It is one of the most important protein rich pulse crop. It is mostly eaten as Dal by splitting into 2 cotyledons, deep orange red or orange yellow in color. Whole grain is also used in various dishes. Lentil also provide a source of starch for textiles and printing. It is mixed with wheat flour in bread and cake production. India is the highest producer of lentil in the world.

 Lentil can be grown on all type of soil. Saline, Alkaline or waterlogged soils should be avoided. Soil should be friable and weed free so that seed could be placed at uniform depth.

LL 699 (2001): The plants are small, erect, and have a lot of branching Its plants are dark green, produce a large quantity of pods, and blossom early. It takes 145 days to reach maturity. It has a high tolerance for pod borer. It has excellent culinary qualities. The average grain yield per acre is 5 quintals.

LL 931 (2009): Its plants are small, erect, and have a lot of branching, thus they bear a lot of pods. Dark green leaves, pink flowers, non-pigmented green pods, and rudimentary tendrils are all features of this plant. It takes 146 days to reach maturity. It has a high resistance to rust and a high tolerance for pod borer. It has medium-sized seeds that are greyish brown in colour with light specks. It has excellent culinary qualities. It produces 4.8 quintals per acre on average.

LL 1373 (2020): Its plants are short, erect, and have a lot of branching, thus they bear a lot of pods. Light green leaves, pink flowers, non-pigmented light green pods, and rudimentary tendrils are all features of this plant. It takes 140 days to reach full maturity. It is corrosion resistant and has a high tolerance for pod borer. It has large seeds with a weight of 3.5 g per 100 seeds. It has excellent culinary qualities. It produces 5.1 quintals per acre on average.

Other States Variety:

Bombay 18: Ready to harvest in 130-140 days. Gives average yield of 4-4.8 qtl/acre.

DPL 15:  Ready to harvest in 130-140 days. Gives average yield of 5.6-6.4 qtl/acre.

DPL 62 :  Ready to harvest in 130-140 days. Gives average yield of 6-8 qtl/acre.

K 75: Ready to harvest in 120-125 days. Gives average yield of 5.6-6.4 qtl/acre.

Pusa 4076: Ready to harvest in 130-135 days. Gives average yield of 10-11qtl/acre.

L 4632

 In case of light soils, less tillage or soil manipulation is required to prepare seed-bed. One deep ploughing followed by 3-4 cross harrowing’s should be given in case of heavy soils. 2-3 ploughings are sufficient for proper pulverization of land. Levelling of field should also be done for proper distribution of water. Proper moisture should be present in the field at the time of sowing seeds.

Time of sowing
Seed should be sown in the mid of October to First week of November.

Spacing
Seeds should be sown in lines 22 cm apart. Under late sowing conditions, row- spacing should be reduced to 20 cm.
 
Sowing Depth
Sow seeds at depth of 3-4 cm.

Method of sowing
For Sowing use pora method or seed cum fertilizer drill. Seed can also be sown by broadcasted manually.

Seed Rate
Seed rate of 12-15 kg/acre is optimum.

Seed Treatment
Seed should be treated with Captan or Thiram @3gm/kg of seed before sowing.
 

Fertilizer Requirement (kg/acre)

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre)

5 kg of Nitrogen (12 kg of Urea), 8kg of P₂O₅ (50 kg of Superphosphate) should be applied per acre at time of sowing when seeds are inoculated with rhizobium culture. In case, seeds are not inoculated with rhizobium, doubled the dose of P₂O₅.

Main weeds found in lentil are Chenopodium album (Bathua), Vicia sativa (ankari), Lathyrus spp (chatrimatri) etc. They can be controlled by 2 hoeing at 30 and 60 days interval. 45-60 days of weed free period should be maintained for proper crops stand and yield. Pre-emergence application of Stomp 30EC@550ml/acre with one hoeing at 50 days after sowing, helps in effective weed control.

 Lentil is mainly grown as a rainfed crop. It requires 2-3 irrigations in case of irrigated conditions depending upon the climatic conditions. One irrigation should be provided 4 weeks after sowing and second at flowering stage. Pod formation and flower initiation are critical stages of water requirement.

• Pest and their control:

Pod borer: It mainly fed upon green plant leaves, flowers, pod-grains. It is a serious pest of lentil which cause excessive yield loss. It can be controlled by spraying of 900 gm Hexavin 50WP in 90 litres of water per acre at the time of flowering. Spray should be repeated after 3 weeks if necessary.

• Disease and their control:

Rust: Yellowish white pustules develop on stem branches, pods and leaves of plants. They may appear singly or in groups. Small pustules may grow into large postules slowly. In severe cases, affected plants may dry up and give burnt appearance. Growing of tolerant varieties can help to prevent rust. To control spray of 400 gm M-45 @200 ltr water per acre.

Blight: Dark brown spots are formed on stem, leaves and pods. These lesions slowly elongates. Sometimes spots are formed in the form of concentric rings. Use of Disease free seed, destroy diseased plant debris after harvest to reduce the chances of blight. To control spray of 400 gm Bavistin @200 ltr water per acre.

 Harvesting should be done at proper time when plant dry up and pods mature. Over-ripening of pods should be avoided as produce may be lost due to shattering. Plants should be beaten by sticks to thresh. After threshing, seed is cleaned and dried up in the sunshine. Moisture content should be 12% at the time of storage.

1.Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana

2.Department of Agriculture

3.Indian Agricultural Research Instittute, New Delhi

4.Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research

5.Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare