Land Preparation
Guar crop requires a well prepared field, with adequate soil moisture for its seed germination. During early growth period, soil aeration encourages root development and bacterial growth. Therefore, field should be ploughed to fine tilth by giving two or three deep ploughing with soil-turning plough, followed by harrowing and planking. The field should be free from weeds and other crop residues. Arrangements for drainage channel-cum-water channel for heavy rain- fall areas or irrigated areas should be made while preparing the field. The farmyard manure should be mixed with soil at the time of last ploughing.
VI. Seed and Sowing
The important steps involved in the sowing of guar are described here.
1. Time of sowing
Summer crop of guar in northern India is sown in March, while kharif crop in June. For grain crop, the best time of sowing is during July. Early sowings result in more vegetative growth, lodging and loss of yield. The best sowing time for fodder crop is April. In Peninsular India, guar is sown in September. In South India, it is sown at any time between February to October. Guar sowing time is adjusted to May-June to increase supply of vegetable pods. Crop sown in June in Haryana and in July in Punjab gives better production of vegetable pods.
2. Seed rate
Seed rate of guar crop varies from 15 kg to 45 kg per hectare depending upon soil moisture and spacing. About 20 kg seed per hectare is sufficient for grain crop. Seed rate for crops grown for fodder or green manuring is about 40 kg per hectare. Seed rate is normally increased under late sown condition, dry condition, and soil salinity or alkalinity conditions.
3. Spacing
A spacing of 45 cm between rows and 15 cm, between plants is given for crops grown for grain production. However, spacing is generally reduced under late sowing and poor soil fertility conditions. Closer spacing of 30 X 12 cm is provided for fodder crop. A wider spacing of 60 X 30 cm is desirable for crops grown for green vegetable pod production.
4. Seed treatment
In humid areas, where there are more chances of disease out-break, seeds are treated in the following ways.
i. Dry seed is coated with Ceresan or Thiram at the rate of 3 gm fungicide per kilogram of seed to kill the spores of fungus resting on the seed coat.
ii. Seed is immersed in hot water at 560 C for 10 minutes and then dried at room temperature before sowing. This kills all the fungus mycelium and inactivates their spores to spread disease in the crop.
6. Method of sowing
Seed of guar can be sown by broadcast method, when. There is sufficient soil moisture during the beginning of the rainy season. The field is roughly divided into long stripes of convenient size. The seed is evenly spread by hands over the surface of the field, while walking through the long stripes of the field. The field is ploughed after spreading the seed. This method does not ensure proper spacing and creates problems while hoeing, weeding and removing excessive rain water.
Line sowing with the help of pora behind the plough or by seed-drill is useful in sowing the seed at proper spacing and depth. This results in better seed germination. Line sowing is also useful for carrying out hoeing-weeding and removing excessive rain water.
VII. Manures and Fertilizers
Guar crop needs 10-12 tonnes of well decomposed farmyard manure, especially when it is being cultivated on poor sandy soils, or after taking an exhausting crop. This manure is applied a month before sowing.
Nitrogenous fertilizers are applied only in small quantity (about 20 kg of nitrogen) because most of nitrogen to the crop comes from the atmosphere through bacterial action. Phosphatic fertilizers about 60 kg, potassic 20 kg per hectare along with 20 kg of nitrogen are applied as basal dose as the time of sowing, with the help of pora just 4 -5 cm below the seed. Spray the crop with 0.15% solution of sodium molybdate after 30 days of sowing after the seedling emergence increases the yield of both fodder and grain.
VIII. Irrigation
The kharif season crop grown during rainy season as a rule, does not need any irrigation if rains are adequate and well distributed. If rains are too heavy, the excess water should be drained off promptly. For dry season crops, irrigation. at fortnightly intervals in the early summer and at ten days intervals later are given. Normally the crop requires 4-5 irrigations.
XI. Weed Control
Guar field in kharif season is always full with a number of weed plants, Hoeing and weeding in the initial stages of plant growth with the help of khurpi, tined harrow reduces the weed-crop competition and increases soil aeration for bacterial growth. The application of Basalin at the rate of 1.0 kg a.i. per hectare as pre- planting dose suppresses the growth of grasses and other weeds.
XII. Disease Contol
The most common diseases of guar are wilt, bacterial blight, powdery mildew, and anthracnose. These diseases along with their control measures are described here.
