CAZRI Moth Bean
Why in News?
ICAR–Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI) Jodhpur, four newly developed varieties successfully maintained their vegetative growth and completed their reproductive development (flowering and pod formation) under intense moisture stress.
Key Varieties Involved
- The Varieties: The four recently highlighted varieties are CAZRI Moth-4, CAZRI Moth-5, CAZRI Moth-6, and CAZRI Moth-7.
- Release Timeline: These varieties were systematically bred and released over the preceding three years.
- Primary Features: They are engineered for developmental plasticity, high yield potential, and extreme heat and terminal drought tolerance.
Core Traits of the Crop
- Root & Canopy Architecture: They feature deep, fast-penetrating taproot systems to access subsurface moisture (10–40 cm layer). Their dense canopy acts like a mat, reducing soil evaporation and preventing erosion.
- Maturity Cycle: They generally feature a flexible maturity range of 65 to 83 days depending on regional agroclimatic conditions.
- Dual Purpose: The plants retain their greenness up to maturity, offering both grain for food-processing and high-quality green fodder for livestock.
Agricultural & Economic Importance
- Regional Backbone: Moth bean is the most vital pulse crop of western Rajasthan, grown across nearly 10 lakh (1 million) hectares.
- Low Input Cultivation: The crop thrives in poor fertility soils (extremely low organic carbon of 0.13–0.18%) and survives on an annual rainfall of just 150–250 mm.
- Commercial Demand: Moth bean is heavily utilized by India's major snack-food processing industries (such as for making Bhujia).
Seed Production & Future Scaling
- Saathi Portal Allocation: CAZRI is multiplying these seeds on its research farms to meet the official Saathi Portal seed indents for 2026.
- Massive Scaling Potential: One quintal of breeder seed translates into 1,000–1,400 quintals of certified seed.
- Distribution Network: The seeds are actively being multiplied by the National Seeds Corporation, Rajasthan State Seeds Corporation, and authorized private partners to scale adoption to 25% of Rajasthan's total moth bean area.
