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Pulses are the seeds of certain plants of the legume family —
plants that produce seeds or grains that grow within pods, such
as lentils, beans, peas and chickpeas. Pulses are legume crops that
are grown for their dry seeds to be used as food or grain. The Food
and Agricultural Organization definition of pulses excludes seeds
grown as oil seeds (ground nut, soyabean) or consumed as fresh vegetables
(green peas).
Pulses are an extremely healthy food due to their high protein
content relative to other vegetables. Their other nutritional benefits
include providing a source of complex carbohydrates, important vitamins
and minerals such as folate and iron, and antioxidants. People eat
the pulses seeds whole, dehulled or as a flour. Pulses contain as
much as 25 per cent protein, no cholesterol and virtually no fat,
unlike meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
Some of the first crops cultivated by humans were pulses —
human beings have been growing pulses for thousands of years. Indians
consume pulses whole or as split seeds (called dals). Pulses are
most nutritional when consumed along with a grain or cereal to provide
a good source of methionine, the level of which is low in pulses.
For instance, rice is often eaten with dal, baked beans with bread,
etc.
Pulses contain twice the amount of protein that other cereals and
grains do. This is due to the uncommon ability of leguminous plants
to fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil. Legume plants have a symbiotic
relationship with bacteria known as rhizobia that live in their
root nodules. These bacteria take nitrogen, an essential plant nutrient,
from the air and convert it to a form usable by plants. This allows
legumes to grow in soil that is low in nitrogen content and, in
fact, to add nitrogen to the soil.
Types of pulses
There are several varieties of pulses in India, most of them locally
produced and consumed. The three most popular crops are chick pea,
pigeon pea and rajma.
India is the biggest producer, consumer and importer of pulses.
Domestic production of pulses has been more or less stagnant, making
India heavily dependent on imports. India consumed 18 million tonnes
of pulses in 2007–08, of which about 15.11 million tonnes were
locally grown. Major pulse-producing areas are located in Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh. According to an Assocham report, per capita pulses consumption
in India had fallen to 12.7 kg/year in 2008, compared to 27.3 kg/year
in 1958–59, along with a corresponding fall in the per capita
consumption of protein.
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