المنتدى العالمي المعني بالأمن الغذائي والتغذية

Hello moderator 

Multipurpose benefits of pulses were understood from ancient times. My point is a bit different from your problem. You might have heard that farmers in developing countries grow pulses species as inter-cropping, mixed cropping or relay-cropping with cereal and other crops. Inputs and other management practices affect production of other crops in such systems. Nowadays many Nepali farmers have experienced failure of some legume crops in their farm. Based on discussion with the farmers the problem is caused by exotic poisoning of agro-ecological systems. The local varieties used to thriving in soil with poor fertility have been disappeared. These  problems cannot be understood by working on the computer of head quarter or visiting rural areas as a development tourist. The problem is not limited to the pulses species. If anybody wants to know details please visit farms, experience the real life problems and discuss with the farmers. However, research, development support and policy advising agencies have been strategically imposing the varieties and other practices those they developed and valued. They have little cared or ignored how they spoiled adaptive systems and made farmers vulnerable. Developing high yielding varieties may not necessarily increase consumption of poor people though it can increase profit to large farmers and commercial growers. I suggest you to work first for addressing the problems instead of doing new propaganda.   

Based on my family experiences, changing dietary systems and availability of alternatives have reduced consumption of pulses. When our family had low level of green vegetables specially in dry seasons (January to June) our parents used to cook sprout of soybean and other beans in addition to a soup (Daal) of pulses. The consumption of sprout item has been dramatically decreased with increasing availability and access of fresh vegetables. Consumption of some amount of pulses specially in the form of soup with rice is common practices in Nepal. Roasted soybean or peas with pupped corn was supplementary item in snacks. The trend of consuming popped corn is decreased. The people migrated in overseas have also started eating rice one time in a day. Therefore pulses consumption practices of Nepali people are decreased. The change might have some negative  effect on vegeterian's health. Development of new cooked products fitted well in changing dietary systems might increase the level of consumption of the pulses. 

Many thanks for reading my comments and suggestions. 

Bhubaneswor Dhakal

Dear FSN Forum,

Please find below some information that had been put together at the beginning of the year for the IYP. 

Thank you

Shoba

Pulses for the Health of the Planet

Pulses are nutrient-dense crops that improve human diets, while their unique ability to fix nitrogen in the soil is valuable in crop rotations and for sustainable natural resource management. Several pulses are also resilient to adverse climate such as drought and heat, and grow in the dryland regions of the world. This makes them important food crops that adapt easily to the rising temperatures and increasingly frequent droughts under the changing climate of the planet.   

Pulses are rich in protein, oil, and micronutrients including iron and zinc. They supply amino acids that are deficient in cereals, sharply improving protein quality when eaten together.  The high iron and zinc content is especially beneficial for women and children at risk of anemia.  Pulses also contain bioactive compounds that show some evidence of helping to combat cancer, diabetes and heart disease. The exceptional palatability of pulses is important. For example, as severely malnourished children lose their appetites, chickpea paste is used as a base ingredient in emergency famine relief foods.

Pulses can biologically fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, thus meeting their own nitrogen fertilizer need. This reduces both the costs and the environmental impacts of chemical fertilizer use.  Inclusion of pulses in farming systems increases the effective capture, productive use and recycling of water and nutrients such as the end-of-season residual soil moisture in maize, rice and wheat fallows.  

Pulses thus have important roles in human diet, on the farm and for the sustainability of agriculture.

Some of the planet’s most commonly consumed pulses are Chickpea, Common Bean, Cowpea, Faba bean, Lentil and Pigeon Pea.

Chickpea is the world’s second-largest cultivated food legume, with developing countries accounting for over 95% of its production and consumption.  Chickpea grain is an excellent source of high-quality protein, with a wide range of essential amino acids, and the crop has a high ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen.

Common bean is the most important grain legume for direct human consumption with 23 million hectares grown worldwide, and approximately 12 million metric tons produced annually, of which 8 million tons are from Latin America and Africa.  In the developing world beans are smallholder crops, and in Africa these are cultivated largely by women.  Annual consumption is as high as 66 kg per person, and in many areas common bean is the second most important source of calories as maize.

Cowpea is the most important grain legume crop grown in sub-Saharan Africa, where it is mostly grown in the hot drought-prone savannas and very arid Sahelian agro-ecologies.  Cowpea is a protein-rich grain that complements staple cereal and starchy tuber crops, and is highly drought tolerant.

Faba bean is one of the oldest crops domesticated in the Fertile Crescent of the Near East, expanding around the world during the Neolithic period.  It is consumed as boiled grains and as vegetable green seeds/pods, dried or canned.  It has a protein content of 24-30 per cent, more than three times that of cereals.  Faba bean is a staple breakfast food in the Middle East, Mediterranean region, China and Ethiopia.

Lentil is one of the world’s oldest cultivated plants, originating in the Middle East, and spreading through Western Asia into the Indian subcontinent.  The crop has great significance in cereal-based cropping systems because of its nitrogen fixing ability, its high-protein grain, and its straw for animal feed.  Protein content ranges from 22-35 per cent.

Pigeon pea is a staple grain legume in South Asian diets and is also widely grown and consumed in household gardens of Africa.  With protein content ranging above 20 per cent, pigeon pea plays an important role in nutrient-balancing the cereal-heavy diets of the poor.  Pigeon pea is also important in some Caribbean islands and some areas of South America where populations of Asian and African heritage have settled.

The CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes is a global partnership invested in agricultural research on pulses from the lab to the field to the farm to increase their productivity, and to further enhance their climate adaptability and soil-nitrogen-fixing capacity.  The partnership includes four CGIAR Centers (International Center for Tropical Agriculture [CIAT], International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas [ICARDA], International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics [ICRISAT], and, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture [IITA]) working hand-in-hand with National Agricultural Research Systems and other strategic partners to deliver improved pulse varieties to the small-holder farmers of Africa, Asia and Latin America.  The program aims to improve food and nutrition security, income and sustainable natural resource management of smallholder farmers that grow chickpea, common bean, cowpea, faba bean, groundnut, lentil, pigeon pea and soybean.    

Early-Maturing Chickpea in Myanmar and India

Over 95% of the chickpea area in Myanmar and Andhra Pradesh is now under early-maturing varieties.  During a period of 15 years from 1999 to 2013, the chickpea production has increased 7.2-fold in Myanmar and 5.8-fold in Andhra Pradesh.  This is the result of a 3.3-fold increase in area (101,000 to 335,000 ha) coupled with a doubling of productivity (670 to 1460 kg/ha) in Myanmar, and a 4.7-fold increase in area (146,000 to 680,000 ha) together with 25% increase in productivity (890 to 1115 kg/ha) in Andhra Pradesh.  Myanmar restarted export of chickpea in 2001 after almost no export for over two decades.  The country has exported on average 50,000 tons of chickpea (valued at US$ 24.0 MM) every year since 2001.  Andhra Pradesh is helping India meet its domestic demand that continues to remain higher than the domestic production.  The chickpea varieties developed and released for early maturity, high yield, and resistance to Fusarium wilt by ICRISAT and national partners in India and Myanmar directly contributed to this changing trend.

Wilt-Resistant Pigeon Pea in Eastern and Southern Africa

During the last fifteen years, the area and production of pigeon pea in Eastern and Southern Africa have increased by 109% and 146%, respectively.  Countries in the region export about 200,000 t of grain/year valued at $ 140 MM.  Traditional pigeon pea varieties in Eastern and Southern Africa that have been low-yielding and late-maturing, with susceptibility to pests and diseases, are now replaced with 32 improved varieties that are high-yielding, early maturing and resistant to Fusarium wilt.  These varieties, developed and released by ICRISAT and national partners, have had rapid adoption in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda, increasing the incomes of smallholder farmers.  

Extra-Short-Duration Lentil for Rice-Based Cropping Systems in Bangladesh

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik. ssp. culinaris) has been an integral part of the rice-based cropping systems of the Indo-Gangetic plain of South Asia, mainly because of its ability to thrive comparatively well under water-limiting environments.  The rice-rice system provides a short-season window of 100-110 days in which an extra-short-duration lentil variety (90-100 days) can successfully be grown. Similar opportunity also exists in the fallows of the rain-fed rice-growing areas that are dominated by medium to long-duration rice varieties.  The top-soil layer generally dries completely at the time of the rice harvest reducing the feasibility of a post-rainy season crop.  Under such limitations, extra-short-duration lentil varieties provide an excellent opportunity to increase lentil production and sustain productivity of the rice-based systems by converting the mono-cropped rice areas into double-cropped areas.  The increased adaptability of these varieties to marginal soil conditions helps to increase overall system productivity, sustainability and profitability.  ICARDA, together with national partners in South Asia, has combined extra-early maturity of lentil with agronomic traits by pre-breeding to identify extra-early segregates and their utilization within the mainstream breeding program.  Adoption of these varieties (BARI M4, BARI M5, BARI M6 and BARI M7) by Bangladeshi farmers has led to an increase in lentil production from 119,639 tons in 2011 to 173,886 tons in 2015, the annual growth rate being 10.9%.

Heat-Tolerant Beans

Major effects of high temperatures on common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are expressed as inhibition of pollen fertility.  Modelling of the adaptability of current common bean cultivars suggests that rising temperatures will likely disrupt bean production in Nicaragua, Haiti, Brazil, and Honduras, while in Africa, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo would be the most vulnerable, followed by Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya.  A field evaluation of more than 1000 materials under high temperatures by CIAT in Colombia identified about 30 experimental breeding lines with superior production. Most of these lines were derived from interspecific crosses of common bean with a sister species, the tepary bean (P. acutifolius), a little known crop from the deserts of Mexico and southwest USA. Some of these breeding lines maintain pollen viability with up to 5oC higher night temperatures than those normally considered to be limiting (18oC at night).  A modelling exercise to estimate the benefits of this heat tolerance was undertaken using the EcoCrop model, assuming a more conservative genetic gain of adaptation to 3oC higher temperatures. The analysis indicates that heat tolerant bean varieties would counter most (if not all) of the negative impacts of climate change (Figure 1). While currently cultivated bean varieties are projected to suffer a 20-50 % loss in suitable area by 2050s, heat tolerant breeding lines are projected to suffer little (< 5%) or no suitability loss by the same period. Even by the end of the century, improved lines show < 10 % area loss. Thus, enhancing the capacity of common bean to resist high temperatures through interspecific crosses is a very promising adaptation strategy globally. EcoCrop, however, is a very simple model of climatic suitability that does not account for daily extremes and does not provide any indication of potential impacts on crop productivity. Therefore, further work is required to determine the extent to which daily extremes can limit the potential benefits shown here; and also to quantify potential productivity gains associated with heat tolerance improvement.

