Introduction to major field crops (1+1)

Land Preparation

Gram needs cloddy and rough land for good aeration in the root zone. This could be achieved by deep ploughing followed by harrowing. In rainfed areas where gram is grown with conserved moisture, deep tillage at the start of the rainy season is found beneficial as it opens up the ground, ensures greater conservation of moisture and reduces physiological wilt, particularly on soils that tend to develop hard pans in the root zone.

Fig: Land preparation.