Pigeon Peas

AGM103-BC4
By Group 3
Table of contents

01 Introduction
05 Varieties and Cultivars

02 Economic yield and

National and Global 06 Pest and Diseases
Management
Data on production

03 Economic Importance
and Benefits for humans
and livestock
07 Harvesting and Post
Harvesting

04 Production Practices 08 Common Problems in

Pigeon Peas
Economic yield and
National and Global Data
on production
 Introduction
Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) locally known as “Kadios”/”Kadyos” is a perennial member of the family
Fabaceae . is an important food legume of the semi-arid tropics of Asia, Africa and Americas. It
originated in eastern part of peninsular India . Pigeon peas are both a food crop (dried peas, flour, or
green vegetable peas) and a forage/cover crop. The flavor of pigeon peas is often described as nutty,
like a rich grain.

Pigeon pea is a hardy woody shrub with a wide variety of soil

types, temperature, and rainfall tolerance. It has a two-meter-long
taproot system and can reach a maximum height of four meters.
The stems are woody at the base, angular and branching. Form a
symbiotic relationship with pigeon pea roots, which perform
biological nitrogen fixation. It is a photoperiod sensitive plant
with a typical short-day requirement for induction of flowering
 Introduction
The leaflets are oblong and lanceolate, 5-10 cm long x 2-4 cm wide. Leaves and stems
are pubescent.

The flowers (5 to 10) are grouped in racemes at the apices or axils of the branches.

The flowers are papilionaceous and generally yellow in color. They can also be striated
with purple streaks.

The corolla is about 2-2.5 cm.

The fruit is a flat, straight and pubescent pod, 5-9 cm long x 12-13 mm wide.

It contains 2-9 seeds that are brown, red or black in color, small and sometimes hard-
coated
Economic yield and Global Data on
production
The majority of the world’s pigeon pea is grown in India’s main area, which lies between 14° and 18° N
latitude here the majority of the world’s pigeon pea is produced.

Pigeon pea was planted on around 4.23 million hectares worldwide, with production and productivity of 4.68
million tons and 751 kg/ha, respectively, according to FAO statistics.

Pigeon pea is the second most popular pulse in the country, behind chickpea, and is
typically grown during the kharif season.

It covers 3.81 million hectares in India, with production and productivity of 3.07 million
tons and 806 kg per hectare, respectively.

Pigeon pea is a major crop in India’s Karnataka state, accounting for roughly 18 percent
of total acreage and 12 percent of total production.
Top 10 producing countries of Pigeon peas
  Average Area Percent share Cumul. Average Average Yield
COUNTRIES harvested in area Percent share Production August 2006
August 2006 harvested August 2006 August 2006 (tons/ha)
(million ha) August 2006 (million tons)
1. India 3.62 76.57 76.57 2.71 0.75
2. Myanmar 0.54 11.37 87.94 0.60 1.12
3. Kenya 0.18 3.85 91.79 0.10 0.53
4. Malawi 0.16 3.38 95.17 0.15 0.92
5. Uganda 0.09 1.84 97.01 0.09 1.02
   Average Area Percent share Cumul. Average Average Yield
COUNTRIES harvested in area Percent share Production August 2006
August 2006 harvested August 2006 August 2006 (tons/ha)
(million ha) August 2006 (million tons)

