Gram:
It is most important among the pulses and covers about one-third of the area. Gram is a rabi crop and needs almost the same conditions as wheat. It is sown between September and November and is harvested between February and April. It is generally cultivated in combination with wheat.
Gram is grown as a dry crop and is best suited to areas having low to moderate rainfall and a mild cold weather. The application of phosphatic fertilizers increases the yield per hectare. India produces about 65 lakh tons of grams in 75 lakh hectares of land.
The average yield is about 860 kg per hectare. Although gram is cultivated in many states of India, about 90 per cent of the total production comes from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Maharashtra. Small quantities are also produced in Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab.
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Arhar or Tur:
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It is mainly grown as a kharif crop. But in areas of mild winters, it is grown as a rabi crop. It is normally grown as a dry crop and is mixed with cereals like jowar, bajra and ragi. The conditions of growth are more or less similar to those of other pulses and millets.
The sunny weather at the flowering and ripening stage can give a high quality bumper crop. The important producing states are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Masur or Lentil:
It is a rabi crop and is often grown in combination with barley or mustard. The main producing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
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India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses. Recently, the only positive change about the production of pulses is the introduction of a short duration third crop of moong or urad, which can grow as a post rabi crop. Since the production is not increasing, some quantities of pulses have to be imported.