Small grains and legumes are generally contains 2 to 3 times more protein content than others. Rich in essential amino acids for growth and health. It stores 17 to 27 kg N/ ha in the soil. The tap roots goes deeper and shedding of leaves enriches soil organic matter. Among the cultivated food crops, pulses requires less amount of water (200 to 250 mm) compared to others and are generally tolerant to drought. Rain fed crop cultivation without rain, drought, water logging, crops in the event of damage, can be used as a green manure crop.

In Tamil Nadu, the receipt of annual rainfall is decreasing over the years. Farmers have been affected due to scarce in monsoon rain. To avoid this with the lowest water requirement and high yielding pulse production techniques can be seen here under.

Land preparation :

During summer, land should be ploughed in a crossed way to remove the weeds. it facilitates to hold summer rains in soil particles or raise the green manure crop incorporate with in the field at the time of flowering by using rotavator. With this operation land is kept ready for sowing with sowing machine.

Selection of varieties :

• Black gram: Vamban 4,5,6, ED 9, CO 5, ADT 5

• Green gram: Vamban 3, CO 6, ADT 3

• Red gram:  Vamban 2, 3, CO 7, APK. 1 varieties can be chosen which is suitable dryland and rainfed situation.

Plant spacing:

Black gram and green gram row to row spacing was 30 cm and plant to plant spacing is 10 cm can be adopted. For short and medium duration red gram varieties row spacing was 45 cm and in case of long duration varieties 90 cm. plant spacing of 30 cm adopted uniformly for irrespective of varieties. If 110 cm row spacing followed means mechanical weeding can be possible.

Sowing was done in red and lateritic soils with seed drill will reduce seed requirement and also sowing can be completed 4 acres per day. It reduces labor cost. Maintains proper crop spacing. It facilitates easy weeding and uniform plant growth.

Seed hardening

Under dryland conditions seed hardening is important for 1 kg of black gram seeds mixed with 500g and 3% gum will ensure the persistence of seed in soil during rain less period. It will germinate immediately after receipt of rain. Green gram seeds were hardened with MgSO4 100 ppm and ZnSO4 100 ppm for red gram respectively.

Seed rate and seed treatment

Eight to ten kg of seed rate is sufficient for one acre of land. Sowing the seeds of 5-7 kg is sufficient for seed drill sowing. Before sowing seed treatment is necessary. Pseudomonas 10 g and Trichoderma 4 g mixed with per Kg of seed and also one packet of Rhizobium and Phosphobacteria mixed and shade dried for sowing. For higher yield, to fix atmospheric nitrogen and mobilize the phosphorus in soil the microbial seed treatment is essential.

Integrated nutrient management

Before sowing, basal application of 5 to 10 tonnes of manure or compost or coir waste or vermicompost has to be applied and sowing can be taken. Each five kg of nitrogen and potash along with Gypsum applied as basal and phosphorus is an important major nutrient for pulses growth and grain development. In red soils, phosphorus being precipitated by Iron and Aluminum ions and this will lead to un available form to plants. To overcome this 10 kg of phosphorus mixed with 750 kg of farm yard manure and keep it for 30-40 days and applied as enriched farm yard manure. This treatment fixes phosphorus into the soil and made available to the plants.

Bio-fertilizer application

Rhizobium and phosphobacteria was applied @ 4 packets per acre provides regular supply of nutrients to the crops.

Micronutrient

In Tamil Nadu, most of the red and lateritic soils are deficient in zinc and boron and rich source of iron also un available to crops leads to yield loss. The lack of such nutrients in grains will affect the nutrient deficient in human beings. To rectify this Tamil Agricultural University released micronutrient mixture @ 2 kg/acre as basal application. This will enhances flowering and fruiting efficiency.

Foliar fertilization

In general, pulses produce more number of flowers but out of which only 25-30% flowers are converted into fruits. Rest of flowers would shed away. If avoid this 15-20% increase in yield could be possible. Reduce flower shedding and increase fruit setting TNAU nutrient mixture @ 2.25 kg/acre in 200 liters of water spray twice at flowering and 15days later. This will increase the crop yield by 10-15% in dryland.

Compare to other pulses, red gram accounting 60-70% flower shedding. Yield reduced considerably due to flower shedding. To avoid this NAA 40 ppm can be applied twice at flowering and 15 days later.

Things to note:

• Plants should be completely wet.
• Spraying can be done in the morning or evening.
• Hand sprayer can be used.
• Use good quality water for mixture preparation.
• Don’t mix with insecticides or pesticides.

Integrated weed management

Three days after sowing spray pendimethalin @ 400 g with hand sprayer followed by one hand weeding on 25-30 DAS.

Integrated pest management

Major pests of pulses are helicoverpa, spodoptera, pod borers and Aphids.

Biological

Helicoverpa can be managed by application of NPV. And also severity infestation will be mininimised by avoiding excess application of fertilizer application.

Chemical pesticides

When economic threshold level exceeds 10% means following plant protection measures can be adopted. If necessary, pesticides should be sprayed. Control the pod borers by spraying Profenophos 2 ml mixed with water. Neem seed extract 5litre or neem oil 3 litre can be sprayed to control the pod borers. Sucking pests can be controlled with spraying of Imidacloprid 0.4 ml. Among the diseases, wilt is a major disease causing pulses.

Wilt:

Seed treatment with Trichoderma virdi. Crop rotation can also be followed. If infestation is more, pour the carbendazim @ 1 g in 1 litre around the plants.

Yellow mosaic

Resistant varieties like Vamban 5 and 6 could be grown. Disease infected plants as well as weeds could be removed at the early stage. Disease spreading vector white flies can be controlled by spraying of any systemic insecticide.

Root rot

Infected plants should be removed with the root. Pour the carbendazim 1 g in litre around the plants. Pre sowing seed treatment with Trichoderma also helpful in controlling the disease.

Powdery mildew

Neem seed extract 3% or spraying of wettable sulphur 1 kg per acre to control the disease. In red and lateritic soils, farmers followed above high yielding production technologies in a right way not only gets good yield and also able to produce quality seeds and increase income with the conservation of soil fertility.

Source :

Professor and Head,
Dryland Agriculture Research Station,
TNAU,
Phone: 04565 – 283080