Inoculation of seed ,vith bacterial culture

Guar plant develops, nodules on its roots, in which a special kind of bacteria live and convert
the free nitrogen of the atmosphere into a form of fertilizer which is absorbed by the roots of the
plant. This symbiotic relation of the bacteria and root nodules is useful in saving cost of nitrogenous
fertilizers. Therefore, before sowing the seeds are inoculated with these bacteria so that their
population increases in the soil, with the growth of the plant. This is done by preparing a 10% sugar or gur solution in boiling water. This sugar solution is allowed to cool. On cooling 3 -4 packets of guar bacterial culture are mixed with solution to make a thin paste. This paste is coated over to the seed. Seed is dried under shade for 30 -40 minutes before sowing.

GUAR?

1) What is Guar? 

Guar or cluster bean (sometimes clusterbean) (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (syn. C. psoralioides), Fabaceae)
is an annual legume plant that grows in semiarid regions. Guar is drought-tolerant and can be eaten green
like snap beans, fed to cattle or used as a green manure. It bears many bean-like pods, each of which
contains six to nine small, rounded seeds. The guar seed is typically made up of 40% to 46% germ, 38% to
45% endosperm, and 14% to 16% husk. The gum is obtained from the grounded endosperm.

2) What is Guar Gum?

Guar gum, a natural gum, is an edible thickening agent extracted from the guar bean. Guar beans have a
large endosperm which contains galactomannan gum which forms a gel in water. This is commonly known
as guar gum and is widely used Food and industrial applications. Guar gum has also proven a useful
substitute for locust bean gum.

3) How is Guar Gum prepared? 

Guar gum is prepared by removing the husk and germ portions before extracting the gum from the
endosperm.

4) What is Guar Gum mainly used as? 

Guar Gum is mainly used as natural thickener, emulsifier, stabilizer, bonding agent, hydrocolloid, gelling
agent, soil stabilizer, natural fiber, flocculants and fracturing agent.

5) What are the properties of Guar gum? 

Guar gum is soluble in hot and cold water but insoluble in most organic solvents and has strong hydrogen
bonding properties. It has excellent thickening, Emulsion, Stabilizing and film forming properties. It is
compatible with a variety of inorganic and organic substances including certain dyes and various
constituents of food.

6) How Guar gum powder is prepared? 

The seeds of Guar are split and the endosperm & germ is separated from the endosperm by sieving.
Through heating, grinding & polishing process the husk is separated from the endosperm halves and the
refined Guar Gum split are obtained. Through grinding process the refined Guar split are then treated and
converted into powder.

7) Which are the grades of Guar Gum Powder? 

There are two types of Guar Gum Powder
1) Food grade Guar Gum Powder
2) Industrial grade Guar Gum Powder

8) What are the factors to be considered for different grade Guar Gum Powder? 

The grade of Guar Gum Powder depends upon: active matter content, granulation, viscosity, pH and
degree of substitution.

9) What are the Physical Characteristics of Guar Gum Powder?

Guar Gum is a white to yellowish white powder and is nearly odorless. Fine finished Guar Gum Powder is
available in different viscosities and granulometries depending on the desired viscosity development and
applications.
10) In which food industries Guar gum is mainly used? 

Guar gum is mainly used in food industries for frozen food products, baked food products, dairy products,
sauces & salad preparations, confections, beverages, pet food etc. 11

11) In which other industries Guar gum is used? 

Guar gum is widely used in textile industry, paper industry, explosives industry, oil and gas drilling, mining,
construction, pharmaceutical, cosmetic industries and many other industries.

12) Which country mainly produced Guar? 

Guar crop is produced in the India, Pakistan, Sudan, USA, South Africa, Brazil, Malawi, Zaire and Australia.
13) Which country is the major producer of Guar? 

India is the major producer of Guar. India produces approximately 80% of world’s total production.
Pakistan follows India with 10 - 15% share in the world’s total production.

14) What is the height of Guar Plant? 

