Cultivation of Lentil ( Massor ); Lens culinaris

June 28, 2020 Agrovista

Cultivation of Lentil (Lens culinaris )

Table of Contents

Lentil is one of the important Rabi pulses. It has the potential to cover the risk of dryland agriculture. It is also used as a cover crop to check the soil erosion in problem areas. It is mostly eaten as ‘dal’ in the form of Masoor (split) ki daal /Malka ki Daal ( Whole)

In its processing process, the pulse is first converted into a split pulse or dal. Remove the skin and separate the fleshy cotyledons, which are deep orange-red or orange-yellow. Whole pulse grain is also used in some other dishes. It cooks very easily and is easily digestible, so it is preferred that patients are fed too. The dry leaves and stems, empty pods and broken bits are all used as cattle feed.

The valleys in the Hindukush mountains in India have been claimed as its native home, and Its cultivation dates back to pre-historic times in these regions. It was later introduced in Europe, Africa, and America,

In India, lentils are mostly grown in the northern plains, the central and eastern parts of India. It is grown in about 14 lakh hectares in India and the major lentil producing areas are situated in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. UP contributes 45% of the total lentil production of the country.

Nutritive Value of Lentil: The nutritional value of a 100 gram serving size of lentil is as follows

Serving Size 100 g		%DV
Callories	116 kcal
Total Carbohydrate	20 g	6%
Dietary Fiber	8 g	32.00%
Sugar	1.8 g
Protein	9 g	18%
Choclestrol	0	0%
Saturated fat	0.1	0%
Sodium	2 mg	0%
Potassium	369 mg	10%
Iron		10%
Calcium		1%
Magnacium		9%
Vitamin C		2%
Vitamin B6		10%
Vitamin D		0%
Cobalamin		0%
*Per cent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. source ;USDA

Climatic Requirements for Lentil Cultivation ;

Lentil requires a cold climate. It is sown as a winter season crop.
It is very hardy and can tolerate frost and severe winter to a great extent.
Its climatic range of cultivation is so wide.
It can be grown successfully up to a height of 3000 metres. Unlike gram, it remains unaffected by rain at any stage of its growth, including flowering and fruiting.
It can be grown with the moisture conserved in the soil during the rainy season.
It requires cold temperature during its vegetative growth and warm temperature at the time of its maturity. The optimum temperature for growth is 18-30°C.

Important Varieties for Lentil Cultivation;

State	Lentil Varieties
Bihar	Pant L 406, PL 639, Mallika (K-75), NDL 2, WBL 58, HUL 57, WBL77, Arun (PL 777-12)
M. P. & C.G	Malika (K-75), IPL-81 (Nuri), JL-3, IPL-406, L-4076, IPL316, DPL 62 (Sheri)
Gujarat	Malika (K-75), IPL-81 (Nuri), JL-3, IPL-406, L-4076, IPL316, DPL 62 (Sheri)
Haryana	Pant L-639, Pant L-4, DPL-15 (Priya), Sapna, L-4147, DPL-62 (Sheri), Pant L-406
Maharashtra	JL 3, IPL 81 (Nuri), Pant L 4
Punjab	PL-639, LL-147, LH-84-8, L-4147, IPL-406, LL-931, PL 7
Uttar Pradesh	PL-639, Malika (K-75), NDL-2, DPL-62, IPL-81, IPL-316, L4076, HUL-57, DPL 15
Rajasthan	IPL 406 (Anguri), Pant L-8 (PL-063), DPL-62 (Sheri)

Soil Requirement for Lentil Cultivation ;

Lentil crop can be grown on a variety of soils such as light loams and alluvial soils of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and black cotton soils of Madhya Pradesh.
This crop is also suited to the poorer types of soils, low-lying situations such as in paddy fields and even to soils of moderate alkalinity.
Well-drained, loam soils with neutral reaction are best for lentil cultivation. Acidic soils are not fit for growing lentils.

