alternative crops for diversifying production systems in ... · musta!d (bn•ssiw junmce/j (l.)...

9
Alternative Crops for Diver sif ying Production Systems in the Arabian Peninsula 44.1 · alj;; ':-It A.... :. :.t.. t • :t j • \.Aj')' j • ,A ; ";t aL..u _ , 'J'A' - tr J.r . - . - N. K. Rao, Mo hammed S!taft id and S!tabbir A. Sit a/ri d .aU. ..._ i ->*-' 1..1, J .aU. ...._... 'J 1.) .!J •.:. /IJ(ernational Ctmer for BiosaU111! .4xrlrulturt P 0 Box 14661!. Duhai, UA ii C-Mnil: n.rao@biosaline.or;:.ae Absl t acl : Pilot studies were conduct ed at the Dubai based lnternational Center for BiosaU1 1e Agriculture with the objective to identify ahcmativc crops with potential for diversification of product i on systems in the Arnbian Peninsul a. Amoag the nuu- ly crops cxrunincd, quinoa. cov.rpca. pigeon pea and mustard $howcd good adaptation to the environment and produced yields comparable to those reponed from highly productive environments. Thus, maximum yield reco rd ed was 2.58 I ha· 1 in quinoa (Ames 13761). 3. 09 t ha· 1 in cowpea (rVu 9725). 3.56 I ha· 1 in pigeonpea (ICP 995) and 3.04 t ha· 1 in mustard (ATC 93 142). These crops arc to leran tlo drought and salinity and have a wide range of thus making 1hcm promisi ng alternat ive crops for di versi fication or prilduc t.ion systems and the econo11uc use of marginal land and water resources. The ten best performing accessions were selected in each crop for further cNaluation and development oi soitable agronomic practices to introduce them to the fanners in the region. Keywords: altenwuve (.'I'OJ'· 'i · Art1binn Pt•ninsula. de.f<'fl farming. Quinoa. Cowpea. Pigeonpea, Muswrci J>_,;.JIJ i,->41 <.!..,JIJ \.,.JlliJ IJ¥11 •...,y-11 + .... I).)JI .... l:.}:l ,f_,...JI (:>Zit .:,!. 2.58 .:..a, .W .... , _,.. .:.1:,.11),. <lliJ 'l!.w ;;.:.,JI e-" -. .:...ab <?JI .( TCP9951 <.!..,JI :1,. 3.56 .(TVU 97251 (;,,UI 3.09 .(Ames 1376 11 IJ¥11 .:.t..l-.;.:._1 l+J, iJ.,;,.. <.,.;-'! <...foiJ ,1,.-W. I ,:.., .:,1 t.., 1 .rATC 93142) j>_,;...tl :1,. l·> tos:.. ,;,b 3.04 .JA 1 t'JZ.l W :,# lpl>J)' W)U1 .-o.JfoJ ... .. _! JS V" . <.a.:H, J_,.;,. Y ,J,--'41/ <L,JI. t..¥JI ,J,Jr,..--JI<-:/.;)JI •.,, .... JI; ft'}<-11.,._;,, , INTRODUCTION the world with day temperntures in summer often exceeding 50°C. The soils of the Arabian The Arabian Peninsula IS one of the driest Peninsula reflect the aridity of the climat e. Most regtons in the world with very low and unretirtble are po(> riy develop ed, sha ll ow and rich in lime. ra infall. It IS also one of the hottest regions in gypsum or salts. Due to tltc hot el imate, the '

Upload: others

Post on 20-Feb-2020

1 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Alternative Crops for Diversifying Production Systems in the Arabian Peninsula

44.1 · alj;; ':-I t A....:. :.t.. t • :tj • \.Aj')' j • ,A ;";t aL..u J.:!.-~ _ , 'J'A' ~J""Y • - tr J.r ~ . ~ - . -

N. K. Rao, Mohammed S!taft id and S!tabbir A. Sit a/rid

.aU. ..._ i ->*-' 1..1, J .aU. ...._... 'J 1.) • .!J • .:.

/IJ(ernational Ctmer for BiosaU111! .4xrlrulturt

P 0 Box 14661!. Duhai, UAii

C-Mnil: [email protected];:.ae

Absl t acl: Pilot studies were conducted at the Dubai based lnternational Center for BiosaU11e Agriculture with the objective to identify ahcmativc crops with potential for d iversification of production systems in the Arnbian Peninsula. Amoag the nuu-ly crops cxrunincd, quinoa. cov.rpca. pigeon pea and mustard $howcd good adaptation to the environment and produced yields comparable to those reponed from highly productive environments. Thus, maximum ~ccd yield recorded was 2.58 I ha·1 in quinoa (Ames 13761). 3 .09 t ha·1 in cowpea (rVu 9725). 3.56 I ha·1 in pigeonpea (ICP 995) and 3.04 t ha·1 in mustard (ATC 93 142). These crops arc tolerantlo drought and salinity and have a wide range of uses~ thus making 1hcm promising alternative crops for diversi fication or prilduct.ion systems and the econo11uc use of marginal land and water resources. The ten best performing accessions were selected in each crop for further cNaluation and development oi soitable agronomic practices to introduce them to the fanners in the region. Keywords: altenwuve (.'I'OJ'·'i· Art1binn Pt•ninsula. de.f<'fl farming. Quinoa. Cowpea. Pigeonpea, Muswrci

