New high-yielding bean varieties out

Farmers in Cheptebo, Elgeyo Marakwet, are growing the new high-yielding pigeon peas. Paul Kimurtoi | Nation

What you need to know:

  • The university, through its seed unit of Agro-Science Park, has been distributing certified seeds to farmers through seed companies like Faida, Kenya Seed, and Leldet.

Kenya’s second most popular staple food is in trouble. Despite having helped alleviate hunger and provided nutrition to millions of Kenyan households over the decades, bean yields have been dwindling.

This has been blamed on poor soil fertility, pests, disease, lack of fertiliser, poor seed quality, lack of extension officers, poor market prices and unpredictable rains.

For being a valued source of proteins, a meal of boiled beans and maize is the most common meal in Kenyan households.

To address the problem of bean production in the country, Egerton University has developed three new high-yielding bean varieties.

“These new varieties will go a long way in addressing the food and nutritional needs of millions of Kenyans as they have a high protein content,” said lead researcher Dr Paul Kimurto.

Dr Kimurto told the Seeds of Gold that the three high-yielding varieties were capable of producing 32 per cent more beans than all commercial varieties in Kenya today.

“These varieties are better than commercial varieties such as rose coco, mwezi moja, Wairimu, Nyayo and Canadian as they are also pest resistant and disease tolerant,” he said.

Dr Kimurto, who is a lecturer in the Department of Crops, Horticulture and Soils at the Njoro-based university, says that the new varieties also take less time to cook.

The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (Kephis) has given the university a clean bill of health to produce the bean seeds for sale.

They are currently on sale under trade names Chelalang, Tasha, and Ciankui. According to Kephis, the beans are suitable for growing in high potential areas like Nakuru, Bomet, Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia, Meru, Kiambu, Nyeri, Murang’a, Narok and Elgeyo Marakwet counties.

Double yields

“These varieties, besides having higher nutritional levels, have low gas accumulation content to the consumers,” said Dr Kimurto.

Farmers who have planted the beans have reported double yields.

“These new varieties have increased my income. On the one acre where I planted 25kg, I produced 1,000kg, which gave me good money,” said Mr Zakayo Njuguna, a farmer in Rongai in Nakuru County.

He added: “When cooked, these beans absorb water faster than the old varieties I used to plant.”

The university, through its seed unit of Agro-Science Park, has been distributing certified seeds to farmers through seed companies like Faida, Kenya Seed, and Leldet.

Egerton has also developed high yielding drought tolerant pigeon peas and chickpeas, commonly known as mbaazi and ndengu respectively, suitable for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).

The researchers say planting chickpeas replenishes the soil with nitrogen and reduced fertiliser need by 25 percent for maize, wheat and barley.

“Chickpeas ensure the management of soil fertility through biological fixation. This contributes to the sustainability of the farm, including reducing the effects of lethal maize necrotic disease,” said Dr Kimurto.

Necrotic disease devastated thousands of acres of maize in Bomet, Narok and parts of Uasin Gishu, Naivasha and Koibatek last season.

The research project is funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The new chickpeas variety is called Egerton Mbaazi M1 and is expected to boost production. Farmland under the crop has fallen from over 200,000 hectares five years ago to 186,000 hectares.

Dr Kimurto said the new variety will double yields from 700kg to 1,500kg per acre.

“These new varieties have a shorter maturity duration of between 120 to 140 days and are suitable for areas such as Machakos, Baringo, West Pokot, Kerio Valley, Kitui and Kajiado, among other areas,” he said.

They are also resistant to wilt disease and are harvested twice a year.

The benefits

1. High protein content of between 20 and 25 per cent

2. Good source of energy and provide folic acid, dietary fibre, complex carbohydrates, which are deficient in maize, cassava and rice

3. Cook faster and have little gas

4. They are drought and pest tolerant

5. They mature  faster between 120 – 140 days

6. They are harvested twice in a year.

7. At least between 8 -15 bags per acre