6. United Rep. 0.07 1.43 98.44 0.05 0.72

of Tanzania

7. Dominican 0.02 0.48 98.92 0.02 0.89

Republic

8. Nepal 0.02 0.44 99.37 0.02 0.91

9. Dem Rep. of 0.01 0.21 99.58 0.01 0.72

Congo

10. Haiti 0.01 0.13 99.90 0.00 0.40

Economic yield and Global Data on
production
Pigeonpea is consumed in a wide variety of ways. In the Indian sub-continent, its dry dehulled split peas are
cooked as a thick soup (dal) and eaten with roti (unleavened bread) or rice. In Africa and Central America,
whole dry and immature seeds are cooked as vegetable. Its seed husk and pod wall are fed to domestic
animals, while dry stems are used as fuel wood. In China, pigeonpea is grown in the hilly tracts for soil
conservation because of its deep tap root system and canopy development.
Pigeon pea production in Philippines
Pigeonpea is grown primarily as fresh vegetable by small farm holders in the Philippines for home
consumption. Pigeon pea landraces, mainly vegetable type (locally known as kadios, kadyos, kardis or kidis)
are grown on a limited scale in the Ilocos Region; Cagayan Valley Region; Batangas; Cordillera
Administrative Region; Bicol Region; and Visayas Region. The crop is also planted as live fences, on rice
bunds in low-lying areas, on roadsides, rainfed uplands after rice, and in the highlands where farmers practice
the slash and burn system of farming. Because of the crop’s perennial growth habit, small farm holders feed
its fresh fodder to livestock.
Economic
Importance
and Benefits
for humans
and livestock
Benefits for humans and livestock

Pigeon peas are in some areas an important crop for green manure and the woody stems of peas can
also be used as firewood, fencing and thatch. it is importance for food security in areas where
rainfall is not reliable and droughts are likely to occur.

● The whole dry seed of pigeon pea may be cooked alone or together with meat. The immature
seed of pigeon pea can be used as a vegetable, which is more nutritious than the dry seeds.
● The green vegetable pigeon pea has a good market in Europe and North America and frozen and
canned peas could be exported.
● The other food items that can be prepared from dry pigeon pea seeds are fresh sprouts, Tempe,
ketchup, noodles, snacks, roasted pigeon pea seeds and various extruded food products. Pigeon
pea flour is an excellent component in the snack industry and has been recommended as an
ingredient to increase the nutritional value of pasta without affecting its sensory properties
Benefits for humans and livestock

● Pigeon pea is highly folate deficient, which is a factor linked to anemia,

major birth defects, and higher incidents of heart disease and stroke.

● Constitute a well balanced human diet that lead to low in saturated fat,
cholesterol, and sodium.

● Mature raw pigeon peas also provide (76% for pregnant women) of the daily
requirement of folate.

● Pigeon pea is a good source of protein, dietary fiber, and various vitamins.
Benefits for humans and livestock

● Other countries use Pigeon pea stems as thatch to enclose livestock pens and to build houses.
● Other uses are the production of lac (Kerria lacca Kerr, as substrate for mushroom production. Perennial
pigeon pea is also used for soil conservation as an erosion control mechanism.
Benefits for humans and livestock
Benefits for humans and livestock
Benefits for humans and livestock
Benefits for humans and livestock

● Pigeon pea produces forage quickly and can be used as a short-lived perennial forage crop. The leaf and
young pods can be harvested and conserved, or fed fresh.
● Pigeon pea has a high feeding value for beef and dairy cattle, swine, sheep and goats. The healthy leaves
and podded branches, cut at 0.8 meters, have 40 to 50% dry matter, and protein up to 16% of the dry
matter.
● In China, fresh and dry pigeon pea leaves are valued as fodder and the chaff from threshing the crop is
used as feed for milk livestock.
● The by-products such as seed coats, broken bits and powder from the dal mill makes valuable feed for
pigs, poultry, and cows.
● In Philippines, pigeon pea is found to be a cheap source of poultry feed. Poultry birds fed with 15% pigeon
pea seeds and 85% broiler mass produced heavier and higher daily gain in weight, better efficiency in feed
conversion, and good quality carcasses.
Benefits for humans and livestock

● Pigeon pea's dry stems make important household fuel wood in many poor and developing countries
(Figure 36). Pigeon pea generally produces about 9 - 10 t ha-1 of dry fuel wood. The quality of pigeon
pea fuel wood is high, yielding energy at the rate of 4350 K-cal kg-1
● pigeon pea has outstanding soil amelioration and conservation properties. The growth habit facilitates
soil protection, as the canopy continues to expand for four months after other crops are harvested
● Pigeon pea finds wide application in traditional medicine. Diarrhea, gonorrhea, measles, burns, eye
infections, ear ache, sore throat, sore gums, toothache, anemia, intestinal worms, dizziness and epilepsy.
Benefits for humans and livestock
Benefits for humans and livestock

● Fresh chopped fodder fed to livestock in China ● Powder and broken dal for feeding pigs
Benefits for humans and livestock