Rotations and Mixed Cropping in Lentil Cultivation ;

Lentil is grown generally after the harvest of Kharif crops or as the sole crop of the year. The most common rotations are given below:
Kharif fallow-lentil (rainfed areas)
Paddy-lentil
Maize-lentil
Cotton-lentil
Bajra-lentil
Jowar-lentil
Groundnut -lentil

Lentil is grown mixed with barley, toria, rape and mustard crops. It is also grown as an intercrop in autumn sugarcane. Two lines of lentil may be sown 30 centimeters apart in the centre of two sugarcane rows. The distance between sugarcane and lentil rows will also be 30 centimeters.

Field Preparation for lentil Cultivation ;

The soil should be made friable and weed-free so that seeding could be done at a uniform depth. On the heavy soils, one deep ploughing followed by two to three cross harrowings should be given. In the case of light soils, less tillage is needed to prepare an ideal seedbed. After harrowing, the field should be levelled to give a gentle slope to ease irrigation. There should be enough moisture in the soil at the time of sowing for proper germination of seeds.

Seed and Sowing of Lentil Crop;

Timely planting is the key factor in the full realization of the yield potential of improved lentil varieties.
Sowing Time; The Mid of October is the most suitable time for sowing lentil. Delay in planting causes reduction in yield, but the magnitude of reduction is large after 15th November. The reduction in yield can be minimized up to a certain extent by relatively closer spacing and use of higher seed rate.
Sowing should be done in rows 30 centimeters apart. This could be done either by using a ferti-seed drill or by seeding behind desi (country) plough.
Seed Rate: The optimum seed rate for the normal sown crop is 30-40 kg per hectare. Seed rate should be increased to 50-60 kg per hectare in case of late sowing.
Spacing; Row spacing should also be reduced to 20-25 centimeters in case of the late sown crop. Lentil seeds should be sown at a shallower depth (3-4 centimetres).

Manures and Fertilisers ;

Generally, lentil is grown without fertilisers and manures. Researches have shown that lentil may not be able to attain maximum growth and yield if they are made to feed on symbiotically fixed nitrogen alone, Even if effective nodulation is ensured by adequate inoculation, there may be a need for some quantity of fertiliser nitrogen to serve as a starter dose for a few weeks of the initial growth. It is even more important in poor and sandy soils.

On soils deficient in nitrogen and phosphorus, quite significant responses to application of starter nitrogen (20-25 kg per hectare) and a moderate level of phosphorus (50-60 kg per hectare) have been obtained. Soil testing, therefore, becomes important to assess the fertility status of the soil. If a soil test is not possible, apply 20-30 kg nitrogen, 50-60 kg Phosphorus per hectare in medium to low fertile soils as basal dressing.

Lentils are often grown in rotation with paddy in late sown conditions. In general, paddy fields are deficient in zinc, therefore, it would be worthwhile watching the lentil crop for likely zinc deficiency.
In the initial stages of zinc deficiency, the leaflets start falling off. The deficiency can be rectified by spraying a solution of 0.5 per cent zinc sulphate and 0.25 per cent lime at the appearance of early symptoms.
On soils where zinc deficiency is well established, apply about 25 kg zinc sulphate per hectare before final discing of the field so that zinc sulphate is mixed well in the soil.

Water Management in Lentil Crop;

The crop is mostly grown in unirrigated areas. It can tolerate drought conditions to some extent. By providing one to two irrigations, particularly when winter rains are not properly distributed, for the higher yields, the first irrigation should be given at 45 days of planting and the second, if needed, at the pod filling stage. More irrigations may affect crop performance adversely.

Weed Control in Lentil Crop;

Lentil growth is slow in the early stages, and it suffers adversely from the competition with weeds. The period from 30 to 60 days after sowing is crucial for competition with weeds.

The major weeds of lentil fields are Chenopodium album (bathua), Fumaria parviflora (gajri), Lathyrus spp. (chatri matri), Melilotus alba (senji), Vicia sativa (ankari) and Cirsium aruense (Kateli).

There is a drastic reduction in yield under heavy infestation. There is, therefore, a need to control the weeds at the right time. A weed-free period of early 43 to 60 days is important. Thereafter, weeds should not survive as the free available space. This can be achieved through mechanical as well as chemical means.

