Pigeonpea

Pigeon pea is the most drought tolerant legume adapted to semi-arid regions. Pigeon pea has high amount of protein, energy and minerals making it vital for preventing malnutrition commonly associated with cereal based staple diets. Its deep root system enables the plant to extract moisture from deep soil layers that are not ordinarily reached by other crops. This allows it to yield even in drought when other crops generally fail. It enhances soil fertility through its ability to fix nitrogen hence a climate smart crop. The legume is usually intercropped with maize, sorghum or millet and other short duration legumes.

 

Management/How to grow

Variety selection:

KARI Mbaazi 1

 

Short duration (Matures in 105-120 days).

Normally grown as a sole crop.

Yield potential is 1000 kg/ha or 4.4 bags/acre in one season and 2000 kg/ha or 8.9 bags/acre in two seasons

Gives 2- 3 harvests in a year.

 Medium seed size 10-12 g/100seeds.

KAT 60/8:

D:\KCSAP\NPHOTOS PIGEONPEA IN RIFT VALLEY\PHOTOS AND VIDEOS  8TH JAN 2018\20170824_130159.jpg

Medium duration (136-150 days to maturity).

Yield potential ranges from 1200-1500 kg/ha or 5-7 bags/acre in one season and 3000 kg/ha or 13 bags/acre in two seasons.

It has a spreading growth habit and flowering

Indeterminate growth habit this allows multiple harvests where soil moisture is adequate.

 It has good ratooning ability.

KARI Mbaazi 2

Long duration variety (180-270 days (9 months) thus harvested once per year.

Good for intercropping.

Potential grain yield of 1300 kg/ha or 5.8 bags/acre.

Large pod and seed size (18-20 g/100 seeds).

It has good ratooning ability.

Mituki:

D:\PHOTOS FROM TABLET APRIL 10TH 2019\20180711_170528.jpg

Medium duration variety (125-135 days).

Gives two harvests in a year.

Potential grain yield (1700 - 3500 kg /ha or 7.5 – 15.6 bags/acre in two seasons).

Large pod size thus easy to shell.

It is rich in iron (70 ppm),

Good for intercropping.

It has good ratooning ability.

Kajani

Medium duration variety (135-145 days)

Good for intercropping.

Gives two harvests per year.

Potential grain yield (2000 – 3500 kg/ha or 9 – 15.5 bags/acre per year)

Large pod size thus easy to shell.

It has cream grain color. 

It has good ratooning ability.

Egerton Mbaazi M1 (EUMDPV00104)

Source: R. Karimi

  • Medium duration (120-150 days).
  • Compact and is normally grown as a sole crop, but can be intercropped with maize, pearl millet and sorghum and they can occupy space after their early harvest.
  • Has good ratoon ability.
  • Medium sized seed.
  • Yields of 1400 - 2900 kg/ha or 6-13 bags total annual harvest.
  • It is tolerant to Fusarium wilt disease common in Eastern Kenya.

Egerton Mbaazi 3 (EUMDB3)

Source: P. Kimurto

  • Medium duration pigeon pea (115-145 days) variety.
  • It’s a highly prolific variety producing long pods and widely adaptable to varied agro-ecozens, soils (sandy clay soil and loamy soils). 
  • Compact and is normally grown as a sole crop, but can be intercropped with maize, pearl millet and sorghum and it can occupy their space after their early harvest. 
  • Has good ratoon ability. 
  • It has medium sized seed. 
  • Has potential yields of 1500 - 3000 kg/ha total annual harvest.

Egerton Mbaazi M4 (EUMDB4

 

Source: P. Kimurto

 

  • High yielding.
  • Medium duration (110-120 days).
  • Large cream seeds, Fusarium wilt resistance and wide adaptability. 
  • Its adaptable to sandy clay soil and loamy soils. 
  • Has good ratoonability. 
  • Has medium sized seed. 
  • Yields of 1500 - 3000 kg/ha total annual harvest.
  • Good for intercropping with maize and sorghum, good fodder production from high biomass.

Peacock (ICEAP00850)

  • Medium duration (150-175 days) pigeon pea variety, with large cream seeds.
  • High yielding of 1500-2500 kg/ha total annual harvest with good ratoonability. 
  • Its adaptable to sandy clay soil and loamy soils. 
  • It has medium sized seed.
  • Can be intercropped with maize and other cereals.

Karai (IICEAP00936) 

  • Long duration (180-210 days) pigeon pea variety, with extra-large seeds, suitable for canning. 
  • Its drought tolerant and good for ratooning. 
  • The variety is good in nitrogen fixation and soil improvement. 
  • Dry stems are good for firewood.

Seed System:

Informal /Community seed system

  • Systematic multiplication of basic seed sourced from the formal seed sector into quality seed that more farmers in the community can access and improve their crop production. 
  • Process of engaging selected individuals or farmer groups to multiply pigeon pea seed under technical supervision.

Pigeon Formal Seed System Production

It is a systematic process of growing pigeon pea through careful selection of appropriate land, following pegion pea good agronomic practices, from planting through harvesting.

Good Agricultural Practices and Food Safety Management System

No-till (zero) tillage 

  • Pigeon pea sowing holes made on non-ploughed field (left picture); and seedlings emerging from non-ploughed mulched plot (right picture).
  • It’s a conservation agriculture tillage method. 
  • It is characterized by minimum soil disturbance during land preparation, sowing and weeding operations. 
  • Only seeding or/and fertilizer holes are dug in the field. 
  • In case there are weeds at sowing time, they are eradicated using non-selective post-emergence herbicides.
  • Weed control is done using selective post-emergence herbicides.
  • Over 75% of residues is left on the soil surface after the crop harvest. 

Site selection: 

Pigeon pea is tolerant to hot conditions and is adapted to temperatures of 18-30ºC. The crop also performs well in temperatures greater than 35ºC when soil moisture and fertility are adequate.

Land preparation; 

Chose a land that has not been previously grown with pigeon pea for at least two seasons to avoid varietal mixtures and diseases build up. Land should be ploughed and harrowed during the dry season. Well drained

necessary for good root and nodule development. Contour bed or ridge and furrow system are useful in preventing water-logging by draining excess surface water and preventing soil erosion. 

With the use of a riper, planting is possible even on un-ploughed land where minimum tillage, popular with the Conservation Agriculture (CA) is practiced. Thereafter shallow weeding using hand hoe or herbicides to minimize tillage is recommended.

Intercropping (Also a soil fertility management practice) 

There are two methods of intercropping:

Moja-moja intercropping method: One pigeon pea row is alternated with that of a cereal (maize).

The spacing for either crop is maintained at 75 cm between rows. 

Mbili Mbili intercropping method: Two pigeon pea rows are alternated with two cereal (maize) rows.

The spacing between the two main maize rows is 1.0m, then two pigeon pea rows are equal distance planted in-between maize rows (i.e. within the 1.0m space).

Sole Cropping

  • Sole cropping is a farming method that involves planting or growing one crop at a particular time and space.
  • The practice offers a potential ease for field operations such as seeding, weeding and pest control (and especially where machinery is involved), reduces competition thus resulting in increased yields.

Soil Fertility Management

Fertilizer management:  

Soil analysis should be done before fertilizer application. Use of organic fertilizer (manure) is encouraged for balanced soil nutrients and improved soil structure. Organic manure may be applied 2-4 weeks before sowing. Basal application of fertilizers like DAP during planting at 50 kg/ha is recommended where soils are poor. Pigeon pea is capable of fixing 40 kgs of Nitrogen (N) per hectare in a season. However, the fixed N is used in the subsequent season. Top dressing is NOT recommended since high availability of nutrients fertility make the crop too vegetative and thus compromise the grain yield.

Manure Management 

  • It’s a site-specific handling of livestock manure from collection, through treatment and storage up to application to crops (and aquaculture). 
  • Manure can be in solid or liquid form, and is often mixed with crop residues and composted to enable decomposition. 
  • Proper manure management reduces emission of methane and carbon dioxide. 

