Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), commonly called gram, Bengal gram or garbanzo bean is the one of most important food grain legumes. It is also a major source of plant based dietary protein. By and large the crop is cultivated under rainfed conditions mostly on receding soil moisture, which often exposes the crop to drought during its active growth period. Drought alone is the most important constraint to crop productivity. With climate change and predictions of increased water scarcity in the future, water-stress is likely to remain the number one constraint. One way of improving the low...

The enhancement of access to and improvement of quality seed is one timely and important development agenda for the area. In addition, lentil improvement in the country should target high and stable yield, resistant to prevailing biotic and abiotic stresses, and fulfill farmers' quality criteria. Seed is considered to be a vital input for achieving higher productivity. A wide gap exists between the requirement and availability of quality seed Government policies are required to ensure the availability of certified seed to farmers that increase lentil productivity. In view of the increased...