Vigna mungo

Scientific name

Vigna mungo

Common name

Black gram / Urad

Family

Fabaceae

Genome size (est.)

479 Mb

Chromosome number

22

Vigna mungo (black gram, urd bean) is a South Asian annual pulse domesticated in the Indian subcontinent from the wild V. mungo var. silvestris. It is widely cultivated across India, Myanmar, Pakistan, and parts of Southeast Asia for split/whole dal and fermented batters (idli–dosa, vada). The seeds are protein-rich and the crop’s short duration (~70–90 days) and nitrogen fixation make it useful in rice-fallow and rainfed rotations. Key constraints include yellow mosaic disease and bruchid beetles, so breeding emphasizes resistance along with yield, earliness, and seed traits. Typical farm yields are about 0.6–1.2 t ha⁻¹, with improved management/varieties reaching ~1.5–2.0 t ha⁻¹.