Chickpea (Gram)

1. Land Preparation Gram is the main rainfed crop of Thal. Plough once after the monsoon and leave the land rough so it catches and holds winter rain. Do not over-plough — the aim is to conserve every drop of moisture, not to make a fine tilth. 2.

Rabi Sowing Oct–Nov Harvest Mar–Apr 8–15 maund per acre

Land Preparation

Gram is the main rainfed crop of Thal. Plough once after the monsoon and leave the land rough so it catches and holds winter rain. Do not over-plough — the aim is to conserve every drop of moisture, not to make a fine tilth.

Sowing Time & Method

Thal and Cholistan: October, into moisture left by the monsoon. Irrigated areas: late October to mid November. Sowing after November costs yield sharply. Rows 12 inches apart, 2–3 inches deep in sandy soil.

Seed Rate & Treatment

Desi types 30–35 kg per acre, Kabuli 40–45 kg. Treat seed with a fungicide against wilt, then with Rhizobium inoculant — the bacteria fix nitrogen and cut fertiliser cost noticeably.

Fertilizer

One bag DAP at sowing is usually all that is needed. Gram fixes its own nitrogen, so heavy urea produces leafy plants with few pods and invites wilt.

Irrigation

Mostly rainfed. Where irrigation exists, one light watering at flowering is enough — gram is very sensitive to waterlogging and will die in standing water.

Weed Control

Weed Damage Control Product
Piazi (Wild Onion) Comes up thick in sandy rainfed fields and drinks the stored moisture the gram needs to fill its pods. Hand weeding before it sets seed — pull the whole plant out with its fleshy root; it comes back from seed alone
Bathu (Lambsquarters) Overtops the slow-starting gram in the first six weeks and shades it before the crop can cover the ground. Hoeing at 30–35 days
Shahtra (Papra) Carpets the ground between the young plants and takes the winter moisture and nitrogen. Hoeing at 30–35 days
Pohli (Wild Safflower, Kandiari) Grows tall and coarse above the gram and shades it through the flowering weeks, so fewer pods set. Rogue out before it flowers
Wild Oat (Jangli Jai) Takes water and nitrogen right through podding, so the pods fill thin. Sow clean seed; rogue out before the seed sheds

One hoeing at 30–35 days. Gram grows slowly at first and weeds can take the field before the crop covers the ground.

Insect Pests

Pod borer is the main pest and can take half the crop. Scout from flowering: pheromone traps show when moths are flying, and larvae are easiest to control while small. Cutworm attacks seedlings at night.

Diseases

Wilt is the serious one — plants dry patch by patch and the root, split lengthwise, is dark inside. It lives in the soil for years, so rotate away from gram for three seasons and use a resistant variety. Blight follows a wet, cloudy spell.

Harvesting

Harvest when the plants yellow and the pods rattle. Do not delay — pods shatter in the heat and the loss is permanent. Dry to 10% moisture before storing.