Everything you need to know about cluster bean cultivation, production and growth. Learn about:- 1. Introduction to Cluster Bean 2. Composition and Uses of Cluster Bean 3. Climate and Soil Required for Cultivation 4. Sowing Time 5. Plant Population Density 6. Manurial Requirement for Cultivation 7. Irrigation Requirement for Cultivation 8. Harvesting and Yielding 9. Intercultural Operations 10. Cultivated Varieties.
Contents:
- Introduction to Cluster Bean
- Composition and Uses of Cluster Bean
- Climate and Soil Required for Cultivating Cluster Bean
- Sowing Time of Cluster Bean Seeds
- Plant Population Density of Cluster Bean
- Manurial Requirement for Cluster Bean Cultivation
- Irrigation Requirement for Cluster Bean Cultivation
- Harvesting and Yielding of Cluster Bean
- Intercultural Operations of Cluster Bean
- Cultivated Varieties of Cluster Bean
1. Introduction
to Cluster Bean:
The origin of cluster bean is not certain, however, diverse opinions are advanced regarding origin of this crop. In one opinion, it was probably domesticated in dry regions of Africa having been introduced from other parts of Africa, while in other opinion India is considered the center of origin of cluster bean, even though no wild form of this crop is found in India.
Cluster bean, a drought hardy and salt tolerant leguminous crop and known popularly as Guar, Thupi, Urahi, Koth Avarai, Gavar, Gor Chikudu, Gorikaya, Kothavara, Guvar and Matki (sprouted seed) in different parts of India, has been growing in India, Burma (now Mianmar), Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Texas and Arizona states of the USA since long back. It occupies an important place in dry land agriculture of mainly arid and semi-arid regions of North-western states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and parts of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
2. Composition and Uses of Cluster Bean:
Composition of Tender Pods:
The young pods of cluster bean are as good as the French bean pods in food value because of their high nutrient constituents as recorded by Aykroyd (1963) and Roy and Chakraborti (1993). The nutritional composition of tender pods of cluster bean is being given below in Table 3.1.
Mature seeds have tremendous industrial value due to the presence of galactomannan polysaccharide popularly known as guar gum or mucilage (mannogalacton) composed of D-galactopyranose and D-mannopyranose units in its endosperm, which ranges between 19.2 and 47.9%, depending on genotype. Three principle enzymes, viz. α-D- galactosidase, β-D-mannanase and β-D-mannosidase are responsible for the degradation of galactomannan in germinating seeds.
Uses:
Cluster bean is grown for vegetable, feed, fodder, green manure, and gum production. The tender pods are generally used as vegetable for the preparation of curry and fried items. In some parts of India, green pods are dehydrated and stored for further use. Cluster bean is also grown as a forage and green manure crop for enhancing the soil fertility through fixation of atmospheric nitrogen (50-60 kg/ha) and also for incorporation of organic matters in soil.
Boiled seeds are generally used for the treatment of plague, enlarged livers, head swellings, and swellings on broken bones. Importance of cluster bean as potential hypoglycaemic agents for the treatment of diabetes has recently been emphasized. In food, guar gum acts as bulk laxative and cholesterol controlling agent. Guar gum is one of the most widely stipulated food fibers that make the food more viscous in human digestive tract and slow down the absorption of glucose in intestine. It controls sugar metabolism in diabetes patients and in those having high serum lipids and high blood pressure.
Dry seeds are widely being used for the extraction of gum, which is mainly used in about 25 major industries, like textiles, cosmetics, explosives, paper, mining, oil, food processing etc. apart from being used as adhesives on postage stamps, to impart smoothness and stability to bakery products and as a foam stabiliser in beer.
Gum is also added in storage tanks particularly in sprinkler irrigation system. The gum is also used as a stabilizer and thickener agent in food products viz., ice cream, bakery mixes, and salad dressings. Guar gum is exported to different countries, like USA, Japan, UK, France, Italy, and Netherlands etc., and the USA by far is the major importer, while India and Pakistan are the major exporters.
