Black Gram Cultivation Guide: High Yield Urad Farming

Black Gram, widely known as Urad or Mash in India, is a highly popular pulse crop that holds a prominent place in Indian agriculture and cuisine. It is the key ingredient in many traditional dishes like idli, dosa, vada, and dal makhani. Cultivating Urad is highly beneficial for farmers because it is a short-duration crop that requires low inputs and has a high market value. Its root system fixes atmospheric nitrogen, which enhances soil fertility and reduces the fertilizer requirements of the subsequent crop in the rotation.

Climatic Requirements for Black Gram

Urad is a tropical crop that requires a warm and humid climate for its growth. The ideal temperature range for its cultivation is between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius. The crop grows best in areas receiving an annual rainfall of 600 to 750 mm. It can tolerate moderate dry spells once established, but dry conditions during flowering and pod development will severely reduce yields.

Heavy rains during the flowering stage are highly harmful, as they wash away pollen and lead to poor pod setting. Similarly, excess moisture during harvest can cause the grains to sprout in the pods, ruining the quality. The crop cannot tolerate frost or extremely cold temperatures, which restrict vegetative growth and stop pod formation. Therefore, farmers in northern India must time their sowing to avoid late-season cold spells. Cloudy weather during flowering also increases the risk of leaf crinkle disease and lowers photosynthesis, which reduces the number of fertile flowers.

Soil Selection and Field Preparation

Urad grows best on deep, well-drained loamy or clay loam soils. It requires a neutral soil pH ranging between 6.5 and 7.5. The crop is highly sensitive to waterlogging, so fields with poor drainage must be avoided. Standing water for even a short period can cause root rot and yellowing of leaves. Heavy clay soils with good drainage can also produce high yields because of their high nutrient-holding capacity.

Field preparation starts with deep ploughing in summer to kill hibernating pests and break hard soil pans. With the arrival of the monsoon, the field is ploughed two times using a cultivator. Planking should be done after each ploughing to crush the clods and level the field. Proper levelling is vital to ensure uniform irrigation and prevent water accumulation in low spots. Using a disc harrow followed by a cultivator is the typical combination to break the hard crust. In clay loam soils, planking must be done twice to ensure there are no large clods left behind. This provides a fine, smooth bed for quick root penetration.

Selecting High-Yielding Urad Varieties

Farmers should select high-yielding, disease-resistant varieties recommended for their specific region. Shekhar 2 is a popular variety known for its bold seeds and resistance to the Yellow Mosaic Virus. Pant U 31 is another excellent variety that matures in about 75 to 80 days and is widely grown in northern and central India. Farmers should purchase seeds that are clean, undamaged, and have a certified germination rate of at least eighty-five percent. Using seed from unknown sources can lead to weak germination and uneven growth.

For rice-fallow cultivation in southern states, varieties like LBG 20 or VBN 6 are highly recommended due to their ability to grow on residual moisture. Other notable varieties include IPU 94-1 (Uttara) and Azad Urad 1. These varieties mature in 70 to 85 days, making them ideal for double cropping. It is recommended to purchase certified seeds from government agencies or trusted seed dealers.

Seed Treatment and Inoculation Rules

Seed treatment is essential to protect the young seedlings from soil-borne pathogens. Treat the seeds with Carbendazim or Thiram at the rate of 2 grams per kg of seed, or with a biological fungicide like Trichoderma viride at the rate of 4 grams per kg of seed. This treatment prevents seed rot and damping-off.

After the fungicide treatment, the seeds should be inoculated with Rhizobium and PSB cultures. Mix 20 grams of Rhizobium culture and 20 grams of PSB culture per kg of seed using a cooled jaggery solution. The jaggery solution acts as a sticky agent, ensuring that the powdery bacterial culture clings tightly to the seed coat and remains active until sowing. Spread the seeds on a clean surface in shade to dry for 30 minutes before sowing. This inoculation improves root nodule formation, allowing the plants to fix nitrogen and absorb phosphorus more effectively.

Sowing Season, Seed Rate, and Spacing

Urad is cultivated in three main seasons. Kharif sowing is done with the onset of the monsoon, from mid-June to early July. Summer sowing is done from mid-March to early April after harvesting Rabi crops. Rabi Urad is sown in rice fallows of southern and eastern states during October and November, immediately after harvesting paddy.

