Guar in Pakistan

Guar, or clusterbean, (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub) is a drought-tolerant annual legume that was introduced into the United States from India in 1903. The major world suppliers are India, Pakistan and the United States, with smaller acreages in Australia and Africa. Unlike the seeds of other legumes, the Guar bean has a large endosperm. This spherical-shaped endosperm contains significant amounts of galactomannan Gum (19 to 43% of the whole seed), which forms a viscous gel in cold water. Guar Gum is the primary marketable product of the plant. India and Pakistan export much of their Guar crop to the United States and other countries in the form of partially processed endosperm material. World demand for Guar has increased in recent years, leading to crop introductions in several countries. Like other legumes, Guar is an excellent soil-building crop with respect to available nitrogen. Root nodules contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and crop residues, when plowed under, improve yields of succeeding crops.

In Asia, Guar beans are used as a vegetable for human consumption, and the crop is also grown for cattle feed and as a green manure crop. In the United States, highly refined Guar Gum is used as a stiffener in soft ice cream, a stabilizer for cheeses, instant puddings and whipped cream substitutes, and as a meat binder. Most of the crop in the United States, however, is grown for a lower grade of Guar Gum, which is used in cloth and paper manufacture, oil well drilling mud, explosives, ore flotation, and a host of other industrial applications.

Guar is an upright, coarse-growing summer annual legume known for its drought resistance. Its deep tap roots reach moisture deep below the soil surface. Most of the improved varieties of Guar have glabrous (smooth, not hairy) leaves, stems and pods. Plants have single stems, fine branching or basal branching (depending on the variety) and grow to be 18 to 40 in. tall. Racemes are distributed on the main stem and lateral branches. Pods are generally 1.5 to 4 in. long and contain 5 to 12 seeds each. Seeds vary from dull-white to pink to light gray or black and range from 900 to 1,600 seeds/oz.

Gust tolerates high temperatures and dry conditions and is adapted to arid and semi-arid climates. Optimum semperature for root development is 77 to 95°F. When moisture is limited, the plant stops growing but doesn't die While intermittent growth helps the plant survive drought, it also delays maturity, Growing season ranges from 60-90 days. Car responds to irrigation during dry periods. It is grown without irrigation in areas with 10 to 40 in. of annual rainfall. Excessive rain or humidity after maturity causes the beans to turn black and shrivel, reducing their quality and marketability.

Guar grows well under a wide range of soil conditions. It performs best on fertile, medium-textured and sandy loam soils with good structure and well-drained subsoil’s. Guar is susceptible to water logging. Guar is considered to be tolerant of both soil salinity and alkalinity. Guar is an excellent soil-improving crop and fits well in a crop-rotation program with grain sorghum, small grains or vegetables. In Australia, Guar was found to add 196 lb N/acre to the soil-plant system over three years. Increased yields can be expected from crops following Guar because of increased soil nitrogen reserves.

B. The seedbed should be firm and weed-free. Soil in the row should be ridged slightly to facilitate harvest of low-set beans.

Guar should be planted when soil temperature is above 70°F; the optimum soil temperature for germination is

Agro-ecological zones of Pakistan

The climate is arid tropical marine with moderately hot summers and very mild winters. The mean daily maximum temperature range is 34-45 °C in summer and 19-20 °C in winter. The mean monthly summer rainfall (July-September) is approximately 75 mm and in winter (December-February) it is less than 5 mm.

The climate is arid subtropical and continental with hot summers and mild winters. The mean daily temperature Orange is 40-45 °C during May to July. The mean daily minimum temperature in winter is about 8.5 °C. The mean monthly rainfall is only about 16-20 mm in summer, with little rain in winter.

The climate is arid (desert) subtropical with very hot summers and mild winters. The mean daily summer maximum temperature range is 39-41 °C and in winter, the mean daily minimum temperature is about 7°C. The monthly rainfall varies from 32 mm in the north to 46 mm in the south. The winter is practically rainless. Dust storms are common during summer.

This zone has a semi-arid subtropical continental climate. The mean daily mum temperature in summer is 39.5C and in winter, the mean daily minimum temperature is 6.2°C. The mean annual rainfall range is 300-500 m. Mean the  mostly summer (July, August September) rainfall varies from 108 in the cast to 75 mm in the southwest, while in winter, it varies from 14-22 mm per month

The climate of this one is semi-arid with hot summers and cold winters and with a short dry seas early war in the mean daily temperature is 38 C. winter, the mean daily temper range is 3-6 C. The mean monthly rainfall is approximately 200 mm in summer and 36-50 mm in winter (December-February) The vegetation of Pakistan has great complexity, comprising a wide variety of vegetation types, including desert, tropical Mediterranean, and temperate ecosystems. These Rangelands extend from temperature alpine pastures in the northern areas to Mediterranean rangelands in the western mains, and to the mi-arid and desert lands of the Indus Valley Elevation ranges and to the Thar Desert of Sindh Province to over 100 region of the Himalayas. The rangelands of Pakistan have been divided into five major groups

This zone lies between 2,000 m altitude and the snow line in Azad Jammu, Kashmir, Swat, Kaghan valleys, and northern areas These areas provide excellent forage for livestock grazing during summer growing seasons (Khan, 1979) The major Improved grass species found in the rangelands are Festuca arundinacea, Lolium spp., and Potarium sanguiserba

The sub-tropical humid zone is represented by chir pine forests but kail forests also occur on relatively higher slopes in Northern Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. The altitude varies from 1,000 to 2,000 m. Winters are very cold and grazing is only possible for 2-3 months during the summer season. The dominant introduced grass species are Chloris gavana and Dicanthium annulatum,

The sub-tropical sub-humid zone covers Pothwar tract and the Salt Range. Soil erosion is a major problem. The zone has high potential for range re-seeding. The major introduced grass species include Chrysopogon aucheri, Chyrosopogon montantier, Panicum antidotale, Cenchros ciliaris, Cymbopogon jawarancia, Pennisetum lanatum. Cynodon dactylon, Saccharum apontaneum and Aristida depressa.

The Thal, Cholistan, D. G. Khan and Tharparker are located in this zone. High temperatures and wind erosion are major constraints. Rangelands in this zone have been heavily over grazed by local livestock. The major introduced grass species are Cenchrus ciliaris, Lasiurus sindicus, and Pennisetum orientale.