Irrigation management

• Raised as rainfed crop in rainy season.
• High water demand during flowering and pod formation (0.75cm water/day).
• Critical stages: flowering bud differentiation, flowering and pod formation.
• Last irrigation: during seed formation.

Weed Management

• 40-60% yield loss due to weeds.
• Critical period: first 20-45 days.
• Weeds include: Echinochloa colona, E. crusgalli, Digitaria sp., Eleusine indica, Celosia argentia, Sorghum halepanse, Cynodon dactylon etc
• 2 hand weeding: 1st at 25-30 DAS and 2nd at 45-60 DAS.
• 2 inter-row cultivation removes weed and improves infiltration and aeration.
• Pre-plant: Fluchloralin (Basalin) @ 1 kg a.i./ha in 800-1000l of water.
• Pre-emergence: Nitrofen (Tok-E-25) @1.5-2.0 kg a.i./ha in 800-1000l water.

Harvesting, Threshing and Storage

• Harvesting indices: leaves turn yellow and drop, seeds mostly ripe and moisture about 15%.
• Manual harvest by picking pods or cutting near to ground or using combine harvester (14% moisture).
• Threshing by beating with sticks or trampling.
• Drying seeds to 11-12% moisture before storage.
• Store in air tight metal bins in dry and cool place (10-22oC, <60% RH)

Yield

• 850kg/ha.
• Can be increased to 3.5-4t/ha with improved agro-techniques.