The recommended seed rate for Kharif Urad is 15 to 20 kg per hectare. For Summer and Rabi rice-fallow crops, a higher seed rate of 20 to 25 kg per hectare is required to compensate for smaller plant sizes. The sowing spacing for Kharif Urad is 30 cm between rows and 10 cm between plants. For Summer and Rabi crops, keep a narrower spacing of 22.5 cm between rows and 10 cm between plants. Seeds should be sown at a depth of 4 to 5 cm.

Rice Fallow Sowing in Southern States

In the deltaic and coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha, Urad is widely sown as a Rabi crop in standing rice fields. The seeds are broadcasted into the standing paddy crop about 7 to 10 days before the harvest. This allows the seeds to germinate using the residual soil moisture. No separate land preparation or primary tillage is done in this system. Once the paddy is harvested, the Urad crop continues to grow on the residual moisture and nutrients left over from the paddy crop. Sowing at the correct moisture stage is critical; too much water will rot the seeds, while too little will prevent germination. Farmers must walk carefully through the wet field to ensure even seed distribution.

Balanced Nutrient Management for Black Gram

Like other pulses, Urad has a low nitrogen requirement but responds well to phosphorus and sulphur applications. Phosphorus is critical for root development, while sulphur improves protein synthesis and seed quality.

An indicative fertilizer dose is 20 kg Nitrogen, 40 kg Phosphorus, and 20 kg Sulphur per hectare. All fertilizers should be applied as a basal dose in the sowing furrows. Applying well-rotted farmyard manure at the rate of 5 to 6 tonnes per hectare during field preparation is also highly beneficial. Farmers should get their soil tested and follow recommendations on their Soil Health Cards. If the soil is deficient in zinc, applying zinc sulphate at 25 kg per hectare during field preparation is beneficial. Iron deficiency can be corrected by foliar spray of 0.5% ferrous sulphate. In addition to organic manure, applying well-composted poultry manure or vermicompost can improve soil microbial activity, which helps root nodules establish faster.

Role of Foliar Feeding in Urad

To boost the grain yield of Urad, foliar application of nutrients can be practiced during the reproductive phase. Spraying 2 percent DAP or a dedicated pulse micronutrient formulation at the time of flowering and fifteen days later helps in retaining flowers and increasing pod numbers. The foliar spray provides immediate nutrition to the developing pods, bypassing root absorption limitations in dry soil conditions. It is important to spray during early morning or late evening hours to avoid leaf scorch. Using a fine mist spray ensures that both sides of the leaves are covered.

Irrigation Scheduling and Drainage Needs

Kharif Urad is mostly grown as a rainfed crop and does not require irrigation under normal monsoon conditions. However, if there is a prolonged dry spell of more than 15 days, providing a life-saving irrigation is essential, especially during the flowering and pod-filling stages.

For Summer Urad, irrigation is critical. The crop requires 3 to 4 irrigations at intervals of 10 to 12 days. The first irrigation should be given 20 to 25 days after sowing. Avoid watering the field during peak flowering, as it can cause flower drop. Ensure that the field has good drainage, as standing water during heavy monsoon rains can ruin the crop. In dry sandy soils, the irrigation frequency may need to be adjusted to every eight to ten days, especially during periods of high ambient temperature.

Weed Control and Interculture Operations

The first 20 to 30 days are critical for weed control in Urad. Weeds grow fast in hot and humid weather, competing with the crop for nutrients and light. Hand weeding should be done 20 to 25 days after sowing, followed by a second weeding at 40 days if necessary. Early field preparation by doing two pre-sowing irrigations to germinate weed seeds and then destroying them with a shallow harrow is a great method to reduce weed pressure naturally.

Applying a pre-emergence herbicide like Pendimethalin at the rate of 1.0 kg active ingredient per hectare within 2 days of sowing is highly effective. It prevents the germination of weeds during the early crop stages. Running a hand hoe between the rows also helps loosen the soil, which improves root aeration and water absorption.

Integrated Management of Pests and Diseases

Urad is affected by several insect pests, including whiteflies, thrips, aphids, and pod borers. The Bihar hairy caterpillar is also a major pest that can defoliate the crop quickly. Whiteflies are particularly dangerous as they act as vectors for the Yellow Mosaic Virus. Bihar hairy caterpillars are voracious feeders that can strip the green tissue of a crop in a single night. Early detection is key; farmers should check the field boundaries daily for egg masses and destroy them.

