Farmers cultivating red gram in Bhavani, Ammapet and Anthiyur areas, endowed with red soil, are anticipating promising returns.
A bio-metric observation carried out by the Agriculture Department indicates that a minimum of one tonne of red gram could be harvested from one acre.
With procurement price of red gram ruling at around Rs. 50 per kilogram, farmers are in a position to earn Rs. 50,000 per acre in fields where proper spacing method has been followed, Joint Director of Agriculture Selvaraj said.
Red gram cultivated in rain-fed areas grows well in drought conditions, and has been raised in nearly 2,200 hectares in the district.
The department has determined through biometric observation that each plant grown in three feet by one feet spacing yields 400 to 500 pods, each with three grains. Considering that there are 15,000 plants in an acre encompassing 43,560 square feet, a minimum of one tonne produce per acre could easily be attained, Mr. Selvaraj said.
The productivity gets higher with more spacing.
At the Bhavani Sagar Research Station, red gram plants of BSR I variety raised in spacing of three to two feet have reached five feet height, and generate yield of up to half a kilogram of grains per plant.
There are up to 1,000 pods per plant, Mr. Selvaraj said.
