Grain legumes

The Programme was established in 1999 with the objective of developing well-adapted, high yielding farmer and market preferred varieties of pulses with tolerant to biotic and abiotic stress factors common in arid and semi-arid areas of Kenya. The research focuses on common bean, cowpea, pigeonpea, green gram, dolichos and chickpeas. The main activities of the programme are germplasm collection, characterization, evaluation, selection, variety improvement through making of crosses as well as dissemination of legume-based technologies.

Green gram constraints

Decreasing green gram production is due to:

  1. Drought; due to low and erratic rainfall leading  short-poor rainy seasons
  2. Use of late maturing (90 days), low yielding varieties.
  3. Available shiny green which are market preferred varieties have small seeds are also small.
  4. Diseases-powderly milder, mungbean yellow mosaic Virus, Angular Leaf Spot, Rust, Bean Anthracnose
  5. Bruchids

Opportunity:High domestic and International demand (over 3.4 million metric tonnes against annual production of 125,000 tonnes)

Technologies: Early maturing farmer, large seeded and market preferred varieties

(i)             NdenguTosha (KAT 00301)

Qualities

(a) Early maturity (60-70 days) compared to the local germplasm that mature in 90 days. This enables them to escape terminal drought that is common in Kenyan ASALs.

(b) Grain has shiny green colour and highly preferred by the market

(c) Potential yield range 1800-2300 kg/ha

(d) Large pod size making their harvesting easier

(e) Large grain size (6-7 g/100 seeds)

(f) Non-stony seeds.

 

(ii)           Biashara (KAT 00308)

Qualities

(a) Early maturity (65-75 days) compared to the local germplasm that mature in 90 days. This enables them to escape terminal drought that is common in Kenyan ASALs.

(b) Potential yield range 1800-2100 kg/ha

(c) Large pod size making their harvesting easier

(d) Large grain size (8-10 g/100 seeds)

(e) Grain is shiny green in colour which is highly preferred by the market

(f) Non-stony seeds.

  

(iii)         NdenguKarembo (KAT 00309)

Qualities

(a) Early maturity (65-75 days) compared to the local germplasm that mature in 90 days. This enables them to escape terminal drought that is common in Kenyan ASALs.

(b) Potential yield range from 1800-2100 kg/ha

(c) Large pod size making their harvesting easier

(d) Large grain size (8-10 g/100 seeds)

(e) Grain has shiny green in colour

(f) Non-stony seeds.