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jf.0 REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Large part of the world's food is bring coi~tributrd by ogriculturc though nlost of
the developed countries derive their food BOIII animal source. World food grain yruducl~o~l
toucl~ed 2 billion ton mark at the turn of the last n~illet~niurn. The econoniic, con~niercial
and social realities resulted in an uneven distribution of the food grains amply ava~lable
that left 800 million people still undernourished (FAO, 2001). Tlie surpluses are used for
exports and tl~e costs were dearer for the developiiig coul~tries that kept the number of
undernourished people still alarming. Alter~iative food supple~i~e~~ts froin pulse crops
gained all iiicreasii~g significance in tlic recent times that prompted developed cou~~try I~ke
United States to include the lentils, broad beans atid cliickpeas in their 1:drnl bill 2002 so as
to encourage the exports in this area (Food Outlook, FAO, 2002). Pulses are tile cd~ble dry
seeds of legum~nous plants. They are of special liutr~tioi~al and economic i~nportance due
to tlieir contribution to the diets of ~~~ill~ons ofpcople worldwide. Tlie nialn importnncc of
pulses lies primar~ly 111 their liigli proteni content (two to three t~~iies higher than most
cereals) as %ell as in being a valuable source ofenergy. In addlrion, pulses contai~i good
anioulits of r~utritionally essential minerals sucli as calcium and iron. The use of pulses as
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hod is concetitrated in developing countries, accounting for about 90% of global l~uman
pulsc consump~ioi~. In i~lost low-income countries, pulses contribute about 10% of the
daily protein and about 5% of energy intakes 111 tllc diets of people (Paroda, 1995). Dur~ng
the initial years of legume cult~vat~on brecd~ng was an important means of crop
improvement. These efforts niet wit11 considcrablo succesa that resulted in iniproved yield
of biomass in terms of wl~olc plant dry tnintter or thc secd. However, breeding Sor traits