● Fresh fodder fed to goats

Market prospect for pigeon pea

● Assumption that farmers will continue producing pigeon pea using existing farmer technologies and
methods of production. Assuming area expansion at the current annual growth rate of 1.07% and use of
the current production technologies.
● Any increase in pigeon pea production should come from productivity gains per unit area as a result of
improved technologies. Farmers adopt improved pigeon pea varieties such as the high yielding long
duration.
● World production of pigeon peas was 4.85 million t in 2014, the main producers is India (65% of world
production) follow by the production occurred in Asia (79.1%, followed by Africa (17.6%) and the
Americas (2.5%)
Production Practices
 Production Practices
Pigeon peas are easy to grow, provided you live in an area with abundant
sun and little frost. They tolerate most soils and can survive with limited
water, although they perform better with heartier environments. The plant
is somewhat short lived, usually lasting about 5 years.

The most important management practices include; planting dates,

planting density, fertilization, inoculation and pest/disease control. In this
section, we focus on the role of fertilizers and pest/disease control on
pigeon pea performance.
 Production Practices
Land Preparation
● Pigeon pea responds well to properly tilled and well drained
seedbed.
● A deep ploughing with soil turning plough followed by two to
three cross harrowing's and proper levelling should be given
to ensure uniform irrigation and proper drainage.
● Being a deep rooted crop, it requires a deep and well
pulverized field which is free from weeds and clods
 Production Practices
Time of sowing
● Sowing of seed crop in first week of June is recommended for
obtaining higher seed yields.

Method of sowing
● Sowing is done either with seed drill or by plough in furrows.
The depth of seeding is 5 cm.
 Production Practices
Spacing Seed rate
● Row to Row – 60 to 75 cm
● Plant to Plant - 25 to 30 cm ● A seed rate of 12 -15 kg per hectare is
sufficient.

Seed treatment
● Treat the seed with Carbendazim (Bavistin) or Thiram at the
rate of 3 g per kg of seed before sowing.
 Production Practices
Fertilizer Management
● For good yields application of ten cart loads of farm yard manure followed by 50 kg of
phosphorus is recommended.
● The fertilizer should be drilled at the time of sowing so that it will be placed at 10 to 15 cm deep in
the soil and also to the side of the seed.

Water Management
● The crop is mostly grown rainfed, after germination, need two light irrigation
which should be given at:-
● (45-50 days) after sowing.
● (75 days) first at flowering .
● 2nd at pod filling stage of the crop
Varieties and
Cultivars
Varieties and Cultivars

• ICP 7035 is a medium duration, non-determinate pigeonpea landrace collected in 1973 from Bedaghat
(near Jabalpur), Madhya Pradesh, India. Plants mature in 170-200 days (in south-central regions of India)
and, at this stage, reach an average height of 120-140 cm.

• The other hybrid that grows well in the country is ICP 88039. This bears fruits
throughout the year as it is not sensitive to the length of daylight. It is very
resistant to drought because it is very deep-rooted. Seeds of these two
recommended hybrid pigeon peas are now being multiplied for sale to other
farmers from other parts of the country. Some farmers in Ilocos Norte are
making money by producing seeds which are sold through the help of Dr.
Layaoen. Rue Ramas, a livewire do-gooder from General Santos City, says she
has been ordering a lot of seeds for planting from Dr. Layaoen. She distributes
the seeds in Mindanao.
Varieties and Cultivars

• ICP 7035 is a medium duration, non-determinate pigeonpea landrace collected in 1973 from Bedaghat
(near Jabalpur), Madhya Pradesh, India. Plants mature in 170-200 days (in south-central regions of India)
and, at this stage, reach an average height of 120-140 cm.

• The other hybrid that grows well in the country is ICP 88039. This bears fruits
throughout the year as it is not sensitive to the length of daylight. It is very
resistant to drought because it is very deep-rooted. Seeds of these two
recommended hybrid pigeon peas are now being multiplied for sale to other
farmers from other parts of the country. Some farmers in Ilocos Norte are
making money by producing seeds which are sold through the help of Dr.
Layaoen. Rue Ramas, a livewire do-gooder from General Santos City, says she
has been ordering a lot of seeds for planting from Dr. Layaoen. She distributes
the seeds in Mindanao.
Varieties and Cultivars
• The traditional pigeon pea cultivars and landraces are of medium (160 –180
days) to long (>250 days) maturity durations. However through breeding
efforts, some early maturing (≤ 120 days) types have been developed. At
Patancheru (17° N) the earliest pigeon pea lines MN 8 and ICPL 88039 mature
in 85-90 days.