Historical and future (2050s) common bean suitability simulations for East Africa Left: suitability of currently cultivated common bean for historical climate; middle: projected impact of climate change for control (no-adaptation) simulations; and right: projected impact of climate change for adapted common beans. For middle and bottom panels: red=areas that become unsuitable, orange=areas that remain suitable but reduce their climatic suitability, beige=areas that stay suitable with equal suitability to historical, green=areas that stay suitable but increase their climatic suitability, and blue=new areas.

Combining Bio-Pesticides for Cowpea Pest Management

The bio-pesticide, neem oil, is usually sprayed as a bio-pesticide either as pure oil or mixed with lighter oils to facilitate its application by spin-disk sprayers. This method is not suited for crops with lower growth habit such as cowpea, because of the high losses due to drift, neither can neem oil alone keep under control the various insect pests attacking cowpea. Over the last few years IITA and partners have developed the application of neem oil in emulsifiable form which can be mixed with other compatible bio-pesticides. The mixture of emulsifiable neem oil and the pod-borer specific Maruca vitrata Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus (MaviMNPV) from the World Vegetable Center (AVRDC) was first tested in the lab, with encouraging results, and subsequently in the field. The combined effect of the neem oil on aphids and thrips, and that of the virus on the pod borer, sometimes exceeded the control achieved by a standard chemical pesticide. These results have been confirmed by large field trials by national partners in Burkina Faso and Niger.

 

The CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes, officially started in July 2012, is supported by CGIAR Fund Donors

I have tried to answer all the questions with my persoanl experience.

Apart from kidney beans Africa has low consumption of other pulses while this is also a fact that large amount of Pigeon pea is exported to India and other countries from Eastern Africa while locally it is not much consumed. Pulses has been traditionally been an integral part of vegetarian food culture across Indian states from north to south and east to west. The food habits  are part of a culture which emerges over a period of time. To make the pulses popular among African nationals other than just kidney beans, new recipes can be introduced through cross cultural events. I remember one of my Ugandan friend liked the way pulses are cooked in Indian style.

Being brought up in a first generation out of poverty household, I still remember pulse was among daily dietary food in my household. Still today pulses are important source of food in Indian marginal households; it is considered poor man's protein. There have been some research that with the increase in life style the consumption of pulses declines as they tend to have more vegan food items in their food. In India for a major segment of society it still is a integral part of the protein source and the recent price rise of pulses have also affected the lower income households short duration financial health. How it can still remain affordable to the poor is a matter of inquisition and a looming challenge for India

Pulses are largely grown in rain-fed situation of India. Even though the current increase in retail prices of pulses the farmer is not so much allured to cultivate pulses it in irrigated conditions. The reason pertained to it is lower production of pulses when compared to the cereals. In irrigated condition cereals such as Maize, Rice Wheat can fetch higher production and thus net income, so farmers do not choose pulses as sole crop. There are a few varieties which have been developed to meet the challenge. Rain-fed areas are by default under pulses production. I propose two solutions for buttressing farmers to produce more pulses; firstly making sure the farmer get assured prices for the pulses they grow through minimum support price as announced for cereals, secondly promoting intensively intercropping or border cropping of some pulses in cropping system which are longer in durations – Cotton, Castor, Sugarcane,  Ginger. Not only the method will give additional income to the farmers but will also make optimum utilization of resources – water, labor, soil etc.  

To adapt to climate change anomaly such as higher soil run off due to shortly-spanned-intensive rainfall which are likely in climate change, pulses has great role to play. In India AKRSP-India is promoting pulses such as Pigeon pea on undulated farm bunds to prevent the loss of bunds and followed by rich soil. Though we are in current implementation no substantial research report be produced.

I am ravenous eater of different pulses sprouts. The best way to get sprouts formation is first soaking the seeds for over 8 hours and later tying the seeds in a clean cotton cloth for another 8 hours until the seeds shows its first sprout long enough to enjoy raw. I although enjoy sprouts with a little olive oil sauté and curd, nothing best to start your day.

e-Consultation

Submission by Huseyin Arslan

President of the Global Pulse Confederation

·        Some countries produce large amounts of pulses, but these are not a part of their respective diets. How can the use of pulses be increased in communities where these crops do not play an important role in the local cuisine/traditional meals?

It is true that pulses are consumed by the kilo in Africa and Asia, but surprisingly absent on Western menus. This ancient food crop has formed an essential part of diets all over the world for thousands of years, from Esau’s biblical bowl of lentil stew to the dhal Mahatma Gandhi lived on. And when it comes to today’s dietary and environmental challenges, pulses have many answers as they are high in protein and fibre, and low in fat. In addition, they require a fraction of the water that many other popular parts of global diets demand, meaning their cultivation is also sustainable in a world of scarce natural resources.

The earliest production of pulses can be traced as far back as 7500 BC, when lentils indigenous to South Western Asia and the Mediterranean region were first farmed. Evidence of lentil production was also discovered in Egyptian pyramids and dry peas were found in a Swiss village that are thought to date back to the Stone Age. It is believed that chickpeas spread from the ancient Mediterranean area between Morocco in the west and the Himalayas in east during the period prior to 3000 BC.

The word “pulse” may originate from the Latin word “puls” for thick soup. Lentils, beans, chickpeas and peas are enjoyed in many ways, including simple stews.

Thanks to a recent renaissance in creative ways to cook with pulses, there are numerous new and exciting ways we can pack them into our daily diets in flours, appetizers, mains, desserts and even cocktails, here are a few ideas:

• Pancakes: Seasoned chickpea flour can make a nutritious, gluten-free alternative to breakfast pancakes that can be topped with sweet or savoury foods.

