Barani Agricultural Research Institute, Chakwal

Recommended varieties of pulses crops for Pothowar region are as under:

Chickpea (desi)

• Balkassar-2000
• Wanhar-2000

Chickpea (kabuli)

• Tamman

Lentil

• Chakwal Masoor

Mash

• Mash-97,
• Chakwal Mash

Generally following seed rates are recommended for Pothowar:

• Chickpea: 25 to 30 kg/acre
• Lentil: 08 to 10 kg/acre
• Mash: 08 to 10 kg/acre

Fertilizer requirements for different pulses are as under:

• Chickpea: 1.5 bag DAP + 0.5 bag Potassium Sulfate at the time of seed bed preparation.
• Lentil: 1 bag of DAP + 0.5 bag Potassium Sulfate at the time of seed bed preparation
• Mash: 1 bag of DAP + 0.5 bag Potassium Sulfate at the time of seed bed preparation

Following are the good rules for getting better yields:

• Sowing should be done well in time
• Only recommended varieties should be sown
• Perform the thinning operation after 8 to 10 days after sowing
• Control the weeds, insects and diseases at proper time
• Harvesting and threshing at proper time

There are different reasons of flower drop:

• Flower drop is a normal phenomenon; about 98% or more of blossoms fall without forming fruit; this is nature’s way of allowing the tree to produce only what it can support.
• Blossoms may be knocked off by a forceful wind, heavy rain or hail.
• Drastic change in watering or feeding practices may cause an upset, which results in flower drop. Maintain a consistent watering schedule through the flowering and young fruit stages, and apply food only according to instructions. 

There may be different reasons of fruit drop:

• It is normal phenomenon that the tree retains the amount of fruit it can support.
• When this happens after the fruit has attained a good size, it is not considered normal. It may be due to high temperature and low humidity.

Wheat Diseases and their Control: The main diseases of wheat are Leaf rust, Yellow Rust and Loose smut in Barani areas. Detail is given as under:
Leaf Rust
Symptoms: Pustules are circular or slightly elliptical, smaller than those of stem rust, do not usually coalesce, and contain masses of orange to orange-brown urediospores. Infection sites are found primarion the upper surfaces of leaves and leaf sheaths, and occasionally on the neck and awns.
Development: Primary infections are usually light and develop from wind-borne urediospores that may have travelled long distances. The disease can develop rapidly when free moisture is available and temperatures are near 20°C. Successive generations of urediospores can be produced every 10-14 days if conditions are favorable. As plants mature, or when environmental conditions are not favorable, masses or black teliospores may become evident.
Hosts/Distribution: Leaf rust can affect wheat, triticale, and many other related grasses. The disease is found wherever temperate cereals are grown. The alternate hosts are Thalictrum, Isopryum, Anemonella, and Anchusa spp.
Importance: Severe early infections can cause significant yield losses, mainly by reducing the number of kernels per spike, test weights, and kernel quality.
Stripe Rust (Yellow Rust)PucciniastriiformisWestend f. sp. tritici
Symptoms: The pustules of stripe rust, which contain yellow to orange-yellow urediospores, usually form narrow stripes on the leaves. Pustules also can be found on leaf sheaths, necks, and glumes.
Development: Primary infections are caused by wind-borne urediospores that may have travelled long distances. The disease may develop rapidly when free moisture (rain or dew) occurs and temperatures range between 10-20°C. At temperatures above 25°C, the production of urediospores is reduced or ceases and black teliospores are often produced.
Host/Distribution: Stripe rust can attack wheat, barley,triticale, and many other related grasses. The disease is found in all highland and/or temperate areas where cereals are grown. No alternate host was known until it was found on common barberry and several other Berberis spp. in 2010 in the USA. The alternate host Berberis vulgaris (European barberry) was historically an important source of inoculum in North America and Europe, but is now rare since the implementation of barberry eradication laws. However, some regions where barberry is common, particularly in East Europe and West Asia, may facilitate continued cyclic rust infection and evolution of new combinations of virulence.
Importance: Severe infections can cause yield losses, mainly by reducing the number of kernels per spike, test weights, and kernel quality.
Loose Smut (Ustilagotritici (Pers.) Rostr.)
Symptoms: The entire inflorescence, except the rachis, is replaced by masses of smut spores. These black teliospores are often blown away by the wind, leaving only the bare rachis and remnants of other floral structures.
Development: Wind-blown teliospores that land on the flowers of wheat plants can germinate and infect the developing embryo of the kernel. The mycelium of the loose smut fungus remains dormant in the embryonic tissues of the kernel until the kernel begins to germinate. The mycelium then develops along with the growing point of the plant, and at flowering time replaces the floral parts of the spike with masses of black spores. Infection and disease development are favored by cool, humid conditions, which prolong the flowering period of the host plant.
Hosts/Distribution: The disease can occur wherever wheat is grown.
Importance: Yield losses depend on the number of spikes affected by the disease; incidence is usually less than one percent and rarely exceeds 30 percent of the spikes in any given location
Control: To prevent from rust diseases resistant varieties is the best solution. For prevention from loose smut, seed treatment with suitable fungicide is the best remedy.