• The traditional pigeon pea cultivars and landraces are of medium (160 –180
days) to long (>250 days) maturity durations. However through breeding
efforts, some early maturing (≤ 120 days) types have been developed. At
Patancheru (17° N) the earliest pigeon pea lines MN 8 and ICPL 88039 mature
in 85-90 days.
Varieties and Cultivars
• ICPL 83024 was found to be the best variety with green seed yield of 3,585 kg
ha-1. This line matured in 127 days. The 100-green seed mass was also high
(28.7 g) with more than 50% shelling. ICPL 151 matured early (107 d) and
stood second in green seed yield (3,095 kg ha-1). This genotype showed highest
(68%) shelling. The 100-green seed mass varied from 22.2 g (ICPL 151) to 28.7
g (ICPL 83024).
Varieties and Cultivars
Varieties and Cultivars
• Sixteen high yielding cultivars from ICRISAT in 1986 to 1989 during the dry season
at the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), Batac, Ilocos Norte. The promising
varieties, as revealed by the testing, were ICPL 85016, ICPL 151, ICPL 85015, ICPL
85014, ICPL 84032, and UPAS 120, which yielded 2,200 kg ha-1 to 2,800 kg ha-1.
ICPL 85016 was consistent in its yield performance giving the highest mean of 2,800
kg ha-1.

• Aside from ICRISAT cultivars, five promising Queensland pigeonpea varieties were
also evaluated. QPL 67 produced the highest seed yield of 2,100 kg ha-1. From 1991
to 1994, a few short duration lines were tested employing different dates of sowing
(November, December, and May). ICPL 84032 registered the highest yield of 2,127 kg
ha-1.
Varieties and Cultivars
Varieties and Cultivars
• Promising cultivars for the Philippine drylands
• ICPL 88039 is an extra short-duration line. This is a nondeterminate (NDT) line, which matures in
less than 100 days and is semispreading. The seeds are light brown and have 100-seed mass of 9.5 g
and yields between 1.7 to 1.8 t ha-1. This line is drought tolerant, with relatively low susceptibility to
Helicoverpa, and is very well adapted to cultivation in the rice-fallow cropping system in the rainfed
areas of the Philippines.

• ICPL 87091 is an excellent short-duration, determinate, vegetable pigeonpea

line. It flowers in about 65-75 days and matures in about 130-135 days. It has
long pods with 7-8 seeds pod-1 with large white seeds yielding 1.8 t ha-1 of dry
seeds. Vegetable pigeonpea seeds are rich in minerals and vitamins. This line has
become popular in dry areas of Kenya, Uganda and Malawi. It allows two to
three green pod harvesting. The dry seed yield of this is about 1.8 t ha-1. ICPL
87091 is suitable for home gardens and mixed or relay cropping with vegetables
in the dryland areas of the Philippines.
Varieties and Cultivars
Varieties and Cultivars
Varieties and Cultivars
• Promising cultivars for the Philippine drylands
• ICPL 87119 is an excellent wilt and sterility mosaic resistant high yielding line. It
flowers in 120-125 days and matures in 170-180 days. Its seed weight is about 10.5 g
per 100 seed mass and it yields around 2.0 t ha-1.

• ICP 7035 is a wilt and sterility mosaic resistant variety. This is a medium-duration, high-yielding variety
and it flowers in 140-150 days and matures in 200-210 days. Its sweet immature seeds are preferred as
vegetable. The bold dark brown seed with speckles has 100-seed mass of 22 g and yields 1.5 t ha-1. This
variety was released in Fiji, China, and India for general cultivation for both green and dry seed
production. ICP 7035 is perfect for backyard gardening, as live fences for farm-lots and houses, and
appropriate as intercrop for maize.
Varieties and Cultivars
Varieties and Cultivars
Varieties and Cultivars
• Promising cultivars for the Philippine drylands

