Morphological Characterization and Growth Analysis of Black Gram (Vigna mungo L.) Genotypes under Field Conditions
Ramratan Moond
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Bundelkhand University Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Mahipat Singh *
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Bundelkhand University Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Mousmi Syed
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Bundelkhand University Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Ashish Kumar
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Bundelkhand University Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Mahendra Kumar Yadav
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Bundelkhand University Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Black gram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper) is an important pulse crop valued for its nutritional quality, adaptability, and role in sustainable cropping systems. This study evaluated morphological variation and growth performance among twelve black gram genotypes under field conditions during the kharif season of 2025 at Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Five traits were assessed: plant height, number of primary branches per plant, number of clusters per plant, number of pods per plant, and biological yield per plant. The recorded data were analysed using analysis of variance, range, standard error of the mean, coefficient of variation, and critical difference. Considerable variation was observed among the genotypes for all five traits. PDU-1 recorded the greatest plant height (44.50 cm), whereas RASHMI recorded the lowest value (30.15 cm). MIR-503 produced the highest number of primary branches per plant (3.56), while PDU-9 recorded the highest number of clusters per plant (13.40) and the greatest biological yield per plant (26.13 g). BG-10 produced the highest number of pods per plant (43.93). The observed differences indicate useful variability among the evaluated genotypes. PDU-9, PDU-1, BG-10, MIR-503, and MIR-514 performed favourably for one or more growth or yield-attributing traits and may be considered for further evaluation. Multi-location and multi-season testing is required before broader recommendations can be made.
Keywords: Black gram, genetic variability, yield components, varietal evaluation, harvest index, quantitative traits