Indian Institute of Pulses Research

Success Stories

1. Spring/Summer Mungbean for Sustainable Intensification: A Pathway to Higher Yields and Incomes

Mung bean is an important pulse consumed all over India. It has been known to be good source of quality protein, dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins, therefore becoming a popular functional food in promoting good health. The crop is versatile and fits well across the seasons which have led to significant area expansion under mungbean cultivation in the recent years. Spring/summer mungbean is an important crop cultivated by the farmers for additional income as well as it plays an important role in improving soil health by nitrogen fixation.
ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research (ICAR-IIPR), Kanpur has made a substantial contribution to the development of several high yielding, diseases resistant mungbean varieties for different production niches of the country. ICAR-IIPR, Kanpur institute, is in continuous efforts to disseminate improved technology for pulse production including mungbean to reach farmers through on farm interventions under ongoing projects in the adopted villages. The success cases of short duration mungbean varieties (IPM 410-3 and IPM 205-7) in project villages is shared below:
Prevalence of non-descript mungbean varieties and limited uptake of plant protection technologies were the major challenges, restricting farmers from realizing the full yield potential of spring mungbean cultivation in the project villages of Kanpur Dehat and Hamirpur districts. To address these challenges, high yielding and disease resistant improved variety of mungbean (Shikha) was successfully introduced for the first time in Kanauta Danda and Gimuha Danda project villages of Kurara block of Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh, during 2022-23 under Farmer FIRST project. About 3.2 ha was brought under cultivation of summer mungbean in partnership of 09 farmers. The crop was introduced for intensification of sorghum-chickpea-fallow, sesamum-chickpea-fallow, fallow-wheat-fallow, fallow-mustard/rapeseed-mungbean and fallow-field pea-mungbean cropping system. Besides, improved varieties, farmers were also trained on improved mungbean cultivation practices, including line sowing, seed treatment and timely usage of recommended insecticides. Sowing of mungbean was carried out by the farmers during second fortnight of March to first fortnight of April, 2023 following pre-sowing irrigation. Farmers recorded an average yield of 16.72 q/ha from demonstration’s plots in compared to 10.53 q/ha from control plots and earned additional income of Rs. 102354/ha from the crop.
In continuation to these efforts, demonstrations on summer mungbean (var. Shikha) were organized on 12.8 ha in partnership of 18 farmers of Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh during 23-2024 under Farmer FIRST project. Sowing was done during second fortnight of March to first fortnight of April, 2024. The previously mentioned package and practices was followed by the partner farmers. Partner farmers received 12.12 q/ha yield from demonstrations plots compared to control plots (that translated the gross income of Rs 103748/ha. In the same year i.e. spring 2024, mungbean viz., IPM 207-5 (Virat) and IPM 410-3 (Shikha) were successfully introduced on 75 ha in partnership of 148 farmers of Kandhi, Kandhi Ki Madaiya, Ingwara and Korawa project villages under Model Pulse Village project. Besides improved varieties, partner farmers were also trained on improved mungbean cultivation practices, including line sowing, seed treatment and timely usage of recommended insecticides. The enthusiasm of partner farmers and technology backup under the project led to higher productivity levels of spring mungbean crop. Farmers fetched average yield of 12.20 q/ha from demonstrations plots against 9.75 q/ha from control plots, leading to higher income from demonstrations plots (Rs. 104864.60 q/ha) as compared to control plots (83440.5 q/ha). In this line, during the year2025, demonstrations on summer mungbean were organized on 12 ha in partnership of 15 farmers of project villages of Kanpur dehat under Model Pulse Village project. The partner farmers received 14.84 q/ha yield from the demonstration’s plots in compare to control plots (11.14 q/ha) of the region and earned Rs. 106869 per ha as a gross income.
The efforts made in project villages Kanpur Dehat and Hamirpur district showed that adopting improved varieties, timely sowing, seed treatment and insect-pest control measures led to higher yields and returns from mungbean cultivation compared to traditional methods. These demonstrations also reflected on the potential of short duration summer mungbean in income enhancement by intensifying traditional cropping systems. These outcomes serve as a strong motivation for farmers of nearby villages to adopt improved spring/summer mungbean production technology for additional income and yield.

