Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS FOR THE TOURISM, AGRICULTURE, AND FOOD SECTORS II, Alamettin Bayav,Vildan Pepe, Editör, İksad Yayınevi, Ankara, ss.65-110, 2025
The cluster bean originates from Africa and was domesticated in South Asia and has been widely cultivated for thousands of years. 80% of the world's production of guar seed is supplied by India, with an annual production of 1-1.25 million tons. This galactomannan is a useful hydrocolloid known as guar gum and is used extensively in the food, pharmaceutical, textile and petroleum industries. The most valuable characteristic of the plant is the presence of galactomannan content (35- 42%) in the endosperm of its seeds. When the morphological characteristics of the plant are analyzed, it is interesting to note that it has an indeterminate growth habit, height between 50-300 cm, compound leaves with three leaflets and clustered pods of 4-10 cm in length. In terms of seed structure, it has seed coat (14-17%), endosperm (35-42%) and embryo (43-47%). One of the most important characteristics of guars is their excellent ability to adapt to arid and semi-arid conditions. Due to its deep root system, it can use water in the subsoil profile and it tolerates temperatures up to 45 °C and moderate salinity. It has developed complex defense mechanisms against drought stress at the molecular, physiological and biochemical level. The main diseases in the cultivation of the plant are bacterial blight, Alternaria leaf spot, anthracnose and powdery mildew and important pests are aphids, jassids, whiteflies and pod worms. An important feature that enhances the fertility of the soil is that it can fix atmospheric nitrogen by forming a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria. In conclusion, cluster bean is a plant with great potential for sustainable agriculture with its high economic value, drought resistance and versatile uses. Research on guar should be carried out with the primary focus on development of varieties suitable for mechanized harvesting, obtaining high quality industrial products, high grain yields, obtaining high grass yields in herbage cultivation, and high green pod yields if used for vegetable purposes.