CONTENTS VOLUME 25, No. 3 JULY - SEPTEMBER, 2014 EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Dr. N.P. Singh Chairman Dr. P.S. Basu Member Dr. G.P. Dixit Member Dr. Hemant Kumar Member Dr. G.K. Sajayanand Member Mr. D. Upadhyaya Member Secretary National Conference on Pulses A National Conference on "Pulses : Challenges and opportunities under changing climatic scenario" was inaugurated by Dr. S. Ayyappan, Secretary DARE & DG ICAR on September 29, 2014 at JNKVV, Jabalpur. This three days’ conference was organized jointly by JNKVV, Jabalpur, Indian Society of Pulses Research & Development and IIPR, Kanpur. About 250 delegates from all over the country including scientists from ICARDA, ICRISAT, BARC and NARS participated in the conference. In his inaugural address, Dr. Ayyappan said that extremities of climate is matter of concern to all of us and is threat to food security. There has been considerable breakthrough in pulse production during the last few years which led to 19.27 million tonnes production. He stressed upon the need of increasing pulse production upto 25 million tonnes by the year 2020. He emphasized that IIPR in association with ICRISAT, ICARDA and AICRPs should work together on frontier areas of research. Dr. V.S. Tomar, Vice-Chancellor, JNKVV, Jabalpur assured of his full support and cooperation for strengthening of research and development on pulses. Dr. J.S. Sandhu, Agril. Commissioner, GoI presented the national scenario on pulse production as well as policy and development efforts. Dr. N.P. Singh, Director, IIPR highlighted the research efforts made so far and elaborated upon the new initiatives to increase the pulse production and productivity under changing climate scenario. In different sessions covering eight different themes including global scenario of pulse production, crop adaptation to climate change, innovative techniques towards pulse improvement, resource conservation under adverse environments, disease and pest dynamics in climate change and their management, improving nutritional quality of pulses, mechanization for improving pulse production efficiency and participatory approach for technology development were deliberated. News 2-3 ICAR Foundation Day Celebrated Chickpea Annual Group Meet MULLaRP Group Meet Meeting on Pulses for NEH States Short Course on Biofortification of Food Crops IIPR RS Participated in Krishi Mela New Project Launched Research Highlights 4-9 New Varieties Identified Genomic-SSR (gSSR) in Lathyrus Sp. miRNA Candidate Genes in Lentil DNA Isolation from Soil Fungi Maintenance of Gene Constructs and Cloning Vectors in Microbial Cultures Diversification of CMS Sources and its Utilization in Hybrid Breeding BAP Improves Multiple Shoot Induction in Chickpea Informative and Hyper-Variable SSR Markers in Pigeonpea Mapping for Rust Resistance in Lentil Lentil under Rice Fallow Exploration of Lentil Land Races Enhancing Crop Productivity by Green Manuring Phyllody Disease of Chickpea in Dharwad Screening Chickpea Genotypes against Lesion Nematode Alternaria Leaf Spot and Leaf Webber on Pigeonpea Pulse as Intercrop Improves Soil Health Price Forecast in Lentil Mesorhizobium with ACC Deaminase Bacteria to Enhance Yield iz kS |ks fxdh gLr ka rj.k 10 Personnel 11 Director’s Desk 12
Transcript
CONTENTS
VOLUME 25, No. 3 JULY - SEPTEMBER, 2014
EDITORIAL COMMITTEEDr. N.P. Singh ChairmanDr. P.S. Basu MemberDr. G.P. Dixit MemberDr. Hemant Kumar MemberDr. G.K. Sajayanand MemberMr. D. Upadhyaya Member Secretary
National Conference on Pulses
A National Conference on "Pulses :Challenges and opportunities underchanging cl imatic scenario" wasinaugurated by Dr. S. Ayyappan,Secretary DARE & DGICAR on September 29,2014 at JNKVV, Jabalpur.This three days’ conferencewas organized jointly byJNKVV, Jabalpur, IndianSociety of Pulses Research& Development and IIPR,Kanpur. About 250delegates from all over thecountry including scientistsfrom ICARDA, ICRISAT,BARC and NARSparticipated in theconference. In his inaugural address,Dr. Ayyappan said that extremities ofclimate is matter of concern to all ofus and is threat to food security. Therehas been considerable breakthrough inpulse production during the last fewyears which led to 19.27 million tonnesproduction. He stressed upon the needof increasing pulse production upto 25million tonnes by the year 2020. Heemphasized that IIPR in associationwith ICRISAT, ICARDA and AICRPsshould work together on frontier areasof research.
Dr. V.S. Tomar, Vice-Chancellor,JNKVV, Jabalpur assured of his fullsupport and cooperation forstrengthening of research anddevelopment on pulses. Dr. J.S.
Sandhu, Agril. Commissioner, GoIpresented the national scenario onpulse production as well as policy anddevelopment efforts. Dr. N.P. Singh,
Director, IIPR highlighted the researchefforts made so far and elaborated uponthe new initiatives to increase thepulse production and productivity underchanging climate scenario.
In different sessions coveringeight different themes including globalscenario of pulse production, cropadaptation to cl imate change,innovative techniques towards pulseimprovement, resource conservationunder adverse environments, diseaseand pest dynamics in climate changeand their management, improvingnutri t ional quali ty of pulses,mechanization for improving pulseproduction efficiency and participatoryapproach for technology developmentwere deliberated.
Ne ws 2-3 ICAR Foundation Day Celebrated Chickpea Annual Group Meet MULLaRP Group Meet Meeting on Pulses for NEH States Short Course on Biofortification of Food
Crops IIPR RS Participated in Krishi Mela New Project LaunchedResearch Highlights 4-9 New Varieties Identified Genomic-SSR (gSSR) in Lathyrus Sp. miRNA Candidate Genes in Lentil DNA Isolation from Soil Fungi Maintenance of Gene Constructs and
Cloning Vectors in Microbial Cultures Diversification of CMS Sources and its
Utilization in Hybrid Breeding BAP Improves Multiple Shoot Induction in
Chickpea Informative and Hyper-Variable SSR
Markers in Pigeonpea Mapping for Rust Resistance in Lentil Lentil under Rice Fallow Exploration of Lentil Land Races Enhancing Crop Productivity by Green
Manuring Phyllody Disease of Chickpea in Dharwad Screening Chickpea Genotypes against
Lesion Nematode Alternaria Leaf Spot and Leaf Webber on
Pigeonpea Pulse as Intercrop Improves Soil Health Price Forecast in Lentil Mesorhizobium with ACC Deaminase
MULLaRP crops was held at IIPR,Kanpur on September 15-16, 2014.About 79 delegates from cooperatingcentres, SAUs and state departmentsof agriculture participated in the Meet.While inaugurating the group meet, Dr.B.B. Singh, Assistant Director General(O&P), ICAR urged for re-orienting theresearch programmes with productiontarget of 25 million tons by 2020 anddesired to take innovative programmeson precision agriculture and resourceconservation technologies. Dr. N.P.Singh, Director IIPR highlighted the R& D efforts on pulses in the country.He advocated the need to use off-season nurseries of rabi pulses for
speedy advancement of breedingmaterials. Dr. Sanjeev Gupta, ProjectCoordinator (MULLaRP), presented thesignificant findings of the project andfocused on trait specific breedingmaterial including exotics and wildspecies. He also highlighted theprogress made in identification of post-emergence herbicides and specificrecommendations for rabi pulses. Afterthorough discussion, technicalprogramme was finalized for 2014-15.Two fieldpea varieties were alsoidentified for release in the group meet.
ICAR Foundation Day Celebrated at IIPRThe 86th Foundation Day of ICAR was celebrated at Indian Institute of Pulses
Research, Kanpur on July16, 2014. On this occasion, Dr. Shankar Lal, Ex- Directorof IIPR was the Chief Guest. Dr. Lal expressed his view on different strategies andpolicies developed for research and development to achieve self sufficiency inpulses production as well as nutritional security of nation. Dr. N.P. Singh, Directorhighlighted signif icantachievements andcontributions of ICAR and theInstitute in particular. He alsoinformed that due to concertedresearch efforts, governmentpolicies and innovativeness offarmers, we could increasepulses production more than19 m tons in the country.Farmers-scientists interactionwas also held to sensitize farmers to cope up with drought problem emergedduring current season. Dr. Singh emphasized on cultivation of less water requiringcrops like urdbean, mungbean, pigeonpea and Til in different farming situations.Technological packages including suitable varieties, management practices, pestand diseases management, etc., were advocated by the scientists. More than100 farmers along with scientific, technical, administrative and supportive stafftook part in this important event.
Chickpea Annual Group MeetAnnual Group Meet of AICRP on Chickpea was held on August 30 to
September 1, 2014 at RARI, Durgapura, Jaipur. About 120 delegates fromcooperating centres of SAUs, ICAR institutes and state department of agricultureparticipated in the Meet. The inaugural session was chaired by Dr. Swapan K.Datta, DDG (CS) and Dr. N.S. Rathore, Vice-Chancellor was the Chief Guest ofthe function. Dr. Dattaexpressed satisfaction overpulses production which isnow touching nearly 20 mtons and emphasized onchanging plant types with highbiomass and harvest index formore production. Dr. B.B.Singh, ADG (O&P) felt theneed of varietal replacementfor sustained chickpeaproduction and emphasized upon biofertification, micro-nutrient management andseed technology research.
Dr. N.P. Singh, Director, presented the Project Coordinator’s Report andmentioned that chickpea production has reached to 9.88 million tons this year.He stressed upon the broadening the genetic base through pre-breeding andmultiple crosses, herbicide tolerance and diversification of rice-wheat system.Dr. K.C. Bansal, Director, NBPGR emphasized upon utilization of huge germplasmavailable with NBPGR for improvement of yield. Dr. J.S. Chauhan, ADG (Seeds),ICAR and Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Project Director, DSR, Mau (UP) also participatedin the Group Meet.
Dr. N.P. Singh announced BestCentre Award 2013-14 which wasconferred to PAU, Ludhiana. A book onchickpea “Growth, stability and futureoutlook of chickpea sub-sector in India–A march towards nutritional security”written by Dr. N.P. Singh was releasedon this occasion. Seven farmers werealso felicitated for their significantcontribution in chickpea production.
Pulses Newsletter : July - September, 2014 3
Short Course on Biofortification of Food CropsAn ICAR sponsored Short
Course on biofortification of food cropsfor reducing malnutrition was organisedat IIPR on August 4-13, 2014. In hisinaugural address, Prof. Indranil Manna,Director, IIT Kanpur opined thatbiofortification has true role toplay in alleviating malnutrition. Dr.N.P. Singh, Director, IIPRexpressed his satisfaction overthe fact that the country hasachieved self sufficiency in foodcrops. Dr. Masood Ali, FormerDirector, IIPR reiterated onmicronutrient deficiency as themain cause for hidden hunger andadvocated agronomic interventions forbiofortification of food crops.
Twenty two participants fromdifferent institutes/SAUs of more than
10 states attended this programme.About 16 guest lectures by externalexperts and 26 lectures by in-housefaculty on various themes wereorganised. Prof. Munna Singh, Vice-
Chancellor of CSAUA&T, Kanpur andDr. Narendra Mohan, Director, NationalSugar Institute, Kanpur were thedistinguished guests in the valedictoryfunction. Dr. Ummed Singh, SeniorScientist was the Course Director.
Scientists of IIPR RegionalStation-cum-Off Season Nursery,Dharwad participated in Krishi Mela-2014 organized by UAS, Dharwad onSeptember 27-30, 2014. The Governorof Karnataka, His Excellency ShriVajubhai Rudhabhai Vala and Hon’bleChief Minister of Karnataka ShriSiddaramaiah graced the occasion.About ten lakh farmers participated inthis mega event. Dr. M.S. Venkatesh,Principal Scientist and I/c of IIPR RS-cum-Off Season Nursery and Dr. S.Revanappa Biradar, Scientist (PlantBreeding) participated in this event by
New Project LaunchedA project on “Harnessing modern
communication technologies for sharing ofavailable knowledge resources with pulsegrowing farmers of Uttar Pradesh” waslaunched at IIPR, Kanpur on September22, 2014. The project funded by UPCAR,Lucknow has been sanctioned for 2014-17 with a budget of Rs. 23.91 lakh andIIPR as lead centre. The collaborating partners include ICAR-ZPD, Zone IV andKVKs of Jalaun, Chitrakoot, Kanpur Dehat and Fatehpur. The launch meetingwas held under the chairmanship of Dr. N.P. Singh, Director, IIPR. Dr. Uma Sah,Sr. Scientist (Agril. Extension), IIPR is the Principal Investigator of the project.
