INTRODUCTION

PIGEON PEA PRODUCTION

Photo credit –Chitedze Research Station

INTRODUCTION

• Pigeon pea is the most common grain legume grown by smallholder farmers mostly in the southern part of Malawi for both local consumption and export
• It provides food at the time when all the other legumes have been harvested
• It can be grown either on pure stand or as an intercrop
• Most of the pigeon peas crop is grown as an intercrop with maize, sorghum, groundnuts, soybean, or cotton.
• It is one of those legumes that can be produced with fewer inputs, especially the long maturing varieties (local varieties)
• The crop is deep rooted as such it is adapted to withstand the intermittent dry spells depending on the type of varieties grown.