1. Wilt
This disease is caused by Fusarium monolifonne. The pathogen is soil- borne and, therefore, its damage is of localized nature. It causes infection to the base of plants including roots and seedlings. The roots show dis-colouration and plant wilts. Poor emergence of seedlings is the first symptom of the disease. The seedlings rot before or soon after emergence.
Control
a. Mixed croping of guar with sorghum reduces the damage up to 55 per cent.
b. Addition of organic manures also reduces the disease incidence.
c. Seed treatment with Agrosan GN or Thiram or Captan at the rate 3 g/kg seed prevents the disease spread during germination and seedling emergence.
2. Antharacnose
This disease is caused by Colletotncum capsici. The disease is more severe in high rainfall subtropical to temperate areas than in tropical areas. The fungus is seed -borne and symptoms may start as early as in seedling stage. The most characteristic symptoms of the disease are black, sunken, crater like cankers on the pods, stem or cotyledons. The lesions remain isolated by yellow -orange margins. They give out a dull salmon conloured ooze from the centre when humidity is very high.
Control
a. Use healthy seed., b. Avoid excess watering; c. Give wider spacing; d. Use hot water treated seed ; e. Spray fungicides like Dithane M -45 or Dithane Z- 78 at the rate of 2 kg in l000 litres of water per hectare.
3. Powdery mildew
This disease is caused by Oidium ~pp. White powdery growth occurs on leaves, spreading to cover the stem and other plant parts. In severe cases, the entire plant dries up.
I. Control
a. Dustig with sulphur powder
b. Spraing with systemic fungicides Benlate or Bavistin and Calixin gives effective control of powdery mildew.
c. Sowing healthy seed after treating with Thiram.
d. Follow a crop rotation to reduce the soil- borne innoculum of the fungus.
4. Bacterial blight
This disease is caused by Xanthomonas cyamophagus. The disease is characterized by irregular, sunken, red to brown leaf spots surrounded by a narrow yellowish halo. Several spots coalesce to from irregular patches. The spots may also develop on pods.
Control
a. Grow resistant varieties .
b. Treat the seed with thiram at the rate of 3 gm/kg seed. Also adopt hot water treatment at 560 C for 10 minutes.
c. Eradicate affected plants and burn them.
5. Leaf spot
This disease is caused by Myrothecium roridum. Dark brown round spots appear on leaf. In case of severe infection. Several spots merge together and leaflets become chlorotic and usually drop off. If plants are infected in the early stages of growth, there may not be any flowering.
Control
Spray with Dithane Z- 78,0.2% at the interval of 15 days, twice or thrice.
XIII. Pest Control
Guar is a rainy season crop. Therefore, a number of insect pests feed and grow on its leaves and pods. Some important ones are described here.
1. Hairy caterpillars
Ascotis imparata and Spilosoma obliqua, Amsacta lactinae and Euproctis scintilans are the insects that cause heavy damage. The adult lays eggs in clusters over the surface of the leaves. The larvae cause characteristic skeletonisation of leaves during the early gregarious stage and later they completely defoliate the plant. The pest can easily be controlled by systematic collection of larvae during the early gregarious stage or spraying with Endosulfan @ 0.07 percent.
2. Jassid
Empoasca fabae, Empoasca Kraemeri and Amrascakerri are serious pest of the crop. The nymph are wingless and found in abundance on the lower surface of the leaves. The nymph and adult pierce the plant tissues and suck the cell sap. Leaves become yellow at the margin. They can be controlled by: (i) soil application of systemic granular insecticides such as Aldicarb 10 G at the rate of 10 -15 kg per hectare. (ii) spray of Endosulphan 35 EC at the rate of 2litres in 1000 litres of water, or (iii) dusting of BHC 10% dust at the rate of 20 -25 kg per hectare.
XIV. Harvesting and Yield
The pods of the guar become ready for plucking, depending upon the variety, from 40 days onwards after sowing. Picking is done at an interval of 10 –12 days. When crop is grown for fodder, the plants are cut when they are in flowering stage or when the pods are beginning to emerge. This stage comes 50 to 80 days after sowing. For green manuring the crop can be ploughed down as soon as the pods begin to develop. The yield of the green material crop is about 120 quintals per hectare. When crop is grown for seeds, it is left until the pods are mature, then harvested with the help of sickles and dried and threshed.
CONTACT
BHAVYA SRI TRADERS
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