VL Gahat-15 (VLG-15)
A 2009 central release from ICAR-VPKAS Almora for northern and central India. 90 to 100 days, the shortest of the VPKAS gahats, with moderate resistance to anthracnose and leaf spot, and the lowest yield listing of the three (600 to 700 kg/ha).
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 90 to 100 days (DPD arid legumes table)
- Seed rate
- Line sowing 25 to 30 kg/ha for a grain crop, about 40 kg/ha if broadcast for grain and fodder (DPD package); no separate rate is published for VL Gahat-15. Treat the seed with carbendazim at 2 g a kg, then with Rhizobium and PSB culture at 5 to 7 g a kg.
- Expected yield
- 600 to 700 kg/ha (DPD); average yield potential 7.75 q/ha (ICAR-VPKAS sheet)
- Suitable soil
- Light to heavy soils free from alkalinity; usually poor, well-drained land
- Release
- Released 2009 by the Central Variety Release Committee; notified S.O. 454(E), 11 February 2009 · ICAR-VPKAS, Almora
About this variety
VL Gahat-15 (VLG-15) is a gahat (horse gram) from ICAR-VPKAS (Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan), Almora. VPKAS lists it as released in 2009 by the Central Variety Release Committee for northern and central India, timely sown rainfed. The national notified list gives notification S.O. 454(E) dated 11 February 2009. DPD lists 90 to 100 days and 600 to 700 kg/ha, moderately resistant to anthracnose and leaf spot, and the VPKAS sheet gives an average yield potential of 7.75 q/ha with the same moderate resistance. The practice below is the crop-level practice from the DPD package.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose VL Gahat-15 if you need a short gahat and your area is in northern or central India rather than the Uttarakhand hills alone. It is the shortest of the VPKAS gahats at 90 to 100 days, a central release of 2009, and it is moderately resistant to anthracnose and leaf spot in both DPD and the VPKAS sheet. The trade is yield: DPD lists 600 to 700 kg/ha and the sheet 7.75 q/ha, the lowest of the three VPKAS lines. It is a pick for season and reach, not for the heaviest crop. For more seed on a longer season in the hills, compare VL Gahat-8.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeNorthern parts grow horse gram as a kharif crop and Madhya Pradesh as a rabi crop (DPD package). VPKAS: timely sown rainfed conditions of northern and central India.
- Seed rateLine sowing 25 to 30 kg/ha for a grain crop, about 40 kg/ha if broadcast for grain and fodder (DPD package); no separate rate is published for VL Gahat-15. Treat the seed with carbendazim at 2 g a kg, then with Rhizobium and PSB culture at 5 to 7 g a kg.
- SpacingRow spacing 40 to 45 cm in kharif and 25 to 30 cm in rabi, with about 5 cm between plants (DPD package).
- IrrigationMostly rainfed. If water is available, irrigate before flowering and at pod formation (DPD package).
- Fertilizer20 kg nitrogen and 30 kg P2O5 a hectare as a basal dose, placed 2 to 5 cm below and beside the seed (DPD package). Adjust by a soil test.
- HarvestingDPD gives 90 to 100 days. Harvest when most pods are yellowish brown.
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Light to heavy soils free from alkalinity; it is usually grown on poor, well-drained land (DPD package)
Climate
- Climate
- Warm, dry weather at 25 to 30 °C suits it; it does not grow well at high altitudes where the climate is cool and wet, and heavy rain in the early stage hurts nodule formation (DPD package).
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
90 to 100 days (DPD arid legumes table)
Expected yield
600 to 700 kg/ha (DPD); average yield potential 7.75 q/ha (ICAR-VPKAS sheet)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Management notes
- Weeding: one early weeding or hoeing is enough because the crop grows thick; pendimethalin 0.75 to 1 kg a hectare before emergence, then one hand weeding at 20 to 25 days (DPD package).
- Do not sow into infected soil early: for root rot, treat the seed with 2 g of captan or carbendazim per kg and avoid early sowing in infested fields.
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- The shortest of the VPKAS gahats, 90 to 100 days.
- A central release for northern and central India, not only the Uttarakhand hills.
- Moderate resistance to anthracnose and leaf spot in two sources.
Things to consider
- The lowest yield listing of the three VPKAS lines: 600 to 700 kg/ha (DPD) and 7.75 q/ha (VPKAS).
- Only moderately resistant, where VL Gahat-8 is listed resistant to stem rot and anthracnose.
- No state-level recommendation for Madhya Pradesh or Uttar Pradesh was found; the area of adaptation is given as northern and central India.
Suitable regions
Released for northern and central India (ICAR-VPKAS); no state list is published, and the home station is in Uttarakhand.
- Uttarakhand
A short gahat for a short season: when 90 to 100 days wins
VL Gahat-15 lists less yield than VL Gahat-8 and 10, and the reason to pick it is time. Sown on 1 July, 90 to 100 days puts harvest between about 30 September and 9 October, while VL Gahat-8's 115 to 135 days from the same date would run to about 24 October to 13 November. In a year when rain stops early or frost comes early, finishing three to five weeks sooner can matter more than 100 kg of extra seed on paper.
Madhya Pradesh grows horse gram as a rabi crop and the northern parts as kharif (DPD package), and VL Gahat-15 is the VPKAS line released for both northern and central India. That does not give you a trial from your district, so sow a test strip next to your own gahat, measure days to harvest and weigh the seed. If it finishes clearly sooner and holds within about 100 kg of your own variety, it earns the field.
Can you save seed from this crop?
This is a released open-pollinated variety, not a hybrid, and horse gram sets its own seed, so seed saved from healthy plants grows into the same type. Keep it apart from other horse gram and pick the pods together when most are yellowish brown.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Horse Gram (Kulthi) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birsa Kulthi-1 (Strain-43) | Bihar horse gram farmers who want a shorter, cream-seeded line with a leaf-blight rating | 92 to 97 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 800 to 1,000 kg/ha (DPD) | Bihar |
| CRHG-19 | Newest CRIDA release (2014) | 100 days (DPD arid legumes table, where it is listed as Cridaharsha) | Mean 760 to 1,300 kg/ha over locations, 20.22% above the best check; 65% above local in farmers' fields; 900 kg/ha in the DPD arid legumes table | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
| CRHG-4 (CRIDA Latha) | Black seed, non-shattering | 110 days (DPD arid legumes table, where it is listed as Cridalatha) | Mean 785 kg/ha over locations (range 700 to 1,100), 33.1% above the best check | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
| CRIDA-18R | Disease-tolerant, 85 to 87 days | 85 to 87 days (ICAR release note); 90 to 100 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 750 to 1,150 kg/ha in trials; 912 kg/ha in farmers' fields in Andhra Pradesh; 800 to 850 kg/ha in the DPD arid legumes table | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
| Gujarat Dantiwada Horsegram-1 (GHG-5) | Fields with a history of root rot or mildew, in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand or Jharkhand | 94 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 550 to 575 kg/ha (DPD) | Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand |
| Horsegram CO 1 | Bold seed, old line | 110 days (TNAU); 50% flowering at 55 to 60 days | 560 kg/ha rainfed (TNAU table) | Tamil Nadu |
| Indira Kulthi-1 (IKGH-01-01) | Chhattisgarh farms that want a black-seeded, long-podded horse gram tolerant of yellow mosaic | 95 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 800 kg/ha (DPD) | Chhattisgarh |
| Madhu | Bihar farms that want an old, well-known, bushy horse gram with medium-large seed | 105 to 110 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 850 to 1,000 kg/ha (DPD) | Bihar |
| Paiyur 1 | Middle step, 650 kg/ha | 110 days (TNAU); 50% flowering at 45 to 50 days | 650 kg/ha rainfed (TNAU table) | Tamil Nadu |
| Paiyur 2 | Tamil Nadu rainfed, November | 100 to 105 days (TNAU); 50% flowering at 45 to 50 days | 870 kg/ha rainfed (TNAU) | Tamil Nadu |
| PHG-9 | Karnataka dry zones | 100 to 105 days (ICAR JSS KVK, Suttur) | About 3 to 4 quintals an acre (about 740 to 990 kg/ha) under proper care, per a KVK field day; no trial figure found | Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka |
| VL Gahat-10 | Uttarakhand hill farms that want the second state-listed gahat, a little shorter than VL Gahat-8 | 113 to 117 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 700 to 800 kg/ha (DPD); average yield potential 9.40 q/ha (ICAR-VPKAS sheet) | Uttarakhand |
| VL Gahat-15 (VLG-15)this page | Northern and central India farms with a short rainfed season that need a gahat finishing in about 90 to 100 days | 90 to 100 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 600 to 700 kg/ha (DPD); average yield potential 7.75 q/ha (ICAR-VPKAS sheet) | Uttarakhand |
| VL Gahat-19 | Uttarakhand hills (gahat) | 100 to 105 days, medium maturity (DPD arid legumes table) | 850 to 900 kg/ha (DPD arid legumes table) | Uttarakhand |
| VL Gahat-8 | Uttarakhand hill farms that plant in June on rainfed land and want a disease-resistant gahat | 115 to 135 days (DPD arid legumes table) | 900 to 1,000 kg/ha (DPD); average yield potential 12.33 q/ha (ICAR-VPKAS sheet) | Uttarakhand |
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 Horse Gram (Kulthi) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Horse Gram (Kulthi) 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 Horse Gram (Kulthi) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Horse Gram (Kulthi) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Horse Gram (Kulthi) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Horse Gram (Kulthi) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Horse Gram (Kulthi) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What is VL Gahat-15?
A gahat (horse gram) from ICAR-VPKAS Almora, released in 2009 by the Central Variety Release Committee for northern and central India (VLG-15), notified under S.O. 454(E) on 11 February 2009. It runs 90 to 100 days.
Why does VL Gahat-15 share a notification number with CRIDA-1-18R?
The national list notifies both under S.O. 454(E) dated 11 February 2009. One gazette notice can carry several varieties. CRIDA-1-18R is a South Indian variety; VL Gahat-15 is for northern and central India. Check the name on the tag.
How much does VL Gahat-15 yield?
DPD lists 600 to 700 kg/ha. The VPKAS sheet gives an average yield potential of 7.75 q/ha. Both are the lowest of the three VPKAS gahats (VL Gahat-8 is 900 to 1,000 kg/ha in DPD and 12.33 q/ha on its sheet).
Can I grow VL Gahat-15 in Madhya Pradesh?
It was released for northern and central India, and Madhya Pradesh is in central India, but we found no trial from the state. DPD notes horse gram is a rabi crop in Madhya Pradesh. Ask your KVK for a local result and try a small strip first.
Sourced from: Horse Gram varieties — ICAR-VPKAS, Almora (variety table and one-page sheets, read from archived copies), Popular varieties of arid legume crops (horse gram table) — Directorate of Pulses Development (dpd.gov.in), read from an archived copy, Notified varieties list (year of release, notification number and date) — Government of India, as hosted by Bihar DBT Agriculture, Horse gram package of practices (state variety lists, sowing, seed rate, fertiliser; source Directorate of Pulses Development) — Vikaspedia. editorial policy.