Special Meeting onPulses for NEH States
A special meeting on Promotionof Research and Development inPulses for NEH States was held atIIPR, Kanpur on September 17-18,2014. Dr. S.V. Ngachan, Director, ICARResearch Complex for NEH region,Umiam, Barapani was Chief Guest ofthe function. Dr. N.P. Singh, Director,IIPR extended a warm welcome to theparticipants representing all the NEHstates. In his address, Dr. Ngachandesired the need to promote pulses inthe NEH states. He stressed upon theneed to increase the cropping intensityof the region by involving pulses in thesystem. Seeds of already testedvarieties suitable for NEH need to besupplied in larger quantity. In thetechnical session, Joint Directors ofICAR centres of Manipur, Nagaland,Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripuraand Meghalaya; Deputy Director of
Research CAU, Imphal; scientists fromAAU Shillongani and other AICRPcentres in NEH region; representativesfrom State Deptt. of Agriculture ofdifferent NEH states made detailedpresentations indicating the constraintsand need for promotion of pulses in theregion. Dr. N.P. Singh suggested thata panel of 10-12 varieties of all the pulsecrops may be provided to ICAR centresin NEH states and CAU Imphal fororganizing the demonstrations. Later,Dr. K.S. Varaprasad, Director, DOR,Hyderabad and Dr. P.K. Singh, PC(Linseed) also joined the meeting andmade a presentation about thepromotion of oilseed crops in NEHregion. After thorough discussion, theaction plan for the promotion of pulsesand oilseeds in NEH region wasformulated.
displaying information through chartsand seeds of varieties developed byIIPR. Farmers showed keen interest inmungbean variety IPM-02-14 andkabuli chickpea variety Shubhra.
4 Indian Institute of Pulses Research
Research Highlights
New Varieties Identified
Genomic-SSR (gSSR) in Lathyrus Sp.
miRNA CandidateGenes in Lentil
About 7400 mature miRNAsequences were retrieved f rommiRBase and 3260 non-redundantmiRNA sequences were identified andfurther utilized for in-silico prediction ofhomolog miRNA genes from lentil ESTsand singleton sequences. Total 5miRNA candidates were successfullyidentif ied using f irst 1000 non-redundant miRNA sequences. Of the
Secondary structure of predictedprecursor miRNAsGreen colour highlighted region indicates themature miRNAA: osa-miR1438 B: gma-miR167h C: gma-miR482c-5p D: bra-miR5721 E: bra-miR5715.
5 identified homolog miRNA, osa-miR1438 belongs to Oryza sativa andgma-miR167h and gma-miR482c-5pbelong to Glycine max and bra-miR5721 and bra-miR5715 belong toBrassica rapa. The miR167 familyinvolves in Auxin signaling and targetsAuxin Response Factor. The miR482family is a major player in regulatingexpression of dif ferent diseaseresistance genes viz., NBS-LRR motifcontaining genes during pathogeninteraction with plants. osa-miR1438 isexpressed in rice during abioticstresses like drought and salt. Both,bra-miR5721 and bra-miR5715 areexpressed during heat stress inBrassica rapa.
Shanmugavadivel, P. S.1
and Dinesh Kumar V. 2
1IIPR, Kanpur & 2DOR, Hyderabad
CSJK 54 : This large seeded (27.2 g/100 seed) kabuli chickpea varietydeveloped from cross KAK 2 x CSJK 2has been identified for Andhra Pradesh,Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It maturesin 90-95 days with average yield of 1800kg/ha. It is resistant against wilt andmoderately resistant against dry rootrot.
BG 3022 : This extra large (35.7 g/100 seed) chickpea variety developedfrom three way cross (BG 1048 x BG1083) x SBD 377 has been identifiedfor Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana,western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhandand Delhi. It has attractive beigecoloured seed. Its average yield is 1800kg/ha. It is moderately resistant to dryroot rot, Ascochyta blight and stunt.
BDNGK 798 : This large seeded (28.7g/100 seed) kabuli chickpea variety
developed from cross BGD 2048 x ICC118 has been identified for eastern UttarPradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand,Bihar and North East states. It maturesin 130 days with average yield of 1750kg/ha. It is tolerant to Fusarium wilt.
IPFD 11-5: This high yielding dwarffieldpea variety has been identified forcultivation in Madhya Pradesh,Chattisgarh, Gujarat and Bundelkhandregion of U.P. It is resistant to powderymildew and rust. It has shown yieldsuperiority over prevalent checks ofcentral zone.
RFP 2009-1: This fieldpea variety hasbeen identified for rice-fallow areasof Chhattisgarh and Bihar. The specialgenotype with light brown colour and wrinkled seeded type has shownspecific adaptability to rice fallows(rainfed area/utera system).
A study wasconducted to focus ondeveloping genomic SSR(gSSR) markers from thelathyrus nucleotidesequence available at NCBIdatabase. A total of 1500nucleotide sequenceswere retrieved from NCBIdatabase and used forSSR motif prediction. Ofthese sequences, 150SSRs were developed using ‘BatchPrimer3 v1.0’ software and 91 gSSRswere used for PCR amplification andvalidation in different species of lathyrussp. Out of 91 primer pairs, 80%primers have shown amplificationacross the species and 11 markers hadgiven expected band as per theprediction which also showedpolymorphic in experimental sample.
In future, these genomic resources canbe utilized for tagging important gene,defining population structure and QTLsmapping for important agronomic traitsfor genetic improvement of lathyruscrop.
K.R. Soren, Priyanka Gangwar,Ravi Ranjan and S. Datta
PCR profiling of gSSR58 in twelve lathyrus sp.
Pulses Newsletter : July - September, 2014 5
A simple and rapid procedure wasused for efficient isolation of DNA fromsoil, for screening filamentous fungi(Fusarium sp.) using PCR detection.Four soil samples (1-2g) were randomlycollected from wilt sick plot of Fusariumsp. and used for DNA extraction usingCTAB method. The qualityand quantity were estimatedby nano spectrophotometer(Eppendorf) and were alsoconfirmed by restrictiondigestion using Hind III.The purified genomic DNAwas screened by Fusariumspecific (ITS1/ITS2) primerand amplif ied 420 bp inpositive controls and in all fourexperimental samples. Thisconfirms the presence ofgenomic DNA of Fusarium sp. in soilDNA sample. The PCR reaction mixture(20 µl) consisted of 20 ng DNAtemplate, 0.6U Taq DNA polymerase(Bangalore Genei), 2 mM dNTPs and1 µl of each forward and reverse primer.Amplification was performed in thermal
cycler with initial denaturation at 94°Cfor 3 minutes followed by 35 cycles ofdenaturation at 94°C for 1 minute,annealing at 58°C for 1 minute andextension at 72°C for 2 minutes andfinal elongation of 72°C for 10 minutes.PCR amplicons were resolved byelectrophoresis on 1.5% agarose gel
in 1x TAE buffer stained with ethidiumbromide. The protocol is effective, easy,fast and useful to study the soilmicrobial dynamics.
Priyanka Gangwar, Naimuddinand K.R. Soren
DNA Isolation from Soil Fungi
Maintenance of Gene Constructs and CloningVectors in Microbial Cultures
Maintenance of viable microbialculture is the important activity forgenetic engineering and molecularbiology experiments. Thepreservation of microbialcultures e.g., different strainsof E. coli and Agrobacteriumtumefaciens was done inthree different modes (short,medium and long) withsuitable media and antibioticscombinations. Integrity ofrecombinant plasmids was checked byrestriction digestion and PCRamplif ication. For short termpreservation (30 days), fresh bacterialcultures were raised and streaked ontoplates and single isolated colony usedfor all applications. Medium termpreservation (upto 90 days) was done
by stab culture preparation andmaintained at 4°C and long termpreservation (1 year) by preparing 50%
glycerol and bacterial broth (1:1) andstored at -80°C. Using three differentmodes, we are successful inmaintaining cultures harbouringrecombinant vectors and clones.
