You can grow it as a green manure crop because it fixes the biological nitrogen. Sprouted green gram seeds have more protein, so you can grow it as consumed directly. It helps in weight control, and it lowers blood pressure as well. However, this is an Indian origin crop and can thrive as a relay crop to overcome the risk. In addition, farmers can grow it as crop rotation to enhance soil fertility.
Green gram provides the protein requirement for the vegetarian population of the country. In India, it is consumed as a whole and split lentils. Khichdi, made from moong dal or green gram, is recommended for elderly or sick people as it is an easily digestible food. In the average Indian diet, moong dal rice and roti, along with moong dal, are considered important ingredients.
How to Grow Green Gram in India
Let’s look at the green gram cultivation process with essential aspects.
Soil Requirement for Green Gram
You can cultivate the green gram on many soils, from sandy loams to black cotton soils. Farmers cultivate the crop on well-drained loamy soils. While sowing the crop then, it can not tolerate the waterlogging condition. The optimum pH soil is 6.5 to 7.5 and fairly withstand soil salinity.
When you start preparing the soil, you need to know the various most essential sections that would be useful for profitable green gram cultivation. We can provide information about the most reliable tractors in green gram cultivation. We can recommend the Kubota A Series tractor models, which is helpful in the complete cultivation procedure.
Climate Requirement for Green Gram
Green gram is a tropical leguminous crop grown mainly in semi-arid and sub-tropical environments. It is suitable for all rainfed areas having an annual rainfall of 600 mm – 1000 mm. Green gram can tolerate high temperatures up to 40°C, making it the hardiest of all pulses.
Preparation of Land
It does not require good bed preparation, and 1 or 2 ploughings after harrowing are sufficient for this crop. You can cultivate the green gram in deep soil. You do not require tillage for the green gram crop, which you can use as a relay crop of rice because the seeds broadcast to the standing rice crop about a week before its harvest. Tillage assures thorough mixing of manures, fertilisers and pesticides in the soil. It prevents the growth of weeds, helps in seed germination and in deep perforation of roots, prevents soil erosion and retains soil moisture. In land preparation, tillage is an important part.
Seed Rate and Sowing
You can cultivate the green gram as a sole crop, and it requires a seed rate of 12 to 15 kg/ha. If you cultivate it as a green manure crop, it requires a seed rate of 25 to 30 kg/ha. When you cultivate the green gram as a summer crop, it requires a seed rate of 25 to 30 kg/ha. If farmers cultivate the green gram as a relay crop with rice, the required seed rate is 30 to 35 kg/ha. You should sow the green gram in a broadcasting method.
Seed Treatment
Before sowing the green gram seed, you should treat it with fungicide Thiram or Captan @ 3 gm/kg of seed. You can use it for good germination and kill the seed-borne disease. It must be in the seed treatment for protecting the seed and for good yield.
Spacing In Green Gram Crop
As green gram crop is considered, 30 cm X 10 cm spacing is required. The plant population is 3.33 lakh saplings/ha. A good distance is required for proper growth and aeration. It helps in other tasks like inter-cultivation, picking up insects and pests in the crop. By maintaining proper distance, the infection will be reduced.
Irrigation Management for Green Gram
Rainfed crop does not require irrigation, but it requires 2 to 3 irrigations apart from rainfed crops. The fallow green gram crop of paddy needs irrigation. The critical stages of irrigation are at the beginning of flowering, which is 35 days after sowing (DAS) 55 days after pod formation (DAS). The total water content in green gram varies from 300 mm to 400 mm. If you observe waterlogging during flowering and pod filling, it reduces the yield by 75% or more. Proper irrigation gives high vegetation and prevents damage to weed seeds. It helps in spreading the fertiliser evenly across the crop. Good irrigation is essential for proper flowering and high yield.
Weed Management for Green Gram
After sowing, the critical period for weed competition (DAS) is two- three-hand weeding is done by labour. If necessary inter-cultivation operations can be followed. The herbicide recommendation is Fluchloralin (Basalin) @ 1.5 kg/ha or Trifluralin @ 800 ml/ ha. If the tillage operation is not effective, weeds multiply, increasing the cost of cultivation and reducing crop yield.
Harvesting
You can pick and harvest the beans and you should cut the complete plant from the base and harvest it for any type of crop. The entire crop does not ripe in one go, so do the one or two pluckings. After harvesting, you keep it to dry this crop in the sun and garbage is collected separately.
For better cultivation and productivity, you should do the farming in a modern way. The cultivation of green gram required better tractors and implements. Therefore, you can choose the Kubota B Series tractor models and many more.
For furthermore information about Green gram farming in India, stay tuned with us.
