Guar Cultivation: Advanced Methods Yield Quality Fodder

Guar Cultivation: Have you ever tasted Rajasthan’s famous vegetable guar? Those who have eaten it will know that even though its taste may not be very good, this vegetable is rich in protein. Vegetables are made from its beans. Guar is also an excellent fodder for animals. Let us tell you that in many places it is also grown as a fodder crop. Know important things related to advanced cultivation of guar.

Guar is mainly cultivated in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. But its highest production is in Rajasthan. India is the largest guar producer in the world. Advanced cultivation of guar is good in dry and semi-arid areas. It is a hot season crop, which is usually sown mixed with millet.

Its beans are used as a green vegetable, in some places it is used as fodder. Gum is also extracted from guar, which means it has commercial demand too. Guar gets a good price in the market, which helps farmers earn a good income.

Benefits of Guar

– Feeding guar to animals makes them stronger.

– Milking capacity of dairy animals increases.

– Gum is also made from guar. ‘Guar gum’ is used in many products.

– Delicious vegetable is made from its beans. Dal and soup are also made from it, it is a favorite crop of the village.

Soil and field preparation

Guar can be cultivated in any type of soil, but for good yield, cultivate it in sandy loam soil with proper drainage. The pH value of the soil for cultivation should be 7.5 to 8.5. Advanced cultivation of guar can also be done in saline and slightly alkaline soil. For advanced cultivation of guar, plow the field well. Plow the field deeply and apply water to it.

After the water dries up, do two to three diagonal plowing to make the soil soft. After this, level the field using a patta and sow the seeds in rows. The field should be moist at the time of sowing, so that the seeds can germinate properly. The seeds are sown between February to March and June to July.

Seed treatment is necessary

If you want to do advanced cultivation of Guar for its grains and green beans, then 15-18 kg of seeds will be required per hectare. If you are growing the crop for green manure, then 30-35 kg of seeds will be required per hectare, whereas if you want to grow the crop for green fodder, then sow 35 to 40 kg of seeds per hectare. Before sowing, treat the seeds with captan or bavistin. This will prevent diseases like fungus in the plants.

Irrigation and weed control

Guar crop does not require much irrigation. Crop planted in Kharif season does not require irrigation, but if rain does not occur on time, then maximum 3 irrigations are required. In summer season, irrigation should be done at an interval of 6-7 days. Guar crop requires more weed control. Therefore, weeding is necessary from time to time, so that the roots of the plants can develop properly. To prevent weeds chemically, spray one kg of Basalin per hectare.

Harvesting of crop

If you want to harvest the crop as a green vegetable, then you should harvest the soft pods in 55 to 70 days. These pods should be harvested at an interval of 5 days. If you want to harvest the crop as fodder, then harvest it in 60 to 80 days when the plants are flowering. If you want to harvest the crop for grains, then harvest it only when the crop is ripe.

Yield and price

250-300 quintals of green fodder is obtained per hectare from improved varieties of guar. Whereas 70 to 120 quintals of green beans and 12 to 18 quintals of grains are obtained. Depending on the variety, the price of guar can be up to 5000-6000 rupees per quintal.