;;..,lt)~~W~l~Wt ~~...,J~U~~.J\..!,J~c.l-I_;..)~~J~+~···•lll kl.;jl.I~J..U I ..P_,.!,t ~ ,~1

J>_,;.JIJ i,->41 <.!..,JIJ \.,.JlliJ IJ¥11 J....l-..11,:..,~\ ,:,. • ...,y-11 lY.~I ~ + .... I).)JI ~IO;}'t< .... l:.}:l ,f_,...JI (:>Zit

.:,!. 2.58 ~~ ~10;:>'1 .:..a, .W -~~:>'1 ...., _,.. .:.1:,.11),. <lliJ 'l!.w ~ .:.;~SA ~I ;;.:.,JI e-" -. ~ .:...ab <?JI

.(TCP9951 <,~1 <.!..,JI :1,. · 1J~.)!o 3.56 .(TVU 97251 (;,,UI ~ 1·;~&Jo 3.09 .(Ames 137611 IJ¥11 ~ 1·J~:&o

.:.t..l-.;.:._1 l+J, iJ.,;,.. <.,.;-'! <...foiJ ...i~l ~ ,1,.-W.I ,:.., .:,1 t..,1 .rATC 93142) j >_,;...tl :1,. l·>tos:.. ,;,b 3.04

.JA1 .~Lfl' .,y.l,y--:ol;~t .,;~U ~.)~')lt r'~~\_j ~t;jJI e;:~Y1 4....l:..;i t'JZ.l ~--'LIJ ~..l.:' ~~ ~ W :,# lpl>J)' W)U1 ~.d_;jJ\J..,_bJI .-o.JfoJ ~.:..lJ~)'I (>A "":~1 ... .. _! J~ JS V" ~t..;~..;.."J)l,...;_,.:..c.j...O.#\ ..:,~'

.<.a.:H, ~J>li J_,.;,. ~ ~ Y .J->~1 ,J,--'41/ <L,JI. (,.~!, t..¥JI ,J,Jr,..--JI<-:/.;)JI • .,,....JI; ft'}<-11.,._;,, <f:-'!J-L~ , ~_... .::.t.~S

INTRODUCTION the world with day temperntures in summer often exceeding 50°C. The soils of the Arabian

The Arabian Peninsula IS one of the driest Peninsula reflect the aridity of the climate. Most regtons in the world with very low and unretirtble are po(>riy developed, shallow and rich in lime. rainfall. It IS also one of the hottest regions in gypsum or salts. Due to tltc hot eli mate, the

'

Mtrrnfltu•r Croplf f(lr o;\'trsrfyir;g Prod: "::.' .:.:''i:::••:_:S:;:Y::.'I::_tl::'"::.i•.:_:·::_·· ------------------_:.196~

percentage of organic subMancc in tho soil is very low (less than 1%) to improve the physical properties :tnd suppon proper plant growth. The high percemage of calcium carbonate lc.ads to many other problems related to soli fenility. such as increasing soil buffering capacity and fixation of phosphorous and certain micronutrient<. As a result, only a limited number of crops grow successfully under these conditions.

The Arabian Peninsula lacks major river syslcm!' and many countries within il depend almost entirely oo groundwater to inigate crops. In m>lny countries. an increase in farming area~ and large-scale extraction have depleted lhc groundwater reserves faster than the aquifer recharge from scallly raJnfall. Making matters even more difficult, the growing urban ru·eas are taking prioriry over the scarce freshwater. leaving agriculture to use low-vaJue brackish or salty water that can incrca~c 1hc risk of soil salinizaljon.

