LENTIL CROP PRODUCTION IN CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

INTRODUCTION
Climate change and agriculture are inter-related processes both of which takes place on global
scale. Climate over Indo-Gangetic plains has generally changed significantly over last thirty years.
The rate of warming has varied temporally and spatially.

Change in precipitation has been even more variable. Temperature increases above 2.5ºC will
generally have negative overall effects on world agriculture. Reproductive performance of Lentil is
particularly affected because Lentil has poor tolerance for high temperatures, especially at
flowering and pod set stage. The synchrony of current and future trends reinforces the need for
investigating the adaptation of Lentil Crop to climate change. This study include the observations
on the yield of Lentil crop in relation to weather changes at Agra.
LENTIL CROPS
• Cultivated Lentil an annual crop has been grown as an important food source for over 8,000
years.
• Lentil has a tolerance of extreme environment conditions such as drought and hot temperatures
and can be grown in semi-arid regions without irrigation; Moreover, the crop can be grown in
rotation with cereal crops to reduce soil erosion, improve disease and weed control and reduce
demand for Nitrogen fertilizers.
• Beyond their longstanding food agronomic attributes, lentil is also emerging as biomass energy
crop and for other non industrial, non food uses.
• Studies suggest that cultivation of Lentil is more profitable than other crops under rain-fed
conditions
LENTIL CROP PRODUCTION IN INDIA
• Lentil is a major international pulse crop (3.7 million hectares harvested in 2009).
• Lentils are grown in the cooler temperate zones of the world or in the winter season in countries
such as India and Australia which have a warm winter and hot summer.
• In India Lentil occupies 1.51 million hectare area with a production of 0.95 million tonnes
(FAOSTAT, 2009).
• It is mainly cultivated in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and West Bengal.
• These states together account for 80-90% of total area and production of Lentil
 VITALSTATISTICS
• The present study was conducted in Dayalbagh area of Agra district (Uttar Pradesh) during Rabi
seasons for two successive years (2009-2010 and 2010- 2011).
S.No Year Average Average Average Average Avg Avg
Maximum Minimum maximum minimum deviation deviation
Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature from the from min
for base year for base year base year temp.

1 2007 32.4 18.5

2 2008 32.0 19.9

3 2009 32.9 22.3 32.2 19.2 +0.7 +3.1

4 2010 33.7 22.7 +1.5 +3.5

5 2011 33.0 22.9 +0.8 +3.7

• Lentil can be grown on wide range of soil types and soil pH. It is more sensitive to water logging.
• The soil of Dayalbagh crop fields is sandy with slightly alkaline which is suitable for lentil
cultivation
RESULTS
• The study of vegetative and reproductive parameters shows that plant population density,
flowers/ plant and pods/plant were more in year 2010-2011 as compared to 2009-2010.
• However, the observations of pod traits shows that pod length and pod circumference and
seeds/pod were less in 2010-2011 as compared to previous year.
• There is 552 kg/ha yield difference in both the years.
• This yield reduction may be due to a combination or one of the factors i.e. flower drop or pod
drop.
• Abundant pod drop was observed in Lentil crop field in 2010-2011 due to increase in maximum
and minimum temperatures than previous year.
• Consequently the yield decreased by 552kg/ha in 2010-2011 when compared to the previous year.
• It was further computed that with every 0.1ºC increase in maximum and minimum
temperature the reduction in yield was55.2kg/ha and 16.2kg/ha respectively.
S.NO.4 Year Increase in temperature Actual Yield of lentil crops Declined yield of
(kg/ha) lentil crops
(kg/ha)
Max. Temp. Min Temp.

1 2009 +0.7 +3.1 1683(2009-2010)

2 2010 +1.5 +3.5 1131(2010-2011) -552

3 2011 +0.8 +3.7

Average +1.0 +3.4

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Dhuppar Pooja, Biyan Subhash C., Chintapalli Basanti : Lentil Crop Production in the Context of
Climate Change: An Appraisal; Indian Research Journal of Extension Education, Special Issue
(Volume II), 2012
• Ali M.,Joshi P.K., Pande S., Legumes in the Indo-Gangetic Plain of India, Indian Institute of
Pulses Research, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208 024, India.