Alok Shukla, Alok Dasand Subhojit Datta
Diversification of CMSSources and its
Utilization in HybridBreeding Programme
With the objective to transfer themale sterility factors in the geneticbackground of different early maturityvarieties, a new A-line has beenconverted into the background of apopular variety ICPL 88039 (VLA 1).The A2 cytoplasm line (GT 288 A) wasused as cytoplasm donor in thisconversion scheme. After successfulaccomplishment of sevenbackcrosses, complete sterility wasnoticed in the resultant progenies.Furthermore, to assess the extent offertility restoration, this newly convertedA-line was crossed with two restorersviz., 261322 R and 261354 R.Interestingly, both the derived hybridsviz., ICPL 88039 A × 261322 R andICPL 88039 A × 261354 R exhibitedabsolute restoration of fertility. Thehybrids are being evaluated during
Newly developed A-line (ICPL 88038 A)
kharif 2014 to estimate the level ofheterosis. Besides, the hybrids arebeing selfed and crossed to the femaleparent to generate F2 and backcrossmapping populations, respectively toreveal the QTL regions controllingfertility restoration in A2 cytoplasm. Inparallel, an additional A-line is beingconverted into the background ofanother leading early maturing varietyPusa 992.
Abhishek Bohra and I.P. Singh
Different preservation modes of microbial culturesA. Plate streaking, B. Stab culture, C. Glycerol stock.
Restriction result using soil DNA samples of Fusariumsp. (A); ITS primer profile for four soil samples obtainedfrom wilt sick plot of Fusarium sp. (B)
M - DNA Hind III digest(R) - Restricted product
M: 1 Kb puls ladder; P: Positive control(Fungal mycelium DNA); N: Negativecontrol (Healthy plant DNA); S-1 to S-4:PCR product of soil sample DNA
6 Indian Institute of Pulses Research
Effect of BAP in chickpeaA. Multiple shoot induction in presence
of BAP, B. Elongated shoots inpresence of BAP
BAP Improves Multiple Shoot Induction inChickpea
Optimisation of concentration ofBAP is primary requirement forharvesting maximum multiple shootsfrom transformed explants (damagedpremeristematic region). In case ofchickpea, optimized concentration ofBAP (1.0 mg/l) was found to inducemaximum number of shoots per co-cultivating axillary meristem explant(10.4±1.6) by increasing cell division,getting maximum number of shootsper explant by using BAP thetransformation frequency has alsoincreased. It was also observed thatBAP helped in subsequent elongationand proliferation of healthy shoots(average length: 1.23±0.09 cm) inpresence of kanamycin selectionagent. Application of BAP thus
outperforms gibberellic acid (GA3),which is commonly used for shootelongation in plant tissue culture.
Alok Shukla, Mohd. Jamal Ansari,Alok Das and Subhojit Datta
A set of 80 SSR markers wasused to screen the SSR polymorphismbetween two mapping parents Type 7(Fusarium wilt susceptible) and ICP8863 (Fusarium wilt resistant). The setprimarily included CCB, CcM andHASSR series markers. All themarkers successfully generated thescorable amplicons of expected sizes.Concerning polymorphism, five SSR
Informative and Hyper-Variable SSR Markers inPigeonpea
markers viz., HASSR 5, HASSR 18,HASSR 23, HASSR 29 and HASSR45 could prov ide polymorphicfragments. The utility of these SSRmarkers has been successful lydemonstrated earlier in pigeonpea inthe molecular characterization andgenetic purity testing of the CGMS-based hybrid IPH 09-5 and its parentallines.
SSR polymorphism detected between the two mapping Type 7 and ICP 8863
Abhishek Bohra, K.R. Soren,S.K. Chaturvedi and N.P. Singh
Mapping for RustResistance in Lentil
Rust (Uromyces viciae-fabae[Pers.] J. Schröt) is a major diseaseof lentil in high humid and cloudyweather with temperature of 20-22 °Cduring flowering and early poddingstage. Natural incidence of rust wasobserved in lentil fields at IIPR during2013-14. A mapping populationcomprising of 130 recombinant inbredlines (RILs) derived from a cross madebetween PL 02 and Precoz wascharacterized as rust resistance underthis natural incidence of rust in field.Among these RILs, 61 RILs showedresistance reaction, while remaining 69RILs were observed susceptible againstrust. These results showed that majorgene(s) are involved to control rustresistance in lentil and this mappingpopulation is suitable for molecularmapping of rust resistance gene inlentil.
Jitendra Kumar, Rohit Kant andRavi Kant Mishra
Lentil under Rice FallowTo identify suitable lenti l
genotypes that can fit well in rice fallowareas, 25 entries including releasedvarieties and advanced breeding lineswere evaluated. Genotypic variationunder rice fallow in terms of crop
growth, flowering, pod development,seed setting and maturity was distinct.Six entries viz., IPL 330, IPL 331, IPL219, IPL 221, IPL 328 and IPL 325performed better with average yield of22 q/ha.
Narendra Kumar, Jitendra Kumar,S.S. Singh, C.S. Praharaj,S.L. Yadav, Arti Yadav and
Saumya Singh
Pulses Newsletter : July - September, 2014 7
Exploration of Lentil Land Races
landraces also have gene(s) conferringtolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses,these will also be screened against
Land races are important geneticresources for the genetic improvementin any crop. An exploration trip wasundertaken on March 9-10, 2014 forcollecting the land races of lentil fromTal area in Mokama (Bihar). Total 20diverse samples were collected fromdifferent locations. These samples haveshown variability in seeds size (1.59 -3.1 g/100 seeds), seed colour (black,brown and grey with black spots ordots) and plant types (semi-erect tosemi spreading). These samples willbe evaluated for yield and related traitsbesides quali ty parameters. As
major biotic and abiotic stresses fortheir utilization in lentil improvement.
