Pulses are the main source of protein for masses in the Asian countries. These are also valuable for the crop systems due to their nitrogen fixing capacity. Pulse crops are cultivated in large number of countries covering around 69 million hectares with a production of almost 60 million tonnes. Area under these leguminous crops remained almost stagnant between 1985 and 2005, but production grew at the slow rate of 0;48 per cent per annum due to positive growth of yield (0.50 per cent per annum) during this period. Around 60 per cent of global pulse production is contributed by 10 countries. India with 30 per cent of global area under pulses is the leading producer.
展开▼
