Pigeonpea Farming: Essential Cultivation Techniques

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.), widely known as arhar or tur, holds a special place in Indian agriculture. It is the country’s second most important pulse crop after chickpea, serving as a primary protein source for millions of households. With India accounting for roughly 80% of the world’s pigeonpea acreage, getting the cultivation practices right is not just an academic exercise – it directly impacts food security and farmer livelihoods. This post breaks down everything you need to know about pigeonpea farming, from climate needs and land preparation to nutrient management, pest control, and harvesting.

Origin and importance of pigeonpea 🔗

Pigeonpea was domesticated in the Indian subcontinent at least 3,500 years ago. Today, it is cultivated extensively across tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In India, the crop covers approximately 4.82 million hectares, producing around 3.88 million tonnes annually. The major producing states include Maharashtra (leading in both area and production), followed by Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Jharkhand. Together, these six states contribute more than 80% of total national production.

Nutritionally, pigeonpea seeds contain 20-22% protein, making them an essential dietary supplement for India’s largely vegetarian population. The split seeds, known as toor dal, are a staple ingredient in dishes like sambar and dal. Beyond grain, the crop offers multiple benefits – its woody stems are used for fuel, roofing material, and basket-making, while fallen leaves add organic matter to the soil. Its deep root system and nitrogen-fixing ability through symbiotic root nodules improve soil fertility, making it an excellent crop for rotation and intercropping systems.

Climate and soil requirements 🔗

Pigeonpea is primarily a crop of arid and semi-arid tropics. It is remarkably drought-tolerant thanks to its well-developed, deep taproot system that can access moisture from deeper soil layers. However, it does have specific climate preferences for optimal yield.

Temperature 🔗

The crop needs warm, moist weather – ideally 30-35°C during germination, slightly lower temperatures of 20-25°C during active vegetative growth, and about 15-18°C during flowering and pod setting. At maturity, it tolerates higher temperatures of 35-40°C. It is a short-day, C3 plant that is often cross-pollinated.

Rainfall 🔗

An average rainfall of 600-1000 mm is considered adequate. The crop requires moist conditions for the first eight weeks after sowing, but drier weather is preferred during flowering and pod development. Rains during flowering can result in poor pollination and increased disease incidence.

Soil 🔗

Pigeonpea grows on a wide variety of soils but performs best on fertile, well-drained loamy soils with a pH range of 6.5-7.5. Saline-alkaline or waterlogged soils are unsuitable. In the Indo-Gangetic region, deep loams with slightly alkaline pH (7.5-8.5) are common pigeonpea soils. Vertisols (black cotton soils) with 40-60% clay content in the surface layer are also widely used, particularly in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Improved varieties 🔗

Choosing the right variety is one of the most critical decisions in pigeonpea farming. Varieties are broadly classified by maturity duration:

Extra-short and short-duration varieties (120-150 days): These include UPAS-120, ICPL 85063 (Laxmi), ICPL 151, and AL-15. They are ideal for areas where pigeonpea needs to fit into intensive cropping systems, such as pigeonpea-wheat rotations.

Medium-duration varieties (160-200 days): Popular choices include Asha (ICPL 87119), BSMR-736, BDN-711, and JKM-189. These are widely grown across central and southern India.

Long-duration varieties (200+ days): These include Bahar, MAL-13, and NDA-1, commonly cultivated in northern India, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Hybrids: ICRISAT has developed notable hybrids like ICPH 2671 and ICPH 2740, which have shown 30-40% yield advantage over open-pollinated varieties in farmer fields. ICPH 2740, in particular, is resistant to wilt and sterility mosaic disease. More recently, ICRISAT developed ICPV 25444, the world’s first heat-tolerant pigeonpea bred specifically for summer cultivation, capable of tolerating temperatures up to 45°C.

Land preparation and sowing 🔗

Seedbed preparation 🔗

Pigeonpea responds well to a properly tilled and well-drained seedbed. A deep ploughing with a soil-turning plough is recommended, especially in fallow or wasteland areas. Under intensive cropping systems, zero-tillage sowing is also practiced. In low-lying areas prone to waterlogging, broad bed and furrow (BBF) or ridge-and-furrow planting is advisable, as these methods provide better drainage and root aeration during periods of excess rainfall.

