Plant Name Vigna mungo
Common name: Black Gram
Marathi: Gavthi udid
Hindi: Urad daal
English: Black gram
Jawhar: Gavathi udid
Identification guide
General
Black gram is an erect, hairy, bushy, annual plant with a well-developed taproot, growing 30 - 100cm tall. The stem is diffusely branched from the base. Sometimes the plant adopts a twining habit
Stems
profusely branched from the base
Leaves
trifoliate with ovate leaflets
Flowers
yellow, small, papilionaceous flowers
Fruits
cylindrical, erect and hairy pod, broad with a short hooked beak. It contains 4-10 ellipsoid black seeds.
Habit / Habitat
Habit:
Leguminous plant
Habitat:
It is cultivated crop and has poor tolerance to wet tropical climates. It requires rich black or loamy, well-drained soils.
Occurrence
Black gram has originated from central Asia. It was domesticated in India and now found in many tropical areas of Africa and Madagascar.
Edible parts
World wide use: Young seedpods, Seeds.
Used by tribal community in Jawhar: Seeds
Method of consumption
Jawhar tribal: Seeds are boiled and cooked in the form of curry, vegetable or soup.
Medicinal use
In traditional medicine, the seed is used for its suppurative, cooling and astringent properties. For example, it is ground into a powder, moistened and applied as a poultice on abscesses.
Nutritional and medicinal information
Nutritive Significance:
Nutrition of Black gram, 100 gm
Sr. No Parameters Daily % Value
- Total fats 0
- Cholesterol 0
- Sodium 1
- Potassium 28
- Total Carbohydrate 19
- Dietary fiber 72
- Protein 50
Minerals
- Calcium 13
- Iron 42
- Magnesium 66
Vitamins
- Vitamin B6 15
Harvesting and preserving
Immature pods can be harvested about 60 - 80 days after sowing. Mature beans can be harvested after 75 - 130 days
Propagation and Storage
How to grow it?
It is cultivated
Method of storage
1) Propagules and edible parts: Seeds are non-perishable and are stored in a dry place in gunny bags for over the year. Neem leaves or boric powder is mixed with seeds as an anti-fungal and anti-insect agent.
Other uses
It is cultivated as a fodder crop in countries like USA and Australia.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Spermatophyta
Sub-division: Angiospermae
Class: Dicotyledonae
Sub-class: Polypetalae
Series: Calyciflorae
Order: Rosales
Family: Leguminosae
Sub-family: Papilionaceae
Genus: Vigna
Species: mungo
References
http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Vigna+mungo