Orphan legumes struggle for relevance on Benue soil

Stress-tolerance orphan legumes cultivated in Benue State currently thrives favourably despite battling to gain relevance among the family of populous cowpea varieties. Our correspondent reports that these legumes are not the normal cowpea that farmers in the state are used to. They are special crops that adapt to dry areas or where there is minimal […]

Stress-tolerance orphan legumes cultivated in Benue State currently thrives favourably despite battling to gain relevance among the family of populous cowpea varieties.

Our correspondent reports that these legumes are not the normal cowpea that farmers in the state are used to. They are special crops that adapt to dry areas or where there is minimal rainfall. They are presently doing well on Benue soil.

Scientists in the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM) working to improve the legumes, said as a result of the effect of climate change, they were carrying out research on the crops for adaptation or resistance to the present inconsistent weather.

One of such scientists, Dr Olasan Olalekan of the Department of Botany, biotechnology unit in the university said, “We are trying to evaluate the orphan legumes for resistance or adaption to climate. Six of them, including bambara nuts, are undergoing test.’’

According to Olalekan, the essence of the evaluation is to ensure the development of the crops, which can yield under uncertain and extreme climatic condition for the benefit of food production and sufficiency.

The six crops being understudied by the scientists, in partnership with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, and financial support from the Kirk House Trust (UK)/SCIO, are cowpea, horsegram, dolichos beans, mungbean, mothbean and bambara nuts. It is aimed at improved productivity across the sub-Saharan Africa and Indian.

Olalekan said the people of old planted the orphan legumes and harvested in due season. He said the advantage of going back to the cultivation of the crop include acceptability at the international market because of less chemical use on them.

While conducting our correspondent and farmers round the legumes field at the FUAM, Olalekan expressed optimism that in the face of global warming and imminent threat of hunger, the legumes provide the much needed alternative.

“We have detected some that can yield well and withstand a long period of time without dying off. Farmers can select what they want. When there is little rainfall, we can still cope and eat our food. It is an alternative to the normal ones we know. They are not spread regularly like our normal cowpea. Even when the rains have stopped, they will still be alive.

The farmers are happy and excited to see that there could be an alternative. They are legumes, so the yield could be higher than cowpea. These legumes can be used as animal feeds, as well as feed for human. We need to be sustainable with an alternative, which will be able to give us our normal protein. We don’t have to wait for the rains to plant them. That’s the alternative we have in legumes,’’ he maintained.

He, however, added that the major challenge for farmers to adopt what they already adapted was for them to try while there would be need for a lot of more education to let them know that it is a better alternative.

Olalekan noted that based on the performance of the legumes so far in the field, the moth bean did well but horsegram didn’t, probably because they couldn’t adapt.

“We have picked some that could adapt well. It is yet to gain relevance. The essence is to feed the nation, not just for sustainable farming. Cowpea is costly and those who can’t afford it will find alternative in legumes, which can compete well with weeds. Some have a maturity period of three months while others are between four and seven months. We can cross-breed to achieve food result,’’ Olalekan concluded.

On his part, a professor of plant breeding and genetics in the FUAM, Lucky Omoigui, explained that the legumes were heat and drought-tolerant; hence they are needed to provide a resilient response to the changing climate.

Omoigui, who is also the seed system specialist of a project known as Accelerated Varita Improvement and Seed System delivery in Africa (AVISA) currently being implemented in Nigeria and also managed at the commercial farm of the FUAM in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), said the legumes were major pulses widely cultivated in sub-tropical and tropical regions of the world and makes an important contribution to food security and agricultural sustainability.

“These underutilised pulses are nutrient-rich crops. The seeds contain a good source of proteins (22-30%), fibres, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytoestrogens. Due to its drought-resistant qualities, its ability to combat soil erosion and its high protein content, these crops have been identified as possibly a more significant food source in the future.

There is a global market for these crops; they are the major pulses of South and Southeast Asia. Cultivation of these crops among farmers would create tremendous economic impact for Nigerian farmers,” Omoigui added.

For Dr Teryima Iorlamen, an AVISA cowpea seed systems focal person for Nigeria ensures that whatever the plant breeders are doing are further adopted by the farmers using best agronomy practice to see if they could adapt same.

This year’s Farmers Field Day provided another opportunity for farmers to walk through the orphaned legumes field to choose the variety and traits they like.

He said, “There are 50 mung bean varieties being tested on the field. The normal cowpea also found in the field is to allow grow with the same treatment meted to the legumes to see how they would do. They are susceptible to the same stress – biotic and abiotic to see which ones can withstand stress. Some of these varieties came from Brazil, Indian and Singapore, among other places.’’

At the end of the outing, a farmer, Terso Iynna, told our correspondent that of all the legumes assessed so far, he preferred five varieties, which he would try on his farm this season.

“This year, I hope to plant all the five varieties I prefer,’’ Iynna said.

On his part, Iyorkaa Nater, a co-principal investigator of the project in the FUAM, posited that the outcome of the exercise was impressive as the farmers selected their preferred choices.

Nater observed the reasons for the farmers preferred choice to include high yield, high fodder, easy to harvest, early maturity and large seed sizes.