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Introductiion

Scientific Name :Phaseolus mungo Linn. / Vigna mungo (L) Hepper
Family :Fabaceae
Centre of Origin :India


Introduction:


Blackgram, also known as urdbean, mash, black maple etc. an important short-duration pulse crop grown in many parts of India. This crop is grown in cropping systems as a mixed crop, cash crop, sequential crop besides growing as sole crop under residual moisture conditions after the harvest of rice and also before and after the harvest of other summer crops under semi-irrigated and dryland conditions. Its seeds are highly nutritious with protein (25-26%), carbohydrates (60%), fat (1.5%), minerals, amino acids and vitamins. Seeds are used in the preparation of many popular dishes. It is one of the most important components in the preparation of famous south Indian dishes, e.g. dosa, idli, vada etc. besides, it adds about 42 kg Nitrogen per hectare in soil.

Black gram has been distributed mainly in tropical to sub-tropical countries where it is grown mainly in summer season. It is grown in India, Pakistan, Sri-Lanka, Burma, and some countries of South East Asia. In India black gram is very popularly grown in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka with an area of about 3.29 million ha with a total production of 1.60 million tones with an average productivity of 485 kg/ha. Andhra Pradesh leads with the highest productivity followed by Orissa. ‘Kalodal’ or ‘Panhelo dal’ as it is known in Sikkim, are extensively cultivated in all the dry belts of South and West districts of Sikkim. In Sikkim total area under urd cultivation is 3.55 thousand hectare production is 2.78 thousand Tonnes and productivity is 783.10 kg/ha. District wise area, production and productivity of black gram in Sikkim are as follows:

District Area (‘000 hectares) Production:
(‘000 Tonnes)     Yield/hectare (kg
North        0.08     0.10     1250.0
East      1.84     1.76     956.52
South        1.43     1.18     825.17
West        2.61     2.41     923.37
Total       5.96     5.45     3955.06


Origin and Distribution : Black gram is supposed to have originated in India as evidenced from vedic literature. From India it spread to other countries. In Sikkim two forms of urd are present. They are (i) Large seeded, early maturing black seeded types (kalodal) which belongs to Vigna mungo var. mungo and (ii) small seeded late-maturing types with colours varying from brown, olive green grey (panhelo dal) to mottled which belongs to Vigna mungo var. viridis.

Composition (Dal):

Food Value* (%)     Minerals and Vitamins
Moisture     10.9     Calcium     154 mg
Protein     24.0     Phosphorus     385 mg
Carbohydrate     59.6     Iron     9.1 mg
Fat     1.4     Vitamin Bcomplex     Little
Minerals     3.2         
Fibre     0.9     Calorific value:     374
Total     100         

Value per 100 gm edible portion

Botany :
Like green gram, blackgram is an annual, semi-erect to spreading herb growing to a height of 25-90 cm. Stems are diffuse, branching sometimes procumbent, and covered with long dense brown or black hairs. It possesses strong tap root system with many laterals. Leaves are pinnately trifoliate, hairy with large ovate to lanceolate and entire leaflets. Flowers are pale yellow, small with a yellow spirally coiled keel. The flowers are borne in clusters of 5-6 on a short hairy peduncle in axillary racemes. Pods are short, erect to sub erect, 4-7 cm long and 0.6 cm wide, brown to black in colour, hairy and with stout hooked beak, containing about 6-10 seeds. Seeds are small, oblong slightly truncated at ends measuring 4-5.2 mm. long and 3.5-4.1 mm wide; thousand seeds weight is around 40 gm with varying colour from black, dark brown to green. The testa is smooth and hilum white and concave. Pods do not shatter readily. Flowers are self-fertile and self pollinated. Flowering is indeterminate.