Sowing time 🔗

Pigeonpea is predominantly a Kharif (rainy season) crop, sown with the onset of monsoon rains. In most regions, sowing in the second fortnight of June to early July is considered optimal for medium and long-duration varieties. For short-duration types, sowing can extend into early July. Research consistently shows that early sowing (around the 26th meteorological week) leads to higher yields and better economic returns compared to delayed sowing.

Seed rate and spacing 🔗

The seed rate depends on variety type. For early-maturing varieties, use 20-25 kg/ha with a row spacing of 45-60 cm and plant-to-plant distance of 10-15 cm. For medium and late-maturing varieties, the seed rate is 15-20 kg/ha, with row spacing of 60-75 cm and plant spacing of 15-20 cm. The target plant population for short-duration types is 80,000-1,00,000 plants/ha, while for tall, highly-branched late varieties, it is considerably lower.

Seed treatment 🔗

Before sowing, treat seeds with Carbendazim or Thiram @ 2 g/kg of seed to protect against soil-borne diseases. Follow this with a biological treatment using Trichoderma viride @ 4 g/kg of seed or Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10 g/kg of seed. Inoculation with Rhizobium culture is also recommended to enhance nitrogen fixation – apply 20 g per kg of seed as a seed coating before sowing.

Nutrient management 🔗

Although pigeonpea fixes atmospheric nitrogen through its root nodules, it still benefits from a balanced supply of nutrients, especially in nutrient-deficient soils.

Recommended fertilizer dose 🔗

The general recommendation from the Directorate of Pulses Development is to apply 25-30 kg N, 40-50 kg P₂O₅, and 30 kg K₂O per hectare as a basal dose at the time of sowing. All fertilizers should be drilled in furrows about 5 cm deep and 5 cm away from the seed line. Under irrigated conditions, the phosphorus dose may be increased to 50-75 kg P₂O₅/ha.

Secondary and micronutrients 🔗

Sulphur application at 20 kg/ha is beneficial for protein synthesis and better nitrogen fixation. For micronutrients, foliar application of 0.5% Zinc Sulphate (with 0.25% lime) is recommended in zinc-deficient soils. In light-textured soils, foliar sprays of 0.5% FeSO₄ at 60, 90, and 120 days after sowing help address iron deficiency.

Organic manure 🔗

Application of FYM (farmyard manure) at 5 tonnes/ha about 2-4 weeks before sowing significantly improves soil structure and nutrient availability. Research at Badnapur has shown that combining recommended cultural practices with additional FYM and balanced chemical fertilizers leads to significantly higher grain yields and better economic returns.

Water management 🔗

Pigeonpea is largely grown as a rainfed crop, and its deep root system enables it to withstand dry spells better than most pulses. However, prolonged drought during critical growth stages can severely reduce yields.

When irrigation is available, three irrigations are considered optimal: the first at the branching stage (around 30 days after sowing), the second at flowering (around 70 DAS), and the third at pod-filling stage (around 110 DAS). These three stages are the most moisture-sensitive periods in the crop’s life cycle.

Equally important is proper drainage. Waterlogging is one of the biggest threats to pigeonpea. Ridge planting or BBF systems are effective in areas with poor sub-surface drainage, as they provide adequate root aeration during heavy rainfall periods. Excessive irrigation should be avoided, as it promotes unnecessary vegetative growth and increases the risk of diseases like Phytophthora blight.

Weed management 🔗

The first 60 days are the most critical period for weed competition in pigeonpea. Poor weed control during this window can cause significant yield losses.

For mechanical control, two hoeings are recommended – the first at 20-25 days after sowing and the second at 45-50 days (before flowering). For chemical weed control, a pre-emergence application of Pendimethalin @ 0.75-1 kg a.i./ha in 400-600 litres of water is effective at keeping fields weed-free for the first 50 days. This can be followed by one hand weeding at 6-7 weeks after sowing if needed.

A practice gaining attention is nipping – removing the apical portion of the plant in early stages. According to recent research, nipping controls excessive vegetative growth, increases branch number, and ultimately boosts pod and seed yield.

Major pests and their management 🔗

Insect pests are among the most serious constraints to pigeonpea productivity. The pod borer complex – comprising Helicoverpa armigera, pod fly (Melanagromyza obtusa), and spotted pod borer (Maruca vitrata) – can cause yield losses of up to 100% in extreme cases.