• ICPL 20092 is a long-duration genetic dwarf line suitable as fodder for livestock. It flowers in about 135
- 140 days and the maturity ranges between 220 - 230 days. Its plant height is 130 - 140 cm and 100 seed
mass is about 9.0 g with round shape white seeds. Generally, animals graze on the standing pigeonpea
crop and eat its fresh young leaves and tender branches with gusto. The crop allows 2-3 cuttings for stall-
feeding and it yields over 5 tons of fodder per hectare. In the Philippines, ICPL 20092 is suitable in
upland areas where hillside agriculture is the dominant agricultural practice. The crop is ideal for contour
farming where pigeonpea is planted as hedgerows to be soil and wind breakers aside from utilizing this
for grazing or as a cut and carry fodder for livestock. This is very popular as fodder variety in China and
USA, as it provides nutritious and good quality fodder.
Varieties and Cultivars
Pest and
Diseases
Management
 Aphids (Cowpea aphid, Pea
aphid, etc.) Aphis craccivora

Symptoms: Small soft bodied insects on underside of leaves and/or

stems of plant; usually green or yellow in color, but may be pink, brown,
red or black depending on species and host plant; if aphid infestation is
heavy it may cause leaves to yellow and/or distorted, necrotic spots on
leaves and/or stunted shoots; aphids secrete a sticky, sugary substance
called honeydew which encourages the growth of sooty mold on the
plants
 Aphids (Cowpea aphid, Pea aphid, etc.)
Aphis craccivora

Symptoms: Small soft bodied insects on underside of leaves and/or

stems of plant; usually green or yellow in color, but may be pink, brown,
red or black depending on species and host plant; if aphid infestation is
heavy it may cause leaves to yellow and/or distorted, necrotic spots on
leaves and/or stunted shoots; aphids secrete a sticky, sugary substance
called honeydew which encourages the growth of sooty mold on the
plants
Armyworms (Beet armyworm, Western
striped armyworm) Spodoptera exigua
Spodoptera praefica
● Symptoms: Singular, or closely grouped circular to irregularly
shaped holes in foliage; heavy feeding by young larvae leads to
skeletonized leaves; shallow, dry wounds on fruit; egg clusters of 50-
150 eggs may be present on the leaves; egg clusters are covered in a
whitish scale which gives the cluster a cottony or fuzzy appearance;
young larvae are pale green to yellow in color while older larvae are
generally darker green with a dark and light line running along the
side of their body and a pink or yellow underside.
Armyworms (Beet armyworm, Western
striped armyworm) Spodoptera exigua
Spodoptera praefica
● Management: Organic methods of controlling armyworms include
biological control by natural enemies which parasitize the larvae and
the application of Bacillus thuringiensis; there are chemicals
available for commercial control but many that are available for the
home garden do not provide adequate control of the larvae.
Cutworms Agrotis spp.
Peridroma saucia, Nephelodes minians

● Symptoms: Stems of young transplants or seedlings may be severed

at soil line; if infection occurs later, irregular holes are eaten into the
surface of fruits; larvae causing the damage are usually active at night
and hide during the day in the soil at the base of the plants or in plant
debris of toppled plant; larvae are 2.5–5.0 cm (1–2 in) in length;
larvae may exhibit a variety of patterns and coloration but will
usually curl up into a C-shape when disturbed.
 Cutworms Agrotis spp.
Peridroma saucia, Nephelodes minians

● Management: Remove all plant residue from soil after harvest or at least two
weeks before planting, this is especially important if the previous crop was
another host such as alfalfa, beans or a leguminous cover crop; plastic or foil
collars fitted around plant stems to cover the bottom 3 inches above the soil line
and extending a couple of inches into the soil can prevent larvae severing
plants; hand-pick larvae after dark; spread diatomaceous earth around the base
of the plants (this creates a sharp barrier that will cut the insects if they try and
crawl over it); apply appropriate insecticides to infested areas of garden or field
if not growing organically.
 Alternaria blight Alternaria alternata

● Symptoms: Small irregular brown lesions on leaves which expand and turn
gray-brown or dark brown with concentric zones; older areas of lesions may
dry out and drop from leaves causing shot hole; lesions coalesce to form large
necrotic patches.
● Management: Plant beans in fertile soil; foliar fungicide application may be
required in order to control the disease.
 Wilt Fusarium udum