Jitendra Kumar and Narendra Kumar
Enhancing Crop Productivity by Green Manuring
Phyllody Disease of Chickpea in Dharwad
During rabi 2013-14, chickpeaplants were found affected by phyllodydisease at experimental fields of IIPRRegional Station-cum-Off-seasonNursery, Dharwad with diseasesymptoms of abnormal green leaf, palebushy appearance and excessiveproliferation of the branches withsmaller leaflets. Intensity of phyllodydisease was more in kabuli ascompared to desi chickpea. Phyllodysymptoms caused by phytoplasma arefound on different field crops and weed
To maximize the systemproductivity and sustainabilityof maize-chickpea croppingsystem under permanentraised bed of 75 cm widthprepared during kharif season,dhaincha as a green manurecrop was grown with maize infurrows. At 35 DAS, dhainchawas uprooted and placed onraised bed fol lowed byearthing. The results revealed that 3.5-
species which serve as source ofdisease inoculum and the disease wasmainly transmitted from diseased tohealthy plants through insect vectorleaf hopper. Since phytoplasmainfection (phyllody) could lead to partialto complete sterility of the plants,severe loss in yield of crops can beexpected. Therefore, initiation can betaken up to monitor diseaseprogression in chickpea at farmers’fields.
Revanappa, S.B., ShamaraoJahagirdar and Venkatesh, M.S.
Phyllody symptoms of chickpea plant
In-situ green manuring of dhaincha in maize crop
Variability in lentil land races
4.0 t/ha fresh biomass added by
dhaincha contributed about 14-15 kgN, 3-4 kg P and 5-6 kg P/ha. However,30-40 kg N is known to be fixed throughsymbiotic bacteria by dhaincha duringthis period. The productiv ityenhancement was recorded upto 6%in maize and 41% in spinach, grownas intercrop with chickpea in furrows.
Narendra Kumar, S. Paulraj,S.S. Singh, Ummed Singh
thornei is important nematode pestinfesting chickpea. A technique wasdeveloped under pot culture based onthe nematode multiplication index toevaluate the reaction of chickpeagenotypes/accessions against lesionnematode. The genotypes/accessionswere sown in pots along with the mostsusceptible check. One week aftergermination, the plants were inoculatedwith lesion nematodes at the rate of1000 nematodes/plant. The plantswere removed after two and halfmonths. Total multiplication of thenematode by estimating the root andsoil population was calculated. The rootpopulation was estimated by extractingthe nematode from theroots by macerating inmixture and then placedon tissue papersupported on the wiredmesh placed in petriplate filled with water.Af ter 24 hours thenematodes crawl down toplain water and thencounted. Soil populationcan be extracted by Cobb’s modifieddecanting and sieving technique. Thenematode multiplication index (NMI) foreach genotypes was calculated usingformula: NMI = Total nematodepopulation multiplied on test accessionx100/ Total nematode populationmultiplied on susceptible check. Basedon the NMI, the genotypes can bedesignated as susceptible or resistantas per the scale e.g., highly resistant(1-10%), resistant (11-30%), moderatelyresistant (31-60%), susceptible (61-90%) and highly susceptible (91-100%).
Bansa Singhand R. Jagadeeswaran
Alternaria Leaf Spot and Leaf Webber onPigeonpea
During a survey conducted in thesecond fortnight of August, 2014 inthree v il lages viz., Balehramau,Angadpur and Kandi of Malasa blockin Kanpur Dehat district of UP,Alternaria leaf spot of pigeonpeaappeared to be most prevalent in allthe villages and thedisease incidencewas upto 100% andthe severity variedfrom 10-15%. Underfavourable conditionsthese spots coalesceand cause rapidwithering of individualleaflets. The fungusproduced abundant,branched, brownishmycelia hav ingseptate conidia andthe organism was identif ied asAlternaria alternata. This year diseaseappearance was relatively more severedue to less rainfall and the otherenvironmental factors may be favourablefor A. alternata.
Among the insects, leaf webber
(Grapholita critica Meyr) incidence wasobserved in entire fields and the percentplant infestation varied from 10 to 12%.
Spray of Dithane M-45(Mancozeb) @ 2.5 gm/l i tre orChlrothalonil (Kavach) @ 2.0 gm/litre
for management of leaf spot and sprayof Dichlrovos 76EC @ 1.0ml/litre ofwater at fortnightly intervals for leafwebber management is recommended.
A study was conducted oncowpea/mungbean as pulse intercropin bajra for studying specific soil healthattributes like soil microbial biomasscarbon (SMBC) and dehydrogenaseactivity (DHA) during kharif season.When dense canopy of cowpea wasintercropped with bajra, higher SMBCof 427.4 µg/g soil and DHA of 67.4 µgTPF/g soil/24 hr were observed, ascompared to bajra sole (364.3 µg/g soiland 46.7 µg TPF/g soil/24 hr). HigherSMBC values were attributed to higherlevels of C substrates available formicrobial growth, better soil physicalconditions and higher water retention
under pulse intercrop compared to thatunder sole crop. Similarly, higher DHAin soil under intercrop was related toretention of soil moisture and highernodulation activity. As a consequenceof the addition of biomass carbonthrough pulse intercropping, theresultant increase in DHA throughhigher microbiological activity causedelevated release of nutrients formicrobial and plant growth. The studysuggested the potential role of pulsesas an intercrop for improved soil health.
Ummed Singh, C.S. Praharajand S.S. Singh
Pulse as Intercrop Improves Soil Health
Symptoms of leafwebber
Alternaria leaf spot symptomson leaves
Lesions onthe root
Pulses Newsletter : July - September, 2014 9
Pulses constitute an importantcomponent in Indian diet but the riskand uncertainty in its yield, high pricevolatility and low price elasticity ofdemand leads to insecurity amongpulse growers. An attempt was madeto forecast price of lentil usingstatistical tools on wholesale monthlyprice data of past nine years, opinionsurvey among farmers, traders andmarket officials. The data was collectedfrom five mandis of Uttar Pradesh viz.,Lucknow, Kanpur, Aligarh, Lalitpur andAllahabad. The advisory forecastedprice of lentil in expected range betweenRs. 3900 and Rs. 4400 per quintal in
Mesorhizobium with ACC DeaminaseBacteria to Enhance Yield
New Projects Sanctioned
Price Forecast in Lentil and its ValidationApril and Rs. 4100 to Rs. 4600 duringMay, 2014. The farmers were advisedto hold their produce and sell it duringthe month of May, since the averageprices remain high during this month.The actual average price of five mandiscame out to be Rs. 3980 and Rs. 4100which was within the forecasted intervalfor both of the months, respectively.Also the price was higher during themonth of May as compared to April.
Deepak Singh, S.K. Singh,Sripad Bhat, Riyajuddin
and Avanish Katiyar
Raising aRemunerative Summer
Mungbean withMicro-irrigation
An experiment conducted at IIPRrevealed higher productiv ity andresource use efficiency with sprinkler(micro-irrigation) system in summermungbean. Irrigation schedule after thefirst post sowing irrigation (normalirrigation) by overhead microsprinklerbenefited mungbean the most due toconsistent supply of water maintainingplant water balance and rhizosperic soilmoisture content. The effect was morepertinent when combined with precisiontillage involving a laser leveller.However, the positive effect due toblanket flood irrigation was not pertinentunder field condition in terms of plantstand, biomass and yield. It was alsoobserved that mungbean variety Samratsuffers in hot summer months even afterblanket irrigation owing to regular insitu depressions/ponding zonesespecial ly when it was notaccompanied by a laser leveller.
