URAD CULTIVATION IN INDIA

Urad cultivation:

Urad or black gram is small sized pulse having black seed coat that is used in the preparation of fermented foods mainly in the south Indian recipes and other regional foods. Black gram comes from the family of Leguminoseae and belongs to the sub family of Papilionaceae. It is a good source of phosphoric acid, proteins, carbohydrates and calcium. Urad is creamy white in colour beneath its black seed coat and is more or less same as the green gram or Mung bean in nature.

Urad is consumed in many including split form, boiled form, roasted form or ground to make flour. It is also consumed in a stew form, which is known as ‘Dal’ in India and other south Asian countries.

Urad is crop that can be cultivated in both hot and cold weathers but the method of cultivation differs in the two climates. In warm climates, the yield of this crop is largely dependent on rainfall level and in cooler climates; it depends on the moisture level in the soil. This crop is generally cultivated as a secondary crop in rotation with wheat, rice etc as it increases the nitrogen level in the soil. Also, it has relatively short crop duration of 80- 120 days.

In India, it is generally cultivated in summer times as a kharif crop. The seeds are sown in the months of February and the crop is harvested in the months of July and August. It is also sown in the months of June July or October according to the areas in which it is cultivated.