• Snacks: To beat the mid-morning munchies, oven-roast some pre-cooked lentils with sunflower oil, chili flakes, garlic powder and a pinch of oregano for a punchy, crunchy snack.

• Burgers: For a healthier, burger or vegetarian option, kidney beans can be mashed, seasoned and oven cooked. Borlotti, butter beans or chickpeas can also be used. Beans can be used as a complementary ingredient. Create a 100% black bean burger, OR add 50% black beans to your beef for a new approach!

• Potatoes: White beans added to mashed potatoes are an awesome way to mix up the traditional dish. Blending pulses as a partner or a replacement is a great way to improve protein intake without changing your meal plan.

• Purees: Blend peas with broccoli and mint to make a nutrient packed alternative to mashed potato to accompany bruschetta.

• Cakes: Black beans can be a secret ingredient to a rich, gluten-free chocolate cake.

Today, pulses are the main component of many national dishes. Below are a few examples of traditional recipes made from pulses. The complete collection can be found on pulses.org in the National Signature Dish section:

• Brazil: Black beans are slow-cooked with meat and sausages to make the stew feijoada. In Bahia, black eyed-peas are seasoned and fried to make spicy acarajé.

• Myanmar: Yellow split peas are ground to make flour, mixed with water and left to set, making a yellow tofu that can be eaten fresh in a salad or deep fried.

• China: Kidney bean rolls named yun dou juan are very popular in Beijing.

• Colombia: Red beans are often cooked with pork, white rice, ground meat, fried egg, plantain and avocado among other ingredients to make dishes such as bandeja paisa.

• Ethiopia: Powdered chickpeas or broad beans are mixed with onion, garlic and ginger or chilli peppers to make shiro, a favourite dish during celebrations.

• Egypt: The spicy stew made from fava beans, ful medames, is the national dish of Egypt and is traditionally eaten at breakfast.

• France: Puy lentils are featured in many national dishes • India: Dhal, a stew prepared from spices and split lentils is a staple food across all of Southern Asia, traditionally eaten with rice.

• Italy: Traditional Minestrone soup uses borlotti beans along with an array of vegetables.

• Israel: Falafel - deep fried balls made from ground chickpeas or fava beans – are considered the national dish of Israel are popular as a street food across the globe.

• Japan: Azuki beans are mixed with sugar to create a sweet paste called an which is used in desserts.

• Macedonia: Butter beans, onion and red pepper are combined to make the national dish tavče gravče.

• Spain: Cocido madrileño mixes chickpeas with meat and vegetables to make a popular winter dish. • Turkey: Chickpeas are blended to make the world famous dip hummus

• Venezuela: A staple throughout Latin America, black beans are seasoned with cumin and oregano as well as onions and garlic to make frijoles negros.

For more information:

http://pulses.org/pulse-hub/fact-sheets/download?path=iyp_factsheet_worldcuisines.pdf

The Global Pulse Confederation has been working diligently to celebrate the International Year of Pulses and to use the year in particular as a platform to share the benefits of pulses with consumers who would not yet have pulses as part of their diets. To do so, hundreds of recipes were collected, including 66 World’s Greatest Pulse Dishes and 29 Best of India recipes. It is important to share with consumers how to store, cook and be creative with pulses. There are so many varieties of pulses and recipes, the options are endless. It is a matter of communicating well with the consumers on how they can be easily incorporated in their diets. ½ cup per day of pulses brings important health and nutritional benefits.

For more information:

http://pulses.org/recipes

·        Do you have any examples on how the consumption of pulses contributes to household food security and nutrition in your community or country, which may be useful in different contexts?

In most developing countries, pulses play a fundamental role as a low-fat, high fibre source of protein, an essential component of traditional food baskets. Pulses, by contributing about 10 percent in the daily protein intake and 5 percent in energy intake, are of particular importance for food security in low income countries where the major sources of proteins are non-animal products. In addition, pulses also contain significant amounts of other essential nutrients like calcium, iron and lysine. Pulses are included in all ‘food baskets’ and dietary guidelines. The World Food Programme (WFP) for instance includes 60 grams of pulses in its typical food basket, alongside cereals, oils and sugar and salt Over 60 percent of total utilisation of pulses is for human consumption. But the importance of pulses in human diets varies from region to region and country to country, with a general trend of higher consumption in lower income nations. The share of food use in total utilisation of pulses in the developing countries is over 75 percent, compared to 25 percent in the developed countries.

Complementing animal feed with improved varieties of pulses has shown to significantly improve animal nutrition too, yielding better livestock, which in turns supports food security – a study in West Africa showed that animals fed cowpea hay, along with rice feed meal, during the dry season gain 95kg, compared to 62kg for animals that did not receive the cowpea fodder. The manure was also of improved quality and the study estimated that farmers which used cowpea fodder could benefit from an extra 50kg of meat a year and over 300kg of cereal grain from the improved soil quality. Pulses are locally adapted and can be grown by local farmers for their own nutrition as well as for sale, which is important to improve food security. They are highly accepted crops, which can keep well in storage. Pulses because of their role in improving sustainability, notably through soil management, also impact food security. Soil degradation is a major threat to food security in many areas. Africa is particularly impacted by soil degradation, yet pulses are part of traditional diets and often grown by small farmers. By improving the crop patterns using pulses, farmers can improve their yields and limit the long-term threat to food security that soil degradation represents.

·        What are the main challenges that farmers in your country face with regard to the production of pulses? How should these be addressed?

Pulses are a source of income and nutrition for farmers. Pulses contribute to raising income of farmers around the world, both in developed and developing countries. Across the many different types of pulses, suitable varieties with potential for household consumption, livestock feed, soil building, or income generation can be identified for most agricultural systems. In many countries, pulses are cultivated by women. Pulses provide these women a nutritious food source, and provide an additional income source.

Pulse crops add diversity to crop production. Crop diversity decreases the risk farmers face from environmental and market fluctuations. Pulses increase the range of products a farmer can eat or sell. Pulses in intercrops can contribute to higher overall system productivity – including ‘overyielding’ through more efficient use of resources – and profitability. Adding pulses to a crop rotation can significantly boost cereal yield and grain quality by increasing plant-available nitrogen, disrupting pest and disease cycles, and improving soil nutrition and structure.

Adding pulse crops to a crop rotation improves a farm’s environmental stewardship. Nitrogen from pulse crops stays longer in the soil to boost production of other crops, while fertilizer-supplied nitrogen needs to be applied every year. Growing pulse crops in rotation with other crops enables the soil to support larger, more diverse populations of soil organisms, maintaining and improving soil fertility and suppressing pathogens. Pulses extract water from a shallower depth, leaving more water deep in the soil for the following year’s crop. This increases the water use efficiency of the entire crop rotation. To increase overall water use efficiency, producers can strategically combine cereal and other crops with pulses.

Here is an example of a farmer from my home country Turkey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq-z-8LCv2o

·        Are you aware of any research or studies on the role of pulses in climate change adaptation or mitigation? Please share them with us.

Global pulse production will be affected by climate change. Pulse crop production will be increasingly affected by higher temperatures, drought, disease and pest pressure, and carbon dioxide concentration. Specific plant responses will vary in important ways and genetic variability within crops and wild relatives can facilitate breeding for climate change resilience. Many pulse crops are well adapted to semi-arid conditions globally and can tolerate drought stress better than most other crops.

To avoid yield loss or crop failure, producers can make use of natural variety among pulse crops in their response to environmental stresses. With increasingly volatile weather, farmers can adapt by choosing from a wide array of pulse varieties to match plant traits (e.g., water use efficiency, heat tolerance) to growing conditions (i.e., the right pulse in the right place). Under climate change, producers can adapt crop management practices (e.g., seeding date, fertilizer rate, variety selection) to suit available soil water, shifting weed populations, and soil fertility changes. In well-designed rotations with cereals, pulses may act as a ‘break crop’ that is protective against pest and disease damage, reducing need for pesticides.

·        The International Year of Pulses also includes a call for recipes to provide ideas and inspiration on how to consume these nutritious seeds. Would you like to share yours?

The Global Pulse Confederation has collected hundreds of recipes on pulses.org. We invite all to use them and be creative with pulses. We also accept more recipes to be submitted by our visitors. 

Some countries produce large amounts of pulses, but these are not a part of their respective diets. How can the use of pulses be increased in communities where these crops do not play an important role in the local cuisine/traditional meals?

This is especially true for my home country, Canada, one of the largest pulse producers in the world, where the pulse consumption is comparatively low. The 2016 International Year of Pulses is the single largest opportunity to increase awareness on the many health benefits that pulses offer, as well as their versatility and taste as a cooking ingredient.  Governments, health organizations, cooking institutions, food media and the public in general could all play a role to promote pulses.

Many initiatives are taking place in Canada to celebrate the Year. Several illustrate how can pulses be included in daily menus with little to no effort. No time for soaking? No worries, take a can of your favourite pulse (chickpeas, beans, lentils or dry peas) and add it to your vegetable soup, to your morning toast, as a garnish or even to your brownies. Look for pulse flours and get creative when baking.

Considering that Canada has strong links to other countries given its immigration history, many Canadians are still preserving their cultural identities, including the cuisine. Pulses are used throughout the world in many traditional meals, perhaps what we need is a little reminder of the connection between these nutritious seeds and the traditional recipes. 

Do you have any examples on how the consumption of pulses contributes to household food security and nutrition in your community or country, which may be useful in different contexts?

Pulses are a cornerstone of nutritional security for the hungry and malnourished, and of better diets to maintain healthy body weights. This UN International Year of Pulses is an excellent opportunity for governments around the world to start including pulses in their food security and nutrition policies. Pulses are a high fibre, low fat source of protein, contain important vitamins and minerals like iron, potassium, and folate, and  two to three times as much protein as cereals like wheat, corn and rice. For all of these wonderful reason it is recommended to eat at least ½ cup of pulses per day.

What are the main challenges that farmers in your country face with regard to the production of pulses? How should these be addressed?

Many crops don’t’ attract their ‘fair share’ of investment, this is unfortunately true for pulses. The shame is these crops, often known as ‘orphan crops’ because they get ignored by funders, are potentially vital in the fight to deliver the UN’s Sustainable development Goals (SDGs) because of their nutrition-density, affordability and positive impact on soil.

The ‘Global Pulse Productivity & Sustainability Survey´ suggests annual investment in pulses hovers at $175m, whereas billions are invested into other crops such as corn. Not only in Canada, but globally we need a 10-fold increase in pulse research funding. With over 800 million people suffering from acute or chronic undernourishment, increasing pulse research is vital. We can only meet the world’s protein needs with better varieties of chickpeas, peas, beans, and lentils.

Are you aware of any research or studies on the role of pulses in climate change adaptation or mitigation? Please share them with us.

·         Vadez V, Berger JD, Warkentin T, Asseng S, Ratnakumar P, Rao KPC, Gaur PM, Munier-Jolain N, Larmure A, Voisin A-S, Sharma HC, Pande S, Sharma M, Krishnamurthy L, Zaman MA. 2012. Adaptation of grain legumes to climate change: a review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 32(1): 31-44.