Helicoverpa armigera (gram pod borer) 🔗

This is the most damaging pest. A single larva can destroy 30-40 pods before reaching maturity. Management through an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach is most effective: deep summer ploughing to expose soil-dwelling pupae, intercropping with sorghum, bajra, or sesame, and installing pheromone traps (2-3 per acre) from September to January. When pest populations cross the economic threshold (2 eggs or larvae per plant at 25-50% flowering), spray with insecticides like Methomyl 50 SP, followed by neem-based formulations and HaNPV (Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus) in subsequent sprays.

Pod fly 🔗

Pod fly damage has been estimated at around $256 million annually in India. The pest lays eggs inside developing pods, and larvae feed on the seeds internally. Chemical control using Emamectin benzoate 5 SG in combination with Dimethoate 30 EC has shown good results in reducing grain damage.

Major diseases and their management 🔗

Fusarium wilt 🔗

Caused by Fusarium udum, this is one of the most devastating diseases of pigeonpea. The pathogen is soil-borne and can persist for years. Management includes using wilt-resistant varieties (such as ICPL 87119 and ICPL 332), seed treatment with Carbendazim, and long crop rotations with non-host crops.

Sterility mosaic disease (SMD) 🔗

SMD is caused by a virus transmitted by the eriophyid mite. Infected plants show mosaic patterns on leaves, excessive branching, and complete sterility – no pods are formed. It is a major constraint across all pigeonpea-growing regions in India. The primary management strategy is growing resistant varieties, along with removing and destroying infected plants and wild pigeonpea hosts that serve as sources of inoculum.

Phytophthora blight 🔗

This disease is particularly problematic in waterlogged conditions. Ensuring proper field drainage, ridge planting, and using tolerant varieties are the best preventive measures.

Intercropping systems 🔗

Pigeonpea’s tall, erect growth habit and long crop duration make it an excellent candidate for intercropping. Common combinations include pigeonpea + soybean, pigeonpea + sorghum, pigeonpea + groundnut, and pigeonpea + short-duration pulses like urad or moong. Intercropping not only increases the total productivity per unit land area but also reduces the risk of complete crop failure and helps manage pests by increasing environmental diversity. For instance, sowing one row of sunflower as an intercrop over nine rows of pigeonpea has been shown to reduce pod borer populations.

Harvesting and yield 🔗

Pigeonpea is ready for harvest when about 80% of the pods turn brown or black. In most varieties, harvesting is done in 2-3 pickings as pods mature progressively. Picking should ideally be done in the morning hours when pods are slightly moist, reducing shattering losses. After picking, pods are sun-dried and threshed to separate seeds.

Under improved management practices, yields of 12-15 quintals/ha are achievable for medium-duration varieties. The national average productivity, however, remains around 850-900 kg/ha – well below the potential. ICRISAT and NFSM have been working on bridging this gap, estimating that providing farmers with improved varieties alongside a complete agronomy package could increase yields by up to 30%.

Future outlook 🔗

Despite being a staple crop, India still falls short of meeting domestic pigeonpea demand and relies on imports. Research institutions like ICRISAT and IIPR-Kanpur are actively working on developing climate-resilient genotypes, expanding cultivation into rice fallow areas, and promoting mechanisation. Recent studies show that complete mechanisation of pigeonpea farming can increase yields by over 16% while reducing cultivation costs by 12.5% – a promising direction for making the crop more profitable for smallholder farmers.

What do you think? Given that pigeonpea productivity in India has remained largely stagnant for decades, which intervention do you believe could have the biggest impact – developing better varieties, improving mechanisation, or expanding the crop to new growing seasons like summer?

References

1. https://oar.icrisat.org/2422/1/Pigeonpea-Botany-Production-Practices.pdf
2. https://arccjournals.com/journal/agricultural-reviews/R-2343
3. https://www.biochemjournal.com/archives/2025/vol9issue7/PartG/9-7-79-540.pdf
4. https://oar.icrisat.org/8817/1/Pigeonpea%20Perspective%20in%20India.pdf
5. https://pressroom.icrisat.org/a-season-redefined-farmers-and-scientists-unite-to-pioneer-summer-pigeonpea-cultivation
6. https://dpd.gov.in/Ready%20Reckoner%20Pulses%202020%20(English).pdf
7. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342513281_Integrated_Nutrient_Management_in_Pigeonpea
8. https://farmrise.bayer.com/en/expert-article/pigeonpea-podborer-and-its-management.html
9. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11313807/
10. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-91043-3_6
11. https://pressroom.icrisat.org/pioneering-pigeonpea-project-unveiled-in-india
12. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/agronomy/articles/10.3389/fagro.2025.1590421/full