Redgram is the most important pulse crop of India in terms of area and production. It is an important pulse in the predominantly vegetarian Indian diets. It is cultivated on an area 3.0 m ha in India (4.6 lakh ha in Andhra Pradesh), predominantly as a rainfed crop. However, this crop can also be cultivated as a winter season crop by sowing not later than 15th October.

Usually medium maturity genotypes are grown which matures between 180-200 days and hence, suffers from terminal moisture stress. Therefore, the yield levels are low (652 kg / ha). Because the yield levels are low, farmers also grow this crop under neglected management.

Utilizing the expertise of Dr. Satyanarayana Executive Director, NRI Agritech and a renowned pulse breeder in the country, who conceptualised a plant type to break yield barriers to realise higher yields. Rigorous search for ideotype characters and putting them together took more than a decade for Dr.Satyanarayana to come out with a reconstructed genotype with early medium duration (155-160 days) which can escape terminal moisture stress, with predominantly primary branches, so that fruits occurs all along the branch in branches. Medium tall 6.0’ which facilitates effective plant protection measures.

Two Verities have been released for marketing with new plant type traits viz; 1. ASR 001 ‘Raja’ 2. NRI R 002 ‘Arjun’

In addition utilizing the cytoplasmic genetic male sterility (CMS) mechanism, a three parental hybrid ‘KIRAN’ has been evolved with very high yield potential and good quality grain & Dahl.

In order to produce redgram round the year, a super early maturing variety (100 days) with less photo and thermo sensitivity has been developed and released for marketing in the name of NRI R 004 ‘ESWARI’ The important traits of NRI Agritech’s Redgram varieties / hybrids.

Redgram	ASR 001	Raja
Proven variety 160-165 days duration Synchronous maturity High yielder (2.0 -2.5 t/ ha) Bold seed, good quality 4-6 seed per pod Areas for adoption All redgram growing areas of Rayalaseema, Guntur and Krishna districts of AP and Karnataka

Redgram	NRI R 002	Arjun
High yielder,medium bold seed, good quality (2.5 – 3.0 t/ha) 160-165 day duration Heavy branching, mainly primary branches with bearing all along the branches Areas for adoption suitable for all parts of A.P, Telangana and Karnataka

Redgram	NRI R 004	Eswari
A super early redgram (100days) Medium bold, good quality grain and dall Suitable for sowing from June to December Less photo and thermo sensitive Needs planting at higher density (seed rate 8kg /ac) at 45 x 15 cm spacing Areas for adoption Suitable for double cropping systems in all pigeon pea growing areas and this variety can extend to niches like as an alternate crop to kharif Soybean in in MP and Redgram – Bengalgram cropping System

Redgram hybrid	NRI RH 1	Kiran
High yielding, good quality hybrid redgram Areas for adoption Suitable for south and central India by virtue of its maturity duration(180) days Since it is a F1 hybrid, piracy can be prevented