VL Gahat-8
A hill gahat from ICAR-VPKAS Almora for timely sown rainfed land in the Uttarakhand hills, especially June planting. Resistant to stem rot and anthracnose, with a long 115 to 135 days.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 115 to 135 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-8. 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
- 900 to 1,000 kg/ha (DPD); average yield potential 12.33 q/ha (ICAR-VPKAS sheet)
- Suitable soil
- Light to heavy soils free from alkalinity; usually poor, well-drained land
- Release
- Released 2006 by the State Variety Release Committee (VPKAS); notified list: year 2005, S.O. 599(E) of 25 April 2006 · ICAR-VPKAS, Almora
About this variety
VL Gahat-8 is a horse gram, called gahat in the hills, from ICAR-VPKAS (Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan), Almora. VPKAS lists it as released in 2006 by the State Variety Release Committee for the Uttarakhand hills, especially for June planting under rainfed conditions. The national notified list gives release year 2005, with entries dated 25 April 2006 (S.O. 599(E)) and 1 January 2007, and DPD gives 2005 for north India. DPD lists 115 to 135 days and 900 to 1,000 kg/ha, resistant to stem rot and anthracnose. VPKAS's one-page sheet gives an average yield potential of 12.33 q/ha for timely sown rainfed land, also resistant to stem rot and anthracnose. The practice below is the crop-level practice from the DPD package.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose VL Gahat-8 if you grow gahat on rainfed hill land and plant in June. It is the VPKAS line with the highest yield potential on its one-page sheet, 12.33 q/ha, and it is rated resistant to stem rot and anthracnose. Vikaspedia, quoting the Directorate of Pulses Development, names it with VL Gahat-10 as Uttarakhand's recommended varieties. The price is time: DPD lists 115 to 135 days, the longest of the VPKAS gahats, against 113 to 117 for VL Gahat-10 and 90 to 100 for VL Gahat-15. DPD's own yield range is lower, 900 to 1,000 kg/ha, so plan on that figure, not the sheet's potential.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeVPKAS: especially suitable for June planting under rainfed conditions in the Uttarakhand hills. Northern parts grow horse gram as a kharif crop (DPD package).
- 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-8. 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 115 to 135 days. Harvest when most pods are yellowish brown; a June sowing is ready in October.
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
115 to 135 days (DPD arid legumes table)
Expected yield
900 to 1,000 kg/ha (DPD); average yield potential 12.33 q/ha (ICAR-VPKAS sheet)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
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
- Resistant to both stem rot and anthracnose, per DPD and the VPKAS sheet.
- The highest yield potential of the VPKAS gahats on their sheets, 12.33 q/ha.
- Named for Uttarakhand by DPD and Vikaspedia, so a state office is likely to know it.
Things to consider
- The longest duration among the VPKAS gahats, 115 to 135 days.
- DPD's 900 to 1,000 kg/ha is well below the sheet's 12.33 q/ha potential.
- Horse gram does not grow well at high altitudes where the climate is cool and wet (DPD package).
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttarakhand
June planting in the hills: count the 115 to 135 days
VPKAS says VL Gahat-8 is especially suitable for June planting under rainfed conditions. DPD gives 115 to 135 days. Do the sum: a crop sown on 15 June is ready between about 8 and 28 October. A sowing a month later, on 15 July, is ready between about 7 and 27 November. In the hills that second date runs into cold weather and early frost risk, so the June sowing is the safer reading of the sheet.
The long season is also why the sheet's 12.33 q/ha is a potential, not a promise. A crop that stays in the field for four months has more chances to meet a bad spell of weather. If your June sowing slips to July, ask VPKAS or your KVK whether the shorter VL Gahat-15 (90 to 100 days) suits your height. Keep the crop below the altitude where the climate turns cool and wet, because DPD says horse gram does not grow well there.
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) | 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-8this page | 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-8?
A gahat (horse gram) from ICAR-VPKAS Almora, released in 2006 by the State Variety Release Committee for the Uttarakhand hills. It is resistant to stem rot and anthracnose.
Why do sources give 2005 and 2006 for VL Gahat-8?
VPKAS gives 2006 for the release by the State Variety Release Committee. DPD and the national notified list give 2005, and the notified list also carries a notification dated 25 April 2006 (S.O. 599(E)). The notification number is the part you can check.
VL Gahat-8 or VL Gahat-10?
VL Gahat-8: 115 to 135 days, DPD 900 to 1,000 kg/ha, VPKAS potential 12.33 q/ha, resistant to stem rot and anthracnose. VL Gahat-10: 113 to 117 days, DPD 700 to 800, VPKAS 9.40 q/ha. VL Gahat-8 lists more yield and two disease ratings, VL Gahat-10 a little less time.
How do I get VL Gahat-8 seed?
VPKAS Almora makes the breeder seed, and its one-page sheet lists breeder seed at Rs 320 a kg; the sheet carries no date, so ask for the present rate. Certified seed comes through the state seed system, so ask your KVK or the Uttarakhand seed agency which lot is on offer.
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.