The chief pulses that are grown in the district are gram, horse-gram, black-gram, mug and tur while math, chavali, vatana and val are also grown on a small scale. Table No. 11 gives the area under pulses in the district in 1953-54, 1958-59, 1963-64 and 1971-72.

Table No. 12 gives the statistics of outturn of pulses in 1953-54, 1958-59, 1963-64 and 1971-72.

Gram: Of the pulses grown in the district, gram occupies a prominent place, and is grown extensively in the district. The area under gram was 18,703 hectares in 1971-72. It is produced as a rabi crop. Dindori, Igatpuri, Nasik, Chandor, Niphad, Sinnar and Kalvan talukas are the major producers of gram. The total outturn of gram was 5,100 metric tons in 1911-72. Severe cold, frost and cloudy weather do great damage to the crop. It is sown as a single crop in heavy soil, where it gives high yields, while in light soils, it is taken as a mixed crop. The field is made ready by September for sowing. One ploughing and 2-3 harrowings are given. About five to seven cart-loads of farm-yard manure are applied to an acre of land. Usually, the crop is drilled at the rate of about 18 kg. (40 lb.) per acre. The Agriculture department of the State has recommended chafa as an improved variety of gram. The common practice of plucking off the tender tops of the shoots before the flowering time is followed. This helps the faster growth of the crop and increases the outturn. The gram crop matures in about four months. The plants are pulled out and stacked for about a week on the threshing floor, dried and trampled under the feet of oxen. Sometimes, they are beaten with sticks to get the grain.

TABLE No. 11 – TALUKA-WISE AREA UNDER PULSES IN NASIK

DISTRICT IN 1953-54, 1958-59, 1963-64 AND 1971-72

(In hectares)

Taluka	Year	Gram	Green Gram	Tur	Black Gram	Horse Gram
Surgana	1953-54	425	12	1,351	1,700	785
	1958-59	344	2	787	1,469	937
	1963-64	316	N.A.	887	1,481	797
	1971-72	224	N.A.	861	N.A.	1,138
Peint	1953-54	182	....	721	2,222	2,214
	1958-59	135	....	649	1,619	1,671
	1963-64	178	....	791	2,171	1,413
	1971-72	117	N.A.	755	N.A.	1,434
Baglan	1953-54	1,289	773	61	824	11,920
	1958-59	1,563	272	72	501	9,407
	1963-64	771	212	....	448	7,575
	1971-72	834	N.A.	72	N.A.	8,177
Yeola	1953-54	1,505	3,405	1,587	25	5,832
	1958-59	868	1,785	1,133	125	4,131
	1963-64	468	1,597	921	19	3,763
	1971-72	796	N.A.	125	N.A.	955
Kalvan	1953-54	3,382	5,973	67	1,055	6,903
	1958-59	3,836	1,439	39	665	5,626
	1963-64	3,073	1,112	82	516	5,913
	1971-72	1,915	N.A.	38	N.A.	6,912
Malegaon	1953-54	1,313	674	153	57	7,692
	1958-59	941	474	159	87	7,422
	1963-64	522	515	150	47	6,886
	1971-72	663	N.A.	43	N.A.	4,346
Igatpuri	1953-54	4,328	4	196	1,373	596
	1958-59	4,001	88	125	1,171	515
	1963-64	2,912	16	133	871	778
	1971-72	2,411	N.A.	158	N.A.	407
Chandor	1953-54	1,341	816	326	734	5,740
	1958-59	1,609	606	333	359	5,434
	1963-64	1,111	400	176	291	4,906
	1971-72	1,052	N.A.	121	N.A.	4,007
Nasik	1953-54	4,166	309	1,589	2.129	696
	1958-59	4,043	102	1,397	1,362	663
	1963-64	3,486	93	943	1,403	422
	1971-72	2,961	N.A.	841	N.A.	622
Sinnar	1953-54	1,787	1,611	453	190	2,726
	1958-59	1,514	1,572	471	350	3,355
	1963-64	990	1,331	424	431	3,308
	1971-72	1,244	N.A,	208	N.A.	2,392
Niphad	1953-54	3,587	1,488	903	373	3,750
	1958-59	2,791	592	1,542	295	2,641
	1963-64	2,247	338	1,171	210	2,217
	1971-72	2,444	N.A.	640	N.A.	1,673
Nandgaon	1953-54	627	1,707	182	31	3,801
	1958-59	679	1,373	222	31	2,725
	1963-64	870	1,383	221	35	3,2S5
	1971-72	476	N.A.	246	N.A.	2,197
Dindori	1953-54	7,954	1,179	757	2,084	1,092
	1958-59	6,492	517	817	2,203	907
	- 1963-64	4,624	397	682	2,443	760
	1971-72	3,566	N.A.	666	N.A.	716
District Total	1953-54	31,893	14,712	8,351	21,154	53,754
	1958-59	28,822	8,828	7,751	9,417	45,453
	1963-64	21,573	7,400	6,588	6,588	41,999
	1971-72	18,703	N.A.	4,769	N.A.	34,976

TABLE No. 12 – TALUKA-WISE OUTTURN OF PULSES IN NASIK

DISTRICT IN 1953-54, 1958-59 1963-64.AND 1971-72*

(In Metric tones)

