Horse-gram (Dolichos biflorus L.).   Horse-gram is extensively grown (around 2 million hectares with a production of half a million tonnes), particularly in peninsular India, the maximum area being in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It is grown in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to a small extent. In northern India, this crop is not of any importance. It is grown mainly to provide feed and fodder for cattle and horses. It makes excellent hay and is suitable as a green manure.

Soil and climatic requirements
Horsegram is invariably grown as a rainfed crop in areas of low rainfall and soils of low fertility. It si grown over a wide range of soils, mostly on poor or lateritic soils. Horsegram is generally grown when the cultivator is unable to sow any other crop for want of timely rains. Horsegram is also growth in citrus orchards in the vacant space.

Seeding technique

The main reason for sowing horsegram is late August-November. As a fodder crop it is sown during June to August. During kharif the plants grow luxuriantly and yield leafy matter in large quantities. In fields, where groundnut and pigeonpea are grown, horsegram is sown in between rows of pigeonpea after the harvest of the groundnut crop. Under such conditions, sowing is done in November. It is also grown as a mixed crop with niger in rows 90-180 cm apart in August-September. If further rains are received, the farmer gets a good grain crop of horsegram, in addition to fodder

The seed is generally broadcast.It is also sown in rows with the help of seed drills. When drill-sown, the spacing between rows is about 30 cm. The seed is covered immediately after sowing with a blade harrow. The normal seed rate is 25 kg/ha for grain and 40 kg/ha for fodder. No interculture operations are required excepting early weeding, particularly in kharif

Application of fertilizers
The crop normally receives no fertilizers. A basal dose of 10 kg nitrogen and 25 kg P₂O₅ per hectare promotes good crop growth and increases the yield of grain and fodder.

Plant protection
Pod-borers cause damageto the crop. The pest can be controlled by spraying 0.07% Endosulfan in 600 litres of water per hectare. In the early stage of the crop growth, grasshoppers, leaf-eating caterpillars and aphids also infest the crop. These pests can also be controlled br spraying Endosulfan. There are several diseases which effect the crop but the important ones are die back, root-rot and yellow-mosiac. Varieties resistant to these diseases need to be cultivated. Variety 'BGM' exhibits high degree of resistance to viral diseases.

VARIETIES.   The work done on the improvement of this crop is meagre. Some improved selections, such as 'Co-1' in Tamil Nadu and 'Hebble Hurali-1' and 'Hebble Hurali-2 in Karnataka, are availabile.

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik. Syn. L. esculenta Moench).   Lentil is grown throughout northern India, Madhya Pradesh and some parts of Maharashtra. In southern India, it is of very little importance. The area under this pulse is around 0.9 million hectares, with a production of 0.45 million tonnes.

Unripe pods are used as a green vegetable, and dry leaves, stalks, husks and broken grain as cattle-feed. In the Kashmir Valley, it is also grown for green-manuring paddy.

Soil and climatic requirements
Lentil is grown in India during the winter season (October-April).The range of its adaption to climatic is very wide and it can be grown up to an altitude of 3,500 m in north-western India.Lentil can be raised on a variety of soils,such as the light loam,alluvial soils of the Indo-Gangetic plains and on the black cotton soils of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.In West Bengal, it thrives on clay soils.In Assam,the crop grows on light loamy soils.It can tolerate moderate acidity and alkalinity within a pH range of 4.5 to 8.2.
In India,lentil is cultivated mostly in the central,northern and eastern regions of the country either as a pure crop or as an intercrop.As a pure crop, it occupies rice or other kharif fallows,and as an intercrop,it is sown with linseed,wheat,barley or mustard.The sowing of lentil can be delayed because it is cold-tolerant,and it is for this reason that lentil is preferred to chickpea and pea,Ninety per cent of the production comes from Uttar Pradesh,Bihar,West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.Lentil is grown in regions having cold winters,like the plains of north India and the lower Himalayan hills.It is grown as a sole crop under unirrigated conditions and is a suitable substitute for chickpea in areas which may be too dry.In the event of winter rains being copious,the crop growth on heavy soils and on rice fallows is likely to suffer from poor soil aeration.

Choice of varieties

1.North-western Zone	: (Punjab,Haryana,Western Uttar Pradesh,  'Pant L 209', 'Pant L 406', 'Pant L 639', 'L 9-12',  'T 36', 'BR 25', 'Malka 75', 'Lens 4076', 'Asha' ('B  77), 'Ranjan' ('B 256'), 'Pusa 4', 'Pusa 6'
2.North-eastern Zone	: (Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal)  'Pant L 209', 'Pant L 406', 'Pant L 639', 'L 9-12',  'T 36', 'BR 25', 'Malka 75', 'Lens 4076', 'Asha' ('B  77'), 'Ranjan' ('B 256'), 'Pusa 4', 'Pusa 6'
3.Central and peninsular Zone	: (Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujurat,  Orissa, Andhra Pradesh)  'Pant L 406', 'L 639', 'Lens  4076', 'T 36', 'PL 8', 'Bombay 18', 'JLS 1', 'Malka  K 75', 'Asha'

Seeding technique
The period from 1 October to 15 November is considered the optimum time for sowing lentil.However,in the tarai region of northern India as well as in central and southern India,the sowing may preferably be completed by the end of October.Sowing can be extended even up to the first week of December,but the yield would be reduced proportionally in the late-sown crop.Higher seed rate to the extent of 50 kg/ha partially compensate the loss. The crop may be sown in lines,with a row spacing of 30 cm.However,under late-sown conditions,the row spacing may be reduced to 20cm. It can also be sown by broadcast method following rice,where paucity of time and wet field conditions do not permit good land preparation.
In eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar lentil is generally sown in the standing crop of rice.Under such situations,no tilling is done which results in decreased crop growth.Scraping the soil surface to a depth of3-4 cm with a bakhar after the harvest of rice and before broadcasting lentil results in a better plant stand and high yield.

Application of fertilizers
The symbiotically available nitrogen is sufficient for the crop since response to nitrogen fertilizeris generally not obtained.However,in certain tarai regions,poor early crop growth is very common and the application of 10 to15 kg of zinc sulphate per hectarelargely rectifies the deficiency.About 40 to 50 kg P₂O₅/ha is optimum for thecrop.For obtaining higher yields,seed should be inoculated with efficient Rhizobium cultures.

Weed control
Short-statured plants of lentil receive serious competition from weeds during the first 2 months after sowing.Weeding at 30 and 60 days after sowing would control the weed population adequately.Many herbicides, such as Prometryne applied @ 0.5 kg ai/ha at pre-emergence stage and Lasso or Tok E-25 sprayed @ 4 litres in 1,000 litres of water per hectare on the soil immediately after sowing but not later than 40 hours after sowing, control weed population effectively.

Irrigation
Although lentil is mostly grown as an unirrigated crop,it does respond to irrigation particularly during dry winters.On an average,2 irrigations applied at flowering and pod-formation stage are considered adequate for the crop.

Insects pests
1.Pod-borer (Etiella zinckenella Treit).
The crop is damaged at the time of pod formation.The caterpillar defoliates the tender leaves and also bores the green pods and feeds upon the ripening grains.For the control of pod-borers, the crop may be dusted with BHC or DDT 10% @ 20-25 kg/ha.Alternatively,the crop may be sprayed with 3 kg DDT (50 WP) or 1.5 kg Carbaryl (50 WP) in 750 litres of water per hectare at the time of flowering.The dusting or spraying may be repeated after 3 weeks, if necessary.Two cultivars, namely 'P 202' and 'P 927' are highly resistant to this borer.
2.Cutworm [Agrotis ipsilon (Hfn.), Ochropleura (Agrotis) flammatra (Schiff.)]. The caterpillars feed on the plants and cut the vegetative parts at ground level, especially during night (for details please see under chickpea.)
3.Aphid [Aphis craccivora Koch., A. gossypii GI., Myzus persicae (Sulz.)].Insect colonies are observed on the branches and leaves.They suck the sap and in case of severe infestation in the plant growth is suppressed.Aphids can be controlled by spraying the crop with 0.1% Lindane or 0.07% Endosul-fan emulsion @ 600 to 1000 litres/ha.