Pulses Cultivation in India: Pea, Gram and Mung

The following points highlight the three main pulses cultivated in India. The pulses are: 1. Pea 2. Gram 3. Mung.

Pulse # 1. Pea (Pisum Sativum Linn):

Pea is a glaucous annual herb. Leaves are paripinnate, alternate; the leaf-rachis produced to form a branched tendril; leaflets 4-6, sharply toothed; stipules large, ovate, semicordate, irregularly toothed at base; leaflets 2 × 1 cm; Stipules 3 × 1.5 cm.

Flowers in short axillary racemes or solitary, bisexual, zygomorphic, white, pink, bluish or purplish in colour, about 2 cm long and as much broad. Calyx tubular-campanulate, gamosepalous, oblique.

Corolla papilionaceous, longer than calyx; petals 5 the upper most or the outer most is the standard or vexillum covering the other petals in bud; the 2 lateral petals, linear- oblique, forming the alae or wing-petals; the innermost pair, shorter than wing-petals, linear oblique, loosely uniting along the ventral margins constitute the keel or carina. Stamens 9+1, diadelphous, the free stamen is the uppermost.

Ovary superior monocarpellary, linear, narrowed near base with 2 rows of ovules on marginal placentas which lie so close to each other that the ovules appear to be in a single row; style hard, inflexed and almost perpendicular to the axis of the ovary, flat and wider above, with margins bent back forming a sort of channel; stigma bearded on the inner face; ovules few to several, campilotropous.

Pod linear-oblong, terete or slightly compressed, 4-8 cm. long, obliquely beaked at the apex and with a short claw at base. Seeds globose, pale yellow, about 1 cm across.

Several varieties of P. sativum are known, of which P. sativum var. speciosum (Dirb.) Alef is commonly cultivated in India and other countries. P. exiphiens Alef is the Sugar- pea. A large number of cultivated types have evolved as a result of breeding and horticultural manipulations by the agriculturists in Europe and America.

In India 3-4 types are usually cultivated. A type of sugar-pea known as Sylviapea is now cultivated in India which has been introduced from Sweden. This has the pods very soft and tender, and is used as a vegetable like the beans. Besides P. sativum P. arvense Linn, is also cultivated in India.

This has smaller seeds which are angled and mottled with red. This is used as a substitute for pea. Original home of pea is supposed to be in Europe where cultivation of the crop started during the Bronze-age. Cultivation of pea in W. Asia and in India dates back also to prehistoric ages.

At present in India about 1122000 h.a. of land are under pea cultivation and the total yield is about 1100000 tones per year. In the plains pea is cultivated after the rainy season, while in the hills it is cultivated in the summer and in the rains and 2 crops can be raised successively from the same field.

It can be grown in different types of soil but it cannot stand water logging. In the plains seeds are sown by broadcasting in Oct — Nov. and green pods can be collected in Course of 2 months. For ripe seeds a period of few weeks more is necessary and the plants are uprooted about 3 months after sowing.

The dried plants are carried to the threshing floor in bundles and the grains are separated by trampling under foot of cattle or by beating with rods. The impurities are got rid off by winnowing. The land, still moist after the rains is ploughed and seeds sown without application of any manure, or well – rotted farmyard manure at the rate of 20 cart loads per hectare is added when preparing the soil.

Like other leguminous crops pea collects its nitrogenous manure and no other chemical manuring is usually applied. In irrigated areas 22.5 kg of nitrogen and 67.5 kg of phosphorus are recommended. Manuring with cattle dung is also practiced.

Irrigation is necessary in drier areas and for late crops. Early crops are more susceptable to diseases and Fusarium causes foot rot and wilt. Powdery mildew also causes much damage. These can be checked by dusting with sulphur or spraying with ultra sulphur.

Pulse # 2. Gram (Cicer Arietinum Linn):

Gram is a small, much-branched annual herb, viscously hairy all over. Leaves are even-pinnate, alternate, stipulate; the rachis ending in a bristle or tendril or rarely with a terminal leaflet; leaflets elliptic-ovate, dentate. 6-8 mm long: stipules strongly veined, foliaceous, deeply toothed.

Flowers solitary axillary, small, bluish purple, on slender peduncle. Calyx oblique, gamosepalous, tubular, with 5 lanceolate teeth, longer than the tube. Corolla short, papilionaceous; standard petal largest, covering the wing petals and keel: Wing petals obliquely obovate, free: keel incurved. Stameus 9 + 1, Diadelphous, the vexillary one free; anthers uniform.

Ovary superior-sessile, 2-many ovuled on marginal placentas: style filiform, incurved, persistent, not bearded; stigma capitate. Pod oblong, turgid, sessile, 2-seeded, 2-2.5 cm long. Seeds obovate or subglobose, beaked, reddish brown, pale brown or often dark brown in colour. 0.5-0.8 cm long.

This is called the Desi or brown gram to distinguish it from the Kabuli-or White gram with larger and pale coloured seeds, which according to some is a different species, viz. C. kabulinum. This has the seeds larger but the yield is poor.

Gram is important as a pulse but it is consumed much as sattu a powdered form of the parched seeds. Bason is the powder obtained by grinding the seeds and is also much used. Gram soaked in water is given to the cattle and especially to the horses to make them strong. The husks with broken particles of the seeds make the chunithat is also given to the cattle.