Planting; 

Generally, Pigeon pea growth is slow until its taproot develops and due to its slow establishment, it is grown as an intercrop with cereals, which are harvested to avoid competition before the pigeon pea flowering and grain formation

The recommended spacing under pure stand:

Short duration variety (0.75 m x 0.30 m),

Medium duration variety (1.2 m x 0.5 m)

Long duration varieties (1.5 m by 0.5 m).

Seedlings may also be transplanted during the rainy season or under irrigation.

Water management

Integrated Nutrient Management (INM)

Refers to the maintenance of soil fertility and of plant nutrient supply at an optimum level for sustaining the desired productivity through optimization of the benefits from all possible sources of organic, inorganic and biological components in an integrated manner.

Crop management/top dressing:

Top dressing is NOT recommended since high availability of nutrients fertility make the crop too vegetative and thus compromise the grain yield.

Integrated Disease Management

Rust disease

  • Dark brown raised spots (pustules) on the underside of the leaves.

Cultural management options:

  • Plant early using certified seeds.
  • Practice crop rotation with non-legumes for a period of 2-3 seasons.
  • Uproot and destroy severely affected plants, including weeds and volunteer crops by deeply burying them.
  • Do not walk through your field during wet weather to prevent the spread of the disease from one plant to another.
  • Ensure that field sanitation and hygiene practices are adhered to by collecting and safely disposing infected plants by deeply burying them.

Chemical control options:

  • Spray copper-based products such as copper oxychloride (cuprocaffaro micro 37.5 at a rate of 50 gm/20 litres water or Isacop 50WP at a rate of 60 g/20 litres of water) once initial symptoms are observed.

 

Anthracnose disease on Pods

 

Cultural practices:

  • Use certified seeds
  • Practice crop rotation with non-legumes.
  • Work in uninfected parts of the field first before the infected area.
  • Avoid unnecessary movement in infected areas to minimize spread of the disease, disinfect farm implements after working from one field before proceeding to the other.
  • Hot water treatment of Pigeon peas at 54º for 10min.

Chemical management:

  • Applying fungicides from flower-bud formation stage until when pods are fully developed. The most susceptible stage is bud-formation, flowering period and early pod development.
  • Spraying Carbendazim 500g or Mancozeb 2kg/ha soon after the appearance of disease and repeat after 15 days.
  • Spraying other fungicides such as Copper based fungicides.

 

 

Powdery mildew disease

Powdery mildew patches on leaves

(Source: agriculture.vic.gov.au)

Cultural management options:

  • Plant early using certified seeds.
  • Practice crop rotation with non-legumes for a period of 2-3 seasons.
  • Uproot and destroy severely affected plants, including weeds and volunteer crops by burying them deeply.
  • Do not walk through your field during wet weather to prevent the spread of the disease from one plant to another.
  • Ensure that field sanitation and hygiene practices are adhered to by collecting and disposing infected plants by deeply burying them.

Chemical management options:

  • Spraying copper-based products such as copper oxychloride (cuprocaffaro micro 37.5 at a rate of 50 gm/20 litres water or Isacop 50WP at a rate of 60 g/20 litres of water) once initial symptoms are observed.

Cercospora leaf spot disease

Source: A.Too

Cultural practices:

  • Practice good field sanitation and hygiene practices by collecting and safely disposing infected plants.
  • Regular weeding.

Grow tolerant varieties:

  • Grow varieties that are less susceptible to the disease such as KAT60/80 and Mbaazi 2.

Chemical management:

  • Spray Mancozeb based products (Oshothane or Farmcozeb at 2kg/ha or Carbendazim 500 g/ha.

 

root rot disease

(Source: Maruti et. al 2017)

  • Infected pigeon pea plant showing disintegration and Bark shredding symptom due to root disease.

