Guandu

7 Pages 1653 Words

Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Cajanus
Species: cajan, flavus
Common names: Guandu, Pidgeon Pea, Feijao Guandu, Adhaki, Chieh Tu Tzu, Chieh Tu, Gandul, Guaduli, Guandul, Pois Cajan, Pois Congo, Pois D'Angolie, Shan Tou Ken, Kachang gude, Kachang kayu (tree bean), Katjang bali


Pidgeon Pea
Pigeon pea is one of the most important legume components of subsistence farming systems in the semi-arid tropics.

Guandu is a small pea, usually mottled green and black-dark purple. When it is
in season it is readily available in the markets, along the street or road side.
It may be purchased already shelled or in pods on long slender stems

Perennial woody shrub, mostly grown as an annual for the legume; stems strong, woody, to 4 m tall, freely branching; root system deep and extensive, to about 2 m, with a taproot. Leaves alternate, pinnately trifoliolate, stipulate; stipels small, subulate; leaflets lanceolate to elliptic, entire, acute apically and basally, penninerved, resinous on lower surface and pubescent, to 15 cm long and 6 cm wide. Inflorescence in terminal or axillary racemes in the upper branches of the bush. Flowers multi-colored with yellow predominant, red, purple, orange occur in streaks or fully cover the dorsal side of the flag, zygomorphic. Pods compressed, 2¡V9-seeded, not shattering in the field. Seeds lenticular to ovoid, to 8 mm in diameter, about 10 seeds per gram, separated from each other in the pod by slight depressions. Germination cryptocotylar. (Duke, 1981a).

History

Cultivation
A major pulse crop in the tropics and subtropics.27; World production of the order of 2 M tonnes.27; India contributes over 90% of the crop.27; Other centres are in eastern Africa and the Caribbean.27; Over 11, 000 accessions in the Genetic Resources Unit at ICRISAT.27; Lists of vernacular names, cultivars, etc., in van der Maesen 1986.26; Originated in India, now cultivated in all tropical areas.26


Seeds are sown where des...