CAZRI moth bean varieties show resilience through 35-day dry spell in Kharif 2026

New Delhi: Four moth bean varieties developed by the ICAR–Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur, have shown strong field-level resilience during a prolonged dry spell of around 35 days in Kharif 2026, offering encouraging signs for pulse cultivation in the hot arid regions of western Rajasthan.

Moth bean is one of the key pulse crops of western Rajasthan and is grown across nearly 10 lakh hectares. However, productivity remains low at around 350 kg per hectare because the crop is largely dependent on rainfall of just 150–250 mm, which is often erratic, along with prolonged dry spells and limited soil moisture.

The performance of CAZRI’s newer varieties—CAZRI Moth-4, CAZRI Moth-5, CAZRI Moth-6 and CAZRI Moth-7—has drawn attention because the moisture stress coincided with flowering, pod formation and other reproductive stages of the crop.

During July 10 to September 2, cumulative pan evaporation at the experimental site was around 317 mm. Rainfall stopped after August 3, leading to a prolonged rainless period.

Between August 3 and September 7, the crop experienced a 35-day dry spell, during which cumulative pan evaporation was around 180 mm. Surface soil moisture at 0–10 cm depth fell from around 15–16 per cent to 5–6 per cent after the last significant rainfall of 86 mm on August 2.

Moisture at the 10–40 cm soil layer declined from around 23 per cent to 16 per cent but continued to contribute to the crop’s water requirement.

Despite these conditions, the four varieties maintained green foliage, good growth and profuse pod development at around 55 days after sowing.

CAZRI said early canopy development, soil binding and moisture retention around the rhizosphere helped the crop establish and withstand the extended dry period.

The four varieties have emerged from more than a decade of moth bean breeding and genetic improvement work at CAZRI. They were developed with a focus on developmental plasticity, stress resilience and yield potential under the unpredictable conditions of western Rajasthan.

An important characteristic is their ability to begin flowering at around 30 days after sowing and adjust growth and maturity according to available soil moisture.

This developmental flexibility can be particularly important for rainfed farming in western Rajasthan, where rainfall can vary significantly in its amount, timing and distribution.

The varieties were also evaluated under poor soil fertility conditions, with organic carbon at 0.13–0.18 per cent, soil pH of 7.9–8.1, available nitrogen of 90–100 kg per hectare, phosphorus of 10–15 kg per hectare and potassium of 250–260 kg per hectare.

Seed multiplication of all four varieties is already underway. CAZRI is currently producing seed across seven hectares at its research farm to meet the Saathi Portal-indented requirement of 23.32 quintals for 2026.

In 2025, the combined seed requirement for the four varieties through the Saathi Portal was 63.2 quintals.

According to CAZRI, one quintal of breeder seed can produce around 1,000–1,400 quintals of certified seed. If properly multiplied and marketed as certified seed, this could support cultivation across around 10,000 hectares.

Even at 50 per cent of this potential, wider adoption in Rajasthan could cover around 25 per cent of the State’s total moth bean area.

Seed multiplication is being undertaken by Rajasthan State Seeds Corporation, National Seeds Corporation and selected private players.

Genetic improvement and better farm practices go together

Dr M. L. Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General, ICAR, said moth bean is a unique crop of the Thar Desert and that CAZRI’s climate-resilient varieties could contribute to greater prosperity and new income opportunities for farmers while supporting self-reliance in pulses.

He said the varieties’ ability to maintain growth and pod development during a prolonged period without rainfall demonstrates the role genetic improvement can play in climate-resilient agriculture.

However, varietal resilience alone is not enough. CAZRI’s field performance was supported by timely sowing with the onset of the monsoon, optimum plant geometry of 45 × 10 cm, mechanical interculture at 20 days after sowing, weed management and effective canopy development to make better use of available moisture.

For India’s arid and rainfed regions, the experience reinforces an important lesson: climate-resilient varieties work best when combined with farm practices that conserve every available drop of soil moisture.