Cultural practices:

  • Crop rotation with non-legumes for 6-8 seasons.
  • Practice crop rotation for 3-4 years with non-legume crops.
  • Avoid surface run off by digging trenches, as these spreads the pathogen.
  • Uproot affected plants and burn.
  • Sterilize farm tools with Jik 50 ml/L.

 

Chemical management

  • Drench affected fields with biopesticides (Trianum -P; Trichotech, Rootguard) at recommended rates.
  • Where biopesticides are not available drench affected plants with Carbendazim products such as Rodazim.

Yellow Mosaic Viral disease

Source: semanticscholar.org

 

Cultural practices:

  • Use of certified seed.
  • Monitoring and control of vectors (White flies) that transmit the viruses.
  • Avoiding work on fields when wet to prevent spread.
  • Uprooting weeds that could serve as alternative hosts.
  • Rogue out infected plants up to 45 days.

Chemical management:

  • Treat the seeds with Thiomethoxam-70WS or Imidacloprid-70WS @4g/kg
  • Spray Thiamethoxam-25WG @ 100g or Imidacloprid 17.8% SL @ 100 ml in 500 lit of water.
  • Foliar spray with neem based biopesticides such as Nimbecidine or Achook 0.15% EC. Thiamethoxam 75 WS 1g/3 L and repeat after 15 days.
  • Get other control products from the PCPB (www.pcpb.or.ke) list of registered pest control products, and use them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Sterility mosaic disease

Source: agropedia

 

Cultural practices:

  • Use of certified seed
  • Monitoring and control of vectors (Eriophyid mite) that transmit the viruses
  • Rogue out the infected plants in the early stages of growth;
  • Crop rotation with non-host crop like, tobacco, sorghum, pearl millet, cotton;
  • Uprooting weeds that could serve as alternative hosts
  • Rogue out infected plants immediately.

Use of Resistant/Tolerant Varieties:

Grow resistant varieties like Pusa-885, Asha, Sharad (DA11), Narendra Arhar1, Bahar, BSMR-853, BSMR 736, Rajeev Lochan, BDN-708.

Chemical management:

  • Spray Fenazaquin 10 EC (Magister) @ 1 ml/liter of water on 45 and 60 DAS;
  • Get other control products from the PCPB (www.pcpb.or.ke) list of registered pest control products, and use them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

 

Alternaria blight

(Source; agropedia)

Cultural practices:

  • Use of certified seed.
  • Practicing crop rotation with non-legume crops for 3-4 years.
  • Uprooting and destroying infected plants/volunteers by burying deeply.
  • Disinfecting farm tools in jik solution (50 ml:litre).
  • Avoidance of working in wet fields will be validated.

 

Chemical management:

  • To suppress the disease, spray copper oxychloride (cuprocaffaro micro 37.5 at a rate of 50gm/20litres water or Isacop 50WP at a rate of 60g/20litres of water).
  • Get other control products from the PCPB (www.pcpb.or.ke) list of registered pest control products, and use them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Phytophthora blight

(Source; agropedia)

 

Cultural practices:

  • Crop rotation with non-legumes for a period of 2 to 3 seasons.
  • Rogueing out infected plants from the farm and burying then deeply.
  • Good drainage in the fields and the plants should be protected from stem injury.
  • Crop rotation should be followed.
  • Avoidance of working in the fields when plants are wet to minimize spread.
  • Disinfecting farm tools in jik solution (50 ml: litre).
  • Practicing good field sanitation and hygiene practices by collecting and disposing infected plants.

Chemical management:

  • Seed treated with Metalaxyl 35 WS @3 g/ kg of seed
  • Apply TOWER 72WP, POTPHOS 500 SL Soluble concentrate PREQUEL 720 WP Wettable Powder and use them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • Drench soils and spray plants with Pyramid 700WP or Alial 80WP or Chancetyl 800 WP.

