**Botanical Description and Types**:
– The lentil is an edible legume with lens-shaped seeds.
– It is an annual plant that grows to about 40cm tall.
– Seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each.
– Lentils are commonly used in stews and soups.
– Lentils are self-pollinating.
– Types can be classified by size, split or whole, and shelled or unshelled.
– Seed coats can range in color from light green to deep purple.
– Examples include Beluga, Macachiados, Puy lentils, and Alb-Leisa.
– Shelled lentils show colors like yellow, orange, red, or green.
– Lentil production in 2022: Canada (2.3M tonnes), India (1.3M), Australia (1.0M), Turkey (0.4M), Russia (0.3M).
**Cultivation and Production**:
– Global lentil production in 2022 was 6.7 million tonnes.
– Canada produced the largest share at 2.2 million tonnes.
– India was the world’s second-largest producer.
– Saskatchewan in Canada produces 95% of lentils.
– Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in India account for 70% of national production.
– Domesticated lentil crops have indehiscent pods and non-dormant seeds.
– Lentil was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent and spread to various regions.
– Oldest carbonized remains of lentil date back to 11,000 BC in Greece.
– Lentils grow best in deep sandy loam soils with moderate fertility.
– A soil pH around 7 is ideal for lentil cultivation.
– Lentils do not tolerate flooding or water-logged conditions.
– Lentils are planted in winter and spring in temperate climates.
– Vegetative growth occurs in later spring and summer.
– Rainfall is not limited during growth in temperate regions.
– Lentils are cleaned and sorted using gravity, screens, and air flow.
– Lentil flour can be produced by milling the seeds.
**Diseases and Pest Management**:
– Common lentil diseases include Alternaria blight, anthracnose, and downy mildew.
– Fungal diseases like Aphanomyces root rot and Ascochyta blight affect lentils.
– Dry root rot, Fusarium wilt, and Helminthosporium leaf spot are common diseases.
– Leaf rot, leaf yellowing, and ozonium wilt are among the diseases affecting lentils.
– Lentils are susceptible to various fungal infections that can impact yield.
– Herbicides may be needed in intercropping systems for lentil cultivation.
– Lentils can fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil with specific rhizobia.
– Lentils grow well under low fertilizer input conditions.
**Culinary Use and Processing**:
– Lentils can be prepared in various ways like soaking, germinating, frying, baking, or boiling.
– Lentils have a distinctive earthy flavor and high emulsifying capacity.
– Lentil dishes are popular in South Asia, the Mediterranean, West Asia, and Latin America.
– Lentils are used in dishes like dal tadka, mujaddara, and kik wot.
– Lentils are nutritious and commonly used in soups, salads, and traditional dishes worldwide.
– Lentils are cleaned and sorted using gravity, screens, and air flow.
– A significant portion of red lentil production undergoes secondary processing.
**Breeding, Genetic Research, and Technological Advancements**:
– Lentil breeding has a shorter history compared to other crops.
– The International Center for Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) breeding programme started in 1977.
– Focus on high yielding and stable cultivars for diverse environments.
– Major breeding aims include progress in quantity, quality, disease resistance, and abiotic stress resistance.
– Conventional breeding methodologies have been used to develop several varieties.
– Mutagenesis is essential for creating new desirable varieties.
– Lentil breeding benefits from biotechnology techniques.
– Micro-propagation, callus culture, and protoplast culture impact lentil breeding.
– SNP phylogeny is proposed for revising gene pools.
The lentil (Vicia lens or Lens culinaris) is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about 40 cm (16 in) tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each.
| Lentil | |
|---|---|
| |
| Puy (left), green (center), and red (right) lentils | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Vicia |
| Species: | V. lens
|
| Binomial name | |
| Vicia lens (L.) Coss. & Germ. (1845)
| |
| Subspecies | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Lentils are used around the world for culinary purposes. In cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, where lentils are a staple, split lentils (often with their hulls removed) known as dal are often cooked into a thick curry that is usually eaten with rice or roti. Lentils are commonly used in stews and soups.