Green gram belongs to the leguminous family, and its cultivation involves multiple stages from cultivation to harvesting.
Green gram survives in warm and tropical climates. Its a short duration crop that can be grown during both rainy and winter seasons. The ideal temperature for growth is about 25 to 35 degrees Celsius. Well drained sandy loam or loam soils are suitable for green gram cultivation.
Agronomic practices
Land preparation. Prepare the land by ploughing ad harrowing to create a fine seed bed. The soil should be free from weeds debris and clogs to ensure proper germination and growth.
Seed selection and treatment. Select healthy disease free seeds from reliable sources. Treating seeds with a fungicide can help prevent seed borne diseases and improve germination rates.
Sowing. Sow the weeds directly into the prepared soil at a depth of 3 to 5 cm and a row to row spacing of 30 to 45cm with an in row spacing of 5 to 10cm.
Management practices
Fertilization. Apply well decomposed farm yard manure before planting. Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are essential in growth of green gram.
Weed control. Weeds can significantly reduce green gram yield. weed control is done either manually or using preemergence herbicides.
Pests and disease management. Common pests include aphids, leaf hoppers and pod borers. Diseases like powdery mildew and mosaic affect green gram. Integrated pest and disease management practices should be employed to control pests and diseases.
Harvesting. Green gram is harvested when the pods are mature but still green and the pods allowed to dry in a well ventilated area.
