Agricultural Research Journal

Black gram is a highly nutritious legume crop primarily cultivated for its grains in Asian countries. Despite its significant importance due to its health benefits and organoleptic properties, its productivity remains low. The exploration and cataloging of genetic diversity are crucial initial steps towards maximizing production potential. The objective of this study was to evaluate 482 germplasm accessions of black gram for 14 quantitative traits (including grain yield and related characteristics) and 13 qualitative traits (such as plant growth, leaf structure, branching pattern, and pod morphology). Analysis of the phenotypic data revealed extensive variation in both quantitative and qualitative traits among the germplasm under study. Several germplasm accessions, including IC0619217, IC0279521, IC0472035, IC0393537, IC0321149, IC0331231, IC0530627, and IC0330889, exhibited numerous desirable traits that surpassed those of commercial checks. Heritability and genetic advance as a percentage of population means (GAM) were highest for PDM (60.795), GyPp (58.82), and PpP (56.89). Principal component analysis and correlation analysis indicated strong associations of traits such as PdL, PSD, PdpP, PpP with GyPp, while, days to maturity showed a negative association with grain yield. Furthermore, germplasm with traits such as insect tolerance (pod and leaf pubescence), drought tolerance (lanceolate leaves), and heat tolerance (central branching) were present in germplasm. This selected germplasm holds promise for use in urdbean genetic improvement programs.