2. IIPR Mini Dal Mill

Pulse milling is an age-old cottage scale process of husk removal and splitting cotyledons into two halves, using stone chakkies. Water soaking and sun drying is common pre-milling treatment to loosen the seed coat. Dehusked splits, i.e., dal, improves textural and culinary properties of pulses. Still pulse milling is third largest food processing industry after wheat and rice milling. About 75% of the total pulses produces are milled in large scale commercial mills, which often ally abrasive dehusking methods for husk removal, causing powdering of protein rich peripheral outer layer of cotyledons, which gets mixed with husk to produce milling byproduct. Since farmers cannot store pulses for long time, they are bound to sell their produce at prices much lower than minimum support price to the middlemen. Various research organizations, viz., CIAE, Bhopal; CFTRI, Mysuru; PDKV, Akola and ICAR-IIPR, Kanpur developed mini dal mills for cottage scale pulse milling, with an objective of income and employment generation at rural threshold.
IIPR Mini Dal Mill is an integration of basic machines used in any pulse processing plant, accommodated in table size space (140 x 70 cm). It comprises of four basic parts, i.e., (i) Cleaner-cum-grader: to obtain uniform grains size, (ii) Emery roller: for pitting of grain surface, (iii) Rubber-steel disk vertical chakki: dehusking and splitting of treated grains and, (iv) Cyclone separator: to remove milling byproduct. Most of dal mills, cottage or commercial, works on principle of abrasive dehusking, i.e., emery rollers are used for husk removal in multiple passes pre and post treatments leading to higher milling loss. In IIPR Mini Dal Mill, emery roller is used only to scratch the grain in first pass before treatment (water soaking or oil smearing) for ease of water or oil penetration. After treatment, the treated grains are passed through rubber-steel disk chakki mechanism for soft dehusking and splitting, to yield unpolished dal with 10-15% husk over dal, resulting into higher dal recovery in comparison to abrasive dehusking units.
Since development of first prototype in 2004, the mill has been upgraded several times. The present model of IIPR Mini Dal Mill (G-4) is the fourth upgrade and the non-exclusive technology has been transferred to M/s Bharat Heavy Machines, Kanpur through ICAR-Agrinovate India Limited in 2022. In past five years about 150 units of the mill has been sold across the country. This machine has huge potential to generate employment opportunities and strengthening rural economy.

3. Chickpea revolution in India

The spectacular growth of India’s pulses production between 2014-15 and 2024-25 was mainly driven by three factors: technology support, remunerative prices and conducive trade policy.
In India during 2024-25, pulses were grown in 27.6 m ha area with an estimated production of 25.2 m tonnes (Third advance estimates 2024-25). Chickpea is the major pulse with a share of about 45 % to the total pulse basket of the country (11.34 m tonnes) (Figure 1). Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and contribute more than 95% to the total chickpea production in the country.

Figure 1: Spectacular growth in chickpea production in India during recent years

The success story in chickpea can be attributed to technological advancements, increased availability of quality seed, better inter-institutional and international collaboration and dedicated policy support. India has made remarkable progress in expanding chickpea area and production. Few decades ago, chickpea was a major rabi crop of northern India but due to increase in area under irrigation facilities, the farmers gradually shifted to more remunerative crops like wheat and mustard. The chickpea research then focussed on development of early maturing, high yielding varieties which are better adapted to the short-season environment of central and southern India. The impact of the adoption of short duration varieties was clearly visible as the area in central and southern states increased by about 4 million ha which helped India in largely compensating the loss in chickpea area that occurred in northern India.

Chickpea has played a major role in realization of ‘Pulse Revolution’ in India making the country nearly self-sufficient in pulses. Chickpea research in India has led to development of more than 250 chickpea varieties with higher yield potential, reduced crop duration, large seeded kabuli (>50g/100 seeds), incorporation of biotic and abiotic stress resistance and amenability to machine harvesting. The productivity of chickpea in the country during past one decade has increased significantly from 889 kg/ha in 2014-15 to 1180 kg/ha (2024-25) and the production has increased to the tune of 55%.

Besides, molecular marker based advanced technologies have been integrated for fast-tracking release of climate resilient chickpea varieties. Research on machine harvestable chickpea varieties is an integral part of the chickpea improvement program in India, which aims modification of the conventional short semi spreading/ spreading plant type to tall, erect/semi erect plant type. In recent years chickpea varieties amenable to machine harvesting have been released for commercial cultivation in different zones of India to optimize the farmer’s return and expand the acreage under chickpea.
The other drivers of the change include improved access to quality seed, technical backstopping, enhanced seed replacement rate (nearly 30%), price support system and increased input supply. Besides, the share of new varieties (<10 years old) in the seed chain has increased to more than 81%.