AG News and Views Originally published November 2012

RESEARCH Guar beans can serve as alternative crop by Jon Biermacher / [email protected], Dan Childs / [email protected] and John Blanton / [email protected]

Guar (Clusterbean, Cyamopsis tetragonolab) is a drought-tolerant legume that was introduced into the United States from India in 1903. Guar (Hindi for “cow food”) is an upright, coarse-growing summer annual le- gume known for its drought tolerance once established. Guar tolerates high temperatures and low moisture, and has an optimal performance range of 77 degrees to 95 degrees Fahrenheit within 10 to 40 inches of rainfall. Wet soils and humidity decrease plant performance and bean quality. Guar grows well under most soils, but pre- fers well-drained sandy-loams. Traditionally, guar is used for hu- man consumption and cattle feed in India, but it is also an excellent soil-improving crop that fits well into crop rotations. Throughout the world, guar has been in rotation with yellowish and does not have a distin- guar gum that is used by U.S. industry wheat, cotton and sorghum. Studies guishable odor. Guar gum contains is imported. have demonstrated that guar has the up to 85 percent galactomannan. India and Pakistan are the larg- potential to add over 100 pounds of Galactomannan is a natural thickener est producers of guar, accounting nitrogen per acre in a single growing that is water-soluble at low tempera- for nearly 80 percent of the world’s season. Texas cotton growers have tures. The thickening properties (vis- production. The United States began measured a 15 percent increase in cosity) of guar gum have led to its use commercial production of guar in yield following guar rotation without in food, cosmetic, paper, pharmaceu- the 1950s, concentrating production the need for nitrogen application tical and petroleum industries. Today, in the more arid regions of north- (Stafford and Lewis, 1975; Rogers and the largest consumer of guar gum is ern Texas and Oklahoma. Nearly Stafford, 1976). the petroleum industry, which uses it 100,000 acres were planted in 1983, Guar seeds/beans have a very to reduce fluid friction and as a sub- with a steady decrease to the 15,000 large endosperm that is processed strate carrier in gas well development. acres planted in 2011. This decline into guar gum. Guar gum is white or Currently, greater than 90 percent of in planted acreage is attributed to 4

Ag News and Views RESEARCH low petroleum and nitrogen fertilizer per ton in the past two years. While and farm overhead could be achieved prices, and an increase in guar gum some price moderation is expected, with the guar production system imports from India. Early in 2012, the experts predicted that prices will relative to winter wheat and dryland supply of guar gum was stretched remain 30 to 40 percent above his- cotton crops. The results were mostly due to the expansion of natural gas torical averages for the foreseeable sensitive to the price of guar beans. exploration through the hydraulic future (Reuters, 2012). This price in- However, for prices that remained 30 fracturing process. crease has significantly increased the to 40 percent above the historical av- Prior to 2010, guar gum imports cost of natural gas exploration, lead- erage, the economic results were still remained relatively stable at approxi- ing petroleum companies to explore quite competitive with crops com- mately 11,000 metric tons per month regional production opportunities monly produced in these regions. with an average price of $1,200 per for guar and potentially creating new As with many new opportunities, ton (CyberColloids, 2011). However, revenue sources for farmers. producers have limited production, guar gum is an integral part of the Farmers and ranchers located in harvest and marketing knowledge natural gas exploration process western Oklahoma and northern related to guar. The Noble Foundation known as hydraulic fracture or frac- Texas possess suitable growing condi- has experience with guar production, ing. The substantial increase in oil and tions to support guar production. In and technical support is available natural gas exploration by U.S. firms addition, the nitrogen-fixing proper- from a regional guar gum manufac- has led to an increase in demand for ties of this crop make it an ideal rota- turer to assist interested producers. guar gum. Imports increased from tion crop for wheat, sorghum and cot- While there are risks and challenges 11,000 tons per month in 2010 to an ton farmers. A benefit/cost analysis associated with producing guar, the average of 24,000 tons per month on a monocropped guar production potential exists for farmers to realize in 2012 (Reuters, April 2012). Associ- system was conducted at the Noble production advantages associated ated with this increase in demand has Foundation by Jon Biermacher, Ph.D. with a crop rotation using a nitrogen- been an increase in the price of guar Using the current price of guar beans fixing plant that produces a product gum. Prices for guar gum have been and yields observed in agronomic (guar gum) that will be in demand by extremely volatile and have ranged trials in western Texas, a favorable net the oil and gas industry in the fore- from $1,200 per ton to nearly $7,500 return to land, labor, management seeable future. <

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