Description

Subsistence farmers grow pigeonpea in the warm semi-arid and subhumid tropics. They often grow it on poor soils and with few or no inputs. It is a hardy, drought-tolerant crop. Historians have disputed the origins of pigeonpea. Pigeonpea is of Indian origin, and is believed to have traveled from India to Malaysia, then to East Africa and from there up the Nile Valley to West Africa. Historians believe that the crop then traveled to the New World from Zaire or Angola prior to the main slave trade.

Today, pigeonpea is an important food in India. It is also popular in southern and eastern Africa and Central America.

Globally, traditional pigeonpea farming systems have developed around medium and long-duration cultivars (maturity in 180-280 days), often intercropped or mixed with such cereals as maize, sorghum, and pearl millet. This cropping system has contributed to the sustainability of farming systems and to intensification of the land and moisture used in rainfed areas.

Statistics

In 2005, world production of pigeonpea was about 3.5 million metric tons. Africa accounted form 317,862 metric tons, and Asia for over 3 million metric tons.

The area harvested to pigeonpea in 2005 was 4.5 million hectares globally. India alone accounted for about 76.5% percent of this figure. Other producers are Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Pigeonpea ranks sixth in area and production in comparison to other grain legumes such as beans, peas and chickpeas. Globally, pigeonpea has recorded a 43% increase since 1970.

How is Pigeonpea Used

Pigeonpea is an important source of protein and Vitamin B. People use the seeds whole, dehulled or as a flour. In the Caribbean region, people eat the seed as the popular green (immature) pea, but most is processed into "dahl," the easily stored decorticated split pea. The plant's woody stems are valuable as firewood, thatch, and fencing. The leaves are an important source of organic matter and nitrogen; adding as much as 40 kg per hectare to the soil.

CGIAR Research on Pigeonpea

Scientists at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) are finding ways to improve pigeonpea's productivity in developing countries. ICRISAT's Development of short-duration (100-150 days to maturity) and short-statured pigeonpea types has greatly broadened the adaptation of pigeonpea into new production environments, and significantly increased productivity per unit area and time. Through ICRISAT's development of the first hybrid pigeonpea variety and hybrid seed production technology, private and public sectors in India have been able to release hybrid cultivars.

Working through a web of partnerships with universities, women's groups, and national programs, ICRISAT scientists are also sharing pigeonpea germplasm and technology with farmers in southern and eastern Africa. Teams of ICRISAT and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) have identified varieties suited to specific production systems: wilt-resistant long-duration varieties for Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda; and high-yielding short-duration types for Kenya.

For more information on pigeonpea from the ICRISAT web site, click here.

Sources

ICRISAT web site.

FAOSTAT. PRODSTAT.

ICRISAT. Partnerships in Research for Development.
April 1998.

Technical Advisory Committee. CGIAR Priorities and Strategies for Resource Allocation during 1998-2000.
April 1997.

The Pigeonpea.
Nene, Y.L., Hall, S.D., and Sheila, V.K.
Wallingford, Oxon, UK, CAB International. 1990.