Pulse (legume)

The term pulses, as used by the FAO, is reserved for crops harvested solely for the dry grain. This therefore excludes green beans and green peas, which are considered vegetable crops.
Also excluded are crops which are mainly grown for oil extraction ( Oilseeds like soybeans and peanuts), and crops which are used exclusively for sowing (clovers, alfalfa).

Pulses are important food crops due to their high Protein and Essential Amino Acid content.
Like many leguminous crops, pulses play a key role in Crop Rotation due to their ability to Fix Nitrogen .

STATISTICS

India is both the world's largest producer and the world's largest importer of pulses.

Canada , Myanmar , Australia and the United States are significant exporters of pulses. These are the four most significant suppliers of India's imports, in that order.

The vast majority of leguminous crops grown in the United States are Soybean s used as livestock feed and for extraction of Vegetable Oil , and Peanuts both of which are not considered pulses.

CLASSIFICATION OF PULSES

FAO recognizes 11 primary pulses.

# Dry beans ('' Phaseolus spp.'' including several species now in ''Vigna'')

Kidney Bean , Haricot Bean , Pinto Bean , Navy Bean (''Phaseolus vulgaris'')

Lima Bean , butter bean (''Vigna lunatus'')

Azuki Bean , adzuki bean (''Vigna angularis'')

Mung Bean , golden gram, green gram (''Vigna radiata'')

Black Gram , Urd (''Vigna mungo'')

Scarlet Runner Bean (''Phaseolus coccineus'')

Rice Bean (''Vigna umbellata'')

Moth Bean (''Vigna acontifolia'')

Tepary Bean (''Phaseolus acutifolius'')

Broad Beans

Horse Bean (''Vicia faba equina'')

Broad Bean (''Vicia faba'')

Field Bean (''Vicia faba'')

Garden Pea (''Pisum sativum var. sativum'')

Protein Pea (''Pisum sativun var. arvense'')

Chickpea

# Dry Cowpea , Black-eyed_pea , blackeye bean (''Vigna unguiculata ssp. dekindtiana'')
# Pigeon Pea , cajan pea, congo bean (''Cajanus cajan'')
# Lentil (''Lens culinaris'')
# Bambara Groundnut , earth pea (''Vigna subterranea'')
# Vetch , common vetch (''Vicia sativa'')
# Lupin s (''Lupinus spp.'')
# Minor pulses include:

Lablab , Hyacinth Bean (''Lablab purpureus'')

Jack Bean (''Canavalia ensiformis''), Sword Bean (''Canavalia gladiata'')

Winged Bean (''Psophocarpus teragonolobus'')

Velvet Bean , cowitch (''Mucuna pruriens var. utilis'')

Yam Bean (''Pachyrrizus erosus'')

PROTEIN CONTENT

Pulses contain 20 to 25 % of proteins, which is double of that found in wheat and three times that found in rice. In fact pulses contain more protein than eggs, fish or flesh foods.

Pulses are sometimes called poor man’s meat

Pulse protein is equivalent in quality to Soy Protein which has been shown by the World Health Organization to be the equal of meat, milk and egg proteins.

While pulses are generally high in protein and the digestability of that protein is also high, they often are relatively poor in the Essential Amino Acid Methionine . Grains , among other foods, can make up for this shortfall.

REFERENCE

Food and Agriculture Organization. DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION OF COMMODITIES, 4. PULSES AND DERIVED PRODUCTS , 1994

Information About

Pulse (legume)