Due to the narrow range of crops grown in the Arabiao Penhtsula. countries mainly depend on food import$. In recent years. food expon restrictions by sorne countries have raised public concerns over food security in U1c region. These c.onccms have focused attention Oil the search for new opportunities through crop d iversification. The successful imroduction of a new crop, although often a lengthy process. can have a profoundly beneficial effect on the local economy. The lmemational Center for B10saline Agriculture (ICBA) in Dubai. United Arab Emirates (UA£). has been evaluating the !,'TOwth and productivity of several field crops proven with or potential salt-tolerance, with the. objective nf $tudying theit adaptation and yield

Fig. 1 (A-B)

potential so as to introduce thern to the farmers in lhc Arnbian Peninsula countries. The manuscript summarizes LJ1c results or pilot studies undenaken to identify new crops that have goud potential for diversification of agriqlltural production systems in the Arabian Peninsula. A wide range of crops. new to the Arabian Peninsula and appearing to have potential for introduction were examined for adaptation and yield potential. The~c crops, which included quinoa (Chmopoditu>l quinoa WUJd.), cowpea (Vi,~1w tmguiculaJO (L.) Walp). and pig.eonpea (Cujamts cajun (L.) Millisp.) musta!d (Bn•ssiw junmce/J (L.) Czcm) among othe.rs arc di~cussed in this paper.

Qulnoa is an annual herb which produces light yellow to pink seeds in large sorghum-like clusters (Figurel.A-B}. Quinoa is 1hougbt to have ongmated ilt the high mountai n plains of the Andes in Peru and Bolivia. The genetic variabil ity of quinoa is reportedly huge, with cultivars adapted to growth from sea level to 4000 m above sea level, from 40'S to 2•N latitude. and from cold, highland clim;ues LO subtropical conditions, making it possible to select, adapt, and breed cultivars for a wide range of environmental conditions. The main uses of it are for cooking. baking. etc.: modified food products such as breakfast ccrculs, pasta. and cookies; and the industrial use of starch. Quinoa seeds arc highly nutritious with outstanding protein quality and high amounts of a range of vitamrns and minerals (SchUck and Bubenhcim. I 996; Jacobsen. 2003; Bhargava, eta/. 2006}. The pmteio content io graiu ranges from 7.5 to 22.1% with an average of 13.8% (Cardo7.o and Tapia, 1979). Because of its exceptional nurritional quality, quinoa has been selected by the Food and

A. Quinoa grown under desen conditions in Dubai, UAE B. Qumoa seed hends

r

'

/97

Agriculture Organization (FAO) as ooe of the crops de seined co offer food security in lhe next ccncury (J ocobsen, 2003). Quinoa can grow with as linle as 200 mm of ruinfall and in sandy soil. The crop has also demonstraeed unusuaUy high salt colerance wieh many varieties colerating salt concentrations as high as 40 dS m·• (Jacob<en. ct a/. 2003).

Cowpea os a higltly variable annual legume species lhal o riginated in Africa. Besides Africa, it is widely grown in Latin Ame.rica, Soulhea.'\t Asia and southem United Scares. for animal and human consumption. Cnode pr01ein levels of cowpea are usually around 23-25%. It i~ • major $Ource of P''o«cins. minerals and vitamins io 1J1c daily diet nf lhc urban and rural poor in Africa and Asia (Davis. et a/. 1991 ). Cowpea is moxlcrutely ooleranc to salinity with a dlfeshold of 4.9 dS m·' {WcsL' and Francois. 1982; Mass and Poss. 1989: Murillo-Amado. eta/. 2001. 20061. In addicion ic is reponed oo hove a good colerance co heat and drought (Rachic and Robeo1s, 1974; TUI'k, et a/ 1980). Cowpea also has very good fomgc value (Davis, "'(1/. 1991 ). With che cnode protein levels ranging fmm 16% to 20% and digestibility comparable to alfalfa. il is an excellent faucning feed for livescock (Mullen, er of 2003).

Pigconpca is a leguminous shrub cuhiva1ed in che troprcs Md subLtopics for a wide mngc of uses such as food. animal feed and fuel. to d1e Indian subconlinenl, dried and ~pl it seeds (called dhal) are an iruponam sou.rce of protein. tn lhc Caribbean and Ease Africa. 1mmacure pods and green seeds are used as vegc.tablcs. Vitamin A and C concents of vegecabte pigeon peas arc ll vc limes higher than ohose of green peil.~ (Faris. er al. 1987). Therefore. green seeds of pigeonpea can be an ideal suhscinne foo· lhc garden pea. Funhcrmore, pigeonpea is an excellent forage Cl'OP because. of its exceptionaJ nulriLional value and high produccivicy. The cncde po·oteiu values of fresh forage ranging from l4-24% and annual forage yields exceeding 50 t ha·' under intensive managcmcnl have been reported (Wiuteman and Nonon, 1981 ). In additi<)n co ics use as o food and feed legume. the pigeonpea has oucstanding s<>il amelioration and conservation properties. The leaves are an important source oforgank matter and nitrogen; when allowed to perennialize, pigeon pea can d rop as much as 1.6 1 ha·' of liner onco chc

N. K Ruo. tl a/

soil in che ftm year (Sheldrake and Narayanna 1979). Pigconpea nodulutes with a wide range of Rhizobium strains and con$iSLcntly fixe$ 20..140 k£ ha·• in iufeo·tile soils {Anderson. r1 a/. 2001).

