Abstract

Guar or cluster bean (cyamopsis tetragonoloba) is a common member of the kitchen and small gardens. Though in many parts of this country it is grown on an extensive scale to serve both as a vegetable and fodder, it is, however, not much known outside India. This plant appears to be a native of this country, brought into cultivation at a very early period. Tall and robust wild forms are found growingin the northern parts of India. The crop is drought resistant and yields well even with moderate irrigations, being particularly suited to light sandy loams. Though it was known that Guar (cluster bean) which belongs to the family Leguminosae may be well suited as a green manure crop, no experiment has been conducted so far to ascertain this useful aspect. If Guar proves to be a dual purpose crop which yields not only a heavy tonnage of green matter but also a sizeable quantity of marketable vegetable within a short period, it would be a welcome recommendation to the farmers, who are reluctant to grow green manure in preference to an economic crop.

Keywords: