Tur
Also called: Arhar, Red gram, Pigeon pea · Topic: Major Crops of India: Distribution and Conditions · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 3 "Land Resources and Agriculture"
Meaning
Tur, also called arhar, red gram or pigeon pea, is India's second most important pulse. It is a kharif crop, sown with the monsoon. It grows on marginal rainfed land, meaning poor land that depends on rain. Most of it is in the dry central and southern states. It covers about 2% of the cropped area. Pulses on such land give low yields that change from year to year. So tur prices often spike, and India imports tur from Mozambique and Myanmar. Like other pulses, tur is a legume, and its roots fix nitrogen.
Example
Maharashtra grows about one-third of India's tur. Much of it comes from the dry Deccan plateau.
Don't confuse with
- The Class 10 claim that "every pulse except arhar fixes nitrogen": this is false. Tur is a legume and fixes nitrogen too.
- Gram: this is a rabi pulse led by Madhya Pradesh. Tur is a kharif pulse led by Maharashtra.