Mustard, commonly known as Brown or Indian mus~ard. is a cool season annual vegetable. usually grown for its variable. glabrous. rachcr thin ha<al leaves which are caccn raw or cooked like spinach. It is believed to have nriginaced at several different locations with centers of diversity found in China, eastern India and tbe Caucasus. In India. it is grown more for ic. seeds which yield an essential o il and condiment. The salt tolerance of R. jmu .. 'i'll has been reponed by many investigators wilh high salinity thresholds (9-1 1 dS m·') (Ashraf and McnciUy. 1990; Shanna and Gill 1994). Brown mustard bas partial droughc tolerance between thai of wheal and rapeseed. Moiscure stress caused by hot, d ry condicio)OS during flowering resulc in lower yields (Oplinger. et a/. 2001).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The crops studied for adaptation aod yield polential were selected base-d on the information ••ailable in literacure 011 sall-toler-.mce (Mass and Grallnn 1999). The number of ~ccessions scudied in each of thc~c <.:rups and the .sources rrom which the seeds were acquired are presented 111 Table ( 1). All the crops were grown a1 che !CBA research station r25"0S'49" N and 55°23' 25"'E) in chc years from 2006 to 2008. TI1e soil fenilicy of che expcrimcntaJ ~itc wa.-. improved by incorporating organic fertilizer (compost) at lhc r•lc of 40 t ha·• . Sowing< were completed in mid-Occober or early­November by dibbling. Each accession of 3-m was planted in cwo or three rows each. spaced 50 em opan, The distance between planes wlthin each tow and between Lwo accessions wa.s maintained at 25 em and I m. respecuvcly. ·n,c plants wcr" irrigated with low-salinity water of abouc 3 dS nr' using the drip-irrigation sySicm Water was applied mthe rotc of 4Uh for 20 mins cacb day. A single dose of urea a11hc rate of 40 kg/ha. one month after planung. and cwo split doses of NPK {20:20:20) at the rate of 50 kglha were applied by banding alongside lhe rows during crop growth. A< n prophylactic !l'eatmem. micronutrients were applied (3-4 kg ha-1) as foliar

r

'

spray twice during crop growth. 11tere were no major prublcms from pes~'· except for Aphids when the plants were very yt>ung. which was controlled by insecticide spray.

Standord agrcmomic data such as plant height. days to 50% flowering, seed weight yield and yield components were recorded from five randomly selected _plams within each accession. All crops were harvc.<tcd at full mmurity and dried at 2s•c under forced ventilation before manual extraction of the seed. The seed yield potenti:.l of indjvidual accessions is expressed in t ha·1, which was estimated from tlte average sing le plant yield. Based on the relative yield. the ten bcsl-pe.-forming accc.~sit)ns were selected within each crop <Table 2) for a mol'e detailed evaluation for saline tolerance and development of Mtitable production and rmmagcmcnt systems for possible introduction to the farmers in tlte region.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The native soil at JCBA i~ fine sand in texhlre, non-saline (ECe 1.2 dS/m). moderately alkaline (pH

8.22), ~trungly calcare<>us (up to 53~ CaCO,). and with very low organic matter ( <0.5% ). The mean maximum temperatures dul'i.Jlg lhc cropping pcriotl (October-May) ranged between 26• and 38°C. The minimum temperatures varied between 14° and 24•c. Growth was slow m qumoa. p1geonpea. and cowpe~ during 01e firs t 4-6 weeks after emergence but became luxuriant afterwards. All the crop•. except pigeonpea Oowered normally and completed their life cycle after the end o f the growing season in April-May. 11•c pigconpea flowering was ~p>rse and all the accessions quickly shifted into a vegetative phase of growth after an initial flush in January-February. With sustained irrigation. growth continued during summer montlts (l unc­Oclobcr). the on!tel of winter in November was marked by a reduction m lhc mean temperatures and a shortened day length. wh•ch induced profuse flowering and pod fonnation in all the accessions.

Quinoa 11te range of variability in ~<lme agronomic

characters of the ten best performing quinoa accession~ is presented in Table (3). Ames 22157

Table 1. Crops :md number of accessions used in the study.

Crop Taxo11<uuk name Nu. of :H:ce..~siqm; Source Quinoa Chl'twp.-xlmm qwnoa 121 Regtonal Plant lntroch.Jction Stalion. Ames. Iowa,

USA Cowpe:t \ 'igna tmguicularn 23 lnlc:mational lnl'titutc forl 'mptcal Agriculrurc:

(UTA), Ibadim, ~igcna

f'igeonpea Cajmms CP}tm 137 ln\(:mational CroiX' Research Jnstli\Hc for the Se.m.i· Arid Tropic.:; ( ICRJSA'l'), J):11:1nchen.t. lndi~

Mustard 8tus(if:t' jcmt:ctl til() 11lc Au!'rralian TemjX'.rnle Field <.:top;) Colltction. Hor.;;h~m. Austrnlia

Table 2. The ten best-performing accessions and their seed yield (in parenthesis) in order Qf superiority.

