rice + Pigeonpea(On bunds)-fallow
b.Upland
Maize-Lentil + Mustard
Maize-Chickpea + Mustard
Maize-Chickpea + Barley or Wheat
Maize + cowpeas- Mustard or Wheat
Maize + Soybean- Mustard or Wheat
Pigeonpea – Fallow
Maize + Pigeonpea-Fallow
a) Lowland
Rice +Soy bean (on bunds)-Wheat
Rice +Black gram (on bunds)-Wheat or Barley
Rice +Rice bean (on bunds)-Wheat
b) Upland
Maize+Soybean-Mustard or Wheat
Maize +Cowpea-Mustard or Wheat
Maize +Beans-Mustard or Barley
Maize/Blackgram-Mustard or Wheat
Soybean bund planting Soybean mixed cropping in maize field
Lentil
• Leading pulse crop of Nepal. Its cropped area is increased from
119490 ha to 187380 ha (1990/91 to 2003/04). The productivity
has also increased from 611 kg/ha to 847 kg/ha during that period.
• The importance of lentil in Nepal is also increasing due to export
market to Bangladesh and other foreign countries and also due to
the ban on the trade of grasspea since 1991/92 in Nepal (Yadav et.
al. 1998).
• Lentil crop is usually grown as a relay crop or sequential crop in rice
based cropping pattern. It is also grown as an inter-crop and mixed
crop with wheat or mustard.
• Eight varieties have been recommended for general cultivation.
NGLRP is paying more attention to introduce breeding materials for
the development of high yielding, medium and bold seeded
cultivars. Crossing program is initiated to achieve this objective.
Chickpea
• Fifth important legume in terms of both area (9560 ha) and
production (8114 Mt). Its national average yield is 849 kg/ha.
Chickpea is one of the potential crops that could be successfully
grown in rice fallow in Nepal with yield levels of 1.5-2 t/ha
• Main problems of chickpea growing are wilt complex, Botrytis gray
mould and pod borer infestation.
• The cross lines ICCX 840508-36 (Dhanush x K 850) is very
promising and proceeds for the variety releasing by the name of
Tara
Grasspea
• Third winter crops in area and production .It occupies 2% area and
production of total pulses.
• It is mainly used as human food as well as cattle feed though its
trade is banned by the government due to the presence of
presumed neurotoxin ODAP [3-(N-Oxalyl)-L-2, 3-di amino propionic
acid] that causes neurological disorder called lathyrism
Pigeonpea
• It is one of the important summer legume crops of Nepal. Its area
is 22459 ha and production is 19468 mt in Nepal.
• It is being grown as sole and/ or mixed crop with maize and sesame
in upland farming condition. In the central and eastern zone,
planting on rice field bund is the most common practice.
• Major biotic constraints are wilt and sterility mosaic disease (SMD)
and pod borer and pod fly insects.
• The genotypes Pusa-9, Lalbandi Local, Bahar and Pusa-14 have
been identified for post rainy pigeon pea after maize or early rice
• The genotype ICP7035 is one of the promising lines that is resistant
to wilt and sterility mosaic diseases and can grow successfully both
in summer and Rabi seasons for grains as well vegetables
Black gram
• It has 2nd position in area (32152 ha) and production (25501) with
the productivity (793 kg /ha) and is the major pulse of hilly peoples
of Nepal.
• Only one variety, Kalu has been released and is out dated variety.
There is an urgent need to identify and release suitable high
yielding varieties of black gram. At present, selection and testing
from local landraces is conducting at Rampur.
Mungbean
• Grown mainly in a rice-wheat-mungbean cropping pattern in
irrigated or partially irrigated area of terai, inner terai and foothill of
the valley.
• Pusa Baisakhi is the only recommended variety for general cultivation
in irrigated areas of terai.
• In collaboration AVRDC and FORWARD, NGLRP has identified the
genotypes NM-94 and VC6372 (45-8-1) resistant/ tolerant to MYMV,
more or less synchronous maturity with higher yield levels than
Pusa Baisakhi and proposed to the National seed board for release.
Cowpea
• It is one of the important summer grain legumes of Nepal and is
grown in marginal land with little or no inputs .It is being grown
from Terai to mid hills for various purposes such as vegetable,
dal and green manuring.
• It is estimated that it occupies 8000 ha and produces 5660 Mt
with the productivity of 700 kg/ha. The area and its production
are increasing trend
• Cowpea is planted as sole crop as well as inter/ mixed crop with
maize.
• Three varieties Aakash, Prakash and Surya were released for
commercial cultivation.
Groundnut
• The most important income generating summer oil seed legume
crops of Nepal. It is used both for oil and confectionary
purposes.
• Area under groundnut is estimated to be 15000 ha and the trend
is increasing due to the development of high yielding varieties,
adoption of improved technologies and spreading it's cultivation
in new areas of western hills.
• Six groundnut varieties namely B-4, Janak, Jyoti, Jayanti,
Rajarshi and Baidehi were officially released for commercial
cultivation in Nepal. Varieties Rajarshi and Baidehi have been
recently released ( in 2005 July) for cultivation.
• National oil seed research program(NORP) and ICRISAT is jointly
working for identifying the suitable genotypes for spring planting
and explore the potential of inter or mixed cropping with cereals
especially with maize.
Table: 1 List of legumes varieties released so far in Nepal.