C.S. Praharaj, Ummed Singhand S.S. Singh
ACC deaminase producingbacteria are known to reduce theethylene stress in the rhizosphere andimprove plant growth under stressenvironment. Five ACC deaminaseproducing bacterial isolates with morethan 20% yield enhancement overuninoculated control during twoconsecutive years were selected. Co-inoculation of ACC deaminaseproducing bacteria with Mesorhizobium
ciceri CR-13 enhanced growth, noduledry weight and yield of chickpea underrainfed condition. Based on thepotential to confer stress tolerance,compatibility with Mesorhizobium ciceriand enhance chickpea grain yield, threeisolates viz., ACC-10, ACC-16 andACC-68 were selected for developingcommercial bioinoculants.
Senthilkumar M. and Mohan Singh
Project title Principal Investigator
Total Outlay (Rs. in Lakh)
To be implemented by
Funding agency
Utilizing chickpea genome sequence for crop improvement
Dr. N.P. Singh (Co-Project Coordinator) Dr. K.R. Soren (PI)
78.84 IIPR, Kanpur DAC with collaboration with ICRISAT, Hyderabad
Studies on climate volatility and its impact on pests of pulses at micro-level in varied agro-ecosystem of Uttar Pradesh
Dr. Shiva Kant Singh
24.1788 IIPR, Kanpur
Development of thermo insensitive and high yielding cultivars in green gram {Vigna radiata (L) Wilczek} through AB-QTL approach
Dr. Aditya Pratap
38.3640 IIPR, Kanpur and SVPUAT, Meerut
Harnessing modern communication technologies for sharing of available knowledge resources with pulse growing farmers of Uttar Pradesh
Dr. Uma Sah
23.9104 IIPR, Kanpur and ZPD, Kanpur
Characterization and development of bio-pesticide from native microbes for the management of Bihar hairy caterpillar in pulse crop
Dr. Sujayanand G.K. 24.9550 IIPR, Kanpur
U.P. Council of Agricultural Research, Lucknow
10 Indian Institute of Pulses Research
i zkS| ksfxdh gLrkarj .k
d"̀kd i zf' k{k.k vk; ksft r
l aLFkku esa 20&24 fl rEcj ] 2014 dks^̂nyguh Ql yksa dh mRi knu i zkS| ksfxdh**fo"k; i j ,d i zf' k{k.k dk vk; kst u fd; kx; kA ;g i zf' k{k.k dk;ZØe] >kj [k.M dsykrsgj ft ys ds df̀"k i zkS| ksfxdh i zcU/kuvfHkdj .k ¼vkRek½ }kjk i zk;ksft r FkkA dk;ZØedk mn~?kkVu dj rs gq, l aLFkku ds funs' kdMk- ,u-i h- fl ag us bl ckr i j cy fn; kfd fofHkUu i zpfyr Ql y i ) fr; ksa esa nygudks Hkh t ksM+k t k,A mUgksaus fdl kuksa dksnyguh Ql yksa dh mRi kndrk c<+kus ds fy,xq.koÙkk;qDr cht ds egRo dh t kudkjhnhA i zf' k{k.k ds nkSjku oSKkfudksa }kjk fofHkUufo"k; ksa t Sl s Ql y l q/kkj ] i zcU/ku] j ksx ,oadhV i zca/ku] dVkbZ mi jkUr i zkS| ksfxdh i jpkSchl O; k[ ; ku fn; sA ew¡x] mnZ] vjgjmRi knu i zkS| ksfxdh dh dk;Zdq' kyrk i znf' kZrdjus ds mís' ; l s fdl kuksa dks [ksrksa dkHkze.k Hkh djk; k x; kA fdl kuksa us puk ,oaeVj ds cht Hkh [kjhnsA i zf' k{k.k esa dqy 26fdl kuksa us Hkkx fy; kA i zfrHkkfx; ksa dks l aLFkku}kjk fodfl r l kfgR; Hkh mi yC/k djk; kx; kA fdl kuksa dh l eL; k,a l quh xbZa vkSjmuds i z' uksa ds t okc Hkh fn, x,A bli zf' k{k.k dk;ZØe dk l eUo;u Mk- , l -ds-fl ag] i z/kku oSKkfud ¼df̀"k i zl kj½ }kjkfd; k x; kA
25-27 fl rEcj ] 2014 dks Hkksi ky esa]l krosa cht dkaxzsl dk vk; kst u l a;qDr : il s j k"Vªh; cht ' kks/k ,oa i zf' k{k.k dsUnz]okjk.kl h] Hkkj r l j dkj ,oa e-i z- j kT;cht ,oa i z{ks= fodkl fuxe] e/; i zns' kl jdkj }kjk fd; k x; kA bl dk;ZØe dkmn~?kkVu ekuuh; eq[ ; ea=h Jh f' kojktfl ag pkSgku }kjk fd; k x; kA bl vol ji j yxkbZ xbZ i zn'kZuh esa l aLFkku dh mi yfCèk;ksa;Fkk i zt kfr fodkl ] Ql y mRi knu] Ql yl qj {kk ,oa dVkbZ mi jkUr i zkS| ksfxdh vkfndks i ksLVj ] pkVZ] fp=ksa vkfn ds ek/; e l s
orZeku ekSl e esa l w[ks dhl eL; k l s fui Vus ds fy, i zkl afxd; kst uk rS; kj djus ds fy, Qrsgi qjds ekSgj xk¡o esa fnukad 14-7-2014 dks d"̀kdksa ,oa oSKkfud dh,d cSBd vk; ksft r dh xbZAfuns' kd Mk- ,u-i h- fl ag us det y ekax okyh Ql yksa ;Fkk mnZ]ew¡x ,oa vjgj dh [ksrh djus dkvkokgu fd; kA mUgksaus d"̀kdksa dksl q>ko fn; k fd os vi us df̀"k dk;Z esa deykxr okyh i zkS| ksfxdh t Sl s j kbt ksfc; e]QkLQsV ?kqyu' khy cSDVhfj ; k] VªkbdksMekZ dksvi ukdj nyguh Ql yksa dh mRi kndrk dksc<+k,aA mUgksaus crk; k fd oSKkfudksa ds l ?kui z; kl ksa] l j dkj dh l Qy uhfr; ksa ,oa d"̀kdksadh t kx: drk ds QyLo: i gh nygu dk
d"̀kdksa dk i zn' kZu Hkze.k vk; ksft r
d"̀kd&oSKkfud cSBd vk; ksft r
mRi knu 20 fefy;u Vu l s vf/kd i gq¡pkgSA l aLFkku ds oSKkfudksa us mi ;qDr i zt kfr]mi ; qDr Ql y mRi knu i zkS| ksfxdh i Sdst ]dhV ,oa j ksx i zcU/ku vkfn i j egRoi w.kZt kudkjh i zLrqr dhA mDr dk;ZØe esa 100l s vf/kd d"̀kdksa us Hkkx fy; kA