Quino:t

Pi.g~o·-.mpe.a

Mustnrd

Ac«~-.slun numbc.r nnd y ield (t hn'')

Amc•l376 1 (2.58}, NSL 10639R ( 1.94), NSL 106399 ( IAYJ. NSL866-19 (1.43). Ame•l3723 (I . 3~). A me• 22157 ( 1.33), " "'"'' 13727 ( 1.33), A me• 13757 ( 1.2Q), NSt, 1(16395 ( t. I?), Ames I '742 ( 1.18)

TVu 9725 (3.09), TVu 97 t 6 (2.70). TVu 9443 (2.67), TVu 9671 t~-59), T Vu 9751 (2.51 ), TVu 9510 (2.41). TVu 9498 (2.261. TVu 96<>6 (224), TVu 9557 (2.21). TVu 9615 (2.15)

ICP 995 (3.56). lCP 8921 (3.08). ICP 14722 (2.99), ICP 14801 (2.87), ICP 9691 (2.i\4). tCP 7 (2.62), ICP 2~9~ (l.l>2). tt.:P (\(i(,~ (2,(>()), ICP 6049 (2.27), ICP 1273 (2.221

ATC ?3 142 t3.04), .~fC93358 (2.901.ATC 93337 (2.89). ATC 93402 (2.85), ATC9338-l (2.84), ATC ?3 161 (2.73). ATC 90783 (2,70). ATC 93162 (2.4$), ,\TC 93204 (2.42), ATC93563 (2.42)

• '

wns the earliest to Hower which w;L~ 47 d~ys and Ames 1376 1 w~s the tallest in height, measuring up to 118 em at moturity. Seed yield was highest in Ames 13761 (2,58 l ha"'). followed hy NSL 106398 (1.94 I ha 1) and NSL 106399 \IA9 I

ha·1) . Under tradiuonal famung conditions. quinoa ytelds were reponed to V3.f) between 0.4-1.~ 1 ha·1 ond woth omproved management. yields exceeding 2 1 ha were obtained (Oelke. tt ol. 1992; Schlick and Bubc:nheim. 1996; Bharg.ava, " a/. 2007). In the present study. while seed yields in many accession~ were higher than those from traditional growing condition!-., accessions ~ueh as Ames 13761 nnd NSL I 06398 produced yields comparable to those reponed under improved management. The re~ults. in odditioo to •howing thot quonoa hns good adaptation and ran be succe.••fully culuvated in the Arabtan Perunsula, demonstrate the imporunc.! of cuh.1var selccli<m for ~ucce!;sful snttoducuon.

Cowpea The pattern of growth was indeterminate

in all the teo selected occcssions and with f\ucorained irrigauon after the see-d harvest. many

accessions continued vcgeuuove growth and become viney, Table (3) shows the vuri ubility in agronomic lraits or the 1<:n best cowpea accessions. A bimodal pattern or nowenng was observed in all the accessions with the first peak occurrong 8-12 days after the 50~ ftowenng and the second peak coinciding with the increa<e in meon temperntures in April. The IOO.sced weight wa~ ob>crvcd to be maximum in TVu 9443 ( 18.5 g) and minimum in TVu 9751 (9.4 g). The seed yield, averaged over the teu accession,. was 2.05 1 ba'', with TVu 9725 producing the highest yield (3,09 1 ho·'), followed by TVu 97 16 (2.70 t h•"l and TVu 9443 (2.67 1 ha"1), In ~owpea. global seed yields arc reponed to ranj:e between 1.5 and 2.5 t ha '(Mullen, e1 t~l. 2003! In the present studoc<. yields of several accession> were higher than 2 t ha·•. showing that cowpea has excellent potenual as a candidate for crop diver<ification in the Amhian Peninsula (Figure 2, A· B).

In cowpea. green fodder yields or 22,6 I ha·' ond dry matter yields of over 4 I ha'1 have been reponed (Ibrahim, e1 a/, 2006), In our study, although dntn on forage yield was not recorded. b

few aeces<ions such as Tvu 9443, TVu 975 I and

Tnble 3. A~ronomtc characters of the top-performong :>eccssions of four crops gruwn under Duhai (UAF.J conditions

Crop

QuinoA

Cow~3

Pi~npc;~

Mn.st.a.n:f

l'lant btlg:hf {em) Da,·$ 1(1 fiO'o\tf' 1 00-S«-d ,.,~tghl (a:,) Yltld II h-1 J

k.llncc: \ 1t11n;t.SK Rantt" Mtan,t.SF. Rlllnr:;f ~ltn1t±S£ R11nxt

<8.1-$1.,1 R~.l.J;5 42 47-67 ~,6J.LH7 0 ;.() 4 0 .. 1;t0.09 l .l\~2,~8

60.6-il.·l 69./it2.2.1 7$-HM) 88 o-zz-:o 9."-18 s 14.1>,t<J.89 l . ts.;.ci9

li)>IJ.l19 I 27l -~.1.1 ~.(H 92-134 101.1>;1; .• .u fll .. J04 8.3.!.0.•3 221·3.~

193.1·l.ll t 219 l.1.~ -11 lt~ S6.Jil ,j4 01.03 0.2!_0.02 2 oll,'\().1

Fig. 2 (A·Bl A. Co" pea gennpla.<m evaluation for adaptation and yield potcnual 8. Cowpe;~ 10 pod fonnation stage

Mtllll..tSE

t.!iO:i0.14

t•s±O.tl'l

27Sl!).t;

21l+OU7 ~

'

lllttrrwtfw• Crops f,r Di~~r.Ji[)·inx PrnJ,t;til)ll S;m~mS m ...

TVu 9716 produc<!d luxuriant vegetative growth, showing promise for culti vation 3S a forage crop. Cowpea is also suitable for growing as a summer crop by sowing in lote winter (January-Febnwry). When grown in summer ru; a seed crop. vegerative growth and flowering duration were observed to be shoner, resulting in somewhat lower seed yields (except TVu 97 16. which produced 3.18 t ha' 1).

compared 10 the winter planting (ICBA, 2009).

Pigeon pea There were considerable vanauons in the

agronomic traits in the ren be.>l performing pigeonpea accessions (sec Table 3). Plant height, measured eight months after sowing, was maximum in ICP 8921 (319 em). While lCP 8921 which was the earliest to Hower, within 92 days, ICP 14722 flowered very late, I 32 days after sowing. TheiOO-seed weight was greatest (10.4 gl in ICP 14722. followed by ICP 8921 (10.1 g). Seed yic1d. averaged over ten accessions, was 2.75 1 ha·•. with 1CP995, lCP 8921 and ICP 14722 perfoml.ing best with yields of 3.56, 3.08 and 2.99 t Ita·' re-,pectively. The average yields of pigeon pea, report<!<! from u broad range of environmcms. varied between 0.5 and 2.5 t ha·1 but increased to 3 I ha·1 in ravorable environments (Snapp. et "'· 2003; Mullen, et al. 2003). Thus. yields obtained in this study are comparable to tho~e reported from favorable environments which shows that pigeonpea bas good adaptation. and therefore h1gh potential for crop diversification in the Arabian Peninsula lse.e Figure. 3 A-Bl.

With reference to saline tolerance, pigeonpea appe:ll'S 10 be moderately sensitive, but appreciable genotypic differenGe~ were reponed. which provides scope for improvement of salt tolerance

200

through ma~$ selection and breeding (Ashraf, I 994), ln our study, no advcr.;c elfect on growth and yield potelllial was observed, although the qua.Uty of water used for irrigation was low (salirtily of about 3 dS m·'). P1geonpea also has more drought tolerance than many other grain legumes and reponedly maintains vegetative growth during prolonged dry months lx:cause of osm01ic adjus1ment and tlte strong tap root established during the fir.;t few months of growth (Anderson, <'I al. 2001). AI the ICBA research station. the aboveground fresh biomass of up to 3.15 kg planr '; and dry biomas$ of 0.99 kg planr' was recorded, thus demonstrating the high potential of pigeonpeo as a new forage crop for the region (ICBA. 2009).

Mustard The variability in agronomic traits of the

1en best pert{Jrming mustard accessions is shown in Table 3. For plant height, ATC 93337 was the tallest with 253 em, followed by ATC 93 162 (237 em) and ATC 90783 (22ll em). While ATC 93358 was the earliest to flower in 51 days. ATC 90783 flowered later than others which was specifically 69 days after sowing. The I 00-seed weight was nbserved to be greatest in A1'C 93563 (0.34 g), and least in ATC 90?83 (OJ)<) g). Seed yieid wa.' highest in ATC 93142 with 3.<l4 t ha·'. followed by ATC 93358 and ATC 93337 with 2.90 t ha·1and 2.89 t ha·• respectively. In mustard. dryland yields were reported to vary between 900-1200 kg ha·' and favorable growing conditions yielded 2.5 to 3.0 1 ha·' (Oplinger, eta/. 1991 ). In Ulis study, yields of sevemJ accessions were higher than 2 1 hn·1,

indicative of the excellent «daptation and very high s~cd yie.Jd potentjal of mustard io the arid production systems of the Arabim Peninsula (Figure. 4 A-B).

