AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

PULSES

Pulses occupy an important position in the agrarian economy of the district. A number of pulses are grown in the district, the chief among them being tur, mug, udid and gram. The minor ones such as math, chavali and horse-gram are also grown in this district. The pulses occupied an area of 98,962 hectares or 12.90 per cent of the net area sown in the district during 1971-72. Table Nos. 11 and 12 give the acreage and outturn of pulses, respectively, in Buldhana district for some years from 1956-57 to 1971-72. Udid is the most important among pulses in the district and accounted for more than 34.62 per cent of the total area under pulses in 1971-72 in the district.

TABLE No. 11

TAHSILWISE AREA UNDER PULSES IN BULDHANA DISTRICT

[In Acres]*

*Figures for 1968-69 and 1971-72 are in hectares.

TABLE No. 12

OUTTURN OF PULSES IN BULDHANA DISTRICT

(In Tons.*)

*Figures for 1968-69 and 1971-72 are in metric tonnes. Statistics for 1968-69 and 1971-72 are available for district only.

Udid.—Udid (black gram) is a paying pulse crop of Buldhana district and is grown almost all over the district. It is grown mainly as a mixed crop with kharif jowar and bajri. It thrives well on black and medium black soils, though it can he cultivated in inferior types of soils. Fairly distributed light showers are helpful for the healthy growth of the udid plants.

It is sown along with jowar in June or the beginning of July and harvested by the end of September. Harvesting is done either by picking the ripe pods or by uprooting the plants. The pods are threshed and grains are separated. The plants after being uprooted are dried and trampled under the feet of bullocks and the grains are separated from the stalks and chaff. Stalks and chaff are used as fodder for cattle. The yield per acre of this mixed crop ranges from 300 1bs to 1,000 lbs. An improved variety of udid has been introduced, the grains of which are larger and mature within 90 days.

Udid pulse is split and used in various preparations and curries. Udid flour is used for preparation of papads. People in the rural areas mix udid flour with jowar flour and prepare bread. The pulse is valued as a concentrated food for milch-buffaloes, cows and draught bullocks.

Udid crop covered an area of 34,281 hectares in the district in 1971-72. Its cultivation was prominent in Buldhana tahsil.

Tur.—Tur (pigeon pea) is by far the most important pulse crop next to udid among pulses in Buldhana district. It fetches fairly good cash returns to the cultivator. It covered an area of 24,094 hectares in the district in 1971-72. Chikhli tahsil claimed 6,511 hectares. Mehkar 5,978 hectares and Malkapur, Khamgaon and Jalgaon tahsils 4,311. 3,054 and 4,240 hectares, respectively, in 1971-72.

Tur is always sown as a mixed crop in rows at regular intervals with cotton and groundnut crops. It is sown in July and harvested in January.

The types of soils on which the crop is raised vary with the requirements of the crops with which it is mixed. But generally it is grown on all types of soils, from heavy to light. It is a hardy crop and resists drought remarkably well. Tur crop is highly sensitive to manurial treatment. It responds quickly to doses of green as well as chemical fertilisers. The general tillage required by the principal crop is also given to it. The plants bear pods after flowering. Harvesting is done by cutting the plants after all the pods get ripened and then threshing them. Threshing is done by beating the dried bundles of the plants against wooden planks.

The average yield of tur as a mixed crop is about 300 lbs to 350 lbs. per acre. The red as well as the white varieties are grown in the district. The improved strains viz., tur No. 148, T. 84, have been recently introduced by the Department of Agriculture.

The green pods of tur are used ir. preparation of vegetables, whereas the ripe pulse is split and boiled for making curry (varan). It is also used in rice and some other vegetable preparations. The stalks are used for making baskets, brooms and thatching roofs of hutments. The dried leaves of the plants after being separated from the grains serve as good chaff.

Mug.—Mug (green gram) is another pulse which besides being an important food crop, has commercial importance. Mug covered an area of 22,689 hectares in the district in 1971-72. The area under this crop in Chikhli. Mehkar and Khamgaon tahsils together accounted for 18,714 hectares. It is also grown in the rest of the tahsils. It is produced as a kharif crop and is sown in July. It is seldom taken as a single crop and is always mixed with jowar. Recently as a result of the recommendations of the Agriculture Department, a variety known as Kopargaon mug was taken as a sole crop. This was an early maturing variety and required only 60 days to mature. The yield of mug varies greatly from field to field. It serves as a good green manure crop. After the mug crop is taken in kharif season a second crop of wheat is taken in the same field.

The field is prepared by ploughing and harrowing. After the early monsoon showers, the field is harrowed again. Sowing is done by a three coultered drill. For an acre of land about 12 lbs. of seed are required. Interculturing is required to be done once in a fortnight. Frequent weedings are essential. By September, when the crop is ready for harvesting, either the ripe pods are picked or the pod bearing plants are cut. They are stacked at the threshing floor and are threshed by trampling under the feet of bullocks to obtain the grains.

Mug is exported from the district along with the other pulses to distant markets in the State. The green pods are eaten raw, whereas the ripe pulse is eaten boiled, mixed with spices. The mug dal is used in various vegetable preparations.

The nitrogenous nodules in the roots of mug plants restore fertility to the soil. Hence the crop is sometimes taken as a rotation crop. Gram and wheat crops thrive well after cultivation of mug.

Gram.—Gram (harbhara or chana) covered an area of 4,407 hectares in 1971-72, in the district. It was grown throughout the district though Mehkar and Chikhli tahsils accounted for most of the area, viz., 1,659 hectares and 1,212 hectares, respectively, in 1971-72. It is always grown as a rabi crop, after the kharif jowar, mug, groundnut or bajri. It is grown on heavy and medium soils.

Sowing operations are usually done in October whereas harvesting follows in January-February. If sown late, there is a risk of evaporation of moisture. The crop thrives well on irrigation. But where irrigation facilities are not available, it is grown as a dry crop. The yield of irrigated crop is much higher than that of the dry one.

Chaffa, an improved variety of gram with yellowish colour, gives a higher yield. The top shoots of the plants are plucked and used as vegetable. Harvesting is done by cutting the ripe plants. They are stacked for about a week, dried and trampled under the feet of bullocks to get the seed.

The green pods are eaten either raw or after baking. The dry grains are eaten after boiling while gram dal is used in various food preparations. It is also fed to horses. The green gram plants yield a kind of vinegar (amb) which is collected by spreading a cloth on the tops at night. Early in the morning it is taken out and the vinegar is squeezed. It has medicinal qualities.

Other Pulses.—Besides gram, mug, tur and udid there are a number of minor pulses grown in the district such as chavali, math (matki), kulith (horse gram), watana, vol etc. Of these math, chavali and kulith are grown in kharif season. These are sown in June-July and harvested in October-November. Watana, val and at times chavali are grown in rahi season. These are sown in October and reaped in December. All these minor pulses together accounted for a very small area in 1971-72 in the district.

TOP