Guar-meal after separation of gum is a potentially valuable source of protein (45%) for animal feed. The gum extraction factories utilize hardly about 40 percent of the total seed production and most of the remaining seeds are used as cattle feed, by the farmers, however, growth and egg production of chick has been found adversely affected due to 10% saponin content in guar-meal, limiting its use to low levels in poultry feed.
3. Climate and Soil Required for Cultivating Cluster Bean:
Cluster bean is basically a drought tolerant crop, and can be grown with some returns even in the areas with a 100-150 mm annual rainfall and high temperatures (up to 44°C) in arid zones of Rajasthan and Haryana, however, proper germination of seeds and root development takes place at a temperature between 25° and 30°C. It grows well both during summer and Kharif seasons. However, Kharif crop gives higher yield because of enhanced flower bud production in moist conditions.
Cluster bean can be grown on almost all types of soil, but a well-drained sandy loam soil having pH 7.5-8.0 is favourable for this crop. It cannot withstand waterlogging conditions since root nodules are destroyed in heavy and poorly drained soils. Thorough land preparation would be better because of their nitrogen fixing ability, however, nodulation pattern, nitrogen fixing capacity and total nitrogen concentration in cluster bean is greatly affected by the salt concentration in soil.
4. Sowing Time of Cluster Bean Seeds:
The crop is grown throughout the year in southern parts of India because of prevailing favourable climatic conditions. However, the crop sown in May-June gives better yield. In North Indian conditions, two crops are generally taken- one spring-summer crop by sowing seeds in February-March and another rainy season crop by sowing seeds in June-July although the sowing seeds between sixth and 20th July is the best. The crop for fodder purpose can be sown from April to mid-July under north Indian conditions.
Seed rate varies with the viability percentage, spacing, and method of sowing, however, generally a seed rate of 10-15 kg for vegetable and grain crop and 35-40 kg seeds for fodder crop per hectare is sufficient.
Generally, both flat bed and ridge and furrow methods are followed for raising the crop. However, paired row system of sowing has been advantageous in some locations because of better weed control and microclimate in between two rows of a pair. At Jodhpur, paired row planting gave about 9 and 46% higher yields over traditional method of sowing in normal and dry season, respectively, while at Parvani, the ridge and furrow planting method keeping the stems at the centre of the ridges ensured limited plant moisture loss in Kharif season.
The crop grown as main crop or mixed with other crops, like cucurbits, cotton, and sugarcane, or as a border crop around main crop line can be sown by either broadcasting or dibbling method at a depth of 5-7 cm.
Cluster bean is best fitted in intercropping system, particularly with pearl millet, because of difference in their growth and feeding habits, and such intercropping advantages have been documented in several locations viz., Jodhpur with cluster bean cv. DSE/16J and pearl millet cv. BJ 104 in ratio of 3 : 1, Gujarat with cluster bean cv. Malosan or HG75 with Pearl millet at 2 : 2 row ratio and Jobner with pearl millet in paired row intercropped with 2 rows of cluster bean.
5. Plant Population Density of Cluster Bean:
Generally, the plant rows for vegetable purpose are spaced by 45 and 30 cm for late sown crops, and the plants are kept at a distance of 15-20 cm in rows, while narrow spacing within rows is maintained for seed crop.
6. Manurial Requirement for Cluster Bean Cultivation:
Fertilizer requirement depends on soil type, irrigation facilities, and weather conditions, and like most of the beans, it is also highly responsive to organic matter application. Application of five cartloads of farmyard manure before sowing the early crop under irrigated condition is highly beneficial and similar benefits can be capitalized when 10-12.5 tonnes of farmyard manure or compost is applied one month before sowing the crop either on poor soils or after an exhaustive crop.
The bean crops in general show good response to phosphorus and potash and poor response to nitrogen application. Normally, full dose of NPK fertilizers containing 10-20 kg nitrogen and 50-70 kg each of phosphorus and potash per hectare are applied as basal 5-10 cm below the soil surface at the time of sowing however, much lower of 20 kg phosphorus has been found optimum in sandy loam soil of Rajasthan.