Gram is cultivated as a cold weather rabi crop. It is grown as a pure crop or as a mixed crop with wheat and other winter crop and as a catch crop in sugarcane fields. Like other leguminous plants nodular swellings are found on the roots of gram-plant harbouring bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen. For this reason gram is often cultivated as a rotation crop to increase the fertility of the soil.

Light loamy soil is best for cultivation of gram. Black cotton soil and alluvial soil are also quite suitable. Soil should be well drained and there should not be any water-logging.

A cool dry climate is preferred. Seeds are sown by broadcasting or by drills in rows about 2.5 cm. apart. September — October is the sowing season but seeds can be sown till the month of January. Frost, hailstorm and excessive rain are harmful to gram-crop.

The crop is ready for harvest in 4-6 months and when the plants start drying they are uprooted. Bundles of plants with the pods are taken to the threshing floor and the pods are threshed by beating with sticks or trampling under the feet of cattle, preferably of goats. The grains are then separated by winnowing. The yield of grain per acre is 400-600 kg per acre and in some good variety it is as high as 800 kg.

Irrigation is seldom necessary and usually no manure is applied. Sometimes organic manure is mixed with the soil before sowing. Gram blight and Rust disease are caused by Meyosphaerella rabiel Kov. and Uromyces cicerisarietina J & B.

These come from infected seeds and to use disease free seeds is the best means to get a crop unaffected by such diseases. Caterpillar and white ants also cause serious damage. Dusting DDT powder and spraying solution of the same make the plants free from the pests. In India 18M9 million acres of land are usually cultivated for gram every year and the annual yield is about 4.5 million tons.

Pulse # 3. Mung (Syn. Phaseolus radiatus Linn):

Mung is a scandent or subscandent shrub or under shrub with long trailing branches, more or less densely pubescent with reddish brown hairs. Leaves are pinnately 3-foliolate, stipulate and stipelate; leaflets ovate-lanceolate, the terminal rhomboid ovate, 5-8 cm. long, sparsely setosely hairy; stipules 5-7 nerved, usually ciliate, about 1 cm long.

Racemes axillary, few- flowered; bracts and bracteoles present; peduncle short at first, elongating in fruit. Flowers pale yellow 6-7 mm. long, bisexual and zygomorphic.

Calyx campanulate with linear teeth. Corolla papilionaceous; standard petal orbicular, much the largest and covering the wings and keel; wings obviate-falcate, slightly adnate to the keel; keel incurved, shortly beaked. Stamens 9+1, diadelphous, vexillary stamen free, anthers uniform.

Ovary superior, monocarpellary, with many ovules on marginal placenta; style filiform, longitudinally bearded on the inner face; stigma oblique with a short beak.

Pod linear, nearly erect, 4-7 cm. long, very hairy when young, glabrescent afterwards, septate between the seeds; seeds subquadrate, about 2 mm long, brown or dull greenish grey; cotyledons yellow in some varieties and white in others. (In using the vernacular name as the specific epithet Linnaeus made a confusion. The name “Mung” was used for the pulse “Mas-kelai” or “Urud” which was named by him as Phaseolus mungo Linn.)

About 40 different types of Mung are met with in cultivation which can be botanically grouped under 5 varieties, viz:

1. var. radiatus (typical variety) leaves drak green, pods spreading, seeds green.

2. var. aurea (Roxb) R.Wilcz (Sonamung) Leaves pale, pods reflexed, seeds dull yellow.

3. var. grandis (Prain) R. Wilcz. Leaves large, pods spreading, flowers with prominent bracts, seeds green.

4. var. brunea (Bose) R. Wilcz. Leaves bright green, spreading pods, brown seeds.

5. var. glabra (Roxb) R. Wilcz. Leaves and other parts more or less glabrous.

Another “variety occurs wild in the subtropical region of the Himalaya viz. var. sublobatus (Roxb) R. Wilcz. This is regarded as the progenitor of Mung as well as Urud.

Mung is cultivated all over India in the plains as a Kharif crop, except in Gujarat and Maharashtra. It is grown as a pure crop or a mixed crop with jowar, bajra or cotton.

Well- drained loamy soil is most suited for mung. Seeds are sown by broadcasting or drilling in May-June or June-July or in July-August in some places. In Karnataka 3 types are grown, the early type sown in July-August, midseason in Aug-Sept and late in Dec-Jan.

Hoeing after 20 days and hand-weeding also are practiced. Being a legume it enriches the soil of its nitrogen content and when grown as a pure crop no manure is’ applied to the soil. Water-logging as well as heavy and continuous rainfall has harmful effects. Pods mature in 70 days and are collected green when these are used as beans.

The mature pods ripen in about a months-time and the crop is harvested before the pods are fully ripe. Plants are pulled out and bundles are left in heaps for drying. These are then threshed by beating with sticks or trampling under the feet of oxen and cleaned by winnowing. Empty pods and chaffs are used as fodder.

The crop suffers from stem-rot and mildew. The former can be controlled by Agrosan G.N. before sowing while the other by spraying with ultra-sulphur and dusting with sulphur and also by spraying with one percent Bordeaux mixture.