Integrated Pest Management includes clean cultivation, destroying weed hosts, and installing yellow sticky traps to monitor and catch whiteflies. For hairy caterpillars, manual collection and destruction of egg masses and young caterpillars is effective. If the pest population crosses the economic threshold level, apply recommended chemical insecticides safely.

Biological Control Measures

Farmers can also use biological agents to control pests. Releasing Trichogramma chilonis parasites at the rate of 150,000 per hectare during the flowering stage helps in destroying borer eggs. Spraying Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) or NPV (Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus) formulations is effective against young caterpillars without harming beneficial predatory insects in the field. These biological methods reduce insecticide residue on the grains. Installing bird perches helps attract birds that feed on caterpillars.

The most common diseases are Yellow Mosaic Virus, powdery mildew, and root rot. YMV is managed by whitefly control and growing resistant varieties. Powdery mildew can be controlled by spraying wettable sulphur, while root rot is managed by seed treatment and ensuring proper field drainage.

Harvesting, Threshing, and Yield Outcomes

Urad pods mature in about 75 to 85 days. The crop should be harvested when 75 to 80 percent of the pods turn dry and black. Delaying the harvest can cause the pods to split, leading to grain shattering. The plants are cut close to the ground using sickles.

Grading and Quality Parameters

After threshing, grading the grains is crucial to fetch premium market prices. Grains should be sorted to remove small, shrivelled, or discoloured seeds, along with dirt and weed seeds. The ideal size of Urad grains is bold and uniform. The presence of insect-damaged seeds reduces market value. Farmers can use sieve screens of appropriate sizes to carry out grading manually or utilize mechanical graders available at cooperative processing centres. Proper grading makes it easier to bargain with buyers.

The harvested crop is kept in the threshing yard for sun drying for 3 to 4 days. Once dry, the grains are separated from the pods by beating with sticks or using mechanical threshers. The grains must be dried under the sun until the moisture level drops below 9 to 10 percent. Proper drying is crucial to protect the grains from pulse beetles during storage. The indicative yield of Kharif Urad is 8 to 10 quintals per hectare, while irrigated Summer and Rabi crops yield 12 to 15 quintals per hectare. Farmers should check prices at local mandis before selling their produce.

Frequently asked questions

What is the ideal sowing time for Kharif Urad?

The ideal sowing time for Kharif Urad is with the onset of the monsoon, from mid-June to early July.

What is the seed rate for Summer Urad?

The recommended seed rate for Summer Urad is 20 to 25 kg per hectare, which is higher than the Kharif seed rate.

Why does Summer Urad require a higher seed rate?

Summer plants have smaller canopies and a shorter growth period, so a higher seed rate is used to maintain a high plant population.

How does Yellow Mosaic Virus affect Urad?

YMV causes bright yellow patches on the leaves, which reduces photosynthesis and results in poor pod filling and lower yields.

Which insect spreads Yellow Mosaic Virus?

The disease is transmitted by the whitefly vector, which carries the virus from infected to healthy plants.

What is the recommended spacing for Kharif Urad?

Maintain a spacing of 30 cm between rows and 10 cm between plants within the row.

Can Urad be grown in rice fallows?

Yes, in southern and eastern India, Urad is sown in rice fallows during Rabi to utilize the residual soil moisture.

Why is sulphur important for Urad cultivation?

Sulphur is essential for protein synthesis and helps improve the quality and yield of black gram.

How many irrigations does Summer Urad need?

Summer Urad requires 3 to 4 irrigations every 10 to 12 days, starting 20 to 25 days after sowing.

How do I control weeds in my Urad field?

Perform hand weedings at 20 and 40 days, or apply pre-emergence herbicides like Pendimethalin within 2 days of sowing.

What is the average yield of Urad per hectare?

Indicative yield is 8 to 10 quintals per hectare for rainfed Kharif Urad, and 12 to 15 quintals per hectare for irrigated Summer crops.

How do I manage root rot in Urad?

Ensure proper field drainage to prevent waterlogging, and treat seeds with Trichoderma viride before sowing.

How many days does Urad take to mature?

Urad is a short-duration crop, maturing in about 75 to 85 days after sowing.

How should Urad be stored after harvesting?

Grains must be dried in the sun until moisture is below 10 percent, then stored in airtight containers to avoid pulse beetle infestation.

What are some popular Urad varieties in India?

Popular varieties include Shekhar 2, Pant U 31, IPU 94-1 (Uttara), and Azad Urad 1.