Grain legume production is increasingly confronted with land degradation / competition, soil nutrient deficits, higher and more variable temperatures, and, especially in the semi-arid tropics, water scarcity. Grain legume responses such as water use (e.g., leaf/root resistance to water flow) and vernalization (i.e., onset of flowering, regulated by responses to day length and ambient and low temperature) will affect the severity of climate change impacts in coming decades. New germplasm is needed to improve grain legume water use efficiency (biomass or grain produced per unit of water) through control of leaf water losses under high vapor pressure deficit (i.e., high plant–atmosphere pressure gradients drive water out of the leaves at a faster rate) and increased atmospheric CO2 concentration. (Water-sparing varieties will be beneficial where crops grow on stored soil water, but can lower yields where crops grow on current rainfall in a short rainy season.) Breeding programs to improve plant adaptation (e.g., balance crop duration with available soil water and maximal light capture) should be based on key mechanisms underlying crop phenology and nutrition (e.g., interdependence of C and N). As climate change accelerates, phenology will not change in those genotypes regulated largely by photoperiod, will come earlier in ambient temperature-sensitive types, and will be delayed in those responding to vernalization. In chickpea (and possibly lentil), temperature sensitivity has been strongly correlated to mean vegetative phase temperatures in habitat of origin and, among relatively temperature insensitive varieties, there is a strong compensating relationship with day length response. With increasing frequency of high-temperature events, crops may experience supra-optimal temperatures that delay flowering and exacerbate terminal drought stress. Vernalization response has been eliminated in chickpea and narrow leaf lupin, while other legume crops such as faba bean and pea retain their vernalization response. Overall, it is difficult to predict where and by how much crop phenology is likely to be affected given weak understanding of adaptation of grain legumes to environmental triggers in different habitat types. In the semi-arid tropics, high temperature and prolonged moisture stress in recent years are associated with drought at flowering and reproductive growth stages and large increases in dry root rot in chickpea. High intermittent rain in the last 5 years (>350 mm in 6–7 days) in July–August is associated with outbreak of Phytophthora blight of pigeonpea. The semi-arid topics face increase risk of disease in chickpea (anthracnose, collar rot, wet root rot, stunt diseases) and in pigeonpea (Phytophthora blight, Alternaria blight). Ecophysiological models are needed to identify genotypes appropriate to new growing conditions (e.g., varieties capable of setting / filling seeds at high temperature and responding to altered geographical distribution of pests, diseases, and weeds). Rather than looking at specific traits independently, methods are needed to assess how different traits interact to influence performance under water limitation (e.g., drought research in chickpea has focused only on root morphology).

·         Daryanto S, Wang L, Jacinthe P-A. 2015. Global synthesis of drought effects on food legume production. PLoS ONE, 10(6): e0127401.

Drought has had adverse effects on food legume crop production in major pulse-producing regions of the world (e.g., India, China, many African countries), where rainfed agriculture is common. This study investigated how effects of drought covary with legume species, soil texture, agroclimatic region, and drought timing, through meta-analysis of 110 field studies (1980 to 2014) on yield responses of legume monocrops to drought. Water availability and yield reduction were positively correlated, although yield impact varied with legume species and phenological state during drought. Overall, lentil (Lens culinaris), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), and pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) exhibit lower drought-induced yield reduction compared to legumes such as cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and green gram (Vigna radiate). Under >65% water reduction, lowest yield reduction occurred with lentil (21.7%) and groundnut (28.6%) and highest yield reduction occurred with faba bean (40%). Under 60–65% water reduction, lowest yield reduction occurred with pigeon pea (21.8%) followed by soybean (28.0%), chickpeas (40.4%), cowpeas (44.3%), green grams (45.3%), and common beans (60.8%). Under <60% water reduction, field pea experienced only half the amount of yield reduction observed when compared with chickpea. Drought that occurred during reproductive stages (i.e., from flowering to maturity) resulted in yield reduction (43.4%) similar to the reduction observed when drought occurred throughout the growing season (42.1%). Yield reduction averaged 37.3% and 26.89% for droughts that occurred during the early and late reproductive stages, respectively. Droughts resulted in 63.8% legume yield reduction in medium-textured soils (i.e., high productive potential) compared to 30.9% in fine-textured (i.e., more difficult water extraction by plant roots) and 19.8% in coarse-textured (i.e., low productive potential) soils. No significant differences in legume yield reduction were observed for different major climatic regions (non-tropical vs. tropics or drylands vs. non-drylands), although meta-analysis was applied to studies for which agricultural input (e.g., pest control and fertilizers) was not a limiting factor. Significant difference in pulse productivity was observed between developed (mostly non-tropical region) countries (1.8 tons ha-1) and developing (mostly tropical region) countries (0.8 tons ha-1). Adaptability of a legume species to drought does not always correspond to dryland origins and groundnut (tropical origins) showed better adaptability compared to common bean or black gram, even under higher level of water reduction. Two mechanisms of drought resistance in legumes include: (i) drought avoidance via efficient stomata regulation (e.g., common bean, cowpea, chickpea, pigeonpea, lupin), which can limit photosynthesis and shoot growth, and (ii) drought tolerance via osmotic adjustment (e.g., common bean, faba bean and cowpea), which usually allows root growth to proceed under drought condition. Authors conclude that phenological plasticity could be an important trait for selecting drought-resistant species (i.e., able to maintain high yield following a period of water stress), given irregular rainfall patterns and large observed impact of drought during reproductive stage.

