1. Understand about Crop (Requirements to cultivate this crop) : Chickpea, scientifically known as Cicer arietinum, is a leguminous crop widely cultivated for its nutritious seeds. Let’s try understanding about its importance.
   • Nutritional Value: Chickpeas are rich in protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making them a valuable food source.
   • Dietary Diversity: Chickpeas contribute to dietary diversity and can be consumed in various forms, such as cooked whole, ground into flour for baking, or processed into various products.
   • Economic Importance: Chickpeas are a significant agricultural commodity globally, with demand for both domestic consumption and international trade. it represent an important source of income for farmers in many parts country.
   • Crop Rotation: Chickpeas play a crucial role in crop rotation practices due to their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, enriching the soil and improving its fertility for subsequent crops.
   • Climate Resilience: Chickpeas are relatively drought-tolerant and can thrive in semi-arid regions, contributing to food security in areas prone to erratic rainfall patterns or water scarcity. Especially the area of Vidarbha and Marathavada in Maharashtra.
   • Health Benefits: Consumption of chickpeas has been linked to various health benefits, including improved heart health, blood sugar control, and weight management, due to their high fiber and nutrient content. Health conscious people who work out regularly had made chick pea as part of their diet.

2. Key features: Government of India declared 5335 per qt  as minimum support price in the agricultural year 2023-24.

3. Soil and climate:

• Soil : medium to heavy black soil with good drainage. Light sandy saline and salt affected soils are not suitable, with pH range between 6.5-7.5 and more than 0.5% of organic carbon
• Gram is Rabi season crop requires dry and cold climate

4. Land preparation:

• Deep ploughing of land after the harvesting of kharip crop.
• If there was soybean in kharip season collection and destruction of crop residue should be done, it can lead to infestation of Root Rot and Stem Rot. The infestation of rots can be avoided by the application of Trichoderma powder @ 2.5 kg per acre mixing with well decomposed FYM.
• Apply 5 ton. Well decomposed FYM if not applied in kharif season.
• With this kind of preparation keep land ready for sowing by the second fortnight of September.

5. Seed treatment :
   • seed treatment is very crucial for this crop. seed treatment of trichoderma harzianum  should be done @ 1.0% WP 6gm per kg of seed after the harvesting of kharip soybean, For preventing the infestation of root rot, stem rot.
   • Seed treatment of Rhizobium and PSB should be in cool jaggary slurry @ 250 gm per 10kg of seed. Keep this treated seed in shadow for about 1 hr and use for sowing this will help in protection of crop from the infestation of soil born fungal diseases and better nutrient uptake

6. Seed and sowing:
   • sowing should be done by the seed drill (mechanical or bullock drawn)
   • spacing: 30cm × 10cm
   • seed rate: Phule Vikram – 65-70 kg, PKV-2, Virat, 100 kg per ha
7. Irrigation management: sprinkle irrigation is most appropriate means of irrigation for gram
   • If the soil moisture is very low in cultivated gram field and if irrigation is possible, irrigate the gram crop as soon as it begins to flower stage.
   • In medium soil, first irrigation should be applied after 20 to 25 days, second after 45 to 50 days and third after 65 to 70 days.
   • For heavy soil, only two irrigations are enough. For this, the first water should be given after 30-35 days and the second water after 65-70 days.
   • Gram crop generally requires 25 cm of water. It is important to irrigate regularly (7 to 8 cm at each irrigation).
   • If too much water is given, there is a risk of crop wilting. According to the local conditions and the depth of the soil, the gap between the two irrigation should be kept. The crop should be irrigated within the cracks of the soil.
   • Care should be taken that water does not accumulate in the field after irrigation otherwise the crop is damaged by the disease root rot.
8. Nutrient management :
   • apply fertilizers according to the soil health card report
   • Gram requires 25 N, 50 P, 30K . to fulfill this apply 125 kg DAP, 50 MOP per ha at the time of sowing
   • At flowering stage if water stress occurs 1^st spray 2% urea solution and 2^nd spray 2% potassium nitrate, at the interval of 10-15 days
9. Intercultural operations:
   • For better growth of crop Keep field free from any type of weed
   • First hoeing should be done 20 DAS, 30 DAS
   • Nipping It is a special cultivation practice of plucking the apical buds of the crop at about 30-40 days after sowing. For spreading of plant branches
10. Pest and disease management :
    • Gram pod borer is the main pest on gram. Small larvae appear after the crop is about 3 weeks old. White spots appear on the leaves and the tips appear eaten. Control of this pest is best done by integrated method.
    • For this, at the time of sowing, 200 grams of sorghum per hectare should be sown in the field. 50 bird stops should be provided at every 15-20 meters distance for birds to sit.
    • For insect control, the first spray of 5 percent neem extract should be applied as soon as the crop begins to flower. After 10 to 15 days after the first spraying, Helio-kill, a viral biological insecticide, should be sprayed at the rate of 500 ml in 500 liters of water. If required, a third spray of Emamectin Benzoate 5% S.G. 4 g per 10 liters of water or Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% S.C. 2.5 ml per 10 liters of water should be applied with one of these chemical pesticides.
11. Harvesting and yield :
    • Gram crop is ready to harvest in 110 to 120 days. Do not harvest when the crop is green. Only after the pods are dry, gram should be harvested and threshed. After this the grain should be dried for 5-6 days in sunlight. Gram should be stored in a gunny bags . Add neem leaves (5 percent) to it. So there is no pest in storage.

Production

• Thus gram cultivation using improved varieties and technology can yield an average yield of 25 to 30 quintals per hectare.