Fusarium wilt

(Source; agropedia)

 

Cultural practices:

  • A three-year crop rotation schedule with non legumes and the planting of resistant varieties is advised.
  • Field sanitation by removing or rouging infected plants and burning them should be done.
  • A soil sample analysis should be done before planting of pigeon peas at each and every season.
  • Disinfecting farm tools in jik solution (50 ml: litre).

 

Chemical management:

  • Suspected infected soils can be drenched with Carbendazim based products like Rodazim SC or Bendazim SC as per the manufacturers’ recommendations.

Integrated Pest Management

Peas Aphid

Source: plantix.net

 

Cultural Control

  • Prepare land well and apply 10 kg CAN/acre and 14 kgs/acre DAP to increase plant vigor.
  • Control ants by ploughing and flooding the field to destroy the colonies, expose eggs and larvae to predators.
  • Conserve natural enemies (e.g. flower bugs, lady bird beetles, praying mantis, hover flies, green lace wing, long horned grass hoppers and spiders) by planting lantana hedges to act as breeding grounds for predators.
  • Rotate with non-host crops e.g. maize, upland rice, sorghum, okra, sugarcane, and sunflower to prevent build-up of population.
  • Avoid alternate host crops such as Pigeon peas, green grams, lucerne.
  • Remove heavily infested plant parts and destroy by burying in a deep pit.

Bio-control

  • Apply neem-based products (e.g. neem oil 40ml/20lts of water, Achook) 2 times/month.
  • Spray with soapy water solution (mix 1 tablespoon of teepol detergent with 4 lts of water or use strong jet of water to wash off aphids.
  • Use of sticky traps.

Chemical Control

  • Use ACTARA 25 WG Water Dispersible Granules ALONZE 50 EC Emulsifiable Concentrate and Duduthrin 1.75 EC (Lambdacyhalothrin 17.5 g/L).

Leaf miners (Liriomyza spp.)

 

Cultural Control

  • Plant clean seedlings free from all stages of the moth.
  • Rotate with non-host crops such as maize, Pigeon peas and cabbages.
  • Remove and bury all infested plants, foliage and infected crop residues in a deep pit (over 1m).
  • Remove infested leaves before the caterpillar pupates inside and becomes an egg-laying adult.

Bio-control

  • Spray Bacillus thuringiensis at recommended rates.
  • Use of Pheromone traps.
  • Use sticky traps - 24 pcs/acre.

Chemical Control

  • Spray spinetoram (Radiant 120 SC(R)) at rate of 18-30ml/20lts of water.
  • Spray using Chlorantraniliprol based products e.g (Coragen 20 SC) SC(R)) at rate of 2ml/20lts of water.
  • Apply Flubendiamide products e.g Belt according to manufacturer’s recommendations.

Spotted pod borer, (Maruca vitrata)

Larva on young developing pods of pigeon pea.

Source: https://www.krishisewa.com/articles/disease-management/268-pigeon-pea-insectpests.html

 

 

 

 

Cultural Control

  • Scout the fields twice weekly, looking under the leaves and bud areas for pod borers.
  • Remove and destroy or plough down crop residues from damaged plants in production fields.
  • Rotate garden pea with cereals.
  • Establish repellent/ trap crops.
  • Incorporate manure to promote plant vigour.
  • Practice crop rotation for a period of at least 6-8 weeks and ensure that the young crop is not planted next to an infested older crop.
  • Weed fields since some weeds in the could serve as alternative hosts and harbour the pest season after season.

Bio-control

  • Use neem-based products e.g Nimbecidine, Neemroc 0.03% and Achook 0.15%.
  • Use biopesticides such as Halt 500 WP (Bacillus thuringiensis), Heltic SC (Helicoverpa armigera SNP 8% w/w 2x99 polyhedra per ml or Nimbecidine EC (Azadirachtin 0. 03%).

Chemical Control

  • Amigus 500SC, Pentagon 5% ECIndicate A.I (applied according to manufacturer’s recommendations).

