EFFECT OF FLYASH SEED PELLETING ON SEED YIELD IN BLACKGRAM [VIGNA MUNGO (L.) HEPPER].

Black gram is highly priced pulse, rich in protein (24%) and phosphoric acid. Besides being cooked for consumption with chepaties (rotis) and rice, it is also used in preparation of several South Indian dishes like idli, vada, dosa etc. In India, black gram is grown on an area of 2.07 million hectares with a production of 0.94 million tonnes. It is mainly grown in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Bihar. Seed is a biological entity. Flyash is generated during the combustion of coal in coal fired thermal power plants and paper industry. In agricultural studies, it has been reported that flyash at optimum rate can be utilized as a fertilizer. Hence, a study was formulated to elucidate information on the use of flyash seed pelleting on seed yield in blackgram. The study revealed that the flyash pelleting @ 200 g/kg-1 registered significantly higher values for plant height (cm), number of branches per plant, days to 50% flowering, number of clusters per plant, number of pods per plant, pod length, pod weight, seed weight/pod and seed yield plant-1 (g). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]