Registration of a mutant of black gram

A mutant for seed and pod colour in Urdbean (black gram) has been registered as unique germplasm by the Plant Germplasm Registration Committee of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research vide Registration No. INGR 07028. Urdbean (Black gram) is the third important pulse crop of India, and being grown in almost all the states of India. The idea of producing mutation artificially and using it for breeding purposes was clearly stated as early as 1901 by De Vries. Almost all the varieties of blackgram are generally of rough black seed with black pods. Four hundred pure, uniform, healthy and dry (9.5% moisture) seeds of cultivar Pant Urd-30 were treated with ⁶⁰Co gamma rays (100, 200, 300 and 400 Gy doses), EMS (0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8%) and combination of gamma doses, viz., 100, 200, 300 and 400 Gy with 0.2% EMS during Summer, 2001 at Research Farm, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU, Varanasi. A brown colour pods with yellow rough seed mutant was identified and selected in the 200Gy+0.2% combination dose of gamma rays and EMS. This mutant was evaluated during two consecutive years in the field conditions alongwith parent. This mutant (Seed Mutant-2) has brown pods, yellow rough seeds, tall and high yielding with higher (5.0g) 100-seed weight.

This mutant has lower infestation of MYMV and CLS diseases in comparison to the parent, PU-30. Such seed and pod colour mutants accompanied higher grain yield may be used as a variety or breeding line directly and indirectly for the improvement of black gram crop. Mutations for different seed colour have been reported earlier in other pulse crops viz., buff and black colour mutants in arhar. Yellow colour mutations in soybean and dull green to shining green and golden yellow tester mutant in mungbean. It is likely that pod and seed colour mutations in black gram will increase the demand and market value among the consumers and in genetic and molecular studies.