A. Eight-months old pigeonpea gennplasm grow out B. Profuse podding in pigeonpea

:!OJ N. I( Ran, r:1 11!

A B

Fig. 4 (A·B) A. Mustard germpla."n evaluation for adaptatinn and yield potential B. Prolific fruit (sil ique) beariog in mustard

There are reponson thepotential of canola(B. 11apus) and r.lpesced (II. campesrris; both closely related to mustard) as alternative crops in Saudi Arabia (Al-Jaloud, "' t1/. 1996). llowever. the amhor.; arc not aware of any trials with mustard in the region.

CONCLUSIOI\S

The diversification of production systems through the introductJOO of new crops not only offer ulte.mativc means of sustaining agricultural pro<luctivity under adverse conditions. but also increases raml incom.e by diversifying products. improving human and livesro<:k diets. :ond cre~ting new agro-industrie.~. New crops al~o serve- the ~trategic interests of the nalion by providing domestic sources of materi-als to reduce import. The candidate crops identified for introduction in the Arnbian Peninsula countries should be capable of pro<lucing economic yields under harsh growing conditions. In this regard, quinoa~ cowpea. pigeoope:. and musmrd appeal' to be highly promising candidates for intn)duction as altematlve crops m diversify the produclion systems. It is pertinent to note that the seed yields l'Cportcd in this pap<!r were obtained under minimal management and higher yields could be expected though development of improved agronomic prncticcs. Although results reported in this paper are from unrepUcated trials. Utcy give sufficient indication of the high potential of rhc crop• for profitable cultivation under desen cnnditions. Successful development of Ute new crops and technology transfer for large scale ad;;tptation by the. farmers ncvcrtheJcss rc.quirc further agronomic research. tbllowed by ex.tcnsi vc

work to translate the research results into practical recommendations. ~uch as the development of ef1iciem post-harvest tecboologics and linkages with markets. Making the crops popular would also require cffccti vcdisscminat inn of in forrnat ion abou1 the value of crops to the farmers as well as Lhe con~umers.

REFERENCES

AI-Ja!oud, AA, Hu;;~ian , G, Kar1mul!a, S. and AI-Hamidi, AH tt9%) E11cct of irrigation and nitrogen on yield and yield components of rwo rapeseed cultiva.rs. Agric. Water ManaRt~.

30: 57-68. Anderson, S, Gundel. S, Pond B, nod Triomphe,

B (2001) C<JI'.r Crop., in Smallholder A;.:rit.:ulrure: Lessons {rom Latin America lntem1ediate Technology de,·elopment Group. (!TOG) Publishing, London. UK.

Ashraf, M ( 1994) Salt tolerance of p1gconpca (Ca;mws cajan (1,.) Millisp.J at three growtl1 stages. Ann. Appl. Bioi. 124: 153· 164.

Ashraf, M, and McNeilly. T ( 1990) Responses of four Bras.<ica species In sodium chlol'ide. environ. Exp. Bor. 30: 475-487.

!lhargava, A, Shukla . S, and Ohri, 0 (2006) C/,.nopodium quinoa -an lodian perspective. Ind. Crop. Procl. 23: 73-87.

Bhargava, A, Shukla, S and Ohri. 0 (2007) Genetic variability and interrelationship among variou~ ntorphologic::al and qua.Ji1y tr:oit' in guinoa (CheiiCJf)vdwm quin<>a Willd.). 1-'JeldCmp.<Re.,. lOt: 104-116.

Cardozo, A, and Tapia, ME ( 1979). Valor Nutritiw). Quinuay Kaniwa. CultivosAndinos.

~

' I

In· Tapia, ME(ed.}Srrie Uhros y Moreriales Educ:atil'O.'i. ''of. 49. lnstiltllo Tn1eramericano de Cienci:ts Agricolas, Bogou. Columbia, pp. 149-192.

Oavis, OW, Oelke, EA, Oplinger, ES, Doll, JD, Hanson, CV, and Putnam, UH (1991) Cowpea. In: Alrernarive Field Crop Manual. University of Wtsconsin Cooperative Extension Service. University of Minnesotn E~tension Service. Center for Alternative Plant & Animal Pro<lucL<. Available at: http://www.hort.purduc.edulnewcrop/afcm/ cnwpca.ht ml. accessed 6 May 2009.

Faris, DG, Saxena, KB, Mazumdar, S. and Singh, U (1987) Vegetable Pigeonpea: A Promising Cr<>p for Indict. LCRJSAT. Pntancheru, India.

fbrahim, M, Rafiq, M, Sultatt, A, Ak.ram M, and Goheer, MA (2006) Green fodder yield and quaJiLy evaluation of maize and cowpea sown alone. and in combjnadon. J. Agric. Re.t. 41 : 15-2 1.

