The guar bean or cluster bean, an annual legume, is the source of guar gum. It grows best under conditions with frequent rainfall, but tolerates arid conditions well.^[1] 80% of world production is in India, but due to strong demand, it is being introduced into new areas. Varieties of soybean seeds, a popular legume Pea pods A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or a fruit of these plants. ... Guar gum, also called guaran, is primarily the ground endosperm of guar beans. ...

Cultivation

For best growth, the guar bean requires full sunshine, flashing rainfalls that are moderately frequent, and well drained soil. However, it is extremely drought tolerant and thrives in semi-arid regions. Too much precipitation can cause the plant to become more "leafy" thereby reducing the number of pods and/or the number of seeds per pod that affects the size and yield of seeds. The crop is sown after the first rains in July and harvested in late October.It is grown principally in northwestern India, and Pakistan^[2] with smaller crops grown in the semi-arid areas of the high plains of Texas in the USA^[3], Australia and Africa. The most important growing area centres on Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India. In general terms, the climate of a locale or region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Jodhpur   (जोधपुर), is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. ... , Rājasthān (DevanāgarÄ«: राजस्थान, IPA: )   is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ...

Currently India is the source of about 80% of the world production of guar gum. Several commercial growers ^[4] have converted their crops to guar production to support the increasing demand for guar and other organic crops ^[5] in the United States.

Varieties: Pusa Naubahar and Pusa Sadabahar. Seeds at the rate of 10 to 12 kg/ha are planted at a spacing of 45-60 x 20-30 cm in February-March and June-July. During rainy season, the seeds are sown 2-3 cm deep on ridges and in furrows during summer months. FYM is applied at the rate of 25 t/ha. N, P2O5 and K2O recommendation for the crop is 20:60:80 kg/ha. Average yield is 5 to 6 t/ha.

Uses

Agriculture

Guar can be fed to cattle, or used as a green manure. cow and ox, see Cow (disambiguation) and Ox (disambiguation). ... In agriculture, a green manure is a type of cover crop grown primarily to add nutrients and organic matter to the soil. ...

Food

Guar can be eaten as a green bean, but is more important as the source of guar gum. Guar beans have a large endosperm that contains galactomannan gum, a substance which forms a gel in water. This is commonly known as guar gum and is used in dairy products like ice cream and as a stabilizer in cheese and cold-meat processing. Green common beans on the plant Green beans are the unripe fruits of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the pea, the winged bean, the carper (vellum) bean, and especially the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), whose pods are also usually called string beans in the... Endosperm is the tissue produced in the seeds of most flowering plants around the time of fertilization. ... Galactomannans are polysaccharides consisting of a mannose backbone with galactose side groups (more specifically, a (1-4)-linked beta-D-mannopyranose backbone with branchpoints from their 6-positions linked to alpha-D-galactose, i. ... In optical filters and theatrical lighting a color gel is a transparent or translucent colored panel used to change the color of transmitted light. ... Guar gum, also called guaran, is primarily the ground endosperm of guar beans. ... Missing image Ice cream is often served on a stick Boxes of ice cream are often found in stores in a display freezer. ... Cheese is a solid food made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep, and other mammals. ...

Another use is as a fiber supplement. After being partially hydrolyzed, guar gum is completely soluble in water and soft food. Being approximately 75% dietary fiber, it allows fiber to be added to a food with a minimal effect on taste and texture.

Industrial uses

Derivatives of Guar gum that has been further reacted is also used in industrial applications such as the paper and textile industry, ore flotation, the manufacture of explosives and fracturing of oil and gas formations. Guar gum has also proven a useful substitute for locust bean gum (made from carob seeds). Hydraulic Fractures are fractures that are driven by fluid pressure. ... Locust bean gum (European Union additive number E410) is a galactomannan vegetable gum extracted from the seeds of the Carob tree. ... Carob trees near Mehmetcik, Northern Cyprus Carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) is a species native to the Mediterranean region, cultivated for its edible seed pods. ...

References

1. ^ "Guar Gum" - Agro Gums
2. ^ " Guar Gum". Midwest Herbs
3. ^ "Guar Production" Vernon Agricultural Research & Extension Center, Texas A&M Univ. 2006.
4. ^ "large scale guar growers"
5. ^ "organic fertilizer crops"

External links

• ITIS 506245

Scientific Literature

• Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990 May; 56(5): 1429–1434 Secretion of the alpha-galactosidase from Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (guar) by Bacillus subtilis
• Curr Genet. 1992 Apr;21(4-5):365-70 Multiple-copy integration of the alpha-galactosidase gene from Cyamopsis tetragonoloba into the ribosomal DNA of Kluyveromyces lactis.
• Annals of Botany 59: 281-284, 1987 Effect of B Vitamins on the Protein Component of Clusterbeans Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub