Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology

Pulses are central to protein and micronutrient supply, diversified cropping systems and biological nitrogen fixation, yet their production remains characterised by large yield gaps, high interannual variability and uneven adoption of improved technologies. This critical narrative review examines the interacting bottlenecks that restrict pulse productivity and production stability, with emphasis on grain legumes cultivated in rainfed and smallholder systems and on evidence relevant to South Asia, particularly India, while retaining a global comparative perspective. Literature was searched across Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, DOAJ, OpenAlex, PubMed, PubMed Central and AGRIS, supplemented by citation searching and authoritative agricultural statistics. The principal search period covered 2014 to 3 July 2026, with earlier foundational studies retained when necessary. The synthesis indicates that low pulse output is not explained by a single yield-limiting factor. Instead, production is constrained by the co-occurrence of terminal drought and heat, nutrient and soil limitations, weeds, insect pests and diseases, weak seed replacement, narrow or poorly targeted varietal adaptation, low mechanisation compatibility, post-harvest losses, price and procurement uncertainty, fragmented value chains and incomplete extension-to-input linkages. These bottlenecks are mutually reinforcing: stress-prone environments reduce expected returns to purchased inputs, weak markets reduce incentives for technology adoption, and inadequate seed systems slow the delivery of genetic gain to farms. Evidence is strongest for the importance of water and temperature stress, reproductive-stage sensitivity, phosphorus-related constraints on nitrogen fixation, major pest and disease complexes, and the persistence of management and adoption gaps. Evidence is less consistent on the size of losses attributable to individual constraints across regions because study designs, environments and outcome definitions vary markedly. Sustainable production growth therefore requires integrated, location-specific packages rather than isolated technologies. Priority actions include stress-resilient and mechanisation-compatible cultivars, faster seed multiplication, improved soil and water management, integrated pest and weed management, reliable procurement and                      market signals, and evaluation of technologies under realistic genotype-by-environment-by-management conditions. Closing pulse production gaps will depend as much on institutional delivery and farm-level risk reduction as on further biological innovation.