Guar plant is a rough to touch, bushy plant that has the ability to dwell even in the drought like conditions.
This small, purple flowered, pointed leaved plant ranges from 2-9 feet in height. It is consumed as a bean,
livestock fed and also in the form of manure in the fields.

15) What is the sowing and harvesting period of Guar? 

 The sowing period is in the months July and August right after the first shower of the monsoon.
 The harvesting period is in the months October and November.
Guar is clearly a rain dependent crop. If the rainfall levels fluctuate during the year, it strongly influences
the yield of the crop.

16) Who is the major exporter of Guar Gum? 

India, Pakistan, USA, Italy, Morocco, Spain, France, Greece, Germany are the major exporter of Guar Gum

17) Who is the major importer of Guar Gum? 

Canada, China, Chile, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, USA, Ireland,
Sweden, Greece, Portugal, Mexico are the major importer of Guar gum.

18) What is thickening agent or thickener? Is Guar gum used as a thickening agent? 

Yes, Guar gum is widely used as a thickening agent.
Thickening agents, or thickeners, are substances which, when added to the mixture, increase its viscosity
without substantially modifying its other properties, like taste. They provide body, increase stability, and
improve suspending action. Thickening agents are often food additives.

Properties of Guar Gum

The most important property of guar gum is its ability to hydrate rapidly in cold water to attain uniform and very high viscosity at relatively low concentrations. Apart from being the most cost-effective stabilizer and emulsifier it provides texture improvement and water binding, enhances mouth feel and controls crystal formation. The main properties of guar gum are:

.It is soluble in hot & cold water but insoluble in most organic solvents. 
.It has strong hydrogen bonding properties. 
.It has excellent thickening, emulsion, stabilizing and film forming properties. 
.It has excellent ability to control rheology by water phase management. 
.The viscosity of guar gum is influenced by temperature, pH, presence of salts and 
other solids. 


Chemically, guar gum is a straight chain galactomannan, which is 75-85% of the endosperm, has a chain of (1→4)-linked-β-D-mannopyranosyl units with single α-D- galactopyranosyl units connected by (1→6) linkages to, on the average, every second main chain unit (Fig. 4). The ratio of D-mannopyranosyl to D-galactopyranosyl units is about 1.8:1. The average molecular weight of guaran is in the range of 1-2 ×106 dalton. The cis-position is important since adjacent hydroxyl groups reinforce each other in hydrogen bonding reactions. 

STRATEGIC REPORT ON GUAR SEED AND GUM

The purpose of this report is to provide an inside look and overview about the production, processing and consumption of Guar in various industries around the globe. Guar or cluster bean is believed to have originated in Africa but is been grown throughout southern Asia since ancient times as a vegetable and fodder crop. Guar has been cultivated in India and Pakistan for ages for use of its tender pods as fresh vegetables and other parts of the plants to be used as cattle feed. The plant is extremely drought‐resistant, being able to absorb efficiently all ground water. It grows therefore easily in those semi‐arid regions where less hardy crops perish. The major world supplier of guar seed are India, Pakistan and United States. 

The guar bean is principally grown in India and Australia, with smaller crops in the US, China, and Africa. In India, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana are the main producing regions, and Jodhpur, Sri Ganga-Nagar and Hanumangarh in Rajasthan are the major Guar trading markets. 

India produces 1.2-1.5 million tons of guar annually, making it the largest producer with about 80% of world production. In Pakistan, Punjab is the main production area for guar beans. 

The world production for guar gum and its derivatives is about 0.7 million tons (700,000 tons). Industrial guar gum accounts for about 45% of the total demand. It is used as a controlling agent in oil wells to facilitate easy drilling and prevent fluid loss 

State wise production of guar in India:

State Production in Tons %

Rajasthan	7,50,000	70%
Haryana	2,00,000	16%
Gujarat	1,50,000	12%
Punjab and others	25,000	2%
Total	11,25,000	100%