Pulses are the third most important crop in Bangladesh, crucial for nutritional security, with a growing demand outpacing production by approximately 1.61 million tons. Various pulse varieties have been developed through collaborations to improve yield and resistance to diseases, while innovative agricultural practices have been introduced to enhance production efficiency. Despite challenges like abiotic and biotic stresses, opportunities for expanding pulse cultivation include new cropping patterns and utilizing fallow lands.

1. Dr.Md.Omar Ali
Principal Scientific Officer
BARI, Bangladesh

3. Introduction to Pulses
Pulse, the 3nd important and widely used crop in
Bangladesh- A Nutritional Security Crop
Demand of Pulses is increasing @ 2.24% per
year
Present demand is 2.5 MMT against 0.89 MMT
production with a deficit of about 1.61 MMT
(Based on 45 g/day/head)

4. Importance of pulses in Bangladesh
Nutritional security Cattle health improvement
Soil health improvement 4

5. Major Pulses
1. Lentil
2. Chickpea
3. Blackgram
4. Mungbean
5. Grass pea
Minor pulses
1. Cowpea
2. Fieldpea
3. Fababean
4. Pegion pea
Pulse Crops Growing in Bangladesh
5

6. Average of 4 years total pulses area, production and yield
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1985 1991-95 1996-00 2001-05 2006-09 2010-14
area in thousand ha production in thousand tons yield in kg/ha
Source: AIS, DAE, Bangladesh, 2015

7. Crop BARI BINA BSMRAU Total no. of varieties
Lentil 8 9 - 17
Chickpea 9 6 - 15
Mungbean 8 8 4 20
Blackgram 3 1 - 4
Grasspea 4 1 - 5
Cowpea 2 - - 2
Fieldpea 2 - 2
Total 36 25 4 65
Number of varieties of pulses released by the
different institutes of Bangladesh

8. BARI –ICARDA collaboration and
achievements/success:
Varieties along with production technologies
Bio-fortification of lentil
Capacity building
Technology transfer activities

9. Name of
variety
Year of
released
Yield
(kg/ha)
Diseases reaction Collaboration Fe
(mg/kg)
Zn
(mg/kg)
Se
(microgra
m /kg)
BARI Masur-2 1993 1800-1900 Tolerant
to STB and rust
BARI-ICARDA - - -
BARI Masur-4 1996 1900-2000 Resistant
to STB and rust
BARI-ICARDA 58.23 52.24 359
BARI Masur-5 2006 2100-2200 Resistant
to STB and rust
BARI-ICARDA 80.54 60.87 255
BARI Masur-6 2006 2200-2300 Resistant
to STB and rust
BARI-ICARDA 87.42 65.15 387
BARI Masur-7 2011 2200-2300 Resistant
to STB and rust
BARI-ICARDA 77.78 61.57 308
BARI Masur-8 2015 2200-2300 Resistant
to STB and rust
BARI-ICARDA 72.5 56.5 -
Binamasur-7 2013 2000-2200 Resistant to STB and
rust
BARI-ICARDA - - -
Developed biofortified lentil varieties under
Bangladesh-ICARDA Collaboration
STB= Stemphylium blight

10. • High tolerance to Stemphylium blight
• Fe- 87.42 ppm, Zn- 65.15 ppm
• High Yield (2200-2300 kg/ha)

11. BARI Masur- 8
• High tolerance to Stemphylium blight
• Late potentiality (last week of Nov.)
• Fe- 70-75 ppm, Zn- 55-58 ppm
• High Yield (2200-2300 kg/ha)
Lentil
11
Susceptible
check
BARI Masur- 8

12. Crop management
 Optimum management packages for the new varieties of
lentil have been developed.
 Seed priming ( 8-10 hours) and irrigation water management
for lentil in the dry areas have been developed.
 Pulses production through conservation agriculture like-
relay cropping and minimum tillage options have been
developed for medium high to medium low lands of rice
based cropping systems.
 New cropping patterns: Monsoon rice-relay lentil/pea-
mungbean is a profitable cropping pattern for medium high–
medium low lands.
 Insect and disease management packages for theier control

13. Lentil relay cropping with transplanted aman rice
Land type: medium high to medium low land
Soil type: Clay loam to loam
Yield: 1.6-2.0 ton /ha
Breaking monoculture
Improvement of soil health by adding N
Production cost: 45% less than tillage
cultivation
Location: Atgharia., Pabna
One of the best technology which is extensively adopted by Local farmers in
Pabna
Success through
Demonstration
13

14. 14
Lentil relay cropping with transplanted
aman rice
Lentil relay cropping with transplanted aman
rice
Farmers are harvesting Lentil relay crop

15. Lentil cultivation through Strip tillage

16. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER ACTIVITIES
 Seed Production and Distribution
 Front Line Block Demonstration
 Training
 Field Day
16

17. Topic Results
Seed Production (Lentil) 50.00 ton
Seed Distribution 48.00 ton
Beneficiary farmers 15000
Total No. of farmers’ training 170 batch @ 30
No. of farmers achieved training 5100
Total no. of demonstrations 100 @ 1 ha
No. of Field days 50 @ 100
Total participants in Field days 5000
Seed production, Distribution and Technology
Transfer Activities by PRC, 2010-15
17

18. Breeder seed production of
lentil at PRC, Ishwardi

19. Demonstration plot visit by foreign and native delegates
19

20. Demonstration plot of relay lentil visit by foreign and native delegates

21. Field Visit of Lentil Block
Demonstration by
BARI Masur-6
Local variety

22. Capacity Development

23. Type of training
No of
batch
Participants/
batch
Total no of
Participants
TOT 5 30 150
Field Staff 15 30 450
Farmers 170 30 5100
Farmers motivation/
Field day
50 100 5000
Total 10700
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT ON LAST TEN (2010-2015) YEARS