l krosa j k"Vªh; cht dkaxzsl esa l aLFkku dh l gHkkfxrk
i znf' kZr fd; k x; kA vkbZ vkbZ i h vkj LVkWyi j n' kkZ, xbZ ew¡x] mnZ] vj gj ] puk]el wj ] eVj ,oa j kt ek vkfn dh i zt kfr; ksa esayksxksa us fo' ks"k #fp fn[kk;hA i fj "kn ,oadf̀"k , oa l gdkfj rk foHkkx] fut h , oal koZt fud {ks= dh dEi fu;ksa ds mPpkfèkdkfj ;ksaus LVkWy dk Hkze.k fd; kA l aLFkku ds funs' kdMk- , u-i h- fl ag us bl vol j i j^̂VsDuksykWft dy bUVjosU' ku QkWj l LVuscyl sYQ fj yk;al vkWu DokfyVh l hM~l vkQi Yl sl ** fo"k; i j O; k[ ; ku fn; kA
l aLFkku }kjk ^̂ns[ksa vkSj fo' okl djsa**fl ) kar i j vk/kkfj r nygu mRi knu dhuwru i zkS| ksfxfd;ksa dh dq'kyrk vkSj dk;Z{kerkdks i znf' kZr djus ds mís' ; l s fdl kuksa dki zn' kZu Hkze.k vk; ksft r fd; k t krk gSA eè;i zns' k ds i kyh] fHk.M] dVuh] f' k; ksi qj vkSj
Hkksi ky ft ys ds dqy 166 d"̀kdksa us l aLFkkuds eq[ ; i z{ks= dk Hkze.k fd; kA fdl kuksa usl aLFkku ds oSKkfudksa l s {ks= fo' ks"k ds fy,mi ; qDr i zt kfr; ksa ds fo"k; esa t kudkjh i zkIrdhA fdl kuksa dks l aLFkku }kjk fodfl r^̂feuh nky fey** pykdj fn[kkbZ xbZ vkSj
ml dh {kerk dk i zn' kZu fd; k x; kA d"̀kdksads i zR;sd l ewg us VsDukykWt h i kdZ ns[kk]l kFk gh mUgksaus mnZ] ew¡x vkSj nh?kZdkfydvjgj dh i zt kfr; ksa dh dk;Z dq' kyrk dkscM+h #fp l s ns[kkA fdl kuksa dks l aLFkku }kjkfodfl r l kfgR; Hkh mi yC/k djk; k x; kA
Pulses Newsletter : July - September, 2014 11
fgUnh fnol dk vk; kst u
Hkkj rh; nygu vuql a/kku l aLFkku esafnuk¡d 25 fl rEcj ] 2014 dks fgUnh fnoll ekjksg i woZd euk; k x; kA Jh j k?kosUnzf=i kBh] i woZ {ks=h; j kt Hkk"kk vf/kdkjh]¼m-i z- ,oa mRrjk[k.M½] Hkkj rh; t houchek fuxe bl l ekjksg ds eq[ ; vfrfFkFksA l ekjksg dh v/; {krk l aLFkku dsfuns’kd Mk- ujsUnz i zrki fl ag us dhAl ekjksg esa l aLFkku ds l Hkh oSKkfud]rduhdh] i z’kkl fud ,oa l gk;d oxZ dsdeZpkfj ; ksa us Hkkx fy; kA vfrfFk; ksa dkLokxr Mk- l q' khy dqekj prqosZnh]foHkkxk/; {k] Ql y l q/kkj us fd; kA vi usmn~cks/ku eas Mk- f=i kBh us dgk fd i zfrHkkvksads eq[kj gksus esa Hkk"kk dk i zcy ; ksxnkugksrk gSA ge vi uh Hkk"kk esa vf/kd Li "V,oa i zHkkoh <ax l s vi us fopkj ,oa fo"k; dksi zdV dj l drs gSaA ;gh gekjh mUufr dkl aokgd gksrk gSA vr% gesa vi uh j kt Hkk"kkfgUnh dk vf/kd l s vf/kd i z; ksx djukgksxk fut h dk; ksZa esa vkSj l j dkjh dkedktesa HkhA bl vol j i j Mk- f=i kBh usLoj fpr dfork i kB Hkh fd; kA
v/; {kh; mn~cks/ku esa funs’kd Mk-fl ag us dgk fd fgUnh vi uh l j yrk vkSj
l gt cks/kxE; rk ds dkj .k i wjs ns’k esal e>h vkSj cksyh t krh gS vkSj j k"Vªh;l Ei dZ l w= dh egrh Hkwfedk fuHkk jgh gSA
vfrfFk us l aLFkku dh j kt Hkk"kk i f=dk nyguvkyksd 2014 rFkk fgUnh ds vU; u; si zdk’kuksa ;Fkk l aLFkku dk okf"kZd i zfrosnudk foekspu fd; kA
fgUnh i [kokM+s esa vk; ksft r fofHkUUki zfr; ksfxrkvksa ds fot ; h i zfrHkkfx; ksa dq-dhfrZ f=i kBh] Mk- j kt dqekj feJk] Jherhj f’e ; kno] Mk- i wf.kZek ds- ,u-] Mk-ubZemn~nhu] Mk- xksfoUn dkUr JhokLro]l oZJh vt hr i zrki fl ag] vkyksd dqekjl Dl suk] xqykc pUnz ' kekZ] j kt sUnz dqekj ]ân; ukjk; .k ekS;kZ] nsoh i zl kn] vf[kydqekj xaxy] Jherh ehuk{kh ok".ksZ; ] Mk-
l qHkksft r nRrk] Mk- t h-ds- l qt ; kuUn ,oaMk- vkj - t xnh' oj u rFkk dk; kZy; hudkedkt esa fgUnh dk mRd"̀V i z; ksx djusds fy, dq- dhfrZ f=i kBh] Jherh jhrkfeJk] l oZJh vkyksd dqekj l Dl suk] j kt sUnzfuxe] l rh' k pUnzk] j kt sUnz dqekj ] xqykcpUnz ' kekZ] eks- ' kCchj ,oa Jh l arks"k dqekjdks eq[ ; vfrfFk us i qjLdkj vkSj i zek.k i =i znku fd,A dk;ZØe ds vUr esa Mk- t xnh' kfl ag] foHkkxk/; {k] ekSfyd foKku us /kU;oknKkfi r fd; kA dk; ZØe dk l apkyu Mk-¼Jherh½ mek l kg us fd; kA
mUgksaus dgk fd fgUnh t hou ds gj {ks= esaO;ki d Lrj i j mi ; ksx dh t k jgh gSAl jdkjh dkedkt esa Hkh fgUnh dk i z; ksxfujarj c<+ jgk gSA l Hkh {ks=ksa esa fgUnh dhl Qyrk dk i jpe ygjk jgk gSA mUgksausoSKkfudksa dk vkokgu fd; k fd ubZ rduhdht kudkjh fdl kuksa rd mUgh dh Hkk"kk esai gq¡pkus ds fy, l rr i z; kl djsa vkSj fgUnhds u; s i zdk’kuksa i j cy fn; kA l aLFkku dhj kt Hkk"kk l fefr ds l fpo Jh fnokdjmi kè; k; us l aLFkku esa j kt Hkk"kk dh i zxfrvk[ ; k i zLrqr dhA bl vol j i j eq[ ;
ICAR National FellowAward 2014
To promoteexcellence at nationallevel in research andeducation in agril.biotechnology, Dr.Subhojit Datta, Senior
Scientist at IIPR, Kanpur has beenoffered a position of National Fellowby Indian Council of AgriculturalResearch. Pulses researchcommunity congratulates Dr. Dattaand conveys best wishes to him.