Migratory Locust

Migratory Locust, Schistocerca gregaria

Locust invasion on farm in Kenya in Feb 2020. (Source: catholicphilly.com)

Cultural Control

  • Ploughing the egg infested field & trapping and killing in pits or trenches.
  • Loud sounds to repel them from descending in the field
  • Monitoring and forecasting networks to better control the evolution of populations and manage in time.

Bio-control

  • Biopesticides such as Metarhizium anisopliae using ULV methods.
  • Medicated nets, sprayed with garlic or neem oil.

Chemical Control

  • Spray insect growth regulator DIMILIN OF-6 Ready for use oil-based suspension
  • Report to the County Agricultural Office and Ministry of Agriculture for coordinated chemical control.

Pod borer (Nanaguna breviuscula)

 

Cultural Control

  • Scout the fields twice weekly, looking under the leaves and bud areas for pod borers.
  • Remove and destroy or plough down crop residues from damaged plants in production fields.
  • Rotate pigeon pea with cereals.
  • Establish repellent/ trap crops.
  • Incorporate manure to promote plant vigour.
  • Practice crop rotation for a period of at least 6-8 weeks and ensure that the young crop is not planted next to an infestated older crop.
  • Weed fields since some weeds in the could serve as alternative hosts and harbour the pest season after season.

 

Bio-control

  • Use neem-based products e.g Nimbecidine, Neemroc 0.03% and Achook 0.15%.
  • Use biopesticides such as Halt 500 WP (Bacillus thuringiensis), Heltic SC (Helicoverpa armigera SNP 8% w/w 2x99 polyhedra per ml.

Chemical Control

  • Spray using Amigus 500SC, Pentagon 5% EC (applied according to manufacturer’s recommendations).

Helicoverpa armigera

African bollworm caterpillar, Helicoverpa armigera larva feeding on pigeon pea pods.

(Source: https://www.krishisewa.com/articles/disease-management/268-pigeon-pea-insect-pests.html)

Management:

  • Scout the fields twice weekly, looking under the leaves and bud areas for pod borers.
  • Remove and destroy or plough down crop residues from damaged plants in production fields.
  • Rotate pigeon pea with cereals.
  • Establish repellent/ trap crops.
  • Incorporate manure to promote plant vigour.
  • Practice crop rotation for a period of at least 6-8 weeks and ensure that the young crop is not planted next to an infested older crop.
  • Weed fields since some weeds in the could serve as alternative hosts and harbour the pest season after season.

Plume moth caterpillar, (Exelastis atomosa)

A lepidopteran larva. Bores into pods and damages the young developing seed

(Source: https://www.krishisewa.com/articles/disease-management/268-pigeon-pea-insect-pests.html

 

Management

  • Scout the fields twice weekly, looking under the leaves and bud areas for plume moth caterpillar.
  • Remove and destroy or plough down crop residues from damaged plants in production fields.
  • Rotate pigeon pea with cereals.
  • Establish repellent/ trap crops.
  • Incorporate manure to promote plant vigour.

 

Blue butterfly caterpillar

Management

  • Scout the fields twice weekly, looking under the leaves and bud areas for plume moth caterpillar
  • Remove and destroy or plough down crop residues from damaged plants in production fields
  • Rotate pigeon pea with cereals
  • Establish repellent/ trap crops
  • Incorporate manure to promote plant vigour
  • Practice crop rotation for a period of at least 6-8 weeks and ensure that the young crop is not planted next to an infestated older crop
  • Weed fields since some weeds in the could serve as alternative hosts and harbour the pest season after season

 

Blister beetles (Mylabris pustulata) in Pigeon pea

A coleopteran pest which feed on flower buds, damaging structures for pod formation.

(Source: https://www.krishisewa.com/articles/disease-management/268-pigeon-pea-insect-pests.html

 

Management

  • Deep ploughing at summer season.
  • Remove the plant debris from the field.
  • Remove the weeds from field.

