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dishes for people of the developing counlries as acccssoiy foods. Most i~~lportant feature of
these plants is that they tix atmospl~eric nitrogen 111 symb~osis with Rhirobiunt, which
qualifies them to be used in Inter cropping and rotation cropping practices in contblnation
with the cereals to enhance the product~v~ty of tile later. However, despite their protein rich
and n~troge~l fix~ng attr~butes, the production of pulses lids increased at nluch slower pace.
This pace could have been the result of Pictors like rice-whcat rotation, illter croppirig w ~tl~
few other cereals and lesser ava~lub~iity of ~~u~rition;~lly dcpcildable Icgumcs in hot xa,oll.
Most of the Important legumcs are cool season crops where the cereals relatively domi~~;itc
the cool season. These hcts pushed the areas ot'lsgu~ne cnltivat~o~~ to ~nargitlal regions that
are mostly ramfed. Sigiiiiicai~i crop losscs are observed due to varlous b~otic 2nd ab~ot~c
stresses, as farnmrs of the developing countries are not inclined to use expensive remedial
inputs such a5 fertilizers and pesticides. This lias resulted in a wide gap betwceil thc yiuld
ratios of pulses to cereals tit 1:32 111 I990 (l'aroda, 1995). Howevcr, various scie~ltific.
social and nutrition concerns 111dicate that the legu~lies must be given duc impo~lance in the
regular agricultural practices which would be Illore beneficial to thc third world countries.
In accordance with this pointer, various govcr~i~nental and 11o1l-goveriin1e11~;~l researcl~
institutes including ICRISAT, India; ICARDA, Syria; IATA, Nigeria etc., embarked onto
understand~ng the metabolic and agrono~nic ~ntricacies of various food and pasture
legumes and organize maneuvers for Improvelncnt and preiervatio~~ of the el~tc germplasn~
of peas, beans, lentils, grain legumes and various other pulses.
During early i~griculture, selectio~~ of ci~ltivable varieties was principally based
upon natur:~l selection. Iluuvever, ~t was in I:~ter par1 of 19"' century that dcti~al plant
breeding programmes started. Varieties with elite phenotyp~c troits wele aelected and
ciossed for co~i~bi~i:jt~on ~f neccssaly cIiar.icici,, in lhu otl'spr~ng. blendel'a famous pca
experiments and observations provided a Inore logical basc for the brzeding trlals and