Global & National Significance

• Origin: Africa
• India’s Contribution: India is the largest producer of pigeon pea, accounting for approximately 77.6% of global production as of 2020.

Area, Production & Productivity in India (2022)

• Average Productivity: 859 kg/ha
• Top Producing States:
  • Uttar Pradesh: 0.47 million tonnes from 0.49 million ha (Productivity: 944 kg/ha)
  • Madhya Pradesh: 0.44 million tonnes
  • West Bengal: 10.53% of national production
  • Bihar: 8.84% of national production

Botanical & Agronomic Features

• Botanical Name: Cajanus cajan
• Family: Leguminosae (Fabaceae)
• Root System: Deep-rooted tap system
• Pollination: Often cross-pollinated (~20%), primarily by bees like Megachile lanata and Apis florea
• Photosynthesis: C3 pathway; short-day plant
• Germination: Hypogeal
• Soil Preference: Grows well in soils with pH 5–8; sensitive to salinity and aluminum toxicity in acidic soils
• Sowing Time: Mid-June (Kharif season)
• Seed Rate: 12–15 kg/ha
• Spacing: 60 cm × 15 cm
• Plant Population:
  • Kharif Crop: ~55,000 plants/ha
  • Winter Crop: ~333,000 plants/ha
• Harvest Index: Approximately 19%, the lowest among pulses
• Protein Content: ~25%​

Varietal Classification

1. Short Duration (110–125 days)

• Prabhat: Extra-early variety (110–120 days)
• UPAS-120: Drought-tolerant, matures in 120–125 days
• IPAE 15-6: Matures in 129–149 days; tolerant to sterility mosaic and Phytophthora blight; moderately resistant to wilt ​

2. Medium Duration (150–180 days)

• BDN-1 & BDN-2: Popular in central India
• C-11: Widely cultivated variety
• Mulcta: Wilt-resistant
• Bheema (GRG-152): Matures in 165 days; high resistance to Fusarium wilt and sterility mosaic virus ​

3. Long Duration (180–300 days)

• PUSA-9: Suited for regions requiring extended growth periods
• IPA 203 (Prakash): Matures in 249–255 days; resistant to Fusarium wilt .

Hybrid Varieties

• ICPH-8: First hybrid pigeon pea variety developed by ICRISAT in 1991; matures in 130–132 days with a yield potential of 20 q/ha
• PPH-4: Developed in Punjab
• CoH-1: Released in Tamil Nadu
• AKPH 4101 & AKPH 2022: Recent hybrids with improved traits
• IPH 15-03 & IPH 9-05: Hybrids released in 2020 and 2021 respectively; resistant to wilt and other diseases ​

Recent Developments

• TDRG 59 (ICPL 99050): High-yielding variety resistant to Fusarium wilt and sterility mosaic; identified for cultivation in India’s south zone; matures in 170 days with an average yield of 1719 kg/ha
• Bheema (GRG-152): Released for central India; matures in 165 days with high resistance to major diseases
• NAM Lines (NAM88, NAM92, NAM151): Developed using Nested Association Mapping; exhibit high yield potential and good adaptation ​

Geographical Indication (GI) Tagged Varieties

• Gulbarga Tur Dal: Cultivated in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district; GI tag awarded in 2019
• Borsuri Tur Dal: From Maharashtra’s Latur district; GI tag awarded in 2024
• Uttarakhand Pahari Toor Dal: Grown across Uttarakhand; GI tag awarded in 2023
• Attappady Thuvara: Cultivated in Kerala’s Attappady region; GI tag awarded in 2022
• Tandur Redgram: From Telangana’s Vikarabad district; GI tag awarded in 2022.