What is a Pulse Crop

What is a Pulse Crop

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
A discussion with Mark Brick, Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics at Colorado State University led to a clear understanding of what a pulse crop is. " Did you see the article on the upstanding, outstanding pinto bean? I have an article, that's how I got in touch with you. If you scroll down in that article, read the last paragraph. Dried beans are part of a food group known as pulses. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses (IYP). In celebration, the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) created a web page for the public about pulses, www.crops.org/iyp.

The pulse industry is trying to promote pulse crops as a food. The term pulse comes from an ancient word with a Latin derivation, the word PULS which kind of translates to porridge. When these crops, dry beans, lentils, chick peas, dried peas, cow peas, when they were first consumed, they were boiled and put in a porridge. So by definition, a pulse crop is an edible, grain, legume. They are directly edible. You do not have to process them, you don't have to squeeze the oil out, that's where the word came from. The year of the pulse was a United Nations resolution to make 2016 the international year. It's really a marketing exercise.

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