Split application of nitrogen was also found beneficial as recorded by Singh et al. (1987) by applying 40 kg N (half as basal and rest half 20 days after sowing), 60 kg phosphorus (as basal) and 500 ppm cycocel (as foliar spray 25 days after sowing) in cv. Pusa Navbahar under a condition of rain fed.
Phosphorus nutrition has been found vital for cluster bean, and significant correlations were revealed between phosphorus uptake by the plant, dry matter yield and phosphatase activity in the rhizosphere. Higher shoot and root weight, and N and P uptake could be recorded with Glomus fasciculate inoculation followed by application of phosphorus. Single super phosphate has been found better than diammonium phosphate as the source of phosphorus fertilizer.
Most of the studies under different soil conditions implicated the positive role of micronutrients like zinc through application of zinc sulfate @ 25 kg/ha along with recommended doses of fertilizers, which significantly influenced the number of nodules, nitrogenase activity of the nodules, and carbohydrate and protein contents of the leaves, and shoot dry matter yield.
Zinc can be applied either individually or in combination with other micronutrients, like Cu, Fe, B and Mn. Response of molybdenum was also found quite encouraging, and two sprays of 0.15% sodium molybdate at 15 and 30 days after seedling emergence gave better yield. The role of cobalt and phosphorus in nutrition has been well established through realization increased the green foliage and dry matter yield by application of 2 mg cobalt and 40 mg P2O5/kg of soil in a pot trial.
Being leguminous crop, cluster bean has the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen through symbiotic association with Rhizobium. Seed inoculation with Rhizobium (Cowpea miscellany group) @ 10 g per kilogram of seed along with 60 kg P and 80 kg S/ha significantly increased the seed yield, protein and gum content in the seeds.
In Tamil Nadu, the Rhizobium culture PCB 6 exhibited the best result over standard isolate (COC 10) both in pot and field culture with respect to growth, yield, and nodule characters. The seeds after inoculation should be kept under shade to keep the inoculums viable until they are sown in field.
7. Irrigation Requirement for Cluster Bean Cultivation:
Cluster bean is generally grown as a rain fed crop, however, single irrigation at 60 days after sowing increases the seed yield and harvest index of crop, while two to three irrigations at 10-12 days interval in spring-summer are sufficient to meet the evapo- transpiration requirement of the crop.
8. Harvesting and Yielding of Cluster Bean:
Green pods, which mature at leaf axils simultaneously, are harvested 40-45 days after sowing onwards, and generally, continues up to 120 days, depending on variety use for cultivation. Dry beans are harvested when most of the pods are fully ripe and turned yellow until the lower pods become dry enough for shattering, which generally take 90 to 100 days after sowing, depending upon the variety, soil type, rainfall and its distribution.
After harvesting, the stalks are left for drying for 1-2 weeks, and then, trampled over by bullocks or tractor to separate the seeds from the pods. The crop for green forage should be harvested between flowering and pod formation stage, and it should not be allowed to be over mature as it will change into woody and fibrous substances, resulting loss of digestive nutrients and palatability.
The yield of green pods varies from 30 to 80 q/ha and that of dry seeds from 6 to 10 q/ha, depending on the variety, soil type, season of cultivation and the management practices adopted during the course of its cultivation.
Tender green pods largely used as fresh vegetable do not have longer shelf life due to their high respiration rate associated with common deteriorative symptoms of shriveling, chlorosis, and over-maturity, and can be kept for two days in usable condition with frequent sprinkling of water under ambient conditions but can be preserved as fresh for 15-20 days in cold storage at 0°C temperature and 85-90% relative humidity.
Vitamin C content was found significantly higher in tender pods without the stalk after subjecting to different processing techniques such as cutting, washing, washing before cutting and cooking with the use of lid. Tender pods are also processed to make dehydrated products.