 

Sucking bug (Clavigralla spp) in Pigeon pea

Management

  • Remove residue if previous crop was infested by bugs, to prevent insect from multiplying in the crop residues.
  • Destroy ratoon crop and volunteer plants of pigeon pea as they are major sources of pest carry- over.
  • Avoid staggering/ relay cropping as it allows bugs to move progressively from early to later plantings, building to very high levels in later plantings.
  • Plant away from other hosts plants e.g. cotton, mango, Pigeon peas, Dolichos lablab, cowpea, chickpea, soya Pigeon pea, sweet potato and spinach.
  • Plant early to avoid periods of heavy infestation
  • Intercrop with sorghum, millet or sunflower to reduce infestation
  • In the morning, hand pick bugs, or collect with insect nets, and destroy
  • Maintain natural enemies of bugs by planting flowers around the pigeon pea garden, intercrop and leave residues in the field if not highly infected by pests or diseases

 

Management

  • Plant in fields with no previous history of the disease.
  • Crop rotations and field cleanliness - rotate with cereals.
  • Avoid late planting (stem canker).

 

Weed management:

The plants do not compete well with weeds in the early growth stage and it is important to keep the crop weed-free in the first six weeks after establishment.  The most common method for the first two sessions of weeding is use of oxen-drawn plough to remove early weeds followed by hand weeding. Ox-drawn ploughs also helps in making ridges for water harvesting especially in drought prone areas.

 

Maturity

Maturity duration varies depending on the variety and ranges between 3 months (short duration) to nine months for long duration. They may be harvested while green or when dry. Mature green pods are picked manually, shelled and cooked as vegetables.

Harvesting:

C:\Users\rael.karimi\Desktop\Mbaazi 2.jpg

 

Harvesting is done when the pods have dried and turned brown in color.

Harvesting is done by plucking dry pods or by cutting the branches (where all the pods are dry).

If harvested immaturely (non-dry pods), seed may shrink thus lowering the grain quality and yield.

Delayed harvesting may affect the quality of the grain due to sprouting of the seeds or shattering of the pods in the field.

Ensure that the pods are dried in the sun for ease of threshing.

Thresh and clean the seeds.

Dry the grain to 12% moisture content (above 12% grain will turn brown and discolored when stored).

Improper drying of the grain may cause mould/rotting of the grain thus making it unfit for human consumption and marketing

Storage
  • Store in hermetic bags (grain preserved for food)
  • Dust the cleaned grain with storage chemical and store
Utilization

Upto 90% of pigeon pea is used in green form.

Both green and dry grain are used to make Githeri, Pilau and stew.

Pigeon pea (green and dry grain) can be mashed with Irish potato, sweet potato, banana, arrow roots and pumpkins to make mukimo.

The husks and twigs are also used as livestock feeds.

 

Mechanization:

Tractor for land preparation

Oxen-drawn plough

Riper for conservation agriculture

Basic costs/Estimated returns

Activity

Cost (Kshs)

Land preparation

4,000

Certified seed

1,750

Manure/fertilizer

6,250

Planting and field management

19,600

Insecticides/pesticides

14,400

Harvesting, post harvesting and marketing

15,500

Operational cost

61,500

Produce  (2200 kgs @60

132,000

Income

70,500

Marketing;
  • Use of aggregation centers
  • Contract farming
Further reading:
  1. Karimi, R., Mutisya, D.L, Bett C. and Nungo R. (2018) Pigeonpea Production Guide. KALRO Katumani
  2. Rael Karimi, Paul Kimani, Catherine Muriithi, Daniel Mutisya and Arnold Njaimwe. KCSAP 2020. Training of Trainers (TOT) training manual for Pigeonpea value chain.
  3. Rael Karimi, Charles K. Bett, Charles W. Kariuki, Benjamin Kivuva, Joyce Malinga, Michael Akhwale, Vincent Woyengo, Peter M. Waweru, Elizabeth Langat, Chebii Kilel

Contacts:

Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization

P.P. Box 57811-00200, Nairobi, Kenya

Tel: 0111010100

 

Institute Director, KALRO- AMRI, Katumani

P.O. Box 340-90100 Machakos

Email: director.amri@kalro.org;