PersonnelPromotionsName Promoted to w.e.f. Dr. S. Paulraj Scientist (Senior Scale) 08.01.2012 Dr. Alok Das Scientist (Senior Scale) 10.02.2013 Dr. K.R. Soren Scientist (Senior Scale) 26.06.2012 Mr. G.S. Pandey Sr. Technical Officer 12.11.2013 Dr. R.K. Srivastava Technical Officer 29.06.2010 Mr. Kamlesh Chandra Sr. Technical Assistant 21.10.2013 Mr. Dinesh Chandra Technical Assistant 29.04.2014
RetirementDr. Shiv Kumar, Principal Scientist (Plant Breeding) went on voluntary
retirement on 23.09.2014.
12 Indian Institute of Pulses Research
Published by Dr. N.P. Singh, Director, Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur-208 024Tel. : 0512-2570264; EPBAX Lines : 0512- 2572464, 2572465; Fax : 0512-2572582
Printed at Army Printing Press, 33, Nehru Road, Sadar Cantt. Lucknow-226 002. Tel. : 0522-2481164, 6565333
Director’s Desk
(N. P. Singh)
Dear Readers,Symbolizing the green colour of
our National Flag with Green Revolutionwhich brought our nation self sufficientin food grains particularly cereals, theHon’ble Prime Minister Shri NarendraModi in his address to agriculturalscientists on the 86th Foundation Dayof the ICAR on July 29, 2014 urged forenhancing productivity of pulses alongwith increase in its protein content, asthese form the staple food of most ofIndians. Transforming India fromgreen to protein revolution beginswith the eradication of hunger toeradication of malnutrition. Thecountry is gradually marchingtowards achieving the target ofproducing 25 million tonnes ofpulses keeping in view the projecteddemand by 2020 in spite of severalconstraints. However, mere jump tothe tune of 10 to 20 g from presentlevel of 37 g per capita availabilitywould be remarkable achievement aspulses have to go with many otheralternative sources of proteins.
Whether our country can benutritionally secured in a similar wayas we are now secured in food grainproduction, and if yes, how to go aheadwith the challenge? Though it appearsto be daunting task, the mostimmediate likely solution is increasein the protein content by modifying thegenetic constituent of pulses. In thisventure of improving quantity andquality, we need to be careful inselecting high protein lines with no yieldpenalty, as high yield has negativecorrelation with high protein in seeds.To develop protein-enriched pulsevarieties without compromising grainyield is perhaps most challenging taskparticularly more difficult when there ishigh genotype x environmentinteraction in protein content in seeds.Protein content in cereals rangesbetween 4 to 20%, whereas in pulsesit ranges between 18 to 33% withexception of soybean having proteinsabout 48%. However, soybean is beingcommercially exploited as oil-rich cropand less consumed as protein source.
Mungbean has easily digestible
proteins and often medically advisedas protein supplement for the patients.Other pulses such as fieldpea, lathyrusand cowpea except some anti-nutritional factors have tremendouspotential to meet future challenges ofprotein demand. One can eat lentil andother beans instead of meat to helpone’s daily protein requirement. Lentilis more nutrient-dense than animalproteins, providing vitamins, minerals,protein and fibre while containing lessfat and calories. Lentil also offers
bioavailability of iron and zinc. Theresearch efforts are being made todevelop biofortified lentils with more zincand iron.
There are wide variations in proteincontent in chickpea and pigeonpeagermplasm including wild relatives.These germplasm need to bephenotyped for high protein linesthrough Near infra red (NIR) method,latest raid non-destructive technologyavailable validated with Kjeldahl’sbased N-estimation and Lowrytechniques. Research should focus onstudies on biosynthesis of storageproteins and amino acid prof ile,collection and screening of recent andwild cultivars for variability in proteinproperties, genetic analysis ofinheritance of protein character andstudy of correlation between proteincontent and grain yield, mutagen-induced variability in proteincharacteristics. Pigeonpea andchickpea, where draft genomesequence is known will be taken forenriching protein content through
Breeding programme is urgentlyrequired for improving protein in pulses.One of the breeding strategies is toreduce anti-nutritional factors such asODAP a neurotoxic compound inlathyrus and oligosaccharides such asraff inose, arabinose etc., to make
these crops palatable and cheapsource of proteins. Most of proteinquantity characters show non-additive gene action therefore,conventional breeding methods areimportant for improvement of proteinquantity and other quality traits.
Biotechnological interventionscan play significant role for pulsesenrichment via expression ofrecombinant storage and syntheticproteins by manipulating biosyntheticpathway. A key area for improvementis enhancing sulphur-containingamino acids. Metabolic engineering
of two key enzymes aspartate kinase(AK) and dihydro-dipicolinate-synthase(DHPS) has been reported to increaseamino acids in crops. Thus,combination of heterologous proteinand amino acid pool approaches maybe pivotal to boost the levels of essentialamino acids. QTLs controlling seedprotein have been identified and beingused in marker assisted selection.Modern molecular approaches like RIL,MABC, Association mapping and NAMpopulation can be employed fortagging Meta-QTLs tightly associatedwith the traits. Apart from molecularbreeding, transcriptomics andproteomics approaches offer potentialtools in understanding seed sink-source relationship at plant metabolismlevel. We hope that our concertedefforts towards increasing proteincontent will lead to more availability ofpulses with higher quantity and qualityof protein in future.
