The Evaluation of Guar Accessions in the North Dakota High Plain Environment.

Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) is an annual legume, currently 80% of world production occurs in India and Pakistan but production of Guar grown in the U.S.A. remains low. Guar as a plant has a multitude of different functions for human and animal nutrition but its gelling agent containing seeds (guar gum) it’s most important use.

There is large potential to grow the crop across the American Mid-West including North Dakota. Guar accession with early crop maturity from the Griffin, Georgia Guar Plant Introduction Center has been recruited for evaluation at the North Dakota State University Williston Research Extension Center (WREC). Scientists will test for adoption for production in Western North Dakota. The accessions have been planted in a 2014 field trial at WREC and will be evaluated for yield, maturity, agronomic characteristics, seed quality and other worthy observations.  The most promising accessions and or plant selections from the accessions will undergo seed increase for potential variety release to the North Dakota growers for future testing and production, processing and marketing. 

The main beneficiaries of this project would be Western North Dakota farmers who would be able to add a legume crop to their crop rotations to revitalize the soil. Other benefits would be to produce a U.S.A. source of Guar Gum for the U.S.A food and industrial products.