Cultivar preference and sensory evaluation of vegetable pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) in Eastern Kenya

Pigeon pea is an important crop in the dry regions of Eastern Kenya because of its drought tolerance and high protein content. Preference and acceptability of 12 vegetable pigeon pea cultivars of medium duration to maturity were evaluated by consumers and farmers in Eastern Kenya on the basis of six seed parameters: color, appearance, taste, aroma, tenderness and overall acceptability. They were scored on a hedonic scale of 1–7, where 1 = highly unfavorable to 7 = highly favorable. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in the six parameters were recorded, the cultivars ICEAP 00068, ICEAP 00540, ICEAP 00554, ICEAP 00902, KAT 60/8 and MZ 2/9 being preferred. As production of pigeon pea and other grain legumes increases, incorporation in selection processes of cultivar preferences/acceptability, organoleptic properties, post-harvest processing and utilization to preserve nutritional qualities could greatly improve adoption and therefore food security and livelihoods of resource-constrained farmers and consumers. Such a development would increase the consumption of pigeon pea and therefore enhance the nutrition intake and food security in the dry regions of Eastern Kenya.