Two manual weedings at 25-30 days and another 45-50 days after sowing. Weedicide; like Basalin and Tribunil can be used safely for weed control. Basalin 0.75 kg a.i. per hectare, in 800-1000 litres of water as a pre-planting spray may be used as an effective herbicide. It should be well incorporated in the soil before sowing.

Disease and Pest Management of Lentil Crop;

Disease Management ;

Disease	Symptoms			Control
Seedling Mortality		caused by fungi. It appears within a month of sowing, when the seedlings start drying up. The drying is mainly of two types. (Seedling wilt)- The seedling first turns yellow and dries up. Collar rot- The seedling collapse while still green, and then dry out		i) It can be reduced by delaying planting until mid-November; ii) Treat the seed with systemic fungicide Carbendazim @ 2.5 g/kg of seed; iii) Plant resistant varieties like Pant L-406 etc.
Wilt			a serious disease of lentil in which the growth of the plant is checked, the leaves start yellowing, the plant start drying, and finally, dies. The roots of affected plants remain underdeveloped and look light brown.	i) Keep the field clean and follow a three-year crop rotation. This will help in reducing the disease incidence; ii) Use tolerant and resistant varieties likePant Lentil 5, IPL-316, RVL-31, Shekhar Masoor 2, Shekhar Masoor 3 etc; iii) Seed treatment.
Rust			The disease symptoms start as yellowish pustules on the leaflets and pods. Later; light brown pustules appear on both the surfaces of the leaves and other aerial parts of the plant. The pustules finally become dark brown. The plants give dark brown or blackish appearance visible as patches in the field.	i) After harvest, the affected plant trash should be burnt; ii) In NEPZ, normal and early sowing reduces the intensity of rust disease; iii) Grow resistant/tolerant varieties like DPL15, Narendra Lentil-1, IPL 406, Haryana Masur 1, Pant L-6, Pant L-7, LL-931, IPL 316 etc.; iv) Spray the crop with Mancozeb 75 WP@ 0.2 % ( 2g/liter). 1-2 spray at 50 days after sowing is good for controlling rust.
Stemphylium Blight			The disease causes angular tan leaf lesions; when it is humid (early mornings or after rainfall events), diseased leaves may appear grey due to sporulation by the causal pathogen. Diseased leaves often fall from plants, leaving plants defoliated except for the youngest leaves at the top of the plant. Red lentils are generally more susceptible to the disease than green lentils	i) After harvest, the affected plant trash should be burnt; ii) Spray the crop with Mancozeb 75 WP@ 0.2 % (2 g/liter). Two sprays may be given at 15 days interval; ii) Grow resistant varieties like Pant L-639, DPL-15, Narendra Lentil1 etc.

Pest Management ;

Pest

Symptom

Control

Pod Borer

The caterpillar defoliates the tender leaves and also bores the green pods and feeds upon the ripening grains. It damages almost all the pods in case of severe damage but causes nearly 25-30% annual yield losses in India.

i) Spray neem seed extract (5%) @ 50 ml/ liter of water; ii) Spray of Profenphos 50 EC @ 2 ml/ liter or Emammectin benzoate 5 SG @ 0.2 g/ /liter of water.

Aphids

Aphids suck the sap and in case of severe damage the growth is suppressed.

i) Spray of Dimethoate 30 EC @ 1.7 ml/liter or Imidacloprid 17.8 SL @ 0.2 ml/liter of water.

Harvesting and Threshing ;

Lentil should be harvested when the pods are ripe, but the plants have not died. The plants should not be allowed to become dead ripe, otherwise a large quantity of produce may be lost due to shattering. As such, it would be advantageous to harvest in the morning when dew is there

The produce should be allowed to dry completely on the threshing floor before threshing. Threshing is done either by beating the plants with sticks or by trampling pods under the feet of bullocks. Clean the seed and dry it in the sun to bring the moisture content down to 12% for safe storage.

Yield of lentil;

A well-managed crop yields about 20-25 quintals of grain per hectare.

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