The seeds show orthodox type of storage behaviour and remain viable for a short period under ambient conditions, however, keeping the dry seeds in sealed or laminated bags extends the seed viability for 36 months. The dehydrogenase enzyme activity was found less in seeds stored at ambient conditions than in cold storage.
9. Intercultural Operations of Cluster Bean:
Cluster bean seeds take a week to germinate, depending on soil moisture status in the field, and maintaining desired plant population at appropriate spacing the seedlings are thinned 10-15 days after sowing when they become large enough to handle. Intense crop weed competition for moisture, nutrients, light and space under dry land condition showing as high as 70-90% yield reduction in this growing condition necessitates keeping the crop weed free at least for first 30 days after sowing by two to three hand weeding, which increase pods per plant, water use efficiency, and seed yield too.
Chemical weed control by pre-sowing application of different herbicides, like 2,4-D or disodium methane arsenate (DSMA) @ 2.0 kg a.i./ha against Parthenium hysterophorus, fluchloralin @ 2 litre/ha or basalin @ 1 kg a.i./ha in upper 10 cm soil against annual grasses and broad leaved weeds, trifluralin @ 1.5 kg/ha in upper 5 cm soil, alachlor, trifluralin and nitrofen and 2000 ppm chlormequat have been found effective in controlling weeds in early stages, and thick crop canopy checks the weed growth at later stages of crop growth.
Mulching with dry grass is useful to prevent soil moisture loss and to increase root growth, nodulation, shoot and plant growth and water use efficiency. Cluster bean-wheat sequence on sandy loam soil of Rajasthan gave an economic yield of 44.33 q/ha and water use efficiency of 5.67 kg/ha/mm.
10. Cultivated Varieties of Cluster Bean:
The improved varieties developed in India are either selections from local strains or advanced generation selection from the cross of two varieties, indigenous strains, etc. There are number of varieties in this crop, some of them are single stemmed, i.e., monopodial, and others are branched from the base. Single stemmed types are more suitable for green pod production. The varieties are described after Hazra and Banerjee (2005).
A single stemmed and high yielding variety developed at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi by selection from a local strain of Rajasthan does well in summer as well as in rainy season. Its pods are green, 12-13 cm long, tender, and fibreless. First picking can be done in 45 days during summer and in 55 days during rainy season.
A densely branched late variety developed at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi by selection from local strain is suitable for cultivation in rainy season. Pods are bright green, smooth, and 10-13 cm long. First picking can be done about 65-80 days after sowing, depending on weather and regions of cultivation.
A single stemmed variety developed at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi through advanced generation selections from the cross Pusa Sadabahar × Pusa Mausami is suitable for cultivation in both spring-summer and rainy seasons. The plants of 100 cm height bear bright green, 10-12 cm long, soft, and meaty pods. However, it is susceptible to bacterial blight and lodging.
A branching type variety has been developed at National Bureau Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi following single plant selection from a local collection from Maharashtra (IC 11704). The plants having 12-14 branches produce on an average 133 pods per plant.
A photo-insensitive highly branching variety developed at National Bureau Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi through advanced generation selections from the cross Pusa Naubahar × IC 11521 is suitable for cultivation in both spring-summer and rainy seasons, giving an average yield of 14-15 t/ha.
It is developed at National Bureau Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi by a single plant selection from a local collection of Sukhpur in Kutch, giving an average yield of 16 t/ha.
It is a branched type developed at National Bureau Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi by single plant selection, producing 12-14 branches per plant in crop duration of 120 days. Its average yield is 19-20 t/ha.
A single stemmed and non-branching giant type variety developed at Godhra through selection from local strain produces up to 35 clusters with 8-10 pods per cluster in crop duration of 90- 100 days. Its average yield is 5-6 t/ha.
Other varieties are CP 78 (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore), 160-1 Pardeshi (Gujarat Agricultural University, Gujarat), S-299-7, S-279 (Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana,), Guar No. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar), Durga Bahar (Bikaner Agricultural University , Regional Research Station, Durgapura), etc.