Vertical Culture of Legumes In Indian Region: A Comprehensive Research Review

Abstract

India stands as the world's largest producer and consumer of pulses (legumes), accounting for approximately 26% of global production and 27% of global consumption. Traditional legume cultivation across the Indian subcontinent faces unprecedented challenges including land degradation, water scarcity, climate variability, and urbanization pressures. Vertical farming, an innovative controlled environment agriculture (CEA) technology, presents a promising solution for intensifying legume production in limited land and water scenarios. This comprehensive review synthesizes current research on vertical cultivation systems for legumes in Indian regions, examining technological innovations, environmental factors, economic viability, agronomic challenges, and future pathways. The article evaluates hydroponics, aeroponics, and advanced climate-controlled systems suitable for legume crops including chickpea, pigeon pea, green gram, black gram, lentil, and soybean. While vertical farming demonstrates significant potential-achieving up to 10 times higher yields per square meter and reducing water consumption by 90%-its large-scale application for legumes remains constrained by economic barriers, technological adaptation requirements, and crop-specific cultivation challenges. This review concludes that vertical legume cultivation, when integrated with precision agriculture technologies and supportive policy frameworks, can contribute substantially to India's food security objectives while promoting sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture in urban and peri-urban regions.