● Symptoms: Sudden yellowing of leaves; death of leaves; plant death;

blackened tissue at base of stem; symptoms may be present on only one side of
plant.
●  
● Management: Practice long term crop rotation; avoid over or under watering
plants. 
 Wilt Fusarium udum
● Under heavy infestation, Farmers spray with dimethoate (30% EC @ 1.0 L ha-
1) or endusulfan (35% EC @ 2.0 L h a - 1 ). Some Farmers also use
Cypermethrin (25EC) and chlorpyrifos (20EC) are two pesticides which were
selected for the treatments against pests on pigeon pea.
● 1. Application of aldicarb, carbofuran , fensulfothion , and phorate to the
● soil (1.5-3.0 k g a . i . h a - 1 ) .
● 2 . Soil solarization reduces nematode infection. Crop rototion with rice
● for 2-3 years reduces populations of nematodes .
● 3 . Seed treatment with 2 % carbofuran and benfuracarb help to reduce
● infection of cyst and root knot nematodes .
Harvesting and Post
Harvesting
 When and how to harvest
● Fully developed, bright green seed is preferred for use as vegetable. Hence, pods
should be harvested just before they start losing their green color. The crop is
harvested soon after the seed is mature.
● Green pigeonpea pods are harvested for different purposes. Near cities where they
can be readily marketed they are harvested for sale as a vegetable. Fully developed,
bright green seed is preferred so pods should be harvested just before they start
loosing their green colour. It is important to remember that the appearance of pods
at this stage varies between cultivars. Green pods used as a vegetable are
commonly picked by hand, but they may be mechanically harvested for large scale
processing i.e., for canning and freezing.
 When and how to harvest
● The dry seeds of pigeonpea are harvested when the pods are fully ripe and have
turned yellow, but before the pods start to shatter. Nearly mature pods continue to
ripen even after plants are cut, but very dry pods shatter and heavy crop losses
occur when plants are cut. Harvesting is usually done manually by using a sickle to
cut plants and vines, but occasionally by machines, and is followed by drying and
threshing, Generally, harvested material is dried in the sun in the threshing yard for
about a week, depending on the weather conditions. Threshing is done by manually
and mechanically. Manual threshing, involves beating vines and pods with sticks to
separate out the seeds and in some places animals are allowed to walk on the dried
produce to thresh it. In other places mechanical threshers are used.
 Post harvest
● After green pods are harvested, shelling, canning and freezing are important
processing operations. Canning and freezing involve several operations including
cleaning, blanching and filling cans and polyethylene bags.
● Shelling: After the developing pods are harvested in the field, they are shelled to
separate the green pigeonpeas from their pod walls. The ease with which
pigeonpeas can be shelled depends on the characteristics of the cultivar and there
are large differences in the shelling recovery of vegetable .
 Post harvest
● After green pods are harvested, shelling, canning and freezing are important
processing operations. Canning and freezing involve several operations including
cleaning, blanching and filling cans and polyethylene bags.
● Shelling: After the developing pods are harvested in the field, they are shelled to
separate the green pigeonpeas from their pod walls. The ease with which
pigeonpeas can be shelled depends on the characteristics of the cultivar and there
are large differences in the shelling recovery of vegetable . pigeonpeas. Suggesting
that the recovery is higher in some cultivars than others. Shelling recovery is very
important to processors and shelling is done mechanically or by hand depending on
the volume of product handled by the processor.
 Post harvest
● Cleaning: An appropriate cleaning procedure is followed depending on whether
the shelling operation is by hand or machine. During hand shelling for the fresh
market and before freezing small quantities, the product is cleaned and inspected so
that damaged seeds and foreign matter can be rejected. Hand shelled pigeonpeas
for freezing, are cleaned by placing them in containers of cold water before
blanching, so as to keep the blanching water as clean as possible. Fresh market
produce is not washed, and cleaning is done by the shellers themselves.
 Post harvest
● Mechanically shelled seeds are transferred to conveyors for cleaning and washing.
Small pieces of pod and damaged and small seeds are removed by air blast. The
seeds then drop onto a large mesh screen that allows them to drop through while
the screen retains pieces of pod and other extraneous material. As a part of the
cleaning operation, the seeds are washed with cold running water in various
combinations and types of flotation washers.
 Post harvest
