Sowing

Sowing is done during October and November after heavy rains are over in lines 12 to 18 inches (0.30 to 0.45 cm) apart.

	A heavy drill is used for sowing the seeds at the rate of 45 per kg hectare.
	In the case of very bold seeded varieties seed-rate up to 67 kg per hectare may be necessary.
	As a second crop, after the harvest of previous Kharif crop, gram is sown with the help of a Pora or a Moghan run behind the plough.
	In a crop thus sown, the plants get sufficient space for a good growth, enabling easy intercultivation.
	When optimum mixed cropping is desired, the crop can be grown in alternate narrow strips (one drill of gram alternating with one drill of a cereal like Jowar) to obtain the maximum beneficial effect of the pulse crop on the cereal. In the next year, strip gives the advantage of an additional rotation.
	The crop often responds well to phosphatic fertilisers applied at the rate of 112 kg superphosphate per hectare.
	In vertisols with good water retention capacity, the crop is sown after the cessation of monsoon rains and usually does not require any irrigation.
	In some years irrigation is required at sowing if the rains are scanty or if they stop early.
	Time of sowing affects crop performance through interaction between altered aerial and edaphic crop environment.
	For most of the northern Chickpea tracts mid-October to mid-November is the ideal period of planting and any deviation from this causes conspicuous reduction in yield.
	In areas where the winter period is rather short, for eg in the eastern and southern parts of India, the optimum range for planting becomes still narrower.
	Throughout most of the Chickpea growing areas of India, this crop is grown on conserved soil moisture in the early spring.
	A rapid rise in temperature affects vegetative and reproductive growth period of the crop, thus resulting in low yield.
	Soils newly brought under Chickpea are deficient in natural Rhizobium and it is necessary to inoculate to ensure adequate nodulation. As a precaution until Rhizobium levels have been built up, a dressing of 30 kg N/ha. is applied as starter dose.
	There is a close relationship between the weight of seeds and seedlings resulted in better seedling vigour. The greater seedling vigour of larger seeds may be rated to greater seed reserves. This could be of practical importance in overcoming problems of emergence from crusted soils.
	Depth of sowing is important in case of gram. If the crop is planted under dryland condition, the seeding at a depth of 10cm is beneficial on two accounts. First, it takes moisture from deep strata of the soils, second the root system escapes the zone where fungus-causing wilt is concentrated. Where this crop is to be planted under irrigated conditions, seeding at a depth of 5 cm is desirable.