REPATRIATION OF A LOST TREASURE-FILSAN MUNG BEAN

Hussein M. Haji

This article is dedicated to the memory of Mr. Aden Ali Osoble who was the head of the grain legumes program, Bonkay Dryland Agriculture Research Station (BDARS), at the time of Filsan development and release. Aden was killed in Baidoa in 1993.

INTRODUCTION

Grain legumes are concentrated sources of protein and are beneficial as fortifiers of cereal grains in the human diet. Unlike many other crops, they can adapt to nitrogen-deficient soils. Virtually, all of the grain legumes fix their own nitrogen through a complex symbiotic process called nitrogen fixation, thereby reducing, in many situations, the cost of nitrogen inputs by farmers. In addition, the grain legumes, especially soybeans and peanuts, are excellent sources of vegetable oils used in the production of cooking oil, which is generally costly imported commodity in Somalia. Even though cowpeas, mung beans, and peanuts occupy less than 5 percent of the cultivated land in the Bay region, they fit well into Bay cropping systems, either as a rotation, mix or as an intercrop with sorghum, the leading crop in the region. They are relatively drought-tolerant, mature earlier than sorghum, and are popular crops for home consumption. They respond positively to added phosphorous fertilizer. Cowpeas, mung beans, and peanuts are accepted sources of protein in the Somali diet and are widely adapted to both the Gu and Deyr seasons.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

Extensive research on grain legumes had been conducted at BDARS between the years of 1982-1990. Hundreds of introduced mung bean germplasms were evaluated in replicated trials. An outstanding success story of the Grain Legumes and Oil Crops Section was the release to farmers in 1987 of a superior mung bean variety called Filsan. Varietal studies conducted over several years suggested that Filsan had larger seeds, and produced more seed per hectare than other varieties. Filsan had consistently matured at least ten days earlier than the local variety, making it less risky to produce during the shorter Deyr season (Richardson et al. 1990). Experimental results obtained from sorghum-mung bean intercropping trials showed that the yield of Filsan when mixed with sorghum was 58% higher than the local mung bean variety. Similarly, in a pure stand, Filsan produced yields significantly superior to the local variety. The considerable yield increase in Filsan was mainly attributed to a greater seed weight. Filsan seed was on average 37% heavier than the local seed (Mohamed, 1989). The research findings on Filsan have led to extensive on-farms studies and demonstration plots throughout the Bay region, comparing Filsan to local mung bean varieties. The farmers in the Bay region readily accepted Filsan as the best available mung bean variety, and seed of the variety became in high demand. The research effort which led to the development and release of Filsan has been rewarding to both the staff at BDARS and to the farmers of the Bay region.

FILSAN REHABILITATION

With the collapse of the Somali state in 1990 and the civil war that followed, many innocent people lost their lives. Numerous research findings which offered some hope for better crop production intervention strategies were lost. In order to restore some of these findings, Filsan seed in this case, the Somali Agriculture Technical Group (SATG) has made a considerable effort to trace back the pedigree of the Filsan variety from its original source. In 2002 and 2003, a small amount (20 grams) of breeders’ seed obtained from AVRDC (Asian Vegetable Research and Development Centre)-Taiwan was increased at the experimental station in Minnesota, USA. In March, 2004, breeders’ seed of Filsan was shipped to ICRISAT-Nairobi, Kenya for further seed increase. Filsan seed was multiplied with the help of ICRISAT in two locations in Kenya and it will soon be available for repatriation.

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION

The grain legumes have an enormous potential for use within a cropping system dominated by sorghum/maize monocropping. The release of Filsan seed has been one of the success stories in Bay region agriculture. The civil unrest and drought conditions in the early 1990’s disrupted seed multiplication and seed transfer to the subsistence farmers in the region. There are also reports suggesting that Filsan seed has been mixed with that of local varieties and a pure seed of Filsan no longer exists. Reintroducing Filsan to Bay region agriculture, either as a monocrop, intercrop or a rotation crop with sorghum during the short rainy “Deyr” season, is expected to enhance soil characteristics, improve soil nutrients, increase productivity, and also improve the human diet. In addition, it can also reduce the build up of pest populations; particularly stem borers (Chilo partellus) which cause considerable damage to the sorghum and maize monocropping systems. It is an established fact that, in nitrogen-deficient soils, the use of grain legumes in rotation with sorghum/maize is a viable and preferable option to continuous monocropping.

REFERENCES

Mohamed A.A (Baffo). 1989. Some Preliminary Studies on Sorghum-Mungbean and Sorghum-Sorghum Intercropping at Bonka, Baidoa, pp 95-105 IN proc. EARSAM Sixth Regional Workshop on Sorghum and Millet Improvement, Mogadishu, Somalia, July 20-27, 1988.

Richardson, G., R.J. Buker and A.A. Osoble. 1990. Development of “Filsan”: Grain Legume and Oil Crops.  Bay Region Dryland Agriculture Research. Final Report, 1983-1988. pp 111. Bay Region Agriculture Development Project. University of Wyoming,USA