Guar

Cyamopsis tetragonoloba grows upright, reaching a maximum height of up to . It has a main single stem with either basal branching or fine branching along the stem. Guar taproots can access soil moisture in low soil depths. The seeds of guar beans have a remarkable characteristic. Its kernel consists of a protein-rich germ (43–46%) and a relatively large endosperm (34–40%), containing large amounts of the galactomannan. Thus, it exhibits a great hydrogen bonding activity having a viscosifying effect in liquids. ==Cultivation==

Climate requirements Guar is drought-tolerant and sun-loving, but it is susceptible to frost. Frequent drought periods can lead to delayed maturation. Australia and Africa. The most important growing area centers on Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India, where demand for guar for fractionation produced an agricultural boom as in 2012. Currently [When? As of 2023?], India is the main producer of cluster bean, accounting for 80% production of the world's total, while the Rajasthan, Gujarat and Kutch regions occupy the largest areas (82.1% of total) dedicated to guar cultivation. In addition to its cultivation in India, the crop is also grown as a cash crop in other parts of the world. Several commercial growers have converted their crops to guar production to support the increasing demand for guar and other organic crops in the United States. Guar can be an economically viable crop even in the ongoing drought conditions of the southwest United States. Varieties Pusa Naubahar and Pusa Sadabahar. Seeds at the rate of 30 kilograms/hectare (9–11 lb/acre) are planted at a spacing of 45–60 × 20–30 cm (18–24 × 8–12 in) in February–March and June–July. During the rainy season, seeds are sown 2–3 cm (~1 in) deep on ridges and in furrows during summer months. FYM is applied at the rate of 25 tonnes/ha (11.1 tons/acre). N, P2O5 and K2O recommendation for the crop is 20:60:80 kg/ha (18:53:71 lb/acre). Average yield is 5 to 6 tonnes/ha (2.2–2.6 tons/acre). Meager information is available for genetic variability in cluster bean addressing the qualitative traits (Pathak et al. 2011). ==Uses==

Guar plant Agriculture • Forage: Guar plants can be used as cattle feed, but due to hydrocyanic acid in its beans, only mature beans can be used. Guar gum is often crosslinked with boron or chromium ions to make it more stable and heat-resistant. The crosslinking of guar with metal ions results in a gel that does not block the formation and helps efficiently in formation cleaning process. Guar and its derivatives make gel complexes with ions of aluminium, zirconium, titanium, chromium and boron. The borate–guar reaction is reversible, and depends on the pH (hydrogen ion concentration) of the solution. This reaction is used to give the toy "slime" its consistency. Crosslinking of guar with borate occurs at high pH (approximately 9–10) of the solution. Guar gum has proven as useful substitute for locust bean gum (made from carob seeds). Feeds Guar meal korma and guar meal churi are widely used as raw material for producing various kinds of cattle feeds, aqua feeds, fish feeds, poultry feeds, dairy feeds, swine feeds, etc. Fracking agent The use of guar gum in the hydraulic fracturing (fracking) extraction of oil and shale gas has increased demand substantially. Only 10% of Indian production is used domestically. The remaining 90% is exported for shale gas and oil industries. Consequently, many former cotton or wheat fields are converted into guar fields as production costs are lower. The increase of guar gum prices also has other reasons. ==Further reading==