How to best grow pigeon peas

Pigeon peas, or as locally known – mbaazi, is a perennial legume that is loved for its nutritional value.

Raw, mature green seeds of pigeon peas can be eaten as vegetables but in Kenya, the dry grains are preferred and enjoyed when cooked as a stew.

The plant is also used as a forage or cover crop.

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They are value-added by crushing into flour mixed with other grains and used to make bread.

They are a rich source of food proteins.

They pride in many health benefits such as stimulating growth and development, preventing and curing diabetes, anemia, pneumonia, respiratory infections, regulating blood pressure, boosting heart health, aiding in weight loss, digestion and strengthening the immune system.

Planting

Farming pigeon peas is not labour intensive.

The most commonly cultivated pigeon peas in Kenya as listed by greenlife.co.ke are: Mbaazi 1, 2 &3, Kat 60/8, 81/3/3 & 777, ICPL 89091 and other local varieties.

The Pigeon pea plant is a drought-resistant and warm-weather crop that grows easily even in tough conditions and dries quickly.

It grows well in a wide range of soils from deep well-drained sandy to loam soils with a soil PH of 5.0 to 7.0

The plant yields flowers which turn into seed pods which contain the pigeon pea seeds.

They are quick maturing and can be harvested after only four to eight months depending on the variety.

They thrive best in areas with a temperature range of 18 to 38 degrees Celsius, annual rainfall of 600 to 1,000 mm.

Pigeon peas are planted from seeds that a farmer should ensure are healthy and disease-free.

The land should be prepared to a fine tilth before planting.

The seeds are planted directly into the soil at a spacing of 35cm to 50cm by 75cm to 150cm and a depth of 10cm notes greenlife.co.ke

A farmer is advised to plant at the onset of rains.

The seeds then germinate within five to seven days.

The crop can be intercropped with other crops like maize, sorghum, millet, cowpeas, beans, cassava adds greenlife.co.ke

Farm management practices consist of weeding to ensure there is no competition of soil nutrients, water, space, sunlight, and keep off pests and diseases.

Weeding is done during the first two to three weeks after planting them, with the second weeding being done two weeks after the first one.

Pests and diseases

Common pests that attack pigeon peas include aphids, flower thrips, pod borers, red spider mites, cutworms, African bollworm, pod fly, pod weevil, whiteflies, pod sucking bugs, giant stink bug, and bruchid beetle when in storage, according to farmlinkkenya.com

The pests are controlled by applying appropriate insecticides and proper storage. 

Diseases known to affect pigeon peas according to farmlinkkenya.com are powdery mildew, leaf spot, pod spot, rust, and fusarium wilt.

Diseases are controlled and avoided by practicing crop rotation, field hygiene, planting resistant varieties and spraying with recommended fungicides.

Harvesting

Dry weather conditions are necessary during harvesting to aid in drying the seeds.

The pods are harvested when they are dry and have turned brown.

Dry seeds are stored in plastic containers or gunny bags away from moisture and heat where they can be stored for long periods of time like eight months.