Taluka	Year	Gram	Green Gram	Tur	Black Gram	Horse Gram
Surgana	1953-54	89	3	727	457	132
	1958-59	112	....	776	475	235
	1963-64	82	....	715	497	180
Peint	1953-54	58	....	646	996	620
	1958-59	30	....	465	435	373
	1963-64	42	....	560	586	35
Baglan	1953-54	728	311	44	29	2,672
	1958-59	1,000	85	51	134	1,580
	1963-64	383	55	….	120	1,513
Yeola	1953-54	575	1,374	1,281	10	1,471
	1958-59	529	640	812	450	934
	1963-64	160	429	575	5	633
Kalvan	1953-54	1,724	1,122	60	378	1,547
	1958-59	1,338	451	27,	208	1,103
	1963-64	1,000	398	51	174	1,370
Malegaon	1953-54	668	105	123	15	1,293
	1958-59	529	149	99	27	1,663
	1963-64	468	184	108	17	1,543
Igatpuri	1953-54	114	2	141	492	134
	1958-59	1,304	39	112	419	114
	1963-64	970	7	119	365	172
Chandor	1953-54	350	330	233	263	1,286
	1958-59	853	162	208	96	1,209
	1963-64	405	125	110	91	1,099
Nasik	1953-54	1,307	110	1,185	667	137
	1958-59	2,564	31	1,000	427	130
	1963-64	1,061	28	670	439	83
Sinnar	1953-54	667	941	243	51	460
	1958-59	991	563	338	124	751
	1963-64	279	362	228	115	654
Niphad	1953-54	1,366	510	891	183	1,156
	1958-59	1,014	212	1,105	105	651
	1963-64	758	121	838	75	496
Nandgaon	1953-54	261	743	131	10	222
	1958-59	408	356	133	10	527
	1963-64	382	433'	139	10	645
Dindori	1953-54	2,034	743	487	66	214
	1958-59	1,912	139	590	592	176
	1963-64	1,404	142	488	647	169
District Total	1953-54	9,946	6,300	6,208	3,623	11,347
	1958-59	12,591	2,831	5,723	3,508	9,452
	1963-64	7,399	2,291	4,607	3,093	8,599
	1971-72	5,100.	N.A.	2,100	N.A.	NA.

*Taluka wise figures for 1971-72 are not available

Horse gram: Next to gram, kulith assumes an important place among the pulses in the district. It is grown either in rows or with other crops in the kharif season. It is produced on soils ranging from deep red loams to black cotton, clayey stony and poor sandy loam soils. It occupied an area of 34,976, hectares in 1971-72. It is grown throughout the district. The total outturn of horsegram amounted to 15,800 metric tones in 1967-68. The fields where kulith is grown are manured once in three years. The land may be ploughed, but is generally prepared for sowing by working a. heavy blade harrow 2-3 times in hot weather, and for equal times after the soil has been moistened by the June rains. The mixed crop is sown in July, The crop is always sown thick, the seed rate being 40 lb. per acre. If sown mixed, it is found in all rows. Otherwise, it is sown in the fourth row. The crop is usually hoed twice but not hand weeded. It is allowed to thrive on rain water only. It usually ripens by November. The foliage dries up and falls off. The plants are pulled out whole, and are removed to the threshing floor. They are stacked for a week, put out to dry and then threshed by trampling under the feet of oxen. The crop is sown as a subordinate to bajri or sometimes with niger seed. If grown as a rabi crop, it follows rice.

Mug: It is grown in the kharif season between June and August and sown mixed with cereals. It is grown on ordinary black and red soils. It occupied an area of 7,400.898 hectares (18,288 acres) in 1963-64. The field is prepared by one or two ploughings followed by two harrowings. The seeds are drilled at a distance of about 9" x 12". The seed rate per acre is 15 to 20 lb. The application of five cart­loads of farm-yard manure and 112 lb. of superphosphate is sufficient for an acre. The crop becomes ready for harvesting after three and a half months from its sowing. The plants are uprooted and stacked in the threshing floor for about a week, and threshed by  beating with sticks or trampling under the feet of oxen.

It is grown mainly in Yeola, Baglan, Nandgaon and Sinnar talukas. In 1963-64, the total production amounted to 2,291 metric tonnes.

Tur: Tur is produced as a kharif crop. It is generally sown in June or July and is ripe for harvest either in February or in March. It is generally taken as a mixed crop with cotton, groundnut, jowar or bajri. Well-drained and medium to heavy soils are suitable for this crop. It is sown at a distance of about 36" between two rows. It requires the same tilIage and manures as the main crop with which it is sown. It grows very slowly till the main crop is harvested. After this it grows very vigorously, and its stem becomes thick, strong and woody. The crop is harvested from January onwards. Before the plants are cut, the picking of ripe pods has to be carried out. The plants are cut, tied into bundles and then transported to the threshing floor. They are arranged in an erect position on the threshing floor and are beaten with long sticks to break open the pods.

It occupied an area of 4,769 hectares in 1971-72. The area under this crop is larger in Niphad, Yeola and Nasik talukas and Surgana and Peint mahals. The outturn of tur in 1971-72 was of the order of 2,800 metric tones.

Udid: The crop is produced generally as a mixed crop either with jowar or with bajri in the kharif season. It is sown on black cotton, clayey soil, or light red or brown alluvial soil. The field is prepared by two ploughings followed by two harrowings. The seeds are drilled at the rate of 10 to 12 lb. per acre, and are sown in rows at a distance of about 10". Five cart-loads of farm-yard manure and top dressing of 112 lb. of superphosphate are applied for an acre of crop.

It occupied an area of 6,588.288 hectares (16,280 acres) in the district in 1963-64. Udid is mainly grown in Dindori, Nasik, Igatpuri talukas and Peint and Surgana mahals of the district. Other talukas have a negligible percentage under it. The total production of black gram was 3,094 metric tones in 1963-64.

Other pulses: The other important pulses grown in the district are math, vatana, chavali, masur, val and lakh  which occupied a total area of 10,543.184 hectares (25,053 acres) in 1963-64. Math is mainly produced in Baglan, Yeola, Malegaon, Chandvad, Sinnar, Niphad and Nandgaon talukas. The area under chavali and vatana is very negligible in each taluka of the district.