ICBA (200\1) Annual Report 10011 ( 1428-28H). fntenuuional cente1· for BiosalineAgriculturc, Dubai. United Arab Emirates (unpublished).

H Jacobsen, SE (2003) The wmldwide potential for Quinoa (Chenopodium qui1J0<1 Willd), l'iwd Rt•••. lnt. 19: 167- 177.

Jacobscn,SE, Mujica,A,aod.Jensen, CR (2003) The resistance of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) to adverse abiotic f~ctors.

Food Re•·./nr. l9; 99-109. Mass, EV, and Grattan. SR {1999) Crop yields

as affected by salinity. In: Skaggs, RW, and Van Scbilfgaarde, J (eds.) Agricultuml Drainage. American Society ol' Agronomy .. Madison. USA. pp. 6 15-657.

Mass, EV and Poss, JA (!989) Salt sensitivity of cowpea at various growth ;tages. lrri. Sci. 10: 313-320.

Mullen, CL, Holland, JF, and Iicuke, L (2003) AGFACTS: Cowpcp, L.ablab and Pigeon Pea. Available at: hup://www.dpi.nsw.g(w.aul_ datalassets/pdf_ file /0006/1 57488/cowt>ea­lablab·pigeon-pca.p<Jf. accessed 6 May 2009.

Murillo-An>ador, 8, Troyo-Oi~guez, E, L6pez­Cortes,A, Jones, HG, Ayala-Chairez, F, and TinoCG·Ojanguren, CL (2001) Salt tolerance of cowpea genotypes in the! emergence stage1

JIU

Ausr. J. Exp. Agric. 41 : 1-8. Murillo-Amador, B, Troyo-Dieguez, E, Garcia­

Hernandezosc,JL,Lopcz-Aguilar. R, A Vila­Serrano, NY. Zamora-Salgado, S, ,Rueda­Puente, EO, and Kaya C (2006) Effect of NaCI salinity in the genotyp1c vanation of cowpea ( Viww lliJ8uiculara) during early vegetative growth. Sci. 1/ort. LOS: 423-431.

Oelke, EA. Putnam, OH, Teynor, TM and Oplinger. FA<; ( 1992) Quinoa. In : t\lti!I'IUiti•••• Field Cr<>t>S Mwttto/, University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extcn~ion Service, University of Minnesota 6xtt.nsiun Scr.,.ice. Center for A hernati ve Plant &Animal Product>.Availablc at http:f/www.hon.purdue.edu/newcropl afcm/quino.a.hunl. accessed 6 May 2009.

Oplinger. ES, Oleke, EA, Pu tman, DH, Lelling, KA, Kaminsid AR,TeynorTM, Ooll JD and Ourgan. BR ( 199 1) Mustard. In: A!Jemariw: Field Crops Man11al, University of Wisconsin C<x>pcmtivc Extension Service. Ulliversity of Minnesota Extension Service. Center for AI ternative Plant &Ani malPro<lucts.Available at: hupJ/www.h011.purdue.eduJnewcropl afcmiJnustard.hunl, accessed 6 Mny 2009.

Rachie, KO, and Roberts, LM (1974) Grain legumes of the lowland tropics. Ad1•, AJ/'011. 26: 62-67.

Schlick, G, and Bubenheim, DL (1996) Quinoa: candidate crop fl>r NASA's comroiJed ecological Ufe support systems. In: .Janick, .J (ed.l Pro11ress in new ('raps. ASHS Press. Arlington. VA. pp. 632-640.

Sbarma, PC, and GUt, KS (19941 Salinity­induced effect on biomass. yield, yield­attributing characters and ionic contents in genotypes of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea). Indian J Agric. Sci. 64: 785-788.

Sheldrake, AR and Narayananan, A (1979) Growth. development and nulrieot uptake in pigcnnpcas (Cajanus cajon). J. t\1/r. Sri. 92: 513-526.

Snapp, SS, Jones, RB, Minja, EM, Rusike, J and Silim, S (2003) Pigeonpea for Afrlca: a versatile vegetable - and more. 1/ortScienre .JR: 1073-1079.

Thrk, K.J, Hall, AE, and Asbell, CW ( 1980) Drot•ght adaptation of cowpea. I. influence <>f drought on seed yield. A.~'"'"· J. 72: 413-420.

• '

Wests DW, and Fran cois, LE ( 1982} Effects of ·salinity 011 gern>lnalion. grow~> and yield or cowpea.lrrig. Sci. 3:169-175.

Whiteman, PC, and Norton, BW (1981) Alternative uses of pigeonpca. /n: Pro('cedings nf the lmernationaf Workshop on Pigeonptras. l'o/.1.1CR ISAT,Patanchcru, lndia,pp.365-377.

Rei'. No. (2526) Rec.II/5/2009 In-revised form: 13/1012009

N K. Rrm. rluf