By Bijoy Handique
Jorhat : Pulses production in the country in recent time can be regarded as Pulse Revolution in the country as earlier the pulses production had remained stagnant around 14 million tons continuously for two decades, but since 2009-10 it has steadily increased to 25.23 MT in 2017-18, said Dr. Sanjeev Gupta, the Project Coordinator of All India Coordinated Research Project on MULLaRP (Rabi Crops) during his inaugural day function of the two days Annual Group Meet held at the Dr. MC Das memorial auditorium at the premises of Assam Agricultural University (AAU) here today.
The Coordinator of the project Dr. Sanjeev Gupta said, Lentil, lathyrus, rajmash, peas, and some other minor pulses are secondary winter legumes which altogether contributing 14% to the total pulses production. There is ample scope for bringing additional area under these pulses in newer niches like rice fallows, tal areas, hill agriculture and in intercropping for remunerating cropping system. It is estimated that additional 3.0 million hectare can be which could be brought under these pulses cultivation throughout India.
He said, the improvement work on these crops was initiated in the country at the beginning of the 20th century particularly with the establishment of the Imperial Agricultural Research Institute at Pusa, Bihar in 1910. However, the initial place of research on pulse had been through isolated individual efforts aimed at improvement of locally adopted but genetically variable population mainly by the method of pure line and mass selection with major emphasis on trades other than yields which resulted in the release of large number of pure line, some of which are cultivated in certain parts of the country.
Moreover establishment of All India Coordinated Pulses Improvement project in 1967 provided an opportunity to assess of improved germ plasm to pulse breeders and to test their improvement breeding line in multi-location, evaluation across the country. Later on this structure was brought under the ambit of separate AICRP on MULLaRP which got to be operational in November 1995 which coordinated research program on MULLaRP crops (lentil, field pea, rajmash and lathyrus) in India which is carried out through the All India Coordinated Research Project on MULLaRP administered by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. AICRP on MULLaRP is one of 61 coordinated project working under the aegis of ICAR. The AICRP on MULLaRP has a great network of 28 AICRP centres in 21 major pulses growing states of the country, 3 AICRP centres are located in 19 state agricultural universities, 2 in central universities and 2 in ICAR Institute. These AICRP centres pursue activities and strategic research in the area of crop improvement, production and protection, beside coordinated nuclear and breeder seeds production to meet out the demand of quality seed in the country and in order to transfer latest technology the project is joining hands with Director of Agricultural Council, Government of India through frontline demonstration for which the research capabilities and facilities of the cooperating centres are being strengthened through linking with various network.
A bio-fortified lentil variety IPL-220 which is resistant to wilt and rust has been recently released and notified for eastern UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam which has high iron, zinc and folate which is an important ingredient in winning food for growing children and health supplement for lactating and pregnant women , thus are important for achieving goal of nutritional security which also has a great promise in rice fallows of Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Eastern UP and Jharkhand, said Dr Sanjeev Gupta.
Dr. PK Chakraborty –ADG-ICAR, New Delhi, Dr. GN Hazarika-ex-director Research, AAU Jorhat among Dr. A Bhattacharyya-director research-AAU spoke about the secondary winter legumes which are presently occupying nearly 3,0 million hectares of area in the country which also has a great promise in rice fallows of Assam, West Bemgal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand which is a very positive sign and a good work of AICPIP (All India Coordinated Pulses Improvement Project). (Ends)