**9. Recent developments and legume production policies**

#### **9.1 Livestock project**

*Legume Crops - Prospects, Production and Uses*

Chickpea *Fusarium* wilt and

Cowpea and mungbean

**Table 4.**

*Ascochyta* blight

*blight*

*Source: Das [44]; Pande et al. [45] and Satyagopal et al. [46, 47].*

*Yield loss in major pulses as caused by weeds, diseases, and insect-pests.*

Rust, wilt and *Sclerotia* 

Field pea Powdery mildew 10–30 Stem and

season, but also have to deal with cold damage at the start of the period of the vegetative segment, freezing all biological activity for a long time. The sudden rise in temperature not only causes forced maturity but also causes many biological stresses, diseases, and insect pests [48]. Traditionally, the cultivation of the Rabi legume has been delayed until the last week of November and, under extreme circumstances, until the first half of December, for obvious reasons. However, the optimal time for lentils planting is the first half of October. However, some winter legumes, including lentils, are also grown in pairs in eastern

**Crop Insect-pest Yield loss (%) Disease Yield loss** 

Pigeonpea Sterility mosaic virus 20–70 Pod-borer and leaf 70–80

50–100 Pod-borer and

Yellow mosaic virus 10–100 Whitefly 20–25

cutworm

20–70 Pod-borer —

pod-borer

India, making it easy to grow even before the rice is harvested.

such as rice, sorghum, and corn [50].

mold and pod-borer

Chickpea Weeds, *Fusarium* wilt, root rot, chickpea stunt, gray

Mungbean Mosaic virus, root and stem rot, stem *Agromyza and* sucking insect-pests stress

**5. Abnormal soil conditions**: In general, legumes prefer neutral soil reactions and are very sensitive to acid, salt, and alkaline conditions and most legumes have phosphorus deficiency. Therefore, P requires significant attention in legume production systems [49]. Indian soil, in particular, the soil in the northwest has a high pH unlike in the east and northeast, characterized by acid soils. Due to these soil conditions, micronutrient deficiency manifests itself in acute scarcity. An acute deficiency of zinc, iron, boron, molybdenum, and secondary nutrients such as sulfur, especially in legumes also reduce the productivity in terms of quality and quantity.

**6. Physiological constraints**: Legumes (plants C-3) have low yield potential and form a group of physically inefficient plants compared to cereals (C-4 plants)

Pigeonpea Weeds, *Fusarium* wilt, mosaic and pod-borer complex Cold, terminal drought and

Lentil *Fusarium* wilt, root rot, and rust Moisture and temperature

Low temperature and nutrient

**(%)**

10–90

—

Pre-harvest sprouting and

stress

waterlogging

temperature

**Crop Biotic stress Abiotic stress**

*Important abiotic and biotic stresses limiting the production of major legumes crops in India.*

**88**

*\*[52].*

**Table 5.**

Application of biotechnology tools to create a genetic modification for biotic and abiotic stresses and develop varieties suitable for early maturation for late planting situations to escape final water stress and used in some crop systems [54].

#### **9.2 Planting techniques on high beds**

Planting on a tall bed is an effective agronomic intervention, especially in areas with heavy rainy season legumes like pigeon peas, chickpeas, and beans. In pigeon peas, the method of planting strips and beds also reduced the incidence of *Phytophthora blight* [55]. Besides, better drainage under growing plantations also reduces the risk of root and stem rot [56]. It helps with controlled irrigation in beds and saves irrigation water (up to 30%) and expensive inputs such as seeds and fertilizers [57]. An increase in the productivity of legumes such as pigeon pea, urdbean, and chickpea was also observed due to the nodding and better growth of culture on a large bed [58].

#### **9.3 Agricultural conservation (CA)**

Crops such as summer mung beans can be a sequential partner of crop systems in April–June because legumes have a "preservative" effect on soil nitrogen (N) compared to non-bean crops and are beneficial for crops after crop. Pigeon-wheat and mung-bean systems have shown a clear advantage over wheat-wheat in conservation agriculture. No-tillage and retention of surface residues (tillage for soil conservation) improve the productivity of mung beans compared to conventional tillage practices [57]. Besides, legumes do not need to plow and retain crop residues that provide habitat for beneficial organisms by providing C substrate to heterotrophic microorganisms and increasing microbial activity and improve soil C and N [59].

#### **9.4 Future outlook of organic grain legumes**

The literature review presented here identifies that organic legume planting has great potential to promote soil sustainability and organic farming. Organic legumes' ability to improve soil properties (e.g. physical, chemical, and biological) makes them necessary to achieve sustainability goals. Given the immense promise of legumes as a soil amendment, the uncertainties described above must be handled objectively. There is an urgent need to understand the future needs and role of organic legumes in soil sustainability and food security and nutrition.
