Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): The Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (JNKVV) has developed two new improved varieties of black gram (urad) TJU 339 and TJU 130 and one variety of lentil JLS 6-2.
All these varieties are short-duration, multi-disease resistant, and high-yielding.
The black gram variety TJU 339 matures in 62-65 days, while the TJU 130 variety is ready in 60-62 days.
This particularly provides farmers with the opportunity to harvest the crop in a short period, enabling them to grow multiple crops from the same field. The TJU 339 variety of black gram can yield 16 to 18 quintals per hectare, while the TJU 130 variety yields 15 to 17 quintals per hectare.
Yellow mosaic disease is considered a major problem in black gram cultivation.
Both black gram varieties developed by JNKVV are tolerant to yellow mosaic disease.
Currently, the area under black gram cultivation is rapidly shifting from the Kharif (monsoon) season to the Zaid (summer) season.
A major reason for this is the perceived shortage of good-quality seeds in Kharif.
All these varieties developed by JNKVV will address this shortage and provide a new direction to black gram cultivation in the Kharif season.
JNKVV Vice Chancellor Dr PK Mishra is optimistic that these varieties will prove beneficial for farmers and will be widely adopted in Madhya Pradesh and other black gram and lentil-producing regions of the country.