SN Varieties Year of Origin Yield Days to Recommendation
Release Potential maturity Domain
(mt/ha)
LENTIL
1 Sital 2004 ICARDA 1.18 133 Terai & mid hills
2 Khajura 1999 Nepal 2.1 134 Terai of mid and far
Masuro-2 western
developmental region
3 Khajura 1999 Nepal 1.5 128 Terai of mid and far
Masuro-1 western
developmental region
4 Shikhar 1990 PAK 3.5 143 Terai, Inner terai, mid
hills
5 Simal 1990 India 4.1 143 Terai, Inner terai, mid
hills
6 Sisir 1979 India 2.0 150 Terai, Inner terai, mid
hills
7 Simrik 1979 India 1.5 143 Terai, mid-hills
8 Sindur 1979 Nepal 1.5 148 Terai, mid-hills
Chickpea
1 Kalika 1990 India 1.4 152 Terai, Inner terai
2 Koseli 1990 India 1.6 154 Terai, western & Inner
terai
3 Sita 1987 India 1.5 140 Terai
4 Radha 1987 India 1.6 142 Terai
5 Trishul 1979 Nepal 1.7 144 Terai
6 Dhanush 1979 Nepal 1.8 144 Terai
Soybean
1 Lumle-1 1996 Nepal 1.7 142 Mid Hill (400-1600 m)
2 Cobb 1990 USA 2.5 123 Terai, Inner terai
3 Seti 1990 Taiwan 1.2 150 Mid Hill, Valley
4 Ransom 1987 USA 1.0 145 Mid Hill, Valley
5 Hill 1978 USA 1.7 166 Hill
6 Hardee 1978 USA 2.4 124 Terai, Inner Terai
7 Tarkari bhatmas Valley ,Mid hills
PIGEONPEA
1 Bageshwari 1992 Nepal 2.0 261 Terai, inner terai
(Dhanusha, Sarlahi
CDR) & Banke of mid
western region
2 Rampur Arahar- 1992 India 1.5 197 Terai, inner terai (CDR
1 Makwanpur, Sarlahi)
Blackgram
1. Kalu 1989 India 1.2 79 Mid hills, valley
Cowpea
1 Surya 2004 Nigeria 1.4 65-96 Terai, inner terai
2 Prakash 1990 Nigeria 0.8 60 Terai, inner terai
3 Aakash 1990 Nigeria 1.0 73 Terai, inner terai
Mungbean
1. Pusa Baisakhi 1975 India 1.5 60 Terai
Constraints to production
A. Biotic
• Yellow mosaic virus (YMV) in soybean, mungbean, blackgram, cowpea,
phaseolus bean
• Pod borer in chickpea, pigeonpea, soybean
• Powdery mildew in mungbean, blackgram, pigeonpea, lathyrus
• ODAP in Lathyrus
• Leaf spot in soybean, mungbean
• Wilt / root rot in lentil, chickpea and pigeonpea
• Pod blight in soybean, cowpea
• Hairy-caterpillars in soybean, mungbean, blackgram
• BGM in lentil, chickpea
• Stemphyllum blight in lentil
B. Abiotic constraint
• Crops grown in poor marginal lands.
• Non-availability of quality seeds and inputs in time, place and quantity as
needed.
• Lack of awareness among farmers in improved technology in grain
legumes.
Many species of grain legumes.
C. Socio-economic constraints
• Grain legumes receive secondary priority.
• Yield instability over years risky.
• High losses in storage.
• Production technologies for all the legumes have not still fully developed.
Research Strategy for Pulse Improvement
Immediate/short term
• Obtained segregating materials from IARCs, and evaluate, select and
recommend lentil, chickpea, pigeonpea, cowpea and mungbean
varieties.
• Collect, evaluate and select suitable varieties from local materials.
• Identify sources of resistance for major diseases & pests of major
grain legume crops.
• Verify the on-station proven technology in farmer’s field through on-
farm trials and recommend it.
Long term
• Initiate breeding for resistance to major biotic constraints of important
grain legumes.
• Collaborate with IARCs for collaborative breeding.
• Research on integrated pest and disease management for major insect
pests and diseases
• Research on integrated nutrient management system through inclusion
of legumes in the cropping pattern.
• Fine tuning the agronomic management practices for major food
legumes and production systems.
• Research on post- harvest, handling, drying, threshing, storage and
utilization of legume products.
• Initiate research on horse gram, field pea, phaseolus bean and rice
bean.
• Develop appropriate low cost technology for higher yield.
• Seed production of different grain legumes.
• Collaborative research works on grain legumes with other research
organizations in Nepal.
• Determine the economic/action threshold levels for sustainable soil
management.
Conclusions
Food legumes plays crucial role in attaining the food & nutritional
security and alleviating poverty by raising farm income. It also
improves the soil health, which ultimately secure the sustainable
agriculture. Food legumes occupy 9% of the total cultivated lands of
Nepal (MOAC, 2004). Still there are many challenges both biotic and
abiotic constraints to increase production of pulses. Integration of
legumes in the existing cropping system have the only way to increase
the cropping intensity and restore the soil fertility. Crop intensification
and diversification with legumes either as relay cropping in rice/
maize, intercropping or after cereal crops is identified as one of the
strategy and opportunities to maximize the use of land and ensure the
land productivity. His Majesty Govt. of Nepal has being implemented
crop diversification projects through the department of agriculture in
mid and far western part of Nepal so as to break the cereal
monocropping and conserve the bio-diversity and maximize food
availability. The quantum jump in export is only possible when the
crops intensification and diversification increased tremendously in the
system.
Acknowledgements
References