● Blanching: Blanching is an essential heat treatment operation in the canning and
freezing process. Blanching is primarily done to; fix the colour, improve the
flavour, reduce the volume and improve the texture to permit a large mass of peas
to fit into the can, remove mucous substance(s) and free starch so as to obtain a
clearer brine, and to remove intercellular gases from the seeds to lessen can strain
during heating. Two methods of blanching have been reported. In the most
commonly used method, to obtain a clear brine, seeds are heated at 185°F (85°C)
for 5 min in hot water, and then cooled immediately in cold water to about 80°F
(26.7°C).
 Post harvest
● The other method involves steam blanching, which causes less shrinkage and lower
nutrient losses, but is more expensive because of the energy costs involved and
hence is an unacceptable alternative in developing countries. After blanching and
cooling, seeds are inspected to remove any off coloured ones that did not appear
before blanching and to ensure complete removal of foreign matter before canning
or freezing, all the above mentioned steps are similar for both canning and freezing
process.
 Post harvest
● Filling, Closing and Cooling cans: After blanching and cooling, cans of different
sizes are filled with seeds and a 2 per cent brine solution at 195oF (90.5°C to
93.3°C). No sugar or any other additives are added. To close small cans, the brine
is maintained almost at boiling point and no mechanical exhaust is required.
● However, for large cans, the near boiling brine does not create a sufficient vacuum
before the cans are closed, so an additional means of creating a vacuum is needed.
Closed cans are thermally processed as soon as possible for closure to inhibit the
growth of thermophillic bacteria that may spoil the product later if it is stored at
high temperatures.
 Post harvest
● Freezing: Freezing is by two methods, an automatic continuous system, and a
labour intensive batch system. In the automated system, blanched and cooled seeds
are transported by conveyor to a fluidised bed freezer. In this process, that operates
at a temperature well below freezing (-10°F to -20°F) (-23.3°C to -28°C) the seeds
are individually quick frozen. Once frozen, the seeds are hand packed into cartons
that have been especially wax treated to prevent dehydration of the product and are
then store d at 0°F (-17.8°C).
 Post harvest
● The methods of storage play an important role in reducing storage losses. It is often
observed that farmers adopt various methods to prevent losses but they are only
partially successful because of poor storage conditions, particularly store
construction. At the farm level, storage structures made of steel, mud, wood, plastic
and concrete and jute bags are frequently used to store pigeonpea. Mud bins are
most commonly used by farmers. Storage in jute bags is common in markets and
urban dhal mills. There is little difference in the storage structures meant for seeds
or grains for consumption.
 Post harvest
● The coating of stored pulses with a thin film of edible oils to protect them against insect
infestation is an age-old traditional practice in the villages of India. Oil treated pigeonpea
seeds were not preferred by pulse beetles, and suggested that oil treatment could be useful
for the safe storage of pigeonpea. Use of mustard, sunflower, safflower, castor, cotton,
neem (Azadirachta indica), and karanj or honge (Pongamia glabra) oils to check
infestations of pulse beetle in pigeonpea, and observed that honge and neem oils at 1.0
per cent were effective as surface protectants against attack by C.chinensis. According to
this study, there was complete protection from infestation for 319 days honge oil and 161
days using neem oil. There is less pulse beetle infestation if pigeonpea is stored in the
form of dhal. In order to avoid storage losses, and to make consumable stocks safer
because the use of chemicals can be avoided, pigeonpea seeds should be preferably
processed and stored as dhal.
 Post harvest
Market

● Green pigeon pea pods are harvested for different purposes. Near cities where they can be
readily marketed they are harvested for sale as a vegetable. Fully developed, bright green
seed is preferred so pods should be harvested just before they start loosing their green
color. It is important to remember that the appearance of pods at this stage varies between
cultivars. Green pods used as a vegetable are commonly picked by hand, but they may be
mechanically harvested for large scale processing i.e., for canning and freezing.
Common Problems

● Limited use of high-yielding varieties

● Biotic stresses
● Abiotic stresses
● Shortage of improved seed
● Under-investment in research
● Lack of human resource capacity
● Low adoption
 Thanks!
Flores, Famy
Gayan, Joaquin
Hollero, Ymer
Hortal, Dann
Humbe,Patricia Mae