GNG-1581 (desi)
One of the Ganganagar (Rajasthan) series for the north-west, combining wilt tolerance with good grain size on light soils.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Gram (Chana)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- About 151 days
- Seed rate
- 15–18 kg per acre as a desi gram; raise it to 27 kg/acre if sowing slips to the second fortnight of November
- Expected yield
- High
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
- Disease resistance
- Wilt-tolerant
- Release
- Pedigree GPF 2 × H 82-2; developed and released by ARS, Sri Ganganagar (Rajasthan), 2008
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
GNG-1581, also released commercially as "Gangaur", is a desi chickpea from the pedigree cross GPF 2 × H 82-2, developed and released by the Agricultural Research Station, Sri Ganganagar (Rajasthan), in 2008. It has since been used itself as a breeding parent — the newer variety GNG 2261 ("Keshav") comes from a GNG-1581 × Pusa 1103 cross, a sign the line has stayed relevant in Rajasthan chickpea breeding.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick GNG-1581, sold as Gangaur, if you grow chana on light sandy land in Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh or Jammu & Kashmir and want wilt tolerance with good grain size. ARS Sri Ganganagar released it in 2008 from GPF 2 × H 82-2, and sources also credit it with resistance to Ascochyta blight and stunt. The ICAR AICRP chickpea table gives it 151 days and 24 q/ha, so it is a full-season rabi chana — plan the next crop around a late harvest. Choose JAKI-9218 or Vijay if you farm the central plateau, and a kabuli type like Kak-2 if your market pays for large cream grain.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing time25 October to 10 November. A full-season desi needs every one of its days, so late sowing hurts this one more than most (PAU window)
- Seed rate15–18 kg per acre as a desi gram; raise it to 27 kg/acre if sowing slips to the second fortnight of November
- SpacingRows 30 cm apart, seed 10–12.5 cm deep
- Sowing methodPora sowing in 30 cm rows with the seed inoculated with Mesorhizobium and Rhizobacterium
- IrrigationHeavy pre-sowing irrigation and one more between mid-December and end-January, never within four weeks of sowing (PAU)
- Fertilizer6 kg N and 8 kg P2O5 per acre at sowing, with a 2% urea spray at 90 and 110 days for a higher yield (PAU)
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- At about 151 days this is one of the longer chana varieties. If your field has to be free early for a summer crop, a 105–120 day variety suits the calendar better.
- The 24 q/ha in the ICAR AICRP table is solid but not dramatically higher than the other desi chickpeas here, so read "High" as a fair relative rating, not an exceptional number.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Rajasthan
- Haryana
- Punjab
- Uttar Pradesh
- Jammu and Kashmir
A 151-day chana on light soil: plan the water
This is one of the longer-duration chanas compared here, at about 151 days, and it is grown on the light, sandy soils of the north-west. Light soil holds less water, and a long crop has to carry that water all the way to pod-fill, so the two together decide your yield more than the variety does.
Sow in your area's normal window so the crop is not still filling pods when the March heat arrives. Where you have irrigation, the two waterings that matter most are at branching and at pod formation; a crop that goes dry at pod-fill makes small, light grain however good the start was. Keep the soil surface undisturbed once pods set, and weed early rather than late, because on sandy land weeds take the moisture first. Different sources give this variety different maturity figures, so treat 151 days as a planning figure and watch your own crop.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Gram (Chana) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNG-1581 (desi)this page | Light north-west soils where wilt and blight both show up | About 151 days | High | Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir |
| GNG-1958 (desi) | Normal-sown irrigated chana across the North Western Plain Zone | 135–145 days | 26.8 q/ha | Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh |
| JAKI-9218 (desi) | Central-plateau chana on land with a wilt and root-rot history | About 120 days | High | Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh |
| JG 11 | Early bold-seeded chana for the southern zone and tight rabi windows | 95–100 days | 18–20 q/ha | Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra |
| JG-14 (desi) | Early desi chana for double-cropping and escaping late-season heat | 100–105 days | High | Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat |
| JGK-1 (kabuli) | Central-zone kabuli chana on good soil with careful management | 105–120 days | Medium–High | Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh |
| Kak-2 (kabuli) | Extra-large kabuli grain for the premium and export market | 90–100 days | Medium–High | Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat |
| Pusa 256 | Bold brown desi grain, with room for a late sowing | 110–115 days | 18–20 q/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh |
| Pusa 372 | Wide-area desi chana that also works for a late sowing | 130–140 days | 20–22 q/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan |
| Vijay (desi) | Rainfed chana on the plateau, where moisture runs out at pod-fill | 105–110 days | 20–25 q/ha | Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Gram (Chana) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Gram (Chana) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Gram (Chana) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Gram (Chana) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Gram (Chana) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Gram (Chana) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Gram (Chana) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What is GNG-1581's parentage?
The cross GPF 2 × H 82-2, developed and released by the Agricultural Research Station, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, in 2008.
Is GNG-1581 recommended only for Rajasthan?
No — its official zone recommendation also covers Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, alongside Rajasthan.
Is GNG-1581 resistant to diseases beyond wilt?
Sources also credit it with resistance to Ascochyta blight and stunt disease, in addition to wilt tolerance.
Has GNG-1581 been used to breed newer chickpea varieties?
Yes — the variety GNG 2261 ("Keshav") was bred from a GNG-1581 × Pusa 1103 cross, showing this line has been used as a breeding parent since its own release.
What yield and maturity should I expect from GNG-1581?
The ICAR AICRP chickpea varietal table gives 24 q/ha and about 151 days to maturity for GNG 1581 in the North Western Plain Zone under normal-sown irrigated conditions.
Is GNG-1581 the same as Gangaur?
Yes. GNG-1581 is the breeding code and Gangaur is the name it was released commercially under, so seed sold as either name is the same variety. Check the bag label for the code if a dealer offers only one of the two names.
GNG-1581 or GNG-1958 for a Punjab or Haryana field?
Both come from ARS Sri Ganganagar for the same north-west belt and both are wilt tolerant. GNG-1581 is the better-documented one: a known cross, about 24–25 q/ha, and reported resistance to Ascochyta blight and stunt as well. GNG-1958 is the newer 2013 release, and the ICAR AICRP table gives it 26.8 q/ha in about 145 days — a little more yield, a little earlier. Either is a fair choice, so take whichever your dealer has in fresh, certified seed.
Is GNG-1581 a long-duration chana?
Yes. The ICAR AICRP chickpea table gives it about 151 days in the North Western Plain Zone, which is a full rabi season. If the field has to be free early for a summer crop, pick a 105–120 day variety instead.
How deep should GNG-1581 seed go on light soil?
10–12.5 cm deep, in rows 30 cm apart. Chana is sown far deeper than wheat on purpose, so the seed sits in moisture that the surface of a sandy field loses within days. Shallow sowing is why a light-soil chana crop comes up patchy.
Is GNG-1581 a sensible pick for light sandy land?
Yes, that is the land it is listed for, and it is wilt-tolerant, which is what light north-west soils tend to throw at chana. The cost is its length, about 151 days, so make sure the field is not needed earlier.
Sourced from: Package of Practices for Rabi Crops, Punjab Agricultural University: gram sowing window, desi seed rate including late sowing, spacing, fertiliser and irrigation. editorial policy.