24. Training on pulses 24

25. SEEDS AND FERTILIZERS DISTRIBUTION
25

26. FIELD DAY ON LENTIL AND MUNGBEAN
26

27. Year Training
Visit/workshop/
conference
Venue
2011 Ph.D.(2) completed 7 days Bangladesh, India
2012 - 3 days (1)
5 days (1)
Japan
India
2013 15 days (1)
MS(1)- completed
5-12 days (11) Bangladesh, Nepal
2014 - 7 days (1) Canada
2015 15 days (4)
MS (1)-on going
PhD (1)-on going
3-9 days (11)
ICARDA, Lebanon,
Morocco, India,
Bangladesh
Human Resource Development last 5 years
MS & Ph.D program mainly based on biofortified lentil & one Ph.D on
conservation agriculture

28. Adoption of Improved Pulses Varieties
Source: Baseline survey under ACIAR rice pulse project in 2014-15
86%
95%
64%
35%
2%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Lentil Mungbean Chickpea Blackgram Field pea
%Adoption
Crop
28

29. 1.4 1.45
1.65 1.65
1.82
2
1.56
1.68
2.1 2.1
2.32
2.6
1.11
1.2
1.27 1.27 1.28 1.3
2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015
Area, production & Yield of lentil
Area (Lac in ha) Production (Lac in MT) Seed Yield (t/ha)

30. 30
Availability of Pulses (gm/person/day)
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
1971-73 1981-83 1991-93 2003-05 2006-08 2013-15

31.  Availability of improved seed increased by
35% farmers
 Improved production technologies use
increased by 28%
 Area increased 86% (172000 ha out of 200000
ha) by modern varieties which increased
production and yield by 28% of lentil farmer.
 Financial benefit of lentil farmers increased
by 49%.
 Consumption rate increased by 23%.
 About 10,00000 farm family are benefited.

32. Financial Enhancement
Item Seed Straw
Total lentil area (2014-15) 200000 ha
Areas covered by improved variety 172000 ha (86%)
Increased yield (Kg/ha) 240 kg 510 kg
Increased production 41280 ton 87720 ton
Extra income 33.5 M US $ 4.38 M US $
Total 37.88 M US $

33. Lessons learnt behind the success
 Development of disease resistant/tolerant improved varieties along with
production technologies under profitable cropping pattern.
 Capacity building of scientists and end user specially farmers including
women to create awareness build up on pulses production.
 Quality seed production and distribution, and enhance seed production
by VBSE.
 Strengthening technology transfer activities through training, large scale
demonstration, field day and motivational tour etc.
 Introduction of pulses in the new niches specially medium high – medium
low lands of rice/rice fallows by conservation agriculture (relay
cropping/minimum tillage).
 Yield gap minimized through introduction of improved technologies,
 Proper monitoring and evaluation.
 Higher and stable price support, national and international project
activities and Government incentives to the pulse growers have led the
farmers growing more pulses in recent times.
33

34. Constraints for Pulses Production in
Bangladesh
Abiotic
 Resurgence of new diseases and insects and lack of resistance
source against pest and diseases
 Poor response to input
 Drought or excess moisture
 Soil salinity and acidity
 Depletion of organic matter and micronutrient in the soil
 High competition with spring rice (boro rice) & rabi crops
 Delayed sowing
 Less productivity compared to other crops
34

35. Biotic Stresses
Dieases: FW, Rust, SB, Coll. rot, BGM, YMV, PM, CLS, White mold etc.
Insects: Pod borer, Thrips, Aphids, Bruchids, Flea beetles, Stem fly etc.
35

36. Scope and opportunities for increasing
pulses production in Bangladesh

37. The scope of expansion of pulses as a sole crop is very
limited. Therefore the strategy should be
(I) increase productivity through the adoption of
improved varieties along with cultural practices
(vertical expansion).
(2)increase area through introduction of new cropping
patterns and utilization of fallow lands specially rice
fallows (horizontal expansion)

38. Coastal area: 0.88 M ha
Fallow Hilly areas: 1.56 M ha
Fallow Char land: 0.83 M ha Fallow High Barind tract: 0.30 M ha
Horizontal Expansion of Pulses in Bangladesh
38

39. Pulses can be grown in Non-traditional Fallow Lands
39

40. Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Aman rice
1Aug-26 Oct
BLX-05008-15
1 Nov- 25Jan
DM: 80-85 days
Boro
31 Jan. Transplant
BR 33 BR28
Pattern: T.aman - Lentil -Boro

41. Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Aman rice Boro rice
New pattern: Aman rice -Pulses- Boro rice
41
Pea, Grasspea,
Super-early lentil

42.  Development and introduction of appropriate pulse,
varieties (multiple stress tolerance, short duration,
biofortified, machine harvestability, herbicide
tolerance) along with matching production
technologies for specific niches.
 Grasspea varieties contain low BOAA (0.04-0.08 %)
& high biomass and hull-less barley varieties.
 Research activities should be strengthen to develop
new technologies with new science to break yield
barriers- Molecular breeding.
 More thrust should be given in new areas specially
rice fallows.
Future Need

43.  Adoption of CA technologies and establishment of VBSE
 More production of breeder and quality seed
 More trainings and demonstrations are to be organized to
update the knowledge of the farmers and other stakeholders
on modern production technologies. In addition,
farmers will be empowered through post and pre-harvest
trainings.
 Training and higher study will be pursued by involved
scientist as per requirement under changing climate

44. THANKS
TO
ALL