Question

Early sowing of pulses is not recommended mainly due to

• A. More vegetative growth
• B. Higher weed pest problem
• C. Photoperiod sensitivity
• D. Less availability of water

Hint:

For winter pulses (rabi pulses), delayed or optimum sowing limits plant height, prevents excessive leaf canopy growth, and induces timely, uniform flowering.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Sowing dates for pulse crops (such as chickpea, pigeonpea, and lentil) are optimized to balance the vegetative phase with the reproductive phase.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
1. When pulse crops are sown too early (when temperatures are warm and days are longer), the plants experience favorable thermal environments that promote rapid, continuous cell division and expansion.
2. This triggers excessive vegetative growth (viny growth) at the expense of flower and pod initiation.
3. This heavy, dense vegetative canopy also leads to lodging, poor solar penetration, poor aeration, and high humidity, which increases susceptibility to fungal diseases (like Ascochyta blight and Botrytis grey mold) and reduces final grain yield.
Hence, early sowing is avoided primarily to prevent excessive vegetative growth.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The correct option is 1, which corresponds to More vegetative growth.