🧬 Greengram and Blackgram — Breeding

Greengram and blackgram breeding emphasizes short duration and disease resistance to fit intensive cropping windows. This lesson compares both pulses through objectives, methods, and recent resistance-led progress.

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Greengram (Mungbean)

Origin and Botany

Greengram (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek, 2n = 22) belongs to the family Fabaceae. Its centre of origin is the Indian subcontinent. It is a short-duration pulse crop (55-75 days) rich in protein (22-28%) and is widely consumed as whole dal, sprouts, and processed foods. India is the largest producer and consumer of mungbean.

Breeding Objectives

1. Short duration and synchronous maturity — enabling mechanical harvesting and fitting into rice-wheat, rice-rice, and spring cropping windows. Varieties like Pusa Vishal and SML 668 mature in 55-65 days.
2. Mungbean Yellow Mosaic Virus (MYMV) resistance — the most devastating disease, transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. Resistant varieties include Pant Moong 5, SML 668, IPM 02-3, and Meha (IPM 410-3).
3. Cercospora leaf spot and powdery mildew resistance — important foliar diseases in humid regions.
4. Photo-thermo insensitivity — enables cultivation across seasons (kharif, spring, summer) and latitudes.
5. High yield with bold seed — bright green, uniform, bold seeds command premium market price.
6. Bruchid resistance — storage pest Callosobruchus spp. causes significant post-harvest losses. Wild relative V. radiata var. sublobata carries resistance.

Key Breeding Methods

Since greengram is self-pollinated, hybridization followed by pedigree or modified bulk selection is the standard approach. Mutation breeding has also been highly successful. The variety Co 4 was developed through gamma-ray irradiation and remains one of India's most popular cultivars.

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Blackgram (Urdbean)

Origin and Botany

Blackgram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper, 2n = 22) is closely related to greengram and also originates from India. The seeds are black and used to prepare popular dishes like dal makhani and idli/dosa batter. Blackgram is a self-pollinated, short-duration crop well-suited to rice fallows.

Breeding Objectives

1. MYMV resistance — the single most important breeding objective, as with greengram. Resistant varieties include PU 31, IPU 02-43, Uttara, and Shekhar 2.
2. Powdery mildew resistance — a common disease in late kharif and rabi seasons.
3. Short duration — 60-70 day maturity for fitting into intensive cropping sequences.
4. Seed size and colour — bold, uniform, shiny black seeds preferred.
5. Photo-insensitivity — to expand the growing season across kharif, rabi, and summer.

Notable Achievements

IIPR Kanpur and ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research have released several high-yielding, MYMV-resistant varieties. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) is increasingly being employed to pyramid resistance genes for MYMV and powdery mildew in both crops.

Summary Cheat Sheet

Quick Recall Points\n- Both crops are predominantly self-pollinated and short-duration pulses.\n- MYMV resistance is the top breeding objective in both species.\n- Photo-insensitivity expands seasonal adaptation and system fit.\n\n### Exam Traps\n- MYMV management cannot rely only on agronomy; host resistance is pivotal.\n- Bruchid resistance sources often come from wild relatives, not elite lines.

References

2 sources • [1] [2]

[1]

ICAR eCourse: GPBR 213 Crop Improvement-I (Kharif Crops)

Book

[2]

ICAR Crop-specific research bulletins (IIRR, IIMR, IIMR Sorghum, ICRISAT, CICR, SBI, CRIJAF)

Website