Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Pulses
Pulses are defined by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as annually leguminous crops yielding from one to twelve grains or seeds of variable size, shape and color surrounded by a pod. Pulses being used for food and animal feed.
The term pulses, as used by the FAO, are kept for crops harvested only for the dry grain. This so excludes green beans and green peas, which are measured vegetable crops. The barred crops which are mainly grown for oil extraction oilseeds like soybeans and peanuts, and crops which are used solely for sowing (clovers, alfalfa).
Pulses are main food crops due to their high protein and essential amino acid content. Like many leguminous crops, pulses play a key role in crop turning round because of their capability to fix nitrogen.