·         Angadi SV, McConkey BG, Cutforth HW, Miller PR, Ulrich D, Selles F, Volkmar KM, Entz MH, Brandt, SA 2008. Adaptation of alternative pulse and oilseed crops to the semiarid Canadian Prairie: Seed yield and water use efficiency. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, 88: 425-438.  [Summary copied from Pulse Canada online Science Library]

This 2008 research paper, published in the peer-reviewed Canadian Journal of Plant Science, studied water use by pulses and other crops. The ability of crops to adapt to different water conditions is important because moisture for crop growth is frequently in short supply. The study included three pulses (chickpea, lentil, and pea) as well as canola, mustard, and wheat. Three different moisture conditions were studied: drought, normal rainfall, and irrigation. The study took place in Saskatchewan over four years. Of the crops studied, wheat and pea had the highest yields and highest water use efficiency, while pea used the least amount of water. Chickpea and lentil produced good yields even when water was limited. Under severe drought conditions, where some crops did not produce any appreciable yields, chickpea and lentil were able to maintain at least some yields. The study concluded that pulse crops are well-suited to low moisture conditions.

Key findings:

§ Compared to high water use by wheat, canola, and mustard, chickpea, lentil had medium water use and pea had low water use (34 and 13 mm less water than high and medium users).

§ Pea and wheat produced most grain / biomass and had highest water use efficiency.

§ Chickpea and lentil had good grain yields under dry conditions and performed better than other crops under drought stress.

§ Pulse crops, especially pea, are well suited to the drier parts of the semiarid prairie.

·         Cutforth HW, Angadi SV, McConkey BG, Entz MH, Ulrich D, Volkmar KM, Miller PR, Brandt SA. 2009. Comparing plant water relations for wheat with alternative pulse and oilseed crops grown in the semiarid Canadian prairie. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, 89: 826-835. [Summary copied from Pulse Canada online Science Library]

Published in the Canadian Journal of Plant Science in 2009, this peer-reviewed study examines the drought tolerance of different crops. Drought tolerance is important because precipitation in the Canadian Prairies can be low and unpredictable. The crops studied were pea, chickpea, canola, mustard and wheat. Each crop was grown under three different water conditions: drought, normal rainfall, and irrigation. It was conducted in Saskatchewan during a two year period. The paper first provides some background about how individual plant cells are affected by water stress before examining each crop’s response to drought in detail. The study found that pea and chickpea had the greatest ability to withstand water stress, followed by wheat and then the two oilseed crops. This research shows the advantage of growing pulses in drought-prone areas.

Key findings:

§ Compared to wheat and Brassica oilseeds, pea and chickpea were better able to adjust to moderate to severe water stress.

§ Pulses maintained positive turgor (i.e., combined strategies of cell wall elasticity and osmotic adjustment) and metabolic activity over a wide range of water potentials.

·         Miller PR, McConkey BG, Clayton GW, Brandt SA, Staricka JA, Johnston AM, Lafond GP, Schatz BG, Baltensperger DD, Neill KE. 2002. Pulse crop adaptation in the Northern Great Plains. Agronomy Journal 94: 261-272. [Summary copied from Pulse Canada online Science Library]

Miller and colleagues reviewed the current research on the production of peas, lentils, beans, soybeans, and chickpeas in western Canada and the northern USA. Published in Agronomy Journal in 2002, this article summarizes how pulse crops affect environmental sustainability in terms of crop yields and efficiency of water use. Key areas for further research are also outlined. Overall, research shows that pulse crops consistently provide a nitrogen benefit to wheat that is grown after a pulse. This nitrogen benefit is demonstrated by higher wheat grain yields and higher wheat protein content (nitrogen is a major building block of protein). This is important because nitrogen supplied by a pulse crop reduces the need for nitrogen fertilizer, an input that is energy-intensive to produce and is responsible for a large portion of the greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture. Peas, lentils, and chickpeas were specifically highlighted as crops that efficiently use water. Research suggests that these three pulse crops respond to drought conditions better than spring wheat. By using less water, pulses conserve water for use by subsequent crops. This is particularly important because water is a major limiting factor in growing crops in the northern Great Plains.

Key findings:

§ In the Northern Great Plains, rotational benefits of pulses on wheat result from complex pulse interactions with soil water, soil nutrient supply, and pest cycles. Pulse crops can have mixed effects on weed cycles.

§ Under very different N-limiting growth conditions, higher grain yields and protein content for wheat grown after a pulse crop indicate pulses consistently provide N benefit.

Peas, lentils, and chickpeas efficiently use water (conserving water for use by subsequent crops) and respond to drought conditions better than spring wheat (i.e., can grow at lower relative water content).

Johnston AM, Clayton GW, Miller PR. 2007. Introduction to "Pulse crop ecology in North America: Impacts on environment, nitrogen cycle, soil biology, pulse adaptation, and human nutrition". Agronomy Journal. 99: 1682-1683. [Summary copied from Pulse Canada online Science Library]

Published in Agronomy Journal in 2007, this is a short article that provides a broad overview of the benefits of pulses as well as key directions for future research. It is the introduction to a symposium about pulse crops held at the annual conference of the American societies for agronomy, crop science, and soil science. To begin with, the current status of land seeded to pulses in North America is reviewed. In the period from 1991 to 2006, the area seeded to pulses increased more than seven times. The nutritional benefits of pulses are then discussed. In addition to their high protein and fibre contents, pulses also contain compounds called phytochemicals that promote good health. Next, the environmental impact of pulses in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions is considered. The article also covers the positive impact pulses have on beneficial soil microbes that enhance plant growth. Finally, the ability of pulses to adapt to changing climate conditions is examined. Overall, pulses are playing an increasingly important role in North American agriculture.

Key findings:

§ From 1991 to 2006, area seeded to pulses in North America increased 7-fold (400,000 ha to 3 million ha).

§ Benefits of pulses include:  breaking pest cycles common to monoculture; reducing use of N fertilizer; increasing marketing opportunities.

§ Pulse crops provide residual N via roots and residues (significant N is removed through harvest of high-protein pulse grains). Actual N contribution from pulses may often be <20 kg N ha-1, which doesn’t fully explain improved cereal yield in rotation with pulses.

§ Pulse crop rhizosphere activity enhances P and Zn uptake and increases soil microbial activity overall. Pulse crop residues more readily decomposed by microbes.

§ Reduced use of N fertilizers in pulse-inclusive crop rotations decreases (a) fossil fuel use in N fertilizer manufacture, transport, etc, and (b) N2O emission from soils.

§ Ability of pulses to adapt to changing climate conditions (and available soil water, shifting weed populations, soil fertility changes). Crop management practices (seeding date, fertilizer rate, variety selection) are more important than CO2 fertilization effects.

§ Directions for future research: Characterize genetic diversity of nutrient and phytochemical composition; breeding / selection strategies (e.g., increasing N2 fixation). Role of pulses in influencing nonpulse crop growth and development and impact on plant health and soil biology. Estimating the N credit from pulse crop residue. Variable absorption by livestock of beneficial phytochemicals in pulse crops.

The International Year of Pulses also includes a call for recipes to provide ideas and inspiration on how to consume these nutritious seeds. Would you like to share yours?

I have found cooking inspiration in The World’s Greatest Pulse Dishes recipe collection available at Pulses.org. It has delicious recipes from all over the world, and a special collection of recipes from India, with easy to follow instructions.   

There are many varieties of pulses are available from dry land farms 

Horse gram, field bean, cow pea, lentil, lathyrus sativis and many types of beans.

Apart from making them as boiled or curry , gravy recipes many more snack and sweet items are made out of these pulses.

In tribal and rural areas lot of variety goes into preparations: laddus, vada, bajji, roti, spicy powders, as mixture of thickening agents 

It is important to introduce them to children as regular diets 

Reviving of traditional storage of pulses is urgent need of the hour 

Storing in mud plastered bamboo baskets sealed with mud 

Storing in bamboo baskets in between 2 layers of foxtail millet also protects them for long time 

Revival of storage methods and recipes will put pulses in front row of the food basket 

Thank you 

Salome Yesudas

food and nutrition scientist 

Hyderabad , Telangana, India 

Causes of the global Nitrogen crisis:

Too little BNF, too much Haber Bosch. Why?

The ultimate cause is that crop legumes are generally not tolerant of soil infertility, relative to the cereals. The pulses we have domesticated require fertile soils to grow well. This generalisation applies to the temperate as well as the tropical pulses.

This greatly limits legume profitability and hence adoption, as growing cereals on poor soils is safer than growing pulses. In particular, it disadvantages poor farmers on the planet, who generally farm the infertile soils.

This in turn leads to increased use of Haber Bosch N in developed Agriculture (and greatly contributes to N pollution), and reduced legume yield in developing countries.

Solution

to domesticate a different set of legume options for infertile soils

Providing the opportunity for new food legumes in developing countries, and increased uptake of legumes (more flexibility) in developed nations.

 We need research programs to domesticate legumes adapted to the poor soils (low clay content, low CEC, low fertility, low pH) but domestication programs must be market driven.

From Prof Howieson Murdoch University, Perth Western Australia

From his presentation to the International N Fixation Conference, California 2015.

There are a number of underexploited and underutilized legume vegetables of considerable nutritive value.Vegetable pigeon pea, vegetable soybean,cluster bean,velvet bean,yam bean, lab lab bean,sword bean(Canavalia bean),velvet bean, yard long bean and cowpea are a few such protein rich crops demanding research attention.Majority are water saving and stress tolerant crops.These crops can supplement protein in protein deficient foods.More can be read in the series"Underutilized and Underexploited Horticultural Crops" published by NIPA India(www.nipabooks.com).

(K V Peter)

Prof KV Peter Ph D FNAAS.FNASc.FNABS.FHSI.

FISVS,FISGPB, FISNS

Former Vice Chancellor, KAU

Former Director, ICAR IISR, Calicut

Director, World Noni Research Foundation

No.12,Srinivasa Nagar,2nd Street, World

 

Happy Year of Pulses!



I would like to inform you about the new gardening / cookbook book called "The Power of Pulses" published this spring by Douglas & McIntyre in Canada. More inforation is available here: http://www.douglas-mcintyre.com/book/the-power-of-pulse.

Nathaniel

--

Nathaniel Moore

Publicist

Harbour Publishing Co Ltd., Douglas and McIntyre (2013) Ltd.,

P.O. Box 219, Madeira Park, BC, V0N 2H0

Tel: (604) 883-2730 / Toll-free: 1-800-667-2988 /

Fax: (604) 883-9451

[email protected]

harbourpublishing.com / douglas-mcintyre.com 

Nightwood Editions is an independent publisher,

distributed by Harbour Publishing.

Although most communities produce pulses but hardly consume them because they do not know how these pulses could be processed for food. To increase the use of pulses in their diets, conscious